Possibly the most important recipe to have in your recipe box, Magic Cake Release helps quick breads and cakes effortlessly slip out of the pan.
Do you hate greasing and flouring pans as much as I do? Before I found Magic Cake Release, I would dread it! Did I add enough flour? Did I add too much flour? How does someone “dust” a pan anyways?!
After my cakes and quick breads were done baking, I wasn’t sure if they would come out in once piece or fall apart as I desperately tried to loosen them from the sides of the pan.
Below, I have some tips on getting cakes and quick breads to let go of that pan, the most important of which is the Magic Cake Release recipe below!
What is Magic Cake Release?
Very simply, Magic Cake Release is equal parts oil, shortening and flour, mixed until smooth. I like to use 1/3 cup of each because that amount nicely fits into my 8 oz mason jar. This amount lasts me about 3 months if we don’t have birthday cakes to make. During our “birthday month” (3 birthdays in 2 weeks), we go through a lot of this stuff!
Easiest Way to Make Magic Cake Release
While it doesn’t matter which order the ingredients go into the bowl, I like to do it the easiest way possible with the least amount of dishes.
I measure the flour first into a clean 1/3 measuring cup. Then I measure the oil in the same measuring cup. Lastly, I scoop the shortening in. Because of the lingering oil, the shortening easily slides out. (I know this isn’t the proper way to measure shortening. I do it this way because it’s easy, and the measurements don’t have to be exact for this recipe.) If you do it in this order, there’s only one measuring cup to wash!
Check out how beautiful this funfetti cake bottom is! Not one crumb lost! Thanks, Magic Cake Release!
Tips to Easily Remove Your Cake from the Pan
The following tips work both for cakes and quick breads.
- Start by greasing your pan with Magic Cake Release, obviously! I like to grease the bottom and the sides of my pan unless my recipe specifically says to only grease the bottom. If your recipe uses a lot of sugar or results in a sticky cake or bread, be generous with the Magic Cake Release! The bottom of your pan should be white!
- Wait to remove the cake from the pan until it is cooled. A hot cake is more likely to break apart. If you have a particularly stuck cake, you may try putting it in the fridge or even the freezer to make it easier to remove.
- Run a knife around the edges of the cake to be sure the sides are free.
- Perform the “bounce”. Holding the cooled pan in your hands, gently bounce the pan up and down to check that the cake is loose and free. Rotate the pan 90° if it is a round pan and bounce again. Continue doing this until the cake seems free the whole way around. If you have a quick bread in a bread pan, hold the long side with the short sides in front of you. Give your pan a quick bounce. Rotate your pan 180° so that the other short side is in front and give that side a bounce.
- Once your cake feels loose, place a plate over the top of your cake pan and flip the whole thing over. If the cake doesn’t slip right out, turn it back upright and try steps 3 and 4 again.
Happy Baking!
Magic Cake Release
Equipment
- electric mixer
Ingredients
- ⅓ cup flour
- ⅓ cup vegetable oil
- ⅓ cup shortening
Instructions
- Add all ingredients to the bowl of a mixer. On medium speed, mix until smooth with no lumps of shortening. Scrape down sides of bowl as needed.
- Store at room temperature in a covered container such as an 8 ounce mason jar for 3-6 months.
- Stir before using if there is a layer of oil on top. With a pastry brush, apply to bottoms and sides of pan anytime a recipe says to "grease your pan", or "grease and flour your pan". Apply liberally for any recipe that uses a lot of sugar or produces a sweet, sticky product.
Notes
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