Ok - I have a cake due tomorrow for my aunt's 75th birthday. The plan was to do a 12x18 cake with a FBCT of an old lady and a funny little poem that I found. Today is baking day - I am using the Dark Chocolate Cake recipe here on CC. For this big of a cake I had to double the recipe. I have made it and baked it twice and both cakes have stuck to the pan like crazy!! I know what you are thinking - grease your pan stupid!!! With the first cake I used the equal parts flour/crisco/oil and covered the pan with that. When that cake was a wreck, I coated the pan with just crisco and then floured it to make sure I got it everywhere. Still stuck!! What is the deal?!?! Can you not double this recipe? Should I make 2 9x13 and stick them together? Should I just make a smaller cake and stack it?? I still have the FBCT in my freezer, so that can still be used - maybe I should change the size of the cake?!?! I have made this recipe before and not had a problem (but the recipe was not doubled) and I have used this pan before with no problems - just not with this recipe....AHHHHHHHH Somebody tell me what to do!!!!
My aunt is also having an open house for her birthday on Saturday - I guess I could use all this ruined cake for cake balls as a surprise. When I made cake balls before, I think I used too much creamer - they were too moist. How much is a "generous shot" exactly??
I'm sorry...the only thing that works for me is parchment paper when baking. Even if it's a small pan, I don't take chances. I use parchment and just grease the sides. You can't go wrong.
Not sure about a "generous shot" 
Good luck on your cake!!
I'm not sure about the doubling of the recipe, I haven't doubled that particular one but some recipes do funky things when you double. What if you tried putting down parchment on the bottom of the pan and see if that does the trick.
I've only made cake balls a couple times so I'm no expert but I put the scraps in my KA and let er rip! The first batch I made I threw in a shot and it was too gooey so now I don't even measure the liquid. I just pour it in slowly until it just starts to make a ball in the bowl. Not an exact measure but it works for me.
Beckysue - can't help with the pan, but can help with the cakeballs... basically what you want, is enough liquid to be added so that you can squash together the crumbs into a ball. It all depends on how moist your cake is to begin with... I use a shot glass (1 oz) to measure with, and usually end up adding 2 of them. Add less to begin with because you can always add a touch more.
HTH and good luck!
Cheers!
Are you dead set on using this recipe??? Maybe you could choose another one that you know works well with this pan! Just to be safe... I'd hate to see you lose ANOTHER huge cake!! Otherwise, I'd say using two smaller pans and butting them up against each other would be a good idea as well. Whatever you need to do to get the job done!! The cake ball idea is a good one. She won't see that coming... and you don't have to tell her you did it with her 'flopped' cakes!!
I make 12X15's all of the time. Your recipe is probably extremely moist and it can not take the weight when you turn it over. Either use a flower nail or bake the cake a few minutes longer. I never use parchment paper (not even with chocolate cakes)...I always use crisco spray with flour and my cakes never stick. Ok, thanks, now I just jinxed myself!! 
let me ask you this... did you let it cool??? I have found that with chocolate cakes.. if they are not cool enough they break or stick everytime on me!!! What I do now is 10 min after they come out of the oven, I put the cake (still in the pan) in a clean garbage bag that's tied and put it into the fridge overnight!! Never had a problem with sticking since!!
I forgot to mention... I ALWAYS use parchment paper!! It works great, the sticking issues always came from the sides. AND I always grease and flour all of my pans.
good luck
you know if you use crisco on your pan and you let it cool too much it will make the cake stick because the crisco hardens back up again........in any case, I always use parchment paper on my 12x18 cakes because they always stick!!!! I use non stick spray on the pan......put down the parchment.....then spray the parchment and it NEVER sticks!!! As for the cakes balls.........I made them one time and they were waaaayyyy too moist and I only added like 2 tbsp. of creamer.........I haven't had any left over cake to try them again lately LOL But when I do I'm going to disregard measuring the liquid and just add JUST ENOUGH to moisten the cake scraps so they come together when I squeeze them.
I also use parchment paper on large pans. Also, you might mix one batch up, stick it in the fridge, mix the other, then add them together in the baking pan. That might work better. I use inverted flower nails (greased) in the center of the pan as well.
You all grease your pans before putting in the parchment paper? I just line the bottom and pour. Then after freeze cooling, I plop out the cake, peel of the parchment paper, and then frost. What does the extra greasing do?
I never grease anything, since I really suck at it, and everything always sticks for me. I bought a silopat, and invested in parchment paper.
