Make Your Own: Magic Baking Pan Release Spread
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Over the years, I have tried different sprays, spreads, and methods for prepping baking pans. Then I decided to make my own. I was thrilled when it worked better than any of the other options I tried. Now you can make your own magic baking pan release spread to keep at the ready whenever you have a bit of baking to do.
When a birthday or special occasion is celebrated here at the farmhouse, you can count on a homemade cake being a part of that celebration. It’s a tradition that I thoroughly enjoy. Given that we bake and eat around multiple food allergies here at the farmhouse, it’s also a matter of necessity. If we want a delicious cake to celebrate with, it’s going to be of the homemade variety.
When I bake cakes, I want to avoid what can be the most frustrating part of the cake baking experience: the cake sticking to the pan and not releasing cleanly. When that happens, the resulting cake is reduced to rubble. When baking in an intricately patterned Bundt pan, the odds of the cake sticking to the pan are increased with every beautiful curve.
In the past, I’ve tried the baking pan sprays that are available at the grocery and specialty kitchen store. They worked well enough, but the spray tended to slide down the sides of the pan, accumulating in the crevices in the bottom of my Bundt pan. When the resulting cake was turned out of the pan, there would be a large piece at the top of each peak of the cake that was unsightly and made up of the oily spray that had congealed and solidified during baking.
I tried buttering the pans, but found that to be a frustrating experience. I hadn’t realized that the milk solids in the butter would actively conspire against me, but they sure did. Cake after cake tasted delicious with a lovely texture on its exterior. Sadly, some of that exterior was always left clinging to the pan after the cake had been turned out onto a wire rack to cool.
The reason that butter doesn’t make a great pan spread is simple. Nearly a quarter of butter’s weight is water paired with the delicious tasting fat we love butter for. When the heat of the oven hits the butter that has been used to coat the pan, the butter solids tend to separate, leaving the water behind. The water does not resist sticking like fat does, allowing the cake to firmly adhere to the pan, in fact drawing it to the pan almost like glue.
Enter shortening and vegetable oil. They are far superior for coating a baking pan because they are 100% fat. There’s nothing to separate out as the cake bakes, no water to draw the cake to stick to the pan and resist coming out cleanly. There’s a perfect reason that our grandmothers reached for shortening or lard to grease their baking pans: they work every time.
While I keep lard on hand, I didn’t want to impart any flavor or scent to the cakes I was baking. I wanted to use something that was flavor neutral. So, I tested a few fats on their own. Shortening worked well but was a little tricky to apply to ornamental Bundt pans. The shortening tended to be too thick to evenly apply to the crevices of the pan.
Canola and safflower oil were easy to apply but had to be applied immediately before adding the batter to the pan. I tend to prepare my baking pans when I set the oven temperature and before I mix up my cake batter. When I used oil, it ran down the sides of the pan as I was mixing the batter, pooling in the bottom of the pan.
When I decided to try brushing fat onto the surface of the pan and dusting with flour, it was the mess you would expect when trying to adhere a dry, powdery substance to an oil coated surface. I ended up with more flour on the counter than in the pan and the flour didn’t coat the oily surface evenly. There wasn’t a good method for me to try and even out the coating without ruining it. Often, the color of the baked cake had an odd appearance due to flour that had adhered to the surface of the cake as it baked. This wasn’t my idea of a foolproof method for success.
After a little research, I happened upon just the sort of magical, foolproof baking spread I had been looking for: a homemade version. I loved the thought of a homemade mixture that allowed me to control the ingredients without needing to buy expensive items that I didn’t have another use for. By mixing a few of the baking staples I had in the pantry, I created a silky mixture that was just what I had been hoping for.
By mixing both shortening and cooking oil together, I could combine the best qualities of each while mitigating the difficulties they had presented when used on their own. Better yet, I could mix the flour into the fats until it was smooth and perfect for spreading. The flour would provide an added bit of insurance when the moment came to try and remove the cake from the pan. On successive batches, I discovered that adding just a bit of cornstarch helped to give the spread a silky texture that was even easier to apply to my baking pans.
This homemade magical pan spread is so easy to apply to baking pans. It doesn’t pool in the crevices in a Bundt pan, can be applied ahead of time, and works perfectly every time. This spread won’t add any flavor to your cakes. It won’t alter the color of your cake. You won’t need to try to dust an oily pan with flour and make a mess of your kitchen.
