They're Stuck in the Pans . . .

[jenny_islander]

My darling Eva requested a strawberry cake for her birthday tomorrow, which meant making it from scratch because red dye makes her ragey. It was pretty easy, actually: just a butter cake with the ingredients adjusted to accommodate 3/4 cup pureed thawed frozen strawberries. I buttered and floured the pans, poured in the batter, you know, the usual.

Buuuuut now the layers won't come out of their pans. I cooled them for 10 minutes, loosened the edges with a butter knife, inverted them on racks and tapped them sharply. Aaaand nothing.

Help?

[racheepoo]

Did you perhaps put parchment paper in the pan as a liner? If so, you can pop it in the freezer for a minute and then it should lift out easily.

[jenny_islander]

No. I wish I had.

[Kiara.I]

So, I made my own tool. I took an ice cream bucket, cut a 4-5" section out of the side of it (leaving the rim on the top) and include just a tiny bit of the curve where it meets the bottom.

It's flexible enough that you can slide it down the side and under the cake to loosen it.

The bottom of the cake won't look perfect when you're done, but it will be out, at least.

And next time, use parchment paper. ;)

[racheepoo]

The only other thing I've done that you might try is to put the pan in hot water -- of course being careful not to submerge it (which I've also done) for about 15 minutes. Then take it out and invert it over a rack and hopefully it will come out :yes

[bec28]

This might sound ridiculous and I've never tried it but I've always thought about trying something like dental floss and trying to slide it under one side and then out the other. Does that make sense?

Ive had a lot of experience in things sticking to pans :lol never much luck in getting them out in one piece though.