Also, if you are doubling, you may want to add a TBSP of flour to your mixture before cooking. It will dry out your cake a little, and possibly not stick at all.
You all grease your pans before putting in the parchment paper? I just line the bottom and pour. Then after freeze cooling, I plop out the cake, peel of the parchment paper, and then frost. What does the extra greasing do?
I never grease anything, since I really suck at it, and everything always sticks for me. I bought a silopat, and invested in parchment paper.
Also, if you are doubling, you may want to add a TBSP of flour to your mixture before cooking. It will dry out your cake a little, and possibly not stick at all.
I don't grease my pans if I use parchment either. Have never had a problem doing it that way.
I always grease and flour and use parchement paper works for me as for the cakeballs I've never added liqued. I usually use a cake wash on tops and sides of cakes (simple syrup and flavoring)so I just smoosh and roll the cake scrapes into balls and dip in chocolate. I guess the wash keeps them moist enough to stick.
I have been doing this for five years and never had anything like this happen, I feel so STUPID!!! So it sounds like parchment paper is the way to go - I have never used it, never needed to....I can make a four tiered wedding cake but this simple sheet cake is kicking my butt!! LOL
bodaisy - a garbage bag, huh? How does that work? I have heard of baking pies in a paper bag, but never cooling cakes in a garbage bag....
Thanks everyone for the help and support - I am off to try it again.....
I use parchment on every cake.....even the 5 inch ones 
I don't like to take chances on the cakes sticking - then I still spray pam on the sides before I bake and let them cool for only 10" and take a thin knife and gently run it around the perimeter before I flip them out. I had some disastrous results when I left them in the pan too long - and that was before cake balls...
So what do you call it when you sit, sobbing on the kitchen floor eating handfulls of broken cake with your fingers??
I have been doing this for five years and never had anything like this happen, I feel so STUPID!!! So it sounds like parchment paper is the way to go - I have never used it, never needed to....I can make a four tiered wedding cake but this simple sheet cake is kicking my butt!! LOL
bodaisy - a garbage bag, huh? How does that work? I have heard of baking pies in a paper bag, but never cooling cakes in a garbage bag....
Thanks everyone for the help and support - I am off to try it again.....
the garbage bag idea is similar to people using saran wrap to keep the moisture into the cake. As long as I don't need the pan for another cake at the same time i just stick it in a bag and wrap the open end under the pan and stick it in the fridge.
-as for greasing the pan.. I do not grease the bottom of the pan. I only grease and flour the sides then stick the parchment paper on the bottom. ANd if I need the pan for another cake at the same time and it's the same flavor, I just peel the parchment off the cake, flip the parchment over so the clean side is facing up, then put it back into the pan for the next cake. Kinda like reusing it. I do wash and re-grease and flour before reusing.
hope this makes sense.
But I sincerely believe chocolate cake has a mind of it's own!! 
It truly needs to cool longer than the white cakes do. AND I only use a scratch cake recipe so I'm not sure if that is the difference or not?
bo
"So what do you call it when you sit, sobbing on the kitchen floor eating handfulls of broken cake with your fingers??"
...ummm? A normal cake day in my kitchen? lol
Glad y'all mentioned the parchment! I'm doing a 12x18 this week, (with a borrowed pan!) and I'll DEFINITELY be doing this. 
--Knox--
A friend of mine told me that when baking big cakes to bake it in 2 halves so you get 2 thinner cakes, ie. pour half of the total batter into your large tin, cook that and then repeat with the remainder of the batter so you will end up with two layers which you either put a filling in between the two layers or just stick them together with some buttercream. This might help with issues associated with doubling the recipe as effectively you are only using one quantity at a time and it also helps avoid problems of the middle not cooking through that can happen with big pans etc. If all else fails it might be worth a try.
good luck
Yep, parchment paper every time. Then it's a no brainer and you never loose a cake. I use a spray and spray my pan then line with parchment.
Good luck!!
Jacqui
THANK YOU!! THANK YOU!!! THANK YOU!!!
The third time is the charm, I guess. I sprayed my pan, lined it with parchment, and sprayed again. Perfect cake!! Thanks everyone! A special thank you to all4cake - the pm you sent was just what I needed and the advise you gave was inspired!! I'll post a picture of the finished cake - hope all goes well from now on. This will be my first FBCT - LOL - it can't be any harder than baking this stinking cake!!
Quote by @%username% on %date%
%body%