i don't know what i'm doing wrong but everytime i bake the sides of my cake come out very crumbly. i've tried shortening and flour dust on bottom and sides, then short./flour on just bottom and short. only on sides and i've tried wilton's cake release.

do i need to leave the cakes in the pans longer or take them out sooner? there are tons of crumbs and pieces falling off the sides though. in sugarshack's buttercream videos her cakes are perfectly smooth on the sides. how do i get sides that aren't a mess????

TIA,
ashley

you've tried the wilton cake release and you still get crumbs??? Are you using enough of it?? Maybe your cake recipe is the culprit. I sift my cake mix and add a pudding mix to it and I get a very small and compact crumb on my cake. I also use the cake release (I ran out of wilton's and it cost so much because I use so much that I use the recipe on here and it works just as good) and I never have crumbs anymore. I let my cake sit for about 5-10 min. and then pop it out of the pan onto a cooling rack. Maybe you should try some parchment paper, maybe you're getting sticking! I would try using extra cake release though, don't be stingy with it!!

If you hav e tried greasing sides etc and still are having problems, I'd say you might be overbaking.
Have the cakes pulled away from the sides of the pan when you take them out of the oven?
They should not; that should happen as they cool.
Or it might be a combination of this plus your recipe. Brands do make a difference to a degree. If you are using a store brand rather than one of the 3 top brands. Personally I prefere Betty Crocker but others here have had great luck w/Duncan Hines and Pillsbury. Anything else could be part of your problem.
What temp are you baking at?
Approx. how long are you leaving a single mix cake in the oven? Usually it is about 20-30 minutes.

There is an article on collaring your cake pans with parchment paper, in the Articles section of CC.

Why don't you try using this technique? I have been collaring my cake pans for a few years, and now would not bake a cake any other way.

Theresa

KHalstead ~ I've seen the cake release recipe on here before, but I didn't write it down...does it really work better than the spray? Better than greasing and flouring the pans each time?

TIA

okay, i will try the parchment paper. most of the time the cake is pulling away as it cools. i usually let it sit for 10 minutes before removing from the pans. i use wilton's butter cake recipe so i don't know if that's it. i'm perplexed.

i have 3 cakes/orders to bake for today - 2 10" sq., 2 6" round and a 8" round. i will try each of the methods again for each of the four cakes and see which yields the best result.

okay, i tried all but the parchment method and they all turned out great. one did come out a bit crumbly and i think i've been letting them sit in the pan for too long after baking.