I started this blog a long time back as a passion project with the aim of sharing recipes to promote home-baked goodies over commercially available stuff in the market. Along with sharing recipes, I also ensure to share baking fundamentals to help beginners, who may be intimidated by baking. As part of this series, today I am sharing a very simple cake release recipe. This will help you remove your cake from pans easily- every single time, without any sticking.
You can use commercially available spray but this method is so simple and best of all it is homemade without any shortening – just three ingredients, flour, oil and butter.
You can find more tutorials related to baking on my YouTube channel here.
How do I prepare pans for baking?
There is so much confusion about what to use when preparing pans for baking- butter & flour, oil & flour, parchment or baking paper, or baking spray. In this post, I will share three methods of preparing pans for baking.
Butter/ Oil & Flour Method
This is one of the most common methods used for preparing pans for baking and uses 2 ingredients: butter/ oil & flour. This method has the following steps:
- In a clean, dry baking pan, spread (softened) butter or oil with a brush, evenly on all sides of the pan.
- Make sure that no surface area remains uncovered.
- Sprinkle some flour and spread is evenly on the base by rotating the pan. Dust off the access.
- You can now use your pan for baking.
This is a simple method but the only con is that the flour clumps up with the fat while baking and is visible on the cake. Also it is a 2- step method.
Butter & Parchment/ Baking Paper Method
This method also uses two items: butter & parchment/ baking paper and has the following steps:
- Cut a parchment paper according to the shape and size of the pan.
- Spread room temperature butter with a brush, evenly on all sides of the pan. Place the parchment paper on top and press with fingers.
- Apply some more butter on top of the paper.
- You can now use your pan for baking.
This method works well with round, square or rectangle shapes pans. However, for any irregular shaped pans such as a Bundt pan or a custom-designed pan, it will not be possible to fit the parchment paper accurately.
Cake Release Method
This is my most preferred method of preparing pans and uses a homemade cake release. Its quick to make and once prepared, you can store it in refrigerator for 1-2 months and use whenever needed. You can find the recipe at the bottom of the post.
This method has the following steps:
- Spread the prepared cake release with a brush, evenly on all sides of the pan.
- Make sure that no surface area remains uncovered.
- You can now use your pan for baking.
The best part about using this cake release is that it overcomes the cons of the other two methods mentioned above- no clumping of flour and this can be used in every kind of pan.
Some Important Tips
- Instead of using only oil/ butter, always add flour as well for better results.
- Avoid using wax paper for lining pans as wax paper has a thin layer of wax on it, which melts during baking and can spoil your cake. A word of caution, do not use wax paper which has a thin layer of wax and most of them are not recommended for baking at high temperatures.
- For dark-colored pans, make sure to cover the pan surface extra carefully. Dark-colored pans absorb more heat and if the pan is not greased well, there is a chance of your cake sticking in some places.
- Avoid using commercially available non-stick baking sprays. Although these are convenient; however, they come with an additional cost. Also, these sprays contain preservatives, which are easily avoidable by using other methods explained above.
- You can make the cake release, store it in refrigerator for up to 1-2 months and use whenever required.
Homemade Cake Release Recipe
Remove cake from pans easily, every single time without sticking using this recipe for Cake Release!
Prep Time
5 minutes
Total Time
5 minutes
Ingredients
- 1/2 cup butter
- 1/4 cup oil
- 1/2 cup flour
Instructions
- Beat all the ingredients together until well combined.
- Store in a jar, refrigerated.
- Take it out 30 minutes before using or just microwave for a few seconds and its ready to use.
Recipe Name
Homemade Cake Release Recipe
Author Name
Nadia Tariq
Published On
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