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Cake Pan Preparation

Cake recipes call for different pan preparations (greasing, flouring, papering). Which is best?

Cake recipes call for different pan preparations (greasing, flouring, papering). Which is best? 

Greasing the pan before baking a cake ensures that the cake won’t stick. To figure out the best greasing method, we baked nearly 30 cakes in pans greased alternately with butter, vegetable oil spray, and baking spray (vegetable oil spray with flour added). Next, we dusted some pans with flour, lined some with parchment paper, and left some alone, trying every possible combination of grease, flour, and paper. What did we discover? Greasing alone works well for ordinary layer cakes baked in pans that are in good condition (cakes are more likely to stick and break when pans are scratched). Flouring provides a little extra protection for delicate cakes or those that are prone to sticking (say, a moist gingerbread or molten chocolate cake). But for a foolproof regimen, grease the cake pan (vegetable oil spray, baking spray, and butter all work fine), line it with a parchment circle, grease the parchment, and then flour it. Also, most cakes benefit from cooling in the pan for 10 to 15 minutes after they’ve come out of the oven before being turned out.

THE BOTTOM LINE  If you’re going to the trouble of baking a cake, prevent it from sticking by greasing the cake pan, lining it with parchment paper, and then greasing the parchment and flouring the inside of the pan. 

 

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