This simple homemade cake release is brushed into pans so cakes slide out cleanly every time. Made from a two-to-one ratio of fat to flour, it clings to every corner of the pan better than baking spray and turns cake release into a sure thing! We love a sure thing in the kitchen!
One mention of baking a cake in our family kitchen and my dad appears like a genie released from a bottle, already halfway to the refrigerator to retrieve the magic pan grease (or whip up a fresh batch if we’re running low). It’s so essential in our bake-heavy kitchen that we’ve started calling this homemade cake release “Dad’s Magic Cake Goop,” mostly because it turns even the most dramatic, curvy Bundt pan (and we have plenty of hand-me-downs from my grandmother and my late aunt) into a nonstick baking slip-and-slide.
The magic is in the ratio: two parts fat to one part flour. Shortening, oil, and flour are whisked into a thick, glossy mixture that brushes into every nook and cranny. Dad prefers butter-flavored shortening for a little extra bakery nostalgia, but plain shortening works beautifully, too. At room temperature the goop is soft enough to spread but sturdy enough to cling to the sides of a pan, creating a barrier that keeps sugary cake batter from bonding itself permanently to metal like it pays rent there..
It’s humble, practical, and feels a little like kitchen insurance. In our house, Dad takes this responsibility very seriously, hauling the jar from the fridge, letting it soften on the counter, and handing over a silicone brush like he’s passing the baton in a relay race.
Below you’ll find the recipe for Dad’s Magic Cake Goop, along with a few of my favorite cakes to bake and the small but mighty tips that help cakes turn out clean, confident, and ready for their moment on a cake stand.
Cakes To Make with Magic Pan Grease
Let’s play a game of No Wrong Answers!
• My mom makes dozens of her famous Sock-It-To-Me Cake – some for gifting, many for a church fundraiser, all of them disappearing faster than we can festively wrap them. It’s a simple cinnamon-walnut streusel Bundt made from a lovingly suped-up cake mix that feels perfectly comforting in the way only an every-holiday cake can. This is the season when the cake goop truly earns its keep.
• I swear by this Perfectly Simple Chocolate Bundt Cake sos much that I nearly have the ingredient list memories. It can be dressed up or down but I prefer it with a simple dusting on powdered sugar, left on the kitchen counter with a butterknife tucked into the cake dome with the cake. It’s a lovely counter cake.
• I’m making a Hummingbird Cake next week to enjoy a few slices of sunshine. The homemade cake release works This cake also freezes well by the slice, so I’ll be able to carry the banana and pineapple spice cake well into the end of these winter days.
• Cake goop goes for sheet pans as well! This highly requested Apple Cinnamon Texas Sheet Cake is a huge win! This cake gets all its shine in the autumn months but I would argue it’s an evergreen cake! It’s giving apple fritter and I truly always want an apple fritter.
Tips for Cakes That Slip Right Out of the Pan
A little pan prep and a bit of timing will save you from the heartbreak of a stuck cake. We’ve all been there, but let’s not go back! These are the small habits that make a big difference:
Let the cake cool to just warm, not completely cold.
Sugars harden as cakes cool, which is lovely for structure but less lovely for release. I find about 20 minutes out of the oven is the sweet spot: the cake has set, the pan is still warm, and everything is relaxed enough to separate cleanly. Bingo!
Grease the pan right before the batter goes in.
Don’t let batter sit around in a greased pan while the oven preheats. The longer batter sits, the more chance sugars have to start bonding with the pan. Brush your cake release on, pour the batter in, and straight to the oven we go.
Pair cake release with parchment when you really care.
For layer cakes, delicate crumb cakes, or anything headed somewhere important (!!), a round of parchment on the bottom of the pan along with the cake goop is extra insurance. It’s one more step, yes, but it’s the kind of step that lets you exhale when you flip the pan, I promise!
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My dad learned this simple test-kitchen formula years ago, and we’ve kept a jar in the refrigerator ever since, brushing it into pans whenever cake is on the horizon. It’s humble, wildly effective, and the closest thing I know to cake insurance.
Place shortening in a medium-sized pan over moderate heat and melt until liquified. Remove from heat and let it cool down for about 20 minutes. Alternately, melt in the microwave in short bursts.
Pour in the canola oil and the flour, and blend thoroughly with a wire whisk, making sure it is smooth, with no lumps.
Pour into a glass or metal container with a lid. It can be stored in the refrigerator for up to 6 months.
Use a pastry brush to swab your pans with the grease.
