Bundt Pans: Everything About Them

[Manoras]

Whenever I bake in my bundt pans the chocolate cakes never come out in one piece. I grease and dust with flour or cocoa powder but they always come out knicked or little chunks get left behind. I even searched for a recipe for mini bundt chocolate cakes, found one of Emeril's and I still have the same problem. What am I missing?

[K8memphis]

I don't know. I have rose pans y'know that bake a rose shaped muffin--I have the mini bundt too but I haven't used it yet. I noticed that when I used a regular cake mix they tend to stick horribly but not always . When I bake a fruit bread or use a doctored mix, specifically the melted ice cream one from the Cake Mix Doctor, they come out perfect. So maybe it's your recipe as you suspect. It seems heavier products fare better but this is not a scientific all inclusive recommendation. Just my own causal observation.

And putting them in the dishwasher is a no-no. Also I grease them with either pan goop* or heavy spray of pam and flour.

*There's different formulas but basically cream equal parts of shortening and flour then add an equal part of oil--keep in a plastic container and apply with a brush or paper towel.

[Pam R]

I no longer flour pans. I find they release better for me with just a liberal spraying of Pam/veg oil.

[claire797]

*There's different formulas but basically cream equal parts of shortening and flour then add an equal part of oil--keep in a plastic container and apply with a brush or paper towel.

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The melted shortening and flour combo works perfectly. What I do is mix those together, paint them on the pans and then put the pans in the freezer to harden the shortening.

But a much, much easier way is to just use flour-added Pam -- the new kind, which they've made especially for bakers. It works much better than regular baking spray and has a nice smell.

[kitchpig]

For chocolate cakes & especially flourless chocolate cakes, we use a coat of spray release & sugar instead of flour. Also the temp is important, not to cool, and not to hot. Practice, practice, practice......

[TMus1111]

Another vote for the Pam with flour added - everything slides right out of all my pans.

[Beanie]

I've used Pam with flour successfully baking chocolate cakes and cheesecakes in mini bundt pans. I've also frozen them and then released using heat gun; popped out perfectly.

[rooftop1000]

Just actually saw a show on the Bundt pan...go figure ... it was designed for a very heavy german cake batter. I think the cake was actually called Bund but the manufacturer added the T for his pan.

tracey

ahh herehttp://www.nordicware.com/founders.cfm

[sanrensho]

*There's different formulas but basically cream equal parts of shortening and flour then add an equal part of oil--keep in a plastic container and apply with a brush or paper towel.

Does adding oil help with release? (I'm glad we're talking about baking...)

I've been using the 1:1 flour/shortening formula and notice that it seems to require a heavy hand during application. I'm using aluminum pans, no parchment.

Edited December 1, 2005 by sanrensho (log)

[K8memphis]

*There's different formulas but basically cream equal parts of shortening and flour then add an equal part of oil--keep in a plastic container and apply with a brush or paper towel.

Does adding oil help with release? (I'm glad we're talking about baking...)

I've been using the 1:1 flour/shortening formula and notice that it seems to require a heavy hand during application. I'm using aluminum pans, no parchment.

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I haven't tried the 1:1. When I first tried the one with the oil in it, I melted the shortening--it didn't work for me. Just slapping it all together worked.

Yeah I love those all in one baking sprays. But when I use that aerosol stuff I try not to breath that stuff in. I spray holding my breath & leave the room. I mean especially for a huge pan--that's a lotta airborne grease.

Yeah, like you didn't already know I was weird?!

[Steven Blaski]

Whenever I bake in my bundt pans the chocolate cakes never come out in one piece.  I grease and dust with flour or cocoa powder but they always come out knicked or little chunks get left behind.    I even searched for a recipe for mini bundt chocolate cakes, found one of Emeril's and I still have the same problem.  What am I missing?

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Maybe the problem isn't how you're greasing the pan but how/when you're unmolding the cake? Unmolding delicate cakes immediately may cause them to fall apart. For a bundt pan cake let it cool on a wire rack for 10 minutes before unmolding.

[sanrensho]

Does anyone else find that the 1:1 baker's grease tends require a heavy application?

When I used butter, it only required a thin coating. Maybe I'm getting thrown off by the creaming of the braker's grease, which makes it look like I'm applying more.

