IF I can rely on my faulty memory, about six months ago I was reading a Colette Peters book which I think said she cools her cakes in their pans. Not just the ten minute rest period, but the whole cooling down process. Does anyone else do this, and if you do, what is the benefit? And, just in case Colette should ever look to CC for inspiration, please let me say in advance that I think that's where I read it, and please forgive me if I'm wrong. 
I have left my cakes in the pan to cool completely, but I pop them within 10 -15 minutes after coming out of the oven. The only thing I have found is that sometimes they tend to be wet when I take them out of the pans. So then you my have to let them dry out some before icing the cakes.
If I have the time, I will let them cool in the pan but I noticed that there are times that it comes out perfect but there are other times where some of the cake is left on the bottom of the pan. I grease and flour my pans very very well. I don't know why, I guess when it cools, it shrinks slightly and it'll dry to whatever it can on the bottom of the pan and breaks off when I flip it over. Maybe I'm doing somehting wrong, I don't know. But that's what happens to me--especially for the bigger cakes.
At a bakery I worked at we always left cakes in the pan to cool all the way. It was different than I had learned but we never had problems. We only used pan spray no flour so I went along with it. Now I don't usually leave them but sometimes do because I get busy.
Yes, I have cooled my big 16" cakes in the pan, even refrigerated while in the pan, you did read that in Collette Peters, because that is where I got the suggestion. I had no problems at all with it, once you turn it over it takes a minute for it to release, don't panic. Anyway, I was leary of it when I read it but it works, I found it to be helpful with the bigger tiers.
BTW, I only grease and use parchment.
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