Cake Release Recipe

If you bake a lot of cakes, keep this cake release recipe on hand to make sure your cakes come out of the pans easily. Easy pan release is only 3 ingredients and takes 5 minutes to whip up!how to remove cakes from pan

Cake Release Recipe

There is nothing more frustrating than taking the time to bake a bundt cake or layer cake…only to have it stick in the pan and fall apart when you turn it out onto a wire rack. All that work potentially ruined. Not fun! This easy cake release recipe will prevent all of those cake-flipping disasters!

How do you keep a cake from sticking to the pan?

There is one of my most-asked questions, and rightly so! One way is to grease a pan with shortening, then sprinkle it with flour. This works, but can be messy.

Here’s our easy secret: make a mixture of equal parts all-purpose flour, vegetable oil and shortening. Use a hand mixer (or mix by hand) to get it smooth and creamy. This is by far the easiest and most fool-proof method to helping cakes not stick to the pan!

how to make cake release

How much cake release do I use in the pan?

You’ll want to grease the generously. Don’t be stingy with it. Get the goop in all of the cracks and crevices of the cake pan.

If I use cake release do I still have to flour the pan?

Nope! The flour in the mix is enough to help the cake release easily.

What can I use instead of shortening?

If you don’t want to use shortening, I’d recommend coconut oil. Because this has a lower melting point, you may want to add a touch more flour so it isn’t so runny. You can also use butter, but be sure you store the cake release in the refrigerator so it doesn’t go bad.

How do you grease a cake pan?

There are two general ways I spread pan grease on a cake pan. One option is a pastry brush. This helps get it in all of the cracks of the cake pan and keeps your fingers clean. This can be difficult of the mixture is too hard, however.

You can also just use a paper towel, which is nice because then you can just throw away the paper towel instead of cleaning a brush. Either way works!

how to release cakes

Where do you store cake release?

We store our cake release in the refrigerator. Technically, if you use shortening you can store it at room temperature which will make it easy to spread. I like to keep mine in the fridge, though.

easy cake pan release

I like to store our cake release in these handy little snap top containers!

how to remove cakes from pan
how to remove cakes from pan

Cake Release Recipe

4.71 from 17 votes
If you bake a lot of cakes, keep this cake release recipe on hand to make sure your cakes come out of the pans easily. Easy pan release is only 3 ingredients and takes 5 minutes to whip up!
Servings 24
Prep Time 5 minutes
Total Time 5 minutes

Ingredients
 

Instructions
 

  • In a small bowl, beat together the flour, shortening and oil with a hand mixer. The mixture will be thick.
  • Store in an airtight container in the refrigerator for up to 4 months.

Video

Notes

*We let our cakes cool in the pan only 10 minutes (unless the recipe otherwise states something else) and then turn them onto a wire rack to cool completely. Sometimes if you leave a cake in the pan too long after baking, it can stick.
**The calories shown are based on the 1 tablespoon of pan grease. (You're not actually eating the pan grease, but it will get in your cake. 🙂 ) Since different brands of ingredients have different nutritional information, the calories shown are just an estimate.

Nutrition

Calories: 86kcal | Carbohydrates: 1g | Fat: 8g | Saturated Fat: 4g | Potassium: 2mg | Iron: 0.1mg
Course Dessert
Cuisine American
Calories 86
Keyword baking, cake, flour, shortening

About Julie Clark

We are Julie, Maddie, and Kinslee – a mother and daughter team sharing with you the best cakes to satisfy any need or sweet craving that you may have. Welcome to our family’s kitchen!

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5 stars
Last year my fruitcakes stuck in a way that product was destroyed. I ate those crumbs with a depression mentality, but I don’t want all of those calories. I want to give away beautifully shaped cakes.

On the first try of “cake release” in the same recalcitrant bunt mold, I flipped it over after 10 minutes of cooling and all of the mini-bunts fell out of their molds.

Arm pump and a high five, well done, thank you.

MikeK

5 stars
I’ve used this recipe several times now. Anything that I’ve needed to grease whether cakes, banana breads or casseroles, I use this quick release and it goes on so smooth with a pastry brush. It makes cleaning the pans easier as I don’t have to fight with baked on food. I just made more as I’m gearing up for Christmas baking. It sure beats having to grease and flour the pans, besides purchasing the product in the aerosol can.

great thank you. Didn’t know it was so easy.

I am anxious to try this cake release! I would like to know, if you can use it for loaf pans (quick breads)?
Thanks,
Sandra Gibbs

5 stars
Love the recipe! Thank you so much for all your recipes. I enjoy them so much. Is the strawberry rhubarb bundt cake recipe a cream cheese cake recipe with fruit added? I love cream cheese pound cake and you sent the recipe and somehow it got deleted or something anyway I don’t have it.
Thank you,

5 stars
I love this recipe. It works wonders and saves one from the tedious task of greasing and then flouring the pans!
Do you think this would work in a mini muffin pan for homemade 2 bite brownies? Should I use cocoa powder instead of flour?
Thanks 🙂

Is it difficult to spread when refrigerated?