Last Updated on 23rd April 2022 by
I like the idea of a bundt cake and how the cake comes out looking decorative and is shaped differently from the traditional rectangle to simple circular shape of a regular cake.
However, I have had some bad experiences with bundt cake, especially the bundt pan. It’s not the cake that is so much to blame as it is the pan, the way it is shaped and how that makes he cake turn out sometimes.
I realise that it was my own lack of knowledge and experience with bundt cake that caused it to fail at times. If I knew back then what I know now, I wouldn’t have had any problems getting the cake to come out of the bundt pan cleanly and evenly. It would not have crumbled apart and come out in pieces, and I want to share with you how to get a cake out a bundt pan without breaking it apart.
I want to tell you how I remove cake cleanly from the bundt pan every time now, so you can do the same thing and not regret trying something new.
Grease First
Practicing prevention is better than a cure, I always heard. I know that is true when it comes to making bundt cake in a bundt pan. By planning head and greasing the pan first, you will save yourself a lot of trouble. You will be able to help the cake come out smoothly and make it far less likely to stick to the pan.
Grease thoroughly but don’t overdo it. You want enough oil, cooking grease or spray grease to cover the interior of the pan, but it should not be overly wet or puddling. Too much oil affects your cake, so only use enough to cover the surface, and not drench it.
Greasing ensures that the cake slides out easily. It’s not foolproof, because bundt cake can be tough to work with. I have greased a bundt cake pan before and the cake still got stuck and crumbled out, but greasing it is a good first step for how to get a cake out of bundt pan. It is the best preventative measure you can take to keep your cake from getting stuck in the pan.
Be sure to grease not just the bottom of the pan’s interior but also the sides or walls as well. Any part of the pan that the cake could come into contact with would benefit from having grease applied evenly and lightly.
Use a Non-Stick Pan
One of the best things you can do when you want to make it to remove your bundt cake is to use the proper bundt pan. One of the first answers that come up when you search for how to get a bundt cake out of the pan is that you should be using a nonstick pan.
Of course, using a non-stick pan will help your bundt cake not to stick to much. A lot of issues with bundt cake come from simply using a regular pan when a nonstick pan would make things so much easier for you.
Should you grease a nonstick pan when making bundt cake? That’s a question I see as well when people are asking me about how to get cake out of a bundt pan. I do recommend greasing the nonstick pan for bundt cake. Its’s because of the way the pan is shaped and the problems it can cause with trying to remove cake that I suggest greasing the pan. It just reduces your risk of the cake being stuck when you take that precaution.
Use Some Flour
Do you know what else helps bundt cake to not be stuck in the pan? When you dust the pan with flour, it helps to keep the cake from sticking, and you can do this after you grease the pan. The flour will stick to the grease and will create a barrier between the pan and the cake, helping your cake slide out more evenly.
This is really just another step you could take and another precaution I like to use, but it is not always necessary. You can try to cook bundt cake with or without the flour dusting on the pan, but if you have trouble with how to get a cake out of a bundt pan without sticking and you did not dust with flour, then try that for next time.
What to Do if Your Cake Is Stuck
Let’s say you did some of these measures and your cake is still stuck. Or maybe you did none of these and you have a cake that is wedged into the pan. You know what to try for next time, but what about the cake that is still stuck? What do you do with that and how to get a stuck cake out of a bundt pan?
There are a few methods you can try that may help you to remove the stuck bundt cake.
Bang on the pan- You can turn the cake upside down and give it a bang. Just be careful that it doesn’t fall on floor or fall from so far that it comes apart. Hold it close to the counter and turn it upside down, tapping lightly first on the bottom of the bundt pan.
If that is not enough, try giving it a shake and then move on to banging couple times on the pan. You don’t want to be too violent with your cake. You could end up tearing it to pieces, but a few light bangs won’t damage the cake and could pop it loose.
Give it time- The cake may just need time to cool and separate a little bit before you try to take it out. You should give it about 10 minutes and see if it is easier to remove then. It also helps to turn the cake upside down, inverting it, and letting it rest like that for the 10 minutes. Try again to remove it after that period.
Use a Spatula- The best tool to remove bundt cake from the pan is a rubber spatula. Anything hard, like a very rigid spatula or a knife, can tear up the cake. Use a soft spatula that has some give to it as you try to remove the cake. Work at the sides and press inwards slightly to get the cake the extra push it needs to come loose.
Try Steaming- You could also use a steaming method to remove the cake from the pan. This is probably the most difficult method, but it does work. What you need to do is soak a kitchen towel in hot water, wring it out, and then rest it over the top of the cake pan. The hot towel should be covering the pan completely. Rest that there and leave it until your cake has cooled enough for you to take it out. The steam should build up and loosen the cake in the pan.
Those are real methods that have worked at one time or another, and you can go through the list and try each one in turn until you find something that works for you. If one method doesn’t work, then another probably would. I know that it can be frustrating when your bundt cake doesn’t want to come out of the pan, but you don’t have to give up hope just because it is being stubborn. Use one of the methods (or all of them) that I listed and try to get it out that way.
Just keep in mind that preparation will save you trouble for next time, so use the methods up above to prevent sticking to help you with your next bundt cake. Thanks for stopping by and giving this a read. I hope it helped you.
I'm Pauline, a retired patisserie chef, mother of four and now a full time food blogger! When i'm not cooking i love long walks, reading thriller novels and spending time with my grandkids. Head to my about me page to learn more about the woman behind the food! You can find my Facebook here