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If you’ve ever flipped your bundt cake only to watch half of it cling stubbornly to the pan, you’re not alone.
Bundt cake sticking to the pan is one of the most common baking frustrations, and it’s almost always preventable.
Why Bundt Cakes Stick to the Pan
Bundt cake pans have intricate designs. Every groove and ridge increases the opportunity for batter to cling.
If your bundt cake is sticking to the pan, it’s usually because of one (or more) of these:
- Insufficient greasing
- Greasing too far in advance
- Letting the cake cool completely in the pan
- Using the wrong bundt pan
- Excess sugar crystallizing along the edges
The good news? Each of these is fixable.
How to Make Sure Your Bundt Releases Cleanly
Every single time, no drama or tears!
1. Choose the correct pan.
Choose a bundt cake pan with simple designs. The more intricate, the more likely sticking will occur. This bundt pan is a great option, as is the one shown below in the photo!
For best results, hand wash your bundt pans with a non-abrasive sponge and gentle dish soap and dry it off completely. This will avoid damaging the nonstick coating.
2. Use the right type of grease.
I avoid using butter to grease bundt pans, because the milk solids can bind the cake to the pan, acting like glue. If you’ve used butter and it’s not caused any problems for you, then keep using it.
What I find works really well is melted vegetable shortening.
Alternatively, I have successfully used baker’s nonstick cooking spray, specifically Baker’s Joy. Just note that any aerosol spray may degrade that nonstick coating over time.
Try Cake Goop.
This mixture is something Great British Baking Show winner Edd Kimber swears by! Measure equal parts (by volume) shortening, flour and vegetable oil. This will create a nonstick paste.
What about flour?
If you’ve greased and floured your bundt pans with success, keep doing it. I personally find this can either create more sticking, or ruin the look of the bundt pan.
If you want an extra barrier to prevent sticking, nut flour (like almond flour) can actually work really well!
If you’re baking a chocolate cake, try sprinkling the pan with cocoa powder.
3. Grease properly.
Get in every nook & cranny: Use a silicone pastry brush to generously brush the grease to all the crevices of the pan, including that middle column.
Grease just before filling: If you do it too early, the grease will slide down the pan and accumulate at the bottom.
4. Loosen the edges after baking.
Use a small, flexible silicone or plastic utensil to loosen the edges of the cake before attempting to remove it from the pan. Avoid metal, which can damage the pan’s nonstick coating.
5. Cool upside-down.
Let the cake rest for 5 minutes once you remove it from the oven. Then, flip the cake onto a cooling rack upside down and let it rest for about 5 minutes before you remove the pan.
A little trick here is to use a grid cooling rack, not one that has big gaps. That can cause the cake to settle into the gaps and makes it harder to transfer to a platter.
How to Unstick a Bundt Cake
If your cake doesn’t look like it’ll release from the pan, here’s are two tricks.
Get steamy: If you have a clothing steamer, apply steam to the exterior of the pan to help loosen the cake. If you don’t, place a kitchen towel in your sink and pour boiling water over it until it’s soaked and steaming. Remove your cake from the oven and place on top of the towel and let it sit and steam for about 10 minutes.
Get icy: If your cake really doesn’t look like it’ll release, try freezing it until hard, then invert it.
Reader Love
Thank you for the tip on how to remove a bundt cake from the pan. After struggling with it I finally looked it up on line and found your recommendation using boiling water on a towel. After only a minute or less it released . It worked like a charm. It was a carrot cake.
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How to repurpose a stuck bundt cake:
If you can’t seem to remove the bundt cake in one piece, it’s time to pivot! Making a trifle, cake pops, or even slicing the intact part and grilling it up to serve with fresh fruit are fun options.
FAQs
Why is my bundt cake sticking to the pan?
Bundt cake sticking to the pan usually happens because of insufficient greasing, overbaking, or cooling too long in the pan. Sugar caramelizes and bonds to the metal if not properly insulated with fat and flour.
It can also happen if you use a cake recipe not originally designed for a bundt pan.
How do you grease a bundt pan properly?
Use melted shortening and a pastry brush to coat every nook and cranny just before pouring in the banner. Or, use a generous coating of Baker’s Joy spray.
How long should you wait before removing a bundt cake from the pan?
Wait 10-15 minutes after removing from the oven. This allows the cake to set while preventing the sugar content from hardening and getting stuck.
Are Nordicware bundt pans better?
Yes, in my testing these offered the best consistent results. They are typically made from cast aluminum, which heats evenly and reduces overbrowning.
Note that it’s not uncommon for a bundt pan to become stickier after years of use. The nonstick coating may degrade over time.
How to I remove a stuck bundt cake?
Use a clothing steamer to apply heat to the exterior of the pan. Or, place a very warm damp towel over the exterior of the pan (not touching the cake itself) for 5-10 minutes. The steam can help loosen stuck areas.
I hope you found these tips for how to get cake out of the bundt pan helpful. If you have a tip to add, please leave a comment below!
I am baking a pound cake. I buttered my tube pan but i forgot to flour it. AM i still ok?
Tessa, your tips are all spot on! However, I still was not having luck. I have tried a lot of different ways to get my bundt out in one piece, but had never heard commenter Karen D’s trick using the granulated sugar. I tried it today and it’s AMAZING! The cake came out with a slightly crusty exterior and literally thudded out of the pan onto the cake plate after the 5 minute cool down. Try it!
Thanks! Over the past several years I’d been getting sloppy and my bundt cakes had been sticking. I don’t know what I did in the past to be successful, but whatever it was, I apparently wasn’t doing it anymore. I tried your suggestions, and now my gingerbread bundt cake looks nearly perfect for tomorrow’s festivities!
After 30 years of baking a rum cake in a bundt pan my cakes are slumping around the middle. I tried baking longer but outside got too brown. Help!
i agree with equal parts flour, oil and solid type shortening. mix til smooth, brush on. can store leftovers for a while. smell to see if gone rancid.
This is guaranteed to work every single time your cake will never stick again. Combine:
1 Tablespoon Flour
1 Tablespoon Shortening
1 Tablespoon Oil
Mix to a smooth paste. Use to grease baking pan.
Would parchment paper work also
Please share – where to find a small silicone or plastic offset spatula similar to the one used in your video. Googled & have only been able to locate ones with plastic handles, but not the portion needed in the pan. Thank you!
The best trick I have for getting my bundt cakes not to stick is….after I grease it with shortening I dust it with granulated regular white sugar. I’ve been doing this for over 20 years, works Everytime! Also do it with my regular round cake pans. It leaves a bit of a “crust” on the cake making it easier to frost (no cake crumbs!)
I use a spray like Pam and also do white sugar in place of flour. I haven’t had a bundt cake problem in years. Let the pan cool to the touch, and it will pop right out, easy peasy…
Thank you for the tips. As a novice cook I’ve not had a pretty cake yet. Thinking my next one will be, thanks to you!
great tips, thank you, that one on the left looks like one of my bundt disasters! Love your cooking tips!
I have left metal Bundy pans behind for silicone! Pop it out and it’s Perfect every time.