[andiesenji]

I have several of the very intricate Bundt cake pans, including "Bavaria" "cathedral" "wreath" "Christmas tree wreath" "festival" and "fleur de lis" (in addition to several of the original type)

I just ordered the "castle" pan. I also have several other figural cake pans/molds and some fancy shaped loaf pans.

In these very detailed molds, I use a baker's release spray called Bak-Klene which is made by the same company that makes Vegalene, which I also use.

However the cakes I bake in these are fairly dense, which may be the difference, however, they release cleanly from the pan with nothing left behind.

I will report on how the "castle" pan works after I have had a chance to test it.Bak-Klene and etc.

Edited December 2, 2005 by andiesenji (log)

[yourmyboyblue]

i use mini bundt molds at work for a dessert. it worked great until you bake a couple of hundred out of one mold

to get mine out now i spray the molds with pan release(vegaline) and throw the mold into the oven for about 5 minutes. then i spray again and scoop my batter in.

bake until they are done and pop out when they come out of the oven. works every time for me....

[Veena]

Hello -

I am considering buying a Bundt cake pan. I can buy only one because I am already maxed out on storage space (but am coming across more and more irresistable cake recipes that specify Bundt pans). Price is not a major consideration - since I can have only one, I want to make sure it is a good performer. Am not looking for too fancy a design (in fact, I find the intricate designs somewhat frightening).

What size and material would the frequent Bundt bakers recommend? Also, besides prettiness factor, what is the advantage of a Bundt pan over the 9 x 3 round cake pans? Apologies if all this has been discussed already - if so, please point me to the thread.

Regards,

Veena

[srhcb]

Call me sentimental, but I prefer the orifginal NordicWare Bundt Pan, which celebrates its 60th Anniversay this year.

SB (the "S" stands for sentimental)

[K8memphis]

Softy, er I mean Sentimental Steve is right--that's a good choice bu-ut, what's so scary about this one??

[RuthWells]

As a certified Bundt pan addict, I could never limit myself to just one. That being said, the rose pan is a very classic, lovely shape while still being a bit more modern than the original Bundt. I love it.

[CaliPoutine]

I'd go with the original shape and I'd make it nordicware. Also, I'd make sure I got the platnium series( its heavier).

[srhcb]

FYI: The Minnesota Hisorical Society is currently developing an exhibit to coincide with the State's 150th Anniversary in 2008 of 150 special persons, places, items or ideas that originated in Minnesota.

The Bundt Pan has been nominated in the Technology and Industry category.

SB (BTW: I nominated it)

[Ling]

I had a number of bundt pans, but they are mostly the plain ones. If you are only buying one bundt pan, perhaps one with a removable bottom would be the most useful. That way, you're guaranteed a clean release every time.

I had the Nordicware Rose pan, but it's not my favourite pan to use. You have to make sure you grease those ridges very thoroughly. It's not my favourite shape, but I bought it on sale. My favourite is the Cathedral pan (which I don't have yet) and the Sandcastle one someone posted upthread is really cute!

I also love this one: Violet bundt and the floral mini pans.

[shaloop]

If you are only buying one bundt pan, perhaps one with a removable bottom would be the most useful. That way, you're guaranteed a clean release every time.

I've never seen a bundt pan with a removeable bottom. Do you mean a tube pan or angelfood cake pan? When I think of bundt I also think of the nordicware style pan such as linked to above. I think nonstick and heavy are good features in a bundt pan. But not too dark in color. Bundt pans are good for thick/heavy batters like pound cakes and the hole in the middle acts like a heating core that allows the inside to cook evenly and all in one pan. It would be hard to bake a cake with a pound each of flour/sugar/butter and eggs in one flat round pan and have the middle get done before the edges burned.

[srhcb]

It would be hard to bake a cake with a pound each of flour/sugar/butter and eggs in one flat round pan and have the middle get done before the edges burned.

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FYI: According to King Arthur Flour, that amounts to:

4 sticks of butter

2 cups of sugar

9 large eggs

4 cups of flour

SB ("incredibly rich" is an understatement)

[Ling]

If you are only buying one bundt pan, perhaps one with a removable bottom would be the most useful. That way, you're guaranteed a clean release every time.

I've never seen a bundt pan with a removeable bottom. Do you mean a tube pan or angelfood cake pan?

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You're right, my mistake. I was thinking of my angelfood cake pan.

[K8memphis]

I also love this one: Violet bundt...

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Ling, I had never seen that one before--it's beautiful. Violets are my favorites, thanks.