Hi

I need help desperately for this one. I have to bake a mudcake which I am planning to cover with fondant for a birthday. However, every time I take out the cake, it breaks and isn't round allover.  I grease the tin with shortening and sprinkle flour. Also, I let the cake sit in the tin till it cools to room temperature, as per instructions on the recipe. But everytime it breaks. Please help.

By the way, I have been using powdered sugar accidently instead of caster sugar. Would that make a difference?

Powdered sugar and caster sugar aren't interchangeable. That could certainly be contributing. You can put regular granulated sugar in a food processor to make a decent substitute. However, if it's just for a cake batter, you can probably just use regular granulated sugar.

Secondly, you can use parchment paper in the bottom of the pan to help with cake release.

Finally, you can put the pan in the freezer for an hour or so, and then use a knife to try and cleanly release the cake.

Good luck.

Thanks Aarika, I did use parchment paper at the bottom. I will give the freezer method a try.

Hmm that's wired. What type of pan are you using? Can you release the sides...like are they separate from the bottom? I find those way easier to handle. But even if not...I always put parchment paper at the bottom (I rub the bottom  with shortening and then  sort of glue it in place) it should come out easy. Use a knife, run it  along the sides and then flip the whole thing over onto a board. How can the parchment paper be stuck??? Oh and I never has luck with the grease and flour method.  If you have a moist cake like mud cake it just absorbs all the flour in no time.

Hi Julia

I am using a release pan an parchment paper too. Have just put another test run in then oven. Will try and put it in the fridge this time as Aarika suggested above. I am hoping it works.

I have seen this with someone who got a random bad cake mix.  

It can also have something to do with letting it cool completely in pan, even chill it to be sure,  jiggle side to side to loosen it, run knife along edge before removing from pan. 

If it is crumbly then tweak the recipe to something denser. 

Thank you so much everyone for getting back to me. I used the freezing method and it worked :) Infact I baked a number of cakes (as I needed to assemble them for the cake I was planning to make), and never once did I face the problem of breakage again :) This was a great tip.