April 3, 2011 - 5:14pm
Need Sound Advice on Making Chocolate Bundt Cakes- Just Lost One this Week with Sticking
HI Everyone,
I just lost an amazing Chocolate Gingerbread Bundt cake this week. I couldn't get it out of the new pan ....which was sprayed liberally with Pam, I had double greased the interior stem with butter (just to be sure,). The chocolate chips floated to the top of the pan and everything stuck at the top level !
I have read from others that chocolate in Bundt pans poses regular problems. Does anyone have an 'always works with chocolate' solution. People love this cake and I want to sell it looking good at market. What about silicon pans...does anyone find these a better solution?
Appreciate everyone's thoughts. People love to spend money on chocolate...don't want to give this crowd pleaser up.
Best,
Stephanie
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Stephanie,
I love ginger - and chocolate too - but especially ginger. Is there anyway you would share the recipe ? I will also listen to see how you get the sticking problem solved - I am sure someone on this forum will step up with a good solution.
Ben
Hello Stephanie,
I've used Baker's Joy for bundt pans a few times with good results (I wasn't baking chocolate cake batter, though).
Spraying some Baker's Joy in the pan, brushing with a pastry brush so the pan is evenly coated with Baker's Joy, then dusting with extra flour for 'insurance' - seemed to do the trick and the cakes released for me with no problems.
from breadsong
because of all the chocolate. I'm wondering how thick is your batter? Maybe the butter and/or eggs needs longer whipping to get a thicker consistency. Try Kim's good trick with cornstarch first and if it doesn't work, re-evaluate the dough mixing process.
You could try it on a brownie recipe, my son throws in tons of chips into the dough and they all go to the bottom but he doesn't care, he likes it that way, but the batter is rather thin in my opinion. It levels itself.
If coating the pan with flour leaves flour marks on the bundt (and you're presenting it "naked" then make crumbs from a chocolate cake. Cube the cake and dry it and then pulse to crumbs in a kitchen machine or blender. Use the dark crumbs instead of flour or nuts to dust the pan. It is also possible to grate the chocolate and mix it into the dough. This would not be so heavy as chips.
With oil and dusting with flour the bundt pan. You also need to let the cake cool before take it out of the pan, to have the cake firm up and not fragile, around 15 mins.
Sue
http://youcandoitathome.blogspot.com
I mix my own but you can buy pan release that has lecithin in it. Pam, I believe , is just oil but there is a spray (is it Baker's Joy?) that has lecithin. If Pam has lecithin, it may not be enough.
My mix is simple:
2 tbsp vegetable oil
1 tbsp liquid lecithin
Mix well and brush liberally on pan.
I often dust with cocoa powder for chocolate or flour for lighter cakes. Cool a few minutes and see if that doesn't do it for you.
It's crazy simple and is what pro cake decorators swear by.
Recipe is here http://yumarama.com/blog/952/home-made-cake-release-recipe/ but it's basically just equal parts (by volume) each of flour, veg oil and shortening. Mix it up and brush it on. Lasts on the cupboard shelf for 6 months.
Cake pros swear by this stuff.
Start with mixing a couple tablespoons of each then if it works for you make up a small jar's worth you think will do you for a few months. Pennies per use, if that, a lot less than the canned spray oils.
This in conjunction with the previous cornstarch dusting tip should do you.
I'm with rainbowz,
In a zip lock bag, place equal amounts of flour and crisco; seal and start 'kneading' to form a 'gooey' paste. Smear and bake....I've been using this paste for years, Good Luck!
Not a silicone fan yet, sorry.
Often, the main problem with chocolate chips (or any addition) sinking and sticking to the pan bottom is a batter that's too thin. If we toss the ingredient in flour it may help, not always because it's been coated with flour but because extra flour makes a thicker batter.
When I have a thick batter the additions always stay suspended and don't fall to the pan bottom. If I have a recpe with a thinner batter and don't want to add more flour because I like the final product, I will chop/cut any addition into smaller pieces so they're not as heavy and might stay suspended in the batter.
Mimi
Hey Mimi,
I did this with an Ina Garten recipe (sifted in flour,) and this worked...good to know it's about weight and thickness.
Just wanted to let you know that I posted your Amazon review this morning and suggested that people purchase your other book as well.
Regarding New Orleans I got my cooking start there over 25 years ago and got discovered by the New Orleans gourmet (an unexpected and wonderful thing) I haven't lived there for years. I am now in chapel Hill, nc..
appreciate all your good thoughts and input.
Best,
Steff
Hey Mimi,
One mo time
would melting the chocolate disappear the sticking problem (provided I proceeded the equal parts flour, shortening, and oil)?
Take your time, most of the time I am not in a serious rush...I am leaving for market and know you have many deserving folks in need of your good ideas..
Steff
I'm not sure what you mean about melting the chocolate... It's hard for me to know without a better understanding of the recipe. But using a spray or pan grease is always recommended.
Mimi
Hi Mimi,
The recipe calls for chopped semisweet choc, 5 oz., i put in chocolate chips...because I thought it would be easier. The question is ...what if I melted the chocolate entirely.Would this alleviate the sticking problem if the pan were well greased with your greasing recipe?
Did you recieve my Amazon recommendation?
Thanks,
Steff
Stephanie,
Adding melted chocolate instead of small pieces changes the recipe enough that you will need to do testing. If you're interested in the idea of a chocolate-based batter, you should also consider substituting cocoa for part of the flour. Look back through the sections on both Ingredients, and on Recipe & Product Development.
If you don't want to change the basic recipe, try chopping the chocolate into smaller pieces (or use mini-chocolate chips). And thank you for the review. It's always helpful for potential readers to see what others think. Much appreciated.
Mimi
Buy "Cake Release" from Wilton's cake decorating line. You can find it many places--craft stores that sell cake decorating supplies, Sur La Table, other cooking specialty shops. It's in a plastic squeeze bottle (I like that it's not aerosolized) and it doesn't ruin your pans the way Pam does (I haven't used Baker's Joy in a long while, but I think that gunks up the pans, too).
A little goes a long way. Brush it on with a silicone pastry brush (I love them--you can put them in the dishwasher and they are never greasy or lose bristles!) and be sure to get into the nooks and crannies. I use Cake Release for my breads in loaf pans as well. It never fails.
Our local cake decorating store sells it's own homemade version in a tub. It's kind of unappetizing to look at, but does the job, and it's a bit cheaper than Wilton's Cake Release. But I like the convenience of the plastic squeeze bottle and plan to refill it with the local stuff. I inquired about buying liquid lecithin to make my own, but it's pretty expensive and you have to buy a big bottle of it at Whole Foods.
Ever since I began using pan release (I prefer Pam) for everything, my problem was solved. Last year I wrote a post about products sticking to pans. Grease Your Pans. Thank Me Later.
Mimi