I bake bundts several times a month, and have a growing collection of pans (mostly Nordicware). Except for a few years ago, I've never had one stick - and that was solved when I discovered my oven temp was running higher than set, and fixed it. In my experience, there are 5 factors for success. 1 - PAN should be good quality, heavy weight, metal. Not thin aluminum or silicone. Same goes for other types of baking pans in my kitchen, too. If I don't have quite enough batter for the pan size, I usually decrease the temp 25 degrees, increase time 10 min, and use a thermometer to check for doneness - between 195 - 200 degrees seems to be best. Sometimes it needs as much as 30 min extra if it's a very wet batter.
2 - GREASING I use spray to heavily coat all nooks & crannies. I put it in the sink to avoid getting overspray anywhere (esp the floor) and turn it to get every surface, including the top rim and center. READ THE LABEL and avoud sprays that contain dimethicone or silicone - these will turn into sticky, brown residue during baking that is nearly impossible to remove, especially from non-stick pans, and will make everything stick like glue.
3 - TEMPERATURE - Check your oven temp to make sure it matches your setting. Too hot, and the grease may over heat & begin to burn, esp in the bottom where it's closest to the heat, and that will make the top of your cake stick. Too cool, and your cake may not quite be "set" and done enough to hold together, and will tear or fall apart coming out of the pan. When the sides just begin pulling away from the top edges of the pan, it's nearly done. I check for doneness with a thermometer. 195 - 200 seems to be the magic temp for me.
4 - CLEANING Always wash pans by hand, in the hottest water you can stand. Dry with a soft towel and go over it with a microfiber cloth & your dry hands immediately - helps find any sticky spots you may have missed. A paste of baking soda & dish soap, rubbed with a cloth - not a sponge - will help remove sticky residue. The Nordicware cleaning brush with the rubber tip for ridges, seams, nooks & crannies helps. But - any good, non-scratch brush with bristles 1/2" long will work, as will brushes used for auto detailing - they have the rubber tips and are nearly identical to the Nordicware brush. If you have stubborn residue,either pour boiling water on it to soften, or, if there's a lot, and you have a large enough pot, stick it in a pot of boiling water for 5 min, or even fill w/hot water to cover the residue, and put back into the oven to loosen it.
5 - HUMOR & CREATIVITY When there's an epic failure, turn it into something great. I dropped a pumpkin spice bundt that was supposed to be dessert for a large gathering. Ran to the store for vanilla ice cream, ginger preserves & Cool Whip. Pressed the cake bits into a casserole dish to make a "crust", covered w/ice cream & swirls of ginger preserves, froze while we ate dinner. Served with Cool Whip & dash of cinnamon. "Pumpkin Spice Disaster Cake" is now a family "must have" every year!
October 22, 2018 at 11:05am