How to fix a stuck Bundt cake

With all of the gorgeous Bundt pan designs available now, it’s never been easier to create a stunning cake without a ton of work. Usually if you grease and flour your pan according to the instructions, the cake will slide right out and all you have left to do is slice and serve. Sometimes, however, despite your best efforts the cake stubbornly remains in the pan. If this happens to you, don’t panic – instead, following the advice offered by King Arthur Flour on how to “unstick” a stuck Bundt cake. 

First, make sure you let the cake rest for several minutes before attempting to unmold it. The cake needs time to shrink back slightly, making for an easier release. If it’s been more than 10 minutes and the cake still won’t let go, there are a few options you can try, depending on the type of cake you are making. You can attempt to give the cake a “steam bath”, which might loosen it enough to pop out. 

Sticking it back into a low oven for a few minutes might also do the trick, but a few cakes call for the opposite treatment. If you have used a liquid oil to grease the pan, placing the cake into the freezer for a few minutes can cause it to shrink enough to release. If you used a solid fat such as shortening or butter, the freezer will likely make the problem worse, so don’t do it in those cases. 

If all else fails, no one will blame you for doing what you have to do. Take the broken pieces and use them to make a trifle, or mash up the crumbs to make bourbon balls. You can also freeze the crumbs for later use. If you need a quick dessert, pull out the frozen crumbs, mix with a little butter and place them on top of frozen fruit (berries or peaches work well) in a shallow ceramic dish. Pop it into the oven until the crumbs are golden brown and the fruit is bubbling. Serve with lightly sweetened whipped cream or sour cream.