We’ve all been there. You’ve baked a sweet little Bundt cake, it’s done cooling and you’re ready for the big flip. Oven mitts on and serving platter ready, you take a deep breath, flip the pan…and only half of the cake comes out.
Now, I firmly believe that most imperfections can be fixed with a bit of buttercream frosting. But why hide perfectly good curves if you’ve got ’em? When properly prepared, bare Bundt cake can be downright gorgeous. A bakery favorite, this confection owes its beauty to its uniquely fluted baking dish-but without a healthy coat of grease, Bundt pans tend to hang on to their contents, marring the cake’s iconic shape. For flawless Bundt cakes every time, our Test Kitchen uses this fail-safe method:
What You’ll Need:
- Vegetable shortening
- Paper towels
- Flour
- Spoon
Step 1: Get greasing
Fold a sheet of paper towel and dip it into the shortening. You’ll need plenty, so go ahead and scoop out a big gob of the stuff. Then, as though washing the pan with a soapy sponge, spread the shortening around, making sure to coat all of its nooks and crannies.
Step 2: Sprinkle with flour
Take a spoonful of flour and lightly dust the greased pan. I find holding the spoon steady in one hand and gently tapping my wrist with the other helps prevent dumping the contents of the spoon all at once. If you’re worried about the flour clumping, sift it into the pan using a fine-mesh sieve. Next, pick up the pan, gently tapping and rotating it to create a thin, even coating of flour across the pan’s interior.
Test Kitchen Tip: For chocolate cakes, dust with cocoa instead of flour to preserve the rich color of the cake.
Step 3: Shake it off
Time to shake out any excess flour. Head over to the sink, turn the pan upside down and gently tap it against the edge of the counter or faucet. (Doing this at the sink makes for easier cleanup later.)
Voila! You have a pan that’s well-prepared for whatever batter you bring to it.
Looking for some cake inspiration? Try our top-rated Buttermilk Pound Cake, or choose from hundreds of other Bundt cake recipes on our website.