It only takes a few minutes to mix up a jar full of this spread to keep in the pantry. When you’re ready to bake, simply use a pastry brush to spread a thin coating of it on the surface of your baking pan. That’s it. This spread works for me every single time. Your cakes will practically fall out of the baking pan and you’ll be left to wonder where this spread has been your whole baking life.
Happy baking!
Once you make your own magic baking pan spread, you might want to bake…
Homemade Magic Baking Pan Spread
Ingredients
- ½ cup shortening , room temperature
- ½ cup neutral flavored oil (I like to use canola or safflower)
- ½ cup all-purpose flour
- 1 tablespoon cornstarch
Instructions
- In a medium bowl, combine the shortening and oil. Using a spoon, whisk, or electric mixer, mix until well combined. The shortening may form small rice-sized pieces. Don’t worry, they will break apart as the dry ingredients are incorporated.
- Add the flour and cornstarch and continue to mix until the spread is glossy and silky smooth. Transfer the spread to a jelly jar or Mason jar with a tight-fitting lid. I use a repurposed 14-ounce jelly jar or a Mason jar designed to hold 2 cups.
- When you are ready to bake, use a pastry brush to apply a thin layer of this spread to all the surfaces in your baking pan that the batter will come into contact with. If you’re baking in a Bundt cake or tube pan, don’t forget to apply the spread to the center tube.
- Bake your recipe as directed. When baking cakes, remove the baked cake from the oven to cool. Allow the cake to cool for about ten minutes before tapping it lightly on the sides to gently loosen. Turn the cake out onto a wire rack to cool completely.
good a blog!
I have looked this recipe over for sometime now and I am curious – do you have any issues with this spread making the pans discolor or sticky? I have had that issue with certain types of oils and sprays .
I have not encountered that issue with this homemade spread. I have been using this spread on light and dark metal pans, glass baking dishes, and other vessels I use for baking.
I do understand what you’re talking about and have had that happen with baking spray and one of my pans. I was able to remove that oily, sticky surface with Barkeeper’s Friend cleaning powder. I have since used that pan with this homemade spread and haven’t had the same problem. I hope that it will work just as well for you.
Thank you for this formulation, I have not tried it yet. I want to ask if there is a way I can preserve the pan release particularly without the use of a refrigerator. Perhaps you produced it in town in a 20kg volume capacity and brought it to a rural setting to be kept for a month. What is your suggestion on this or what type of preservative or emulsifier can hold the slurry together?
Does the pan release spread need to be kept in the refrigerator?
How long would it last in a cupboard?
I keep mine in the pantry with my other oils for baking and cooking. I have never had a batch turn rancid even after several months. The ingredients are all shelf stable and should last many months if kept in conditions you would keep other oils in. You could absolutely keep it in the refrigerator if it is rarely used. Simply remove it from the refrigerator when you are gathering your other baking ingredients to allow them to come up to room temperature.
I hope that you will find it as useful as I do.
what brand of shortening do you use ?? i want to make this to use in my pans , i don’t know which one to choose to use thank you for answering this
I have used several different brands without any change in the end result. You should be able to use whatever brand you have on hand in the pantry or would use in a recipe that calls for shortening.
You really just need a shelf stable oil that is semi-solid at room temperature and that doesn’t impart flavor to your baked goods. I have used store brands, Crisco, and Spectrum. They all worked well.
Happy baking!
I love love love how well this works. So simple, so spot on. Thank you! Now get back into your science lab and create, you genius you.
I am thrilled to hear that it works as well for you as it does for me! Thanks for the vote of confidence. I am writing up recipes tonight and your comment will inspire me to keep writing so that I can share new posts with you!
I was wondering about the use of shortening. Health risks as it is hydrogenated fat and trans fat. Our bodies have trouble recognizing the chemical structure and they create free radicals in the body. I am a seven year bc survivor so I am trying to be more aware of what goes in my body. Thank you.
I understand your concern. I am not a nutritionist and won’t speak to the chemical structure. If you prefer, you could use another semi solid fat that fits within your nutritional goals. If it is not shelf stable like shortening, you could keep your spread in the refrigerator to extend the shelf life.
I have used this organic, non-hydrogenated shortening in the past and it works equally well.
Spectrum Shortening, 100% Vegetable, Organic, 24 oz https://a.co/d/2IGnuVx