You spent so much time looking for the ideal cake recipe to wow your family and friends. You gently mixed the mixture and put it into the pan, then watched it bake till golden brown.
It’s time to take your cake out of the pan, but it won’t budge! Has all of your baking time resulted in a cake that will come out of the pan torn and in pieces?
Don’t worry, there are a few options for getting the cake out of the pan and onto a platter. And a few things you can do to keep it from adhering to the pan in the first place (you could always just skip the pan altogether!).
In a similar vein, if you’re baking a bundt cake or cheesecake, check out my postings on removing a stuck bundt cake from a pan and removing cheesecake from a pan.
How to Remove Cake From a Pan After Baking
These are the tactics I use to get my cakes out of the pan every time and have them look flawless.
1 – Cooling the cake
The first step in getting your cake out of the pan, regardless of what cake you cooked or what pan you used, is to let it cool fully, to room temperature.
If you try to remove a warm cake from its pan, it may come out with chunks still adhered to the pan.
Let the pan to cool for at least 30 minutes, if not longer for bigger cakes. After the cake has fully cooled, you may begin removing it from the pan.
2 – Use a cooling rack
I strongly suggest using a cooling rack to chill the cake while it is still in the pan. A cooling rack will enable air to circulate throughout the pan, especially the bottom, which is where the majority of the sticking will occur.
This specific set appeals to me since it can withstand temperatures of up to 575 F, making it quite adaptable.
3 – Cool in fridge
If you’re in a hurry to get that cake out of the pan, place it in the fridge to speed up the process. Let the pan to cool for approximately 15 minutes, or until it is warm-to-cool and no longer heated. Place the pan in the refrigerator for another 10 to 15 minutes.
This cools the cake enough to allow it to be gently removed from the pan. This cooling approach is especially useful in hotter months when your kitchen is heated.
4 – Loosen the cake
To remove the cake from the pan, use a knife. Slide the knife carefully between the cake and the pan, working gently around the edge. Keep the knife against the pan to avoid cutting into the cake.
Turn the pan upside down and carefully push the cake out onto a cooling rack or platter once the cake is loose. A non-serrated or palette knife is the ideal tool to use. Instead, a thin nylon spatula may be used.
5 – Tapping method
Place a big dish on top of the cake pan, ideally the one that will be used to serve the cake. Flip the pan over down with the plate on the bottom, holding the plate firmly in place.
Tap and gently jiggle the pan to release the cake slowly and in one piece.
6 – Leave in pan upside down
Invert your cake upside down on the platter, just as the prior procedure. Let the cake upside down for 10 to 15 minutes instead of tapping and shaking. Then attempt to carefully remove the pan.
This procedure permits the shortening used to oil the pan to sink a bit deeper into the edges of the cake, assisting in its release.
7 – Use a dishcloth
If your cake is obstinate and won’t slide out of the pan onto the platter, a dishcloth may help.
Soak a dishcloth in hot or warm water. Wring out the excess water from the cloth and wrap it around the pan’s bottom. Let the pan to rest in the cloth for approximately 15 minutes.
This procedure allows the pan to warm up and expand somewhat, allowing it to loosen from the edges of the cake.
8 – Microwave method
Do you still have a cake that won’t come out of its pan? There is another another method for removing the cake from the pan.
Fill a cup halfway with boiling water. Place the cup in the microwave, with the cake pan on top. Leave in the microwave for a few minutes without turning it on. The trapped steam should help the cake release from the pan.
Do you lack a microwave? Any enclosed place, such as a cabinet, will suffice.
9 – Use a warm oven
Preheat the oven to roughly 250F once the cake has cooled. Return the cake to the oven for 5 minutes. Remove from the oven and place the pan on a cooling rack to cool. The cake should easily slip out of the pan.
This procedure works particularly well with Bundt pans, which may be more difficult than other pans when it comes to getting the cake out nice and smooth.
10 – Icing out the cake
This method works well with circular, flat pans. Invert the pan onto a plate or cooling rack. Place ice cubes in a dish and set it on the bottom of the pan.
After a few minutes, you should be able to remove the pan without any cake disasters.
11 – Using the freezer
Let the cake to cool completely in the pan. Run a non-serrated knife or a nylon spatula along the pan’s edges. After that, put the pan in the freezer for 1 to 2 hours.
Take the pan from the freezer and run the knife around the edges one more time. Flip the pan over down and tap the top and sides lightly.
Your cake should come out in one piece.
How to Prevent Cake From Sticking to the Pan
You may do a few things to prevent your cakes from sticking to the pan in the first place.
These are some of the methods I use to avoid my baking creations from sticking to the pan, making it simpler to remove a cake after baking.
Greasing the pan
Cover the bottom and sides of the pan with shortening using a paper towel or a pastry brush. Be careful to cover the whole surface of the pan with shortening, including the corners.
Sprinkle with flour
Sprinkle a teaspoon or two of flour into the bottom of the pan once it has been well coated with shortening.
While holding one side of the pan, tap the other side to spread the flour and produce a thin coating over the shortening.
Be careful to get flour all the way into the corners and up the sides of the pan. There will be some surplus flour that did not adhere to the shortening; just flip the pan over and tap out the excess flour.
Lining with parchment paper
Another preventative technique is to line the pan with parchment paper (or an equivalent) so that the cake may be easily removed after baking. Always use parchment paper in pans with a level bottom and straight edges.
On top of the parchment paper, place the pan. Trace the edges of the pan onto the paper using a pencil. Trim the paper to fit the pan, pushing it into the corners.
Smooth the paper evenly across the bottom and sides of the pan, making sure there are no bubbles or wrinkles.
Grease and flour parchment paper
Grease and flour the parchment paper as an additional step to ensure that your cake simply glides out from the pan. Just follow the steps outlined above.
Baking spray
Baking sprays are less untidy and time consuming than using shortening and flour to oil cake pans.
Instead of using Pam, check for a professional baking spray at specialist baking and culinary supply shops or online.
A word on non-stick pans
Nonstick bakeware is available these days. Personally, I believe that nonstick pans should be treated in the same manner that regular pans are, by greasing and flouring the pan.
Some cakes can cling even in nonstick pans. And the day that you really need your cake to appear great is the day the sticking will occur!
Another word…on Bundt pans
Bundt pans have their own set of issues when it comes to getting your cake out in one piece with no missing portions.
Even when well greased and prepared, Bundt pans, more than any other pan, have a propensity to hinder cake from simply slipping out. This is due to the complex design of certain Bundt pans, which have so many little ridges and corners.
One effective strategy I’ve tried is to construct a barrier that is more than simply flour. Sprinkle almond flour over the whole surface of the oiled Bundt pan.
This added barrier will aid in carefully removing your cake from the pan without it crumbling.
If you’re baking a chocolate-based Bundt cake, use cocoa powder. Another option is sugar. Sugar not only aids in the removal of the cake from the pan, but it may also create a wonderful sugary crust to your cooked cake.
There will be no more stressful and tragic occasions when your cake is destroyed because it refused to come out of the pan now that you know how!
Your delectable cakes will come out of the pan flawlessly each and every time you bake using not one, but numerous approaches.
Learn how to correctly level your cake now that you’ve successfully taken it from the pan!