How To: Always Get The Cake Out Of The Pan

I bake a lot (in case you haven’t noticed), so sometimes I take some things that I know how to do for granted.  A while ago, I had a friend tell me that she hated baking cakes because they always stuck to the bottom of the pan.  I was shocked.  I actually didn’t realize this was a problem for people! 

But if I think back, I used to have this problem too.  At some point between countless cakes, I learned a foolproof method for getting them not to stick, and then I forgot about everything else.

Today, I’m sharing my secret (not so secret) with you.  Because no one should ever be afraid to make a cake! 

You’ll need:

1) Cake pans of your choice
2) Parchment paper
3) A pencil
4) Grease (I use shortening)

There are 4 steps to never having your cakes stick:

1) Trace around your pan(s) onto the parchment paper with pencil and cut out 
2) Grease the bottom and side of the pan(s)
3) Line the bottom of the pan(s) with parchment
4) Lightly grease the parchment

I like to use vegetable shortening to grease my pans because it’s always soft enough to grease easily, it never burns, and it leaves the edges of cakes nice and soft.  You can certainly use butter, especially if it’s a stand-alone coffee-cake type thing where you might want those delicious crispy edges. 

It might seem weird to grease both under and on top of the parchment paper, but it’s key! If the recipe calls for “flouring” your pan, do this at the end.
  
And that’s it! Pour your batter in and bake!

Once your cake has cooled slightly, run a thin spatula all around the edge, flip the cake out of the pan, peel the parchment off the bottom, and flip the cake back onto a wire rack to cool completely.  

This is hopefully the first in a “How To” series on the blog.  Post your most common baking questions in the comments.  Chances are, lots of other people have the same question!  I might have the answer.  And if I don’t, I promise you more cakes.