Is sifting necessary?

For basic baking like muffins, slices, biscuits and butter cakes, it’s not essential unless there are several dry ingredients – say, a mixture of flours or bi-carb soda and spices. Sponge cakes definitely need all ingredients to be aerated, so sifting is recommended. In the Test Kitchen we use White Wings premium flours that are triple sifted to provide a smooth, silky texture and a finer flour to make baking easier.