Just baked my first batch of cupcakes and did not use liners. They ended up sticking. I greased the pan. Loosened around the top edge. Turned the pan upside down, the tops detached and fell, leaving the rest in the pan. Any suggestions, other than using liners, as to what I can do?

We don't make cupcakes with out liners at the bakery but when we make cakes we use cake paint to make them release from the pans.
Cake paint
equal parts of flour, vegetable oil and shortening.
mix together until smooth and paint on pan with a pastry brush. Our cakes never stick.

Hope that helps!

Try greasing (with crisco) and a little flour??

if not using liners, I always use pam and be sure to fill only 2/3 full. The top will not bake over the top of your pan that way. They should fall right out of the pan. As for the messed up batch, cake balls sound like a sure fix with no waste.

If just greasing, make sure to coat in flour as well. Best bet is Pam for baking, or one of the other sprays that contain flour. Don't overfill so the top of the cc won't stick to the surface of the pan.

Thanks everyone! I made three more dozen cupcakes and they all came out perfectly.

tiggerjo - Thanks for the suggestions about the cakeballs. There has been a new combination that I've been wanting to try and now would be a perfect time!

You can also use a mixture of equal parts of shortening, flour and oil for greasing. Make sure it turns into a paste like form.