Cake Goop is a magic homemade cake release recipe that will save you money and peace of mind. Use it for baking cakes and all of your other baked goods! With only 3 common pantry ingredients you can make this and have it on hand all the time!
Originally posted October 2015, updated August 2024
Jump to:
Cake Goop
Well, they say "necessity is the mother of invention," and I have to say... I'd agree. Except I didn't actually invent this cake goop recipe. I just remembered reading about it and started making it myself. Let me explain.
A few weeks ago, I was in the midst of a baking marathon when {gasp}... I ran out of Baker's Joy. I was truly frantic - wondering how I would finish my huge baking list. It was late, and the nearest open store was 35+ miles away.
I mean - it's not like I live near a store or anything... I live in the sticks! And while I use parchment paper for all of my big pans, I still spray the edges with cake release, and I use Baker's Joy for all of my small pans!
I realize that for some applications you can use nonstick cooking spray or rub down a pan with butter or shortening and then a light dusting of flour. But when I grease and flour a pan, it's so messy and not always guaranteed to prevent cakes from sticking.
Homemade Goop
Somewhere in the back of my brain, I remembered reading about a homemade version of Baker's Joy - a post sharing how to make your own pan release. So I did a quick search and voila... over on Cake Central, there were several posts about making a homemade cake pan release, also called "cake goop."
I read through a few goop recipes and concluded that this would be simple. Most recommended equal parts of flour, shortening, and oil and lots of mixing. So that's what I did!
Cake Release Recipe
And guess what? It worked!! Those cake release recipes saved the day for me! And unless I'm miscalculating... they saved me a lot of money too! Cake goop is way cheaper than Baker's Joy or any other store-bought sprays.
I didn't post about this goop recipe immediately because I really wanted to see if it would work in all of my baking situations. Since today (about three weeks later), I wiped the bottom of my glass jar clean—I can honestly say... I'm sold!!!
I didn't have a single cake stick at all when using cake release goop. Not a single time. If you're looking for a recipe for how to get cake out of pan, this is it!
What is Cake Goop?
I've already covered this, but I'll say it again. Cake goop, also known as “pan release” or “homemade cake release,” is a mixture of three common pantry ingredients used to grease cake pans, ensuring that cakes come out easily without sticking.
In almost all cases, it's a simple ratio of equal parts flour, oil, and shortening.
It’s often preferred over store-bought sprays or greasing with butter and flour because it provides more even coverage and prevents the floury residue left behind by traditional methods.
Another reason I love it is that when you use cake goop pan release instead of butter and flour, you can easily paint it into every nook and cranny of the pan - especially those detailed pans used to make bundt cakes.
Tools Needed
- Electric Hand Mixer
- Mason jar (or any airtight container)
- Silicone pastry brush
Ingredients
Exact quantities aren't necessary because how much you make depends on how much you need. You could grab a large bowl and make a huge stash of this amazing stuff or grab a small bowl and make a small jar of it. All you need are three simple ingredients.
- 1 part all-purpose flour
- 1 part vegetable oil
- 1 part vegetable shortening
Find the complete recipe with ingredients measurements in the recipe card below.
How to Make Cake Goop
The step-by-step process is short and sweet for this recipe - it really is the easiest solution to ensure your cake layers don't stick to the pan!
- Combine the flour, oil, and shortening in a bowl.
- Whisk or mix until smooth and fully combined. Scrape down the bowl as needed. An electric mixer is best for this recipe, in my opinion.
- Store in an airtight container at room temperature.
How to Use Cake Release
Use a silicone brush to apply a thin, even layer of cake goop to your pans just before pouring in the cake batter. Completely coat the sides of the pan, the bottom of the pan, and most importantly, the corners of the pan. This helps your cakes release smoothly and with sharp edges.
When you get ready to flip the cakes onto a cooling rack, you'll get a perfect cake release.
You can use homemade pan release anywhere you'd generally use non-stick sprays. It can be used for any baking pan, cake pan, bundt pan, cookie sheet, casserole dish, etc.
Note: I still like to use a parchment circle in cake pans larger than 9 inches along with cake goop on the sides of the pan.
