To evaluate cake-baking quality of soft wheat short milling extraction (patent) flour. The method utilizes a high-ratio (more sugar than flour) white layer cake formulation. Cake flours appropriate for producing high-ratio layer cakes often receive postmilling treatment to reduce flour particle size and are pretreated with chlorine gas to about 4.8 pH. The formulation uses variable water level that is optimized based on cake contour. Higher cake-baking quality is indicated by larger cake volume at the proper cake contour.