There’s nothing more frustrating than getting a perfectly baked cake stuck in a pan. All your effort goes to waste when a chunk of cake doesn’t come out, and you end up ruining your creation.
The sad part is most recipes simply tell you to grease the pan without explaining how. It’s an omission that ends up becoming a beginner baker’s downfall.
Luckily, it doesn’t take much effort to keep the cake from sticking to the pan.
Today, I’ll teach you everything I’ve learned through my many years of baking. Let’s make your cake-making session stress-free and set you up for success!
How to Keep Cake From Sticking to a Pan
Here are four easy ways to keep your cake from sticking to its pan after baking.
1. Use Parchment Paper
One of the best ways to keep cakes from sticking to pans is to use parchment paper.
Parchment paper is a non-stick food-safe material that works wonders preventing food from sticking to surfaces. Not to be confused with wax paper, parchment is heat-resistant and ideal for withstanding the high temperatures of your oven.
The best part is it’s cheap, and you can cut it to fit the bottom of cake pans of all sizes!
One of my tips is to trace around the bottom of your cake pan with parchment paper and a non-toxic pencil. After this, you can cut the shape out using kitchen scissors.
Once done, fit the parchment paper into the bottom of the pan. Bake as usual, and run a knife around the sides of the pan when it’s cool.
You should be able to flip the cake out and peel the paper off with no issues. I highly recommend using parchment paper if you have some!
2 – Greasing Your Cake Pan
Greasing your pan is another great tactic for preventing the cake from sticking.
Here, you coat the pan with a layer of fat to prevent the cake batter from adhering. It’s a quick versatile method that you can combine with parchment paper!
There are a few options to grease your pan with. You may use vegetable shortening, butter, oil, or non-stick spray. One thing to note is that there are advantages and disadvantages to each of these options.
Vegetable Shortening
Many bakers prefer to use vegetable shortening for greasing because it’s 100% fat. It doesn’t contain any moisture, which is vital since water causes the cake to stick to the pan.
Vegetable shortening is ideal because it’s flavorless. It doesn’t add to or detract from the taste of your cake in any way. The only downside to shortening is it’s a highly processed ingredient. You may want to use it in moderation.
Butter and Margarine
Unlike shortening, butter and margarine are around 20% water.
The moisture means they’re not as effective for greasing as vegetable shortening. They may also be pricier, and you have to wait for them to come to room temperature before you can spread them.
However, the difference of butter and margarine from shortening is that they’re more fragrant. Butter, in particular, is all-natural, making it a better option for some!
Oil and Non-Stick Spray
It’s a good idea to get grease on both the bottom and sides. This is because you’ll find that cake can stick to the side of the pan if you don’t do a good job of greasing it.
Fortunately, oil and non-stick spray are the easiest to get into the nooks and crannies of a cake pan.
What’s great about this greasing agent is that you may use canola, coconut, or any neutral oil you have available!
3. Add Extra Flour
On top of greasing your pan with fat, it may be beneficial to go ahead and sprinkle a little bit of flour around your pan.
Flouring the pan adds an extra layer between your cake batter and container. It prevents the grease from melting into the cake as you’re baking.
To do it, you must first grease the pan with oil or fat. After this, coat all sides with flour and tap the excess out. The flour should stick to the thin layer of grease.
Try not to use so much fat and flour that you can see thick concentrations on the pan. You want to create a thin layer so you won’t get uncooked flour on your finished cake.
It doesn’t take all that long to sprinkle flour at the bottom of the pan, and you almost surely have extra flour if you’re baking a cake. I promise you’ll be glad you took the time to do this when your cake comes out of the pan very easily!
4. Pick a Non-Stick Pan
Finally, a simple way to get cakes to release from pans in one piece is by using non-stick bakeware. These cake pans have a special coating that helps prevent the batter from sticking.
Non-stick cake pans come in many shapes and forms. One of my favorites is the springform type of cake pan.
Springform cake pans are often round containers that come in two parts. First, it has an adjustable band that you can unclamp. Next, it has a bottom that separates once you unclamp the band.
The removable bottom makes it easy to release even delicate cheesecakes from the pan. They may be more expensive than regular cake pans, but they’re worth the investment!
Tips for Using Non-Stick Pans
Non-stick cake pans might be easier to use than standard cake pans. Still, that doesn’t mean that they’re perfect.
Sometimes you might encounter an issue where the cake sticks to the pan despite being non-stick. For this reason, most experts and baking enthusiasts recommend greasing your cake pan no matter what.
The methods for greasing a cake pan mentioned above are very simple. You can easily combine them with the benefits of a non-stick cake pan. Doing so gives you an even greater likelihood that you won’t have to worry about a thing!
How to Remove Cake From a Pan Like a Pro
The method you use for removing cake from a pan can make quite a difference in the final product. To ensure the cake releases from the pan without sticking, you must be patient!
Here are a few tips that’ll help you remove cake from a pan like a pro.
1. Wait for the Cake to Cool
First, you should always wait at least 15 minutes for the pan to cool before removing the cake.
Cooling the cake allows it to shrink and pull away from the sides of the pan. The cake also sets and becomes easier to handle.
2. Run a Knife Around the Edges
Once your cake is cool, use a knife to loosen the edges around the pan. This step is essential for circular or rectangular cakes.
Gently work your way around the sides of the pan, turning it as you go. You may want to use a blunt butter knife to avoid damaging the pan.
3. Flip the Cake Out
After you’ve done a good job of loosening the sides, it’s time to remove it.
Place a cooling rack on top of the cake pan and hold the rack and pan firmly on both sides. Make sure to use mittens to avoid burning yourself.
After this, quickly flip the cake and rack together. If you’ve greased and lined the pan properly, the cake should fall directly onto the rack.
In case the cake pan isn’t too big, another trick is to flip it while holding your hand underneath the cake.
Slowly lower your hand, and gravity should help you to remove the cake from its pan. You can then safely set the cake down on whatever surface you’re planning to place it on.
What to Do if Your Cake Is Stuck in the Pan
As long as you’re careful with how you’re going about this, it shouldn’t be too hard to get good results. If the cake is still sticking to the pan after the above advice, you might have missed an essential step.
That said, there’s one more trick you can use.
I recommend tapping the bottom of the pan while it’s inverted on the rack. You may also slam the whole cake tin onto the rack with slight force. Doing this may help the cake release from the pan.
Finally, check to see if you greased the pan properly and go through all the steps to get better results next time!
Final Thoughts
To keep your cake from sticking to a pan, it’s important to grease it properly with shortening, butter, or oil. After this, make sure to coat it with flour and tap the excess out.
Once that’s done, cut some parchment paper and line the bottom of the pan. Using non-stick bakeware is also a great tip.
Finally, remember to cool the cake and run a knife through the sides before flipping it onto a rack.
Don’t worry if the cake doesn’t come out perfect. The process will become second nature after a while. I promise the next time you bake a cake for your loved ones, you’re going to have a much easier time than before.
Now that you know how to keep cake from sticking to a pan, it’s time to enjoy your creation!
Sarah is the founder of Baking Kneads, LLC, a blog sharing guides, tips, and recipes for those learning how to bake. Growing up as the daughter of a baker, she spent much of her childhood learning the basics in a local bakery.
Beverly
Thursday 14th of April 2022
Thank you for your tips for helping a cake not stick to the cake pan. I noticed in the advice using flour, you said to have an inch of flour at the bottom of the pan so coating the pan. Do you really use an inch of flour or just use a heavy coat of flour over the vegetable shortening? Thank you!