How to prepare your cake pan

It’s a special occasion. You’ve scoured recipe books and magazines and finally found the perfect cake to celebrate. You’ve bought premium ingredients; the best you can afford. You’ve followed the recipe to a tee - checking and rechecking the ingredients list and all your measurements. The batter looks beautiful – it’s the perfect consistency and tastes like heaven. The oven has been heated to the right temperature – you’ve even used an oven thermometer to double check. Your masterpiece is placed in the middle of the oven, the door closed and the timer set. Bing. Ready to come out. Cool in the tin for 15 minutes then turn out onto to a wire rack to cool. Turn. On. To. A. Wire. Rack. Turn. Turn. Nothing happens. Your cake is stuck in the pan. All that work and love for nothing. The cake tastes amazing – but it’s just you eating it. With a spoon. Straight out of the tin.

There’s nothing worse than failing to prepare your cake tin correctly. Every baker knows it’s truly heart breaking. Pans are prepared in three basic ways. To help avoid such devastation, KitchenAid has prepared the below guide.  

Bare pans (no grease or flour)

Delicate, airy batters for angel, chiffon and soufflé-type tortes are said to climb up the walls of the pan. For this they need a dry, non-slippery surface to cling to for optimum rise.

The secret to unmolding is to slide a thin, flexible spatula around the inside of the pan, pressing against the sides of the pan to avoid tearing the cake.

It’s often also a good idea to line the bottom of the pan with parchment paper.

Greased pans (with butter, oil or non-stick spray)

Non-sponge cakes such as butter cakes, devil’s food cake and quick breads are best baked in greased pans. This allows the cake to shrink slightly from the sides of the pan as they finish baking, as well as un-mould without sticking or tearing. You may still need to run a thin spatula around the edge of the cake to fully detach the cake from the side of the pan.

Greased and floured pans (with oil, butter or spray and flour)

This is the next step on from the above to ensure your cake slips easily from its tin. The addition of the flour seals the batter and creates an even crust on the surface of the cake, which further helps it to release from the pan without sticking.   

So next time you’re making a cake ensure you prepare your pan correctly to avoid a basic baking blunder.