Hello All

I was just watching a video and heard something that made me reach for clarity from some of the most knowledgeable bakers I know!  Family I need help with this one.

Someone said to me  "Do not grease and/or flour side of cake pans," doing this will cause your cakes to NOT rise properly".

Now I am new at this and have soooo much to learn but has anyone ever heard this before?

Thanks!

Bakersguy

ANever heard of that before Bakersguy. I'm an amateur decorator but I've been baking for years. I never flour my tins, only grease and sometimes line with grease proof depending what I'm making. I do grease the sides, no problem with cakes rising. :-)

I have heard it as well . Usually this method is used if you are baking sponge or  genoise cakes ( no leveling ingredients in the batter) . The idea is the batter to grab on the sides of the pan while in the oven. It helps the cake not to shrink after is baked and cooled down . HTH 

^ this.  Do not grease the sides of an angelfood type cake.  Otherwise, yes, grease the sides.

i just line the bottom of the pan with parchment for tier cakes, no grease -- and beyond that i grease bundt pans, baking quick breads and pound cakes in loaf pans--

I use cake release on the sides of my pans and parchment on the bottom.  My cakes rise beautifully.

Yes this is true, and I have experimented to find the perfect amount of cake release. Too much and the cake won't rise as much.

trivia--the cookbook i consulted fifty years ago to bake brownies said not to grease the sides of the pan just the bottom of it--i was scandalized at the time

but i never incorporated it into my career until decades later

I line the bottom of the pans and don't grease or flour the sides regardless of what kind of cake  it is.

Here is what I do 1. mix corn oil with flour to the consistency of thicker  than buttermilk. 2. Brush sides and bottom of pan.  

I use this method for sponge cakes. I have baked sponge cakes for years, if you do not add enough flour to sponge cake recipe it will sink in the middle and it doesn`t matter if you grease pans or not, that`s my experience with sponge cakes. 

I am only a hobby decorator, and I know how to make cakes from scracht, I took classes to learn. But since I was eleven years I have make box cakes and I always butter and flour bottom and sides of pan. My cakes have always come out perfect.Lately in addition of buttering and flour I also line the bottom . Maybe it is because I have all this time in my hands!!LOL(retire now)

CIAO!

I never grease my pans, just parchment on the bottom.  I will occasionally line the sides with parchment as well, depends on the cake.

Since we all do different things, and everyone has a reason, do what you are comfortable with.  Or experiment a bit then use the method that works best for you.

Every baker will have different answers, but we do what works for us.  I don't believe there are any hard, fast rules.

some of us haven't made a bundt cake in a while