This post is sponsored by Nordicware UK
Bundt cakes are very special cakes, easy to make and great for any occasion, but whenever I post a recipe for a new Bundt I get the same question. How do I stop my cake from sticking? Thankfully it’s not difficult at all, you just need to follow a couple simple easy guidelines.
Bundt pans are very detailed, and the sometimes intricate designs means there can sometimes be more potential for sticking, especially if the pan is not properly prepared. Obviously you can’t line the base of the pan with parchment paper so what do we do instead. Well you have three options, each with their own pros and cons.
Butter and Flour
Greasing the pan with softened butter and dusting with flour is the most traditional way of preparing this sort of pan. The butter should not be melted as the pans already have a coating to help the cake release and if a liquid fat like melted butter or oil is used it will bead and not actually coat the pan evenly, so use soft butter. Brush the tin with a thin layer of butter, making sure every nook and cranny is coated, especially the central core as this seems to be the most overlooked part of the pan. Once coated, dust the entire tin with a thin layer of flour (or cocoa powder for chocolate cakes). Turn the pan over and tap on the work surface allowing any excess flour to fall out, you want this layer to be as thin as possible.
Pro: ingredients always on hand and cheap, no special ingredients or equipment needed
Cons: Can leave a floury coating on your cakes and isn’t always a fail safe method of preventing sticking
Spray Oils
For many years using a cake release spray was my go to way of preparing my Bundt pans, an aerosol coats the pan evenly in fat and cakes always released very easily. Nordicware’s own advice is to be careful about the choice of spray oil as some are not designed for cakes and can actually damage the lining of the pans over time. Look for oils that are designed for cakes and not for cooking. General advice with a spray is to hold the pan over the sink, the oils can be hard to direct and can leave a layer of oil on your countertops or floor, and hold the can about 15-20cm away from the tin to ensure an even coating. With these sprays you don’t generally need to add flour as they formulated to work without it, although some brands actually include flour in their formula.
Pros: quick, easy and reliable
Cons: comparatively expensive and you have to buy an additional product, can also be messy
Cake Goop
This is by far my favourite method, since switching a few years ago I have never had a cake stick, and in fact I now use this for all of my baking, not just bundt cakes. It is basically a homemade version of cake release spray that is much cheaper to make than to buy and it is less fussy to use and wont coat everything in a thin layer of oil. To make you simply beat together an equal amount, by volume, of vegetable oil, shortening (this is Trex in the UK) and plain flour. To do this I use an American cup measure but you can use any container you want to measure out the ingredients, you simply want an equal volume of each. Scrape your cake goop into a sealable container and store in the fridge, it will keep for months and months. To use you simply brush the pan you are using with an even coating of the cake goop.
Pro: easy and cheap to make, plus it is the most failsafe method I have used to date
Con: you have to make it yourself and you may need to buy shortening if you don’t use regularly use it
So now you know how to prepare the tin that is it right? Nope, the second step is the most ignored step but maybe the most important. When you take a cake out of the oven the cake continues to bake for a few minutes and if turned out immediately the cake is likely to break into pieces because it hasn’t fully set and is delicate. This is why I always advise to allow the cake to cool for exactly 10 minutes before turning out onto a wire rack to cool completely. If you leave the cake too much longer you will encounter the sticking issue. As the cake cools the crust will start to become sticking and it will glue itself to the pan, turning out after 10 minutes is the sweet spot where the cake will slide right out of the pan without issue.
Following these simple steps should ensure you never have another Bundt cake stick