Homemade pan release is my go-to solution for removing baked goods from whatever baking pan you use without damaging your product! This is a bakery game-changer, so keep reading to learn exactly what I do to solve this sticky dilemma that every baker faces.
Are you spending too much time and money buttering, flouring, and cutting parchment circles to fit your cake pans or muffins?
Homemade Pan Release is Easy and It Works!
How many times have you baked a cake and just when you go to take it out of the pan, it sticks and crumbles leaving you with an unusable mess of cake crumbs?
I rely on this stuff to easily release my favorite cake recipes from the pan each and every time. Cakes like my Money Maker Chocolate Cake or my Super Easy Carrot Cake always come out cleanly.
What is Homemade Pan Release?
Homemade pan release, or pan lube as its called in my bakery ( I didn’t name it, I swear!) is sometimes called Pan Goop or Homemade Bakers Spray.
It is a ridiculously easy blend of equal parts of three simple ingredients.
- Flour
- Vegetable oil
- Solid vegetable shortening
How to Make Your Own Pan Release
Use your mixer with the paddle attachment to mix up a batch of this super easy stuff.
In other words. just dump all the ingredients to the bowl and mix on low-med speed for about 5 minutes until the mixture is smooth and lump-free.
How do I use Pan Release to Keep My Cakes From Sticking?
To use your Homemade Pan Release you simple use a pastry brush to apply the mixture to the inside of your pans.
- Generously apply this homemade pan release to the inside of your clean and dry cake pans.
- Brush the sides of the pans only as far up as the batter will go.
- Bake cakes according to directions
- When they come out of the oven, set a timer for 10 minutes.
- After 10 minutes, firmly “dump” your cake out onto parchment or plastic wrap the counter
How to Store Your Pan Goop
You can store your Homemade Pan Release at room temperature or refrigerated. It just depends on how often you will use it.
For daily bakers- keep it at room temperature in a sealed container for up to one week.
For occasional bakers- keep it refrigerated in a sealed container for up to 6 months.
What else can you do with this awesome stuff?
Here are some other uses for Homemade Pan Release
Muffin Tins– anytime I want a muffin without the paper liner this works great.
So if you find yourself without paper liners for odd size muffin pans like minis or jumbos, try using this instead!
I hope you find this little bakers trick to be useful in your baking adventures. No more need for parchment circles, greasing and flouring or specialty pan spray.
Just keep a jar of this wonderful goop on hand and bake like a pro, every time.
I regularly bake mini bundt cakes and have been using Baker’s Joy. Sometimes the way the nozzle releases the spray makes it too heavy in the well of the pan and the result is these minis with divots on their tops. Does using this (besides being so much less expensive) goop do away with that? I noticed that the application you demonstrate has parts that are thicker than others. Does that affect the appearance of the top or for you that isn’t a problem? Trying to sell these to coffee shops and when they are “pock marked” they don’t look as pretty! Any suggestions or advice?
Hi Jennifer, I haven’t noticed any “pock-marked” surfaces on my cakes. It seems like I can apply the pan goop really thick and the cakes still come out perfectly smooth. I have noticed that chocolate cakes leave a tiny film of chocolate residue but it really doesn’t affect the surface area of the cakes. This really was a game-changer for me!