Do You Grease And Flour The Sides Of Your Cakes?
Decorating By cakeatopia Updated 10 Oct 2006 , 7:26pm by doleta
I always do, but today I was watching a cake decorating video(from the library--very very amatuer) and she said not to do the sides. So, experts, tell me what is right!
Tell ya what. For years I did the shortening/flour thing and was always SOOO nervous when I turned it out...then one day for the only wedding cake I've done, my dear WISE mom said "why don't you put wax paper on the bottom?" DUH 
From then on I use wax paper on the bottom and spray the sides with non stick spray...Not a care in the world (except of course how NOT to mess up the decorating) 
Of course I'm NO expert but it works for me 
I don't exactly grease and flour. I use equal parts of crisco, oil, and flour. Mix it up and then spread it on with a silicone pastry brush. I do sides when I do this.
I do not flour my pans.....haven't for over 25 years. Crisco, no-stick spray, or Pan Grease only. The "logic" I've heard some people give about not greasing the sides is "How would you like to be trying to climb a mountain that is greased up?" 
Well that may be logical for mountain climbing but the science of baking is different. In a conventional oven, the heat is on the bottom and the heat is "pushing" the batter up. If you had someone giving you a big push on the butt up the side of a mountain, you'd go a lot further if that mountain was slick with Crisco!
It was pure accident that I stopped flouring my pans (poured the batter in a greased pan, then cringed when I saw I'd forgotten to flour the darn thing! Adopted an "oh well" attitude. Baked it. Never looked back). I find the cakes rise higher when it's greased only ..... some of my cakes rise 1/4" to 1/2" above the sides of the pan. No overflow.....just a wall of cake going straight up. And I don't have that "flour film" on the cake that either needs wiped off or gets in your icing.
I always grease and flour my pans but I guess non-stick spray is easier! I don't even know why I go through all that trouble!
I make my own "cake release" equal parts of flour, crisco, and oil. Spread over the entire inside of pan with silicone pastry brush. It works great. Have never had a cake stick. Then the extra cake release can be stored in the fridge for use later. It is so easy and very time efficient.
I used to butter then flour my pans. Every cake seemed to come out with a hazy film/crust that I didn't like.
Fast-foward several years to me reading the forums on this site!
For the past two months, I have ONLY used Pam or a generic spray on both the bottom and sides of my pans. I spray on a lot. But the cakes don't get that funny film and I haven't had trouble getting them out at all.
In a pinch I ran out of spray and greased the pans with Crisco. That worked great too.
I heard about the homemade cake release the beginning of this year. I LOVE it. I have never had a problem with cakes not coming out and the three ingredients are always things that I have around. That is one less thing that I have to buy!
I always do the bottom and sides of the pan.
I used to use the cooking spray, but it doesn't work when I use bake even strips. I guess the cake is in the oven too long or something and it just soaks it right up.
Cake release on the BOTTOM only. If you grease the sides, the cake can't rise. This results in a humpy cake. The less leveling required, the better, right?
Quote by @%username% on %date%
%body%