How to Get a Stuck Cake Out of Its Pan, and Prevent It for Next Time (2024)

The phrase "moment of truth" is best suited to acts of extreme bravery, risk, and valor. Perfect example: getting a stuck cake out of the pan in one piece. More specifically, it's that confection you planned to serve to guests several minutes ago. Before you panic and your mom's birthday cake crumbles into oblivion, take a deep breath. We've got this.

First, our baking expert suggests reasons why your cake may have gotten stuck. Next, look over our ways to get a stuck cake out of the pan. Start with the first and then continue down the list for more drastic tactics. If you do accidentally break the cake, take heart: There are delicious ways to repurpose your slip-up.)

Why It's Stuck

There are several reasons why your cake is stuck in its pan. Although knowing why doesn't help you now, it may help you avoid this predicament next time.

The Pan Wasn't Greased

It's rare for a cake to stick to a properly prepared pan. Even if you're working with non-stick bakeware, thoroughly greasing and flouring your cake pan serves as insurance against sticking. For an even more ironclad policy, line the bottom of your greased pan with parchment paper, and then grease that, too.

Not every type of cake benefits from a prepared cake pan. If you're baking an angel food cake, sponge cake, or chiffon cake, you shouldn’t grease the pan. These cake batters, which contain egg white foam, rise better when they can cling to and climb up ungreased walls of a cake pan.

It's Not Fully Baked

An underdone cake is far more likely to stick to the pan, so make sure it's fully baked. "The edges of a fully baked cake will start to come away from the sides of the pan," notes Chef Garbacz.

"Also, when you gently poke the center of the cake, it should not have any give and will bounce back immediately," she adds. "You can also insert a paring knife or toothpick into the center to check for doneness. If it comes out clean, the cake is baked."

It's Not Cool Enough

Before serving, allow your cake sufficient time to cool, ideally to room temperature, which generally takes about an hour. According to Garbacz, allowing layer cakes to cool in their pans lets the outside of the cake steam a bit, which helps keep the edges super soft. Setting the warm cake pan on a cooling rack helps the cake cool faster, especially on the bottom, where sticking is most likely.

If you’re in a hurry, you can use the fridge to speed up the cake-cooling process. Out of the oven, set the cake pan out until it’s warm but no longer hot, about 15 minutes. Next, put the pan in the fridge for another 10 to 15 minutes.

"But for cakes such as banana bread or pound cake, I like to unmold them from their pans after about 10 minutes," Chef Garbacz says. "These cakes do well cooling outside their pans so they form a bit more of a crust." Take them out of their pans and let them cool directly on a serving plate, parchment paper, or cooling rack.

How To Get a Stuck Cake Out

The moment of truth: Try these strategies for getting that cake out of its pan.

Butter Knife Around the Edge

"Start by running a butter knife around the edge of the pan, between the cake and the pan," says Chef Garbacz. "Make sure the knife stays in contact with the side of the pan the entire time—this ensures you will have a nice edge on the cake, and you aren't cutting into the cake itself." If you greased your pan sufficiently before baking, this should do the trick.

For a more forceful approach, swap out the butter knife for a flexible spatula. As you circle the edges, lightly pressure the spatula inward to separate the cake's perimeter of the base from the pan.

Flip, Tap, and Shake

For this tactic, invert a large plate on top of the cake pan, preferably your cake's serving dish. Hold the plate firmly in place and flip it so the plate is on the bottom. Tap and gently shake the pan so the cake slowly releases and comes out in one beautiful piece.

Alternatively, invert your cake on the plate and, instead of tapping and shaking, just leave the cake upside down. After 10 to 15 minutes, try to remove the pan, with or without tapping.

Wet a Dishcloth

This technique warms up the cake pan enough that it releases the cake from its sides. To try it, soak a dishcloth (or kitchen towel) in warm or hot water and then wring out excess water. Wrap the towel around the bottom of the pan, leave it there for about 15 minutes, and then remove the cake from its pan.

Put It on Ice

Instead of applying gentle warmth to your cake pan, try a cold treatment. Turn the pan upside-down on a plate or cooling rack, and then set a bowl of ice cubes atop the inverted cake pan. After a few minutes of this quick-freeze technique, the whole cake should come out.

Two-Fork Lift

Still no luck? Try this: Run a butter knife or offset spatula around the cake rim to loosen it from the sides of the pan. After working your way around the whole cake, insert two forks on opposite ends of the cake. Using the forks as levers, squeeze and nudge the cake to loosen it. When you flip the pan over the board, the cake should come out.

Wrap and Freeze

If your cake is really stuck and you have plenty of time, wrap the cake in its pan in plastic wrap and freeze it for at least 6 hours or up to 24 hours. The rationale for this is that a cold cake is less likely to fall apart when you start to pry it out of its pan.

Once chilled, slide the butter knife around the rim of the pan and then flip the pan over. Holding the pan at a 45-degree angle with one rim edge on the counter (or cutting board), gently tap the bottom of the pan until the entire cake pops out.

Concede Defeat and Frost

Sometimes, the cake wins. If none of our cake-freeing methods work, just decorate and serve it directly from the pan like a sheet cake. Life is short! Afterward, resolve to never allow a baked-in cake to defeat you again.