Good afternoon friends!

This past weekend, I was working on a 50th wedding anniversary cake for my parents and could not get the 14 in. cake to come out of the pan. A friend also tried baking it and hers wouldn't come out either!!! We tried different greasing/flouring techniques - nothing worked! I ended up having a 3 tier cake instead of a 4 tier, and I made a 2nd, seperate 12 inch and we just served that first. I am getting a lot of requests for weddings and I know someone is going to want that bigger cake on the bottom! Help please!

Boy do I know your dilema. The past 5 cakes I baked, came out just like that. I bought a new set of pans the round 4 piece wilton set and it seems that everytime I use those pans the cakes stick no matter what I do. I think this weekend I'm going to give it a nother try and this time line them with parchment paper. That seemed to help with my 11 x 15 pan and I haven't had a problem with that pan since.

Good luck.

What about lining the bottom of the pan with parchment paper? Grease the pans, add the parchment paper and then grease again.

Any sticking that I've run into has always been the dead-center of the cake in a 14" pan. So I make sure that I really grease the center well. I discovered that I was concentrating on the sides and the corners and just kinda "swiping" the center, so there wasn't enough pan grease to release the cake.

Are you letting it sit in the pan a few minutes after you take it out of the oven? This allows the cake to contract and pull away from the sides of the cake. Also, when I flip the cake over onto the cooling rack and go to lift the pan off, I can kinda "feel" if it's sticking or not. If it is, I leave the pan on and with a wooden spoon, I bang the pan. This seems to knock the cake loose from the pan. (It's not scientific ..... I just got really ticked one day and decided to beat the pan to death! Wha-lah!! the cake came out!)

parchment paper

Yessssss parchment paper is the key!! After I started lining all my pans with PP and I have never had a cake since!!! I also spray my pans with pam or crisco (which ever I have on hand) after I line them so the sides come away clean too! You can also use wax paper but I prefer parchment!

Good Luck!

Yep I would use the parchment paper too. Makes it sooo much easier on those big cakes and cakes with corners (always seem to pull off in the pan, sheesh). Tha parchment also makes it easier to torte large cakes also, as it holds the top together while you are cutting and moving it and putting it back on. Just don't forget to pull it off when you are ready to frost. LOL

I use pan-ease to grease the pan ans nothing else. I have never had this problem I even bake the 16 round cake and use the same pan-ease. But make use you also focus on greasing the center like it was previously memtioned.LOL

If you don't have any parchment paper use wax paper, works just fine. I can't get parchment paper here so I sometimes run out before another U.S. run and have used wax paper. Spray the pan, lay the paper in and spray again, works like a charm.

well the other day I sprayed the pans,lined the bottom and sides with parchment paper then sprayed the paper...............darn it all,I wish I tryed this sooner!!!!!!!!it was so so so much better coming out of the pan and the cakes cooks more evenly too good luck

I still use the old method that I learned as a kid from my mom. I heavily grease the pan with Crisco on a papertowel then put about 1/4 cup of flour in the pan and bang it around until the sides and bottom are completely covered. I've NEVER had a cake stick using this method...even a large one like a 14".

I use a CK product called Pan Greese. It is wonderful. No flour - no parchment and I have not had a cake stick since!!!!

I made a wedding cake a couple weeks ago, and had a hard time with that size pan too! I had to completely re-do 2 of them....I just sprayed the heck out of the pan with Pam and finally got it just right! But, I also had a hard time getting that size to bake just right, the very first one sunk in the middle.

I use CK pan grease too but I use a circle of parchment paper in the bottom and pan grease where the paper meets the edge of the pan. No sticking and no breakage. There is an old trick I was taught a hundred years ago by my first cake instructor. If you aren't using parchment or waxed paper, but just Cricso or Crisco and flour. Let the cakes cool about 10 minutes, if they feel like they don't want to release, turn a stove burner on the lowest setting, put your cake pan on the burner and rotate as though you were popping popcorn, only do this for a few seconds. It warms the pan and melts the Crisco and it seemed to work very well in releasing the cake.

You all are so incredibly helpful! Do I need to cut the PP into a circle, or just lay 2 strips in the pan??

Have you tried Wilton Cake Relese? It always works for me.

parchment paper circle to line the entire pan I also use a flour spray release.

I use Wilton's Cake Release with any size pan even sheet cakes or character cakes and I have NEVER had one stick. I have never used PP but hear that works too. I just prefer the Cake Release method. You can make your own CR with equal parts of Veg. Shortening, Crisco and flour mix together and store in air tight container then just brush it your pan before adding your cake batter. Good Luck next time!

It's quite easy to cut a circle for your pans with parchment or wax paper. Just remember back to 5th grade where you made those paper airplanes that you launched at the teacher or that annoying kid in the third row. Fold your paper in half, then in half the other way (two folded edges now) fold in half again with the two folded edges meeting. Should have a nice long triangle. Now hold the point of your triangle at the center of your pan and the other fat side of your paper over the edge now cut off the excess that hangs over the pan and you should have a circle shape (polygon) that will fit your pan. Or easier still is the ol' trace n place. Just put the pan you are going to use on top of a piece of parchment and trace the outline of the bottom of the pan and then cut it out. Personally, I like the first method, (i'm lazy) that way you have just one small little snip with the scissors instead of cutting around an entire circle.

I use homemade pan grease and I have never had a cake stick since I started to use this stuff.

Put equal measures of crisco, flour, and oil in a bowl. Use a mixer and mix until well blended. Use a pastry brush to brush onto pans. This stuff keeps in the cupboard for months.

Grease, parchment paper, grease again. Always!
I spread out my parchment paper, set the pan on it, then draw around the pan with a pen or pencil and cut it out so it perfectly fits inside the pan.