Cake sticking to the tin

What is causing it

• Greased but not lined. Grease alone is not enough for anything sugary, fruity or long-baked. Sugar caramelises against the metal and welds.
• Turned out too soon. A hot cake has not set its structure and tears. Most cakes need ten to fifteen minutes in the tin first.
• Left too long. A cake left to cool completely in the tin steams, and the sugars at the edge set hard against the metal.
• A loose-based or fluted tin. Bundt, ring and fluted tins have far more surface area and every crevice is somewhere to stick.
• A high-sugar or high-fruit recipe. Fruit, jam and syrup all stick where a plain sponge would not.
• Old, scratched non-stick. The coating wears out and stops working, usually without anybody noticing when.

Lining a tin so it never sticks

1. Grease the tin first — butter, oil or cake release. This is what holds the paper in place, not what stops the sticking.
2. Line the base with a disc of baking parchment cut to size. Draw round the tin and cut just inside the line.
3. Line the sides with a strip of parchment standing slightly proud of the rim. For a springform, a single collar is enough.
4. Grease the paper as well for a rich or fruity cake.
5. For a fluted or Bundt tin, where paper will not go, grease thoroughly with softened butter using a pastry brush and then dust with flour, tipping out the excess. Cocoa instead of flour for a chocolate cake.
6. For anything very sticky, grease, line and grease again.

Rescuing one that is stuck

• Run a palette knife or a thin blade around the edge, keeping it pressed against the tin rather than the cake.
• Warm the tin. Sit it briefly on a warm hob or over a bowl of hot water for thirty seconds. Melting the sugar at the interface usually releases it.
• Or chill it. For a very fragile cake, an hour in the fridge firms it enough to come out in one piece.
• Steam the base. A damp hot tea towel wrapped round the base for a minute works on stubborn tins.
• If it breaks, do not fight it. Turn it into a trifle, a cake-crumb truffle mixture, or an iced tray bake where appearance does not matter.
• Never lever it with a fork. You will destroy more than you free.

Timing, by cake

Sponge

Ten minutes in the tin, then turn out onto a rack.

Rich fruit cake

Cool completely in the tin. It is too fragile hot and it is protected by its own density.

Cheesecake

Cool slowly, then chill thoroughly before releasing. Run a knife round while still warm to stop it cracking as it shrinks.

Bundt

Ten to fifteen minutes exactly. Earlier it tears; later the sugar sets hard.

Brownies and tray bakes

Cool completely, and lift out on the paper rather than turning out.

Common questions