Cake Flour Biscuits

These Cake Flour Biscuits are tender, buttery, and rise beautifully. After testing different flour combos, this recipe consistently delivers bakery-style layers without the dense, heavy texture. The secret to their soft crumb and lift is simple: cake flour, which creates a softer, lighter bite.

Golden biscuits on a cutting board next to a knife with butter on it.

After seven years, we realized that we didn't have a plain ol' biscuit recipe on here (crazy, right?). Sure, we have our savory cheddar biscuits (which are equally good), but we wanted a go-to everyday biscuit recipe that pairs with everything.

So, we set out to create a recipe that checks all the biscuit boxes: flaky, buttery, fluffy, and golden. Cake flour makes a big difference here. It's a softer flour, which means the biscuits stay light and tender instead of dense or chewy. If you've ever had a biscuit that felt heavy, cake flour can help.

Key ingredient

Cake flour contains less protein compared to other flours, which means less gluten in the dough. Gluten gives baked goods structure, which isn't a bad thing! Here, we're aiming for a lighter biscuit, so the lower protein helps keep these biscuits soft and fluffy.

Cake flour is easy to find. It's usually found near all-purpose flour at the grocery store. We use Swans Down cake flour.

Angled view of biscuits on a cutting board with butter.

Full ingredient list can be found in the recipe card below.

Step-by-step instructions

Don't let all the steps intimidate you. Biscuits are easy to make. don't overwork the dough, and keep everything nice and cold. You got this!

A six picture collage showing how to make biscuit dough.

Step 1. Pulse the dry ingredients. Step 2. Add butter. Step 3. Pulse until butter is the size of peas. Step 4. Add buttermilk, and pulse until the dough comes together. Step 5. Gather the dough and turn it onto a floured surface. Step 6. Roll into a rough rectangle.

A six picture collage showing how roll and cut biscuits.

Step 7. Fold the dough in thirds. Step 8. Fold the other side like a letter. Step 9. Using a biscuit cutter, cut into the dough (no twisting!). Step 10. Refold scraps, and cut- you should have 8 biscuits. Step 11. Chill, then brush with egg wash. Step 12. Bake at 425°F for about 12 minutes.

*These are abbreviated instructions. The full list of directions can be found in the recipe card below.

Expert tips

Use a scale to measure your flour. A scale is ideal for ensuring a solid dough every time.
Have all your ingredients ready. Pre-measure your ingredients, and have your baking sheet ready to go. This will help to keep you organized.
Freeze ingredients while the oven preheats. While the oven is heating, place your cubed butter and buttermilk in the freezer to get a blast of chill. It helps keep the dough tender and prevents the butter from getting too warm while you roll out the dough.
A food processor is your friend. While you can certainly cut the butter into the flour with your hands or with a pastry cutter, it's easier to use a food processor.
Chill again. After you cut and roll the biscuits, place them on a baking sheet and chill in the freezer for another 5-10 minutes. This will chill the butter again if it got too warm. solid time to do some dishes!
Wonky biscuits welcome. After cutting the first 6 biscuits, the scraps won't roll as nicely, and you'll get some wonky-looking biscuits. No worries! These are as good. We'll call them "drop" biscuits.

Swaps

Want to switch things up a bit? These simple variations keep the biscuits soft and fluffy while adding a little something extra.

Close-up showing a cut biscuit showing it's fluffy texture.

Honey biscuits. Swap the sugar for honey for a richer, sweeter taste. Whisk into the buttermilk for the best results.
Cream biscuits. like these scones swap the buttermilk for heavy whipping cream. It'll produce a richer biscuit (omit the baking soda if doing so).
Make biscuit breakfast sandwiches. Layer your sandwich with eggs cheese, and bacon.
Use biscuits in a dessert. Like in this cranberry shortcake.
Ditch the biscuit cutter. No cutter? No problem. drop the biscuit dough (or scoop it into mounds using a large cookie scoop) onto the baking sheet. They will be more rustic, but it will save you some time.

Serving suggestions

Biscuits are solid on their own with a pat of softened, salted butter or honey. If you want to get a little fancy, slather on some flavored sweet or savory butterchocolate tahini spreadbacon chutney or some good fruity jam.

Angled view of a table breakfast scene with biscuits, butter and crumbs scattered around it.

Storage and prep

Once completely cooled, store biscuits in an airtight container at room temperature for up to 2 days.

To freeze, cut the biscuits first, then freeze them solid (don't add the egg wash). When ready to bake, you can place them in the oven straight from frozen (add 3-5 extra minutes to the bake time).

Kitchen questions

Can we use all-purpose flour instead of cake flour?

Because this recipe was specifically tested with cake flour, using all-purpose flour may require adjustments to the liquid and mixing to avoid a tougher texture. If you choose to make the swap, handle the dough gently and expect a biscuit that's still good, but not quite as light and tender as the cake flour version. To substitute all-purpose flour, use 250g all-purpose flour, remove 1 tablespoon, and replace it with 1 tablespoon cornstarch. Results may be slightly less tender than using cake flour.