I am making a large cake so I bought 11x15 inch pans and I'm using WASC recipe. I turned them out on the counter and it was a disaster, the cake stuck, came out in pieces and when I tasted it it was dry! I've never had WASC not work out and I'm not sure what I did wrong! I greased and floured the pans, used a nail head in the center because I was worried it wouldn't cook evenly, turned down the heat in the oven.

Any ideas? I'm going to have to try again tomorrow with the WASC and then do it all over again with the Darn Good Choc Cake recipe...if either doesn't turn out I'll be in a serious time crunch!

Any help appreciated

Try lining the bottom of the pan with parchment paper. It works for me.

I am only a hobby baker but when I make large cakes like that I cover a cooling rack with Saran wrap, place it on top of the cake in the pan and then flip it over. I then wrap it up in the Saran wrap and refridgerate it. Cooling it seems to firm it up and makes it easier to handle.

I usually put three nails in a cake that large and coat the pan and nails with the decorator's release of equal parts, vegetable oil, shortening and flour mixed together. Hope you get a better result with your next batch.

I make the 11 x 15 all the time. I use shortening and flour to prepare the pan. I use two flower nails sprayed with Pam. I put a cooling rack on top and flip the whole thing over, after the cake has cooled in the pan for about 10 minutes.

I don't use the WASC recipe so I don't know why it came out dry. If you can get it to come out complete from the pan then you can use a simple syrup to make it moister.

Good luck. It can be so frustrating when things don't work out.

Thanks for the tips, I will try the parchment paper, can I use wax? Not sure I have any parchment....

I'll also try flipping onto the cooling rack, it didn't work so well on the counter with the flower nail in it.

If my pans are 11x15 and 2' deep, what temp would be best and approx. how long if they are 1/2 full with batter?

Sorry, It's my first disaster

I use the homemade pan grease (flour, oil, shortning, equal parts) and no flower nail in a pan that size. Be sure it is cool enough before turning out of the pan, or it will fall apart. I make this size with WASC all the time (and 12x18's too) and never have a problem. I bake at 325.

I've found that with WASC I have to use parchment. I think b/c it's kind of a sticky cake.

I just baked some WASC cakes that size last night... I always use the baking spray (I can't remember what brand, its a blue and white can), two flower nails, and add a little extra sour cream to the batter. I found that my cakes stick and break apart if I leave them in the pan longer than ten minutes - so flip them out onto wire racks at ten minutes. HTH!

I haven't done it, but my instructor in my first class told me if your cake develops a crack, you can immediately put icing in it and stick it back together. Then as the cake cools, the icing become like a glue.

Another thing......when you take the cake out of the oven, take a clean oven pad, and smash that hump down in the middle to even out your layer. And If I bake two sheets at the same time, I rotate them half way through baking time, because one always gets the soggy top if I don't. And I always use parchment. I always screw myself if I don't. Why take the chance? ANd, also, that way, If for some reason, I can't get right to getting those cakes out of the pan within 10 minutes, I can let them cool completely in the pan because I lined the bottom with parchment, and I can just let them sit while I do something else.