okay, so I have heard this a couple of times...only grease the bottom of the pan (not the sides) and it helps the cake cling to the sides and rise better.


Sooooo.....who does this? I would like to try it, but I have already had two cakes fall yesterday and I would hate to lose another cake.
Does it stick? How do you get the cake out? Do you have to run a knife around it?

One of the recipes I use comes out pretty "greasy" from the pan. I am wondering if it would be enough grease to keep it from sticking anyway.

I am just curious about this technique. thanks

I've never heard this. IMO, I'd think you'd be risking a mess without greasing the sides (might be worth trying the recipe you say is "greasy" already though). I'd get bake-even strips to help it rise instead.

Yes, I have heard about it on some cakes (usually cakes topped with whipped egg whites) and some pastries.

I decided to try it It is in the oven now and I am nervous as heck! (since it is the 3rd time I am baking the same cake) Logic tells me I should have tried it with leftover batter on something small...

I was a little nervous to go completely commando....so I did very very lightly grease up the sides. I will let you all know how it goes. It might be located in the disaster section.

okay so it didint work out ! But the good (or bad) news is that the cake fell again anyway, so it was ruined either way. However, I am baking again for the the 4th time and it didnt fall (i also greased this time!)

I have had good luck with not spraying or greasing the sides (or bottom) of cake pans. I cut parchment circles fitting the bottom of the pans. I bake as usual and let cake cool completely, then run a small thin metal spatula around sides before turning out, peel off paper and brush loose crumbs off sides.

I believe with cakes that are meant to be light and airy - such as angel food cake, you don't spray the side so that it has something to stick to and "crawl" up. Most cakes you should grease the sides or they won't rise properly and it will likely overflow or not be cooked properly in the middle because the sides where climbing but the middle sinking - does that make sense

WEll the cake that I didnt grease, rose fine, but it was indeed stuck to the pan! I was having trouble with a cake recipe (it was bubbling over the edge of the pan and then sinking) so I wondered if perhaps changing the way I prepared the pan might help. Now I think I have tweaked the recipe and it is working a lot better for me. I also hate all the work I put into preparing the pan. I think I just like my old method best of grease, flour and parchment. oh well!

I think that only works with angel food and sponge type cakes. Recipes for these types of cakes state not to grease or butter, that the cake needs to climb up the pan, but only those types of cakes. Regular cakes have leavening and rise all on their own, so you need the parchment/grease/whatever so the cake doesn't stick.

I hate the parchment too, but it's the best way I have found. I hope you won't be in the kitchen all day rebaking your cake! But, maybe now you can make cake balls!

It sounds to me like you may be overfilling your pans and they bubble over at the crutial do not disturb time and cave in because of all the comotion. You should try collaring your pans with parchment paper if you need it to be that tall. Other that this... it would have to be that the recipe is not quite right somewhere.

My first cake class was taught by a baker who was not Wilton trained. She said not to spray the sides, but to add parchment or wax paper to the bottom after spraying it. She said the cake needs to cling to something and will bake more even. I also thinks it makes a difference in the pan. Good pans seem to be easier on cakes then the cheap aluminum ones.