Some recipes call for ingredients to be measured, then sifted. Others call for ingredients to be sifted, then measured. And most recipes call for all dry ingredients to be sifted together. I sift every cake recipe’s dry ingredients, even if it’s just the boxed cake mix. I’d sift my morning coffee grounds if I had the time.
What is sifting? It’s the act of passing dry ingredients through a fine grate to aerate and weed out clumps, resulting in light, airy cakes.
You don’t have to invest in a fancy sifter either. The metal, hand crank style sifters tend to get rusty and are a pain to keep clean, which is why I prefer a simple strainer for sifting, pictured at left. You can also find plastic versions that work just as well at 99 cent stores and they’re dishwasher safe. They also come in handy for dusting finished desserts with powdered sugar or cocoa. Just place the dry ingredients in the strainer a little at a time and either shake the strainer back and forth or gently rub the dry ingredients against the strainer with your hand.
Finally, be sure to heed any directions regarding sifting pre or post-measurement. I once made a cream cheese frosting recipe that called for four cups of sifted confectioners sugar with four unsifted cups. I’m lucky it didn’t induce any diabetic comas.