Variations
There are variations of this homemade cake goop that you can make for chocolate cakes or cakes that are gluten - and/or soy-free.
Gluten-Free Cake Release
To make cake goop gluten-free, you can use your favorite gluten-free flour (my go-to is Red Mill) or rice flour instead of plain flour.
Soy-Free Cake Release
To make a soy-free cake release, you can use beef tallow or lard instead of shortening and olive oil or avocado oil instead of vegetable oil. Some oils are thinner than others, so you may need a little extra flour to get your goop to the right consistency.
Gluten-Free & Soy-Free Cake Release
If you're baking a cake like my Gluten-Free, Egg-Free, Soy-Free and Dairy-Free Chocolate Cake and want to avoid both gluten and soy, you can combine the soy-free and gluten-free version to your own cake release that fits more dietary needs.
Chocolate Cake Goop
If you bake a lot of chocolate cakes, you can substitute unsweetened cocoa powder for the flour to create a chocolate cake release. This version is also gluten-free.
Storage Directions
Cake goop can be stored for several months at room temperature and is easy to make in bulk. You can keep it in any sealed container but I really prefer a wide-mouth jar so I can easily get a silicone pastry brush into it.
Related Posts
Recipe
Homemade Pan Release (ie., Baker’s Joy)
- Total Time: 2 hours 0 minutes
Description
Cake Goop is a magic homemade cake release recipe that will save you money and peace of mind. Use it for baking cakes and all of your other baked goods!
Ingredients
- 1 cup all-purpose flour
- 1 cup solid vegetable shortening
- 1 cup vegetable oil
Instructions
- In a small bowl, mix all ingredients thoroughly - until white and creamy.
- Use a pastry brush or silicone brush to "paint" the entire inside surface of your pans.
- After baking, you can allow the cakes to cool for 5-10 minutes in the pan, the flip out onto a cooling rack.
- Store in a sealed air-tight container; refrigeration NOT required!
- Prep Time: 30 sec
- Cook Time: o
Megan
Wow thanks for sharing that, what a great tip and I will definitely be trying that out myself now! I've been using the Wilton product version of that stuff (I think it's called Cake Release), while not terribly expensive, does add up. It would be great to just make a version up myself.
I have another unrelated question for you - cake pricing. Do you think we could email some about that? I think you know my email address already...I am starting to have a few "gigs" where I am actually getting paid and I have no clue how to even begin giving out prices. It's especially hard because these are my friends, too, and I feel so bad making them pay at all. But I also don't want to go broke making cakes for other people, either.
Rose
I'll send you an email Megan!
Julie Freeman
Would you send the pricing info to my email also? Do you also have ideas how to charge for cookies/cupcakes too? Thanks!
Rose
I sent the tips to your email! Thanks! I charge $20/dozen for most cupcakes (without custom toppers) and usually $24/dozen minimum on decorated cookies.
Cathy
Been making this for over 20 years now. If you have a good drill that you can make some holes with. Take a peanut butter jar that is empty and cleaned out, then drill a hole in the lid that will allow your brush handle to fit through. Then you leave the brush in the jar.
Emily @ She Makes and Bakes
This is brilliant. I hate paying money for Baker's Joy. Definitely will be trying this...do you have any info on how long it lasts? I make a lot of cakes, but no where near as many as you do!
Rose
Emily - thanks!! I'm not sure about how long it would last, but since all of the ingredients have a long shelf-life (months, at least), I'd imagine it would last a long, long time! Mine did start to separate a little bit when I didn't use it last week, but I just stirred it up and it was great in all of my baking yesterday with no sticking! If you're worried about it though, maybe make a half batch or even a third. Just use equal parts of the ingredients and you could cut it down pretty small!
Sacha
Brilliant! Found you via Pinterest and can't wait to try this out - my husband needs to avoid gluten, so making my own is a great option, I'll just use some of my GF flour blend!
Rose
Oh - that's awesome! I hadn't thought of this benefiting those with diet limitations!
Amber
Thanks for sharing this. I will be trying this out soon when I make my sisters birthday cake in a few weeks. Baker's Joy is wonderful but seems to run out very quickly or those times you are in the middle of baking, lol!! And I wanted to ask where do you get your floral paper at? I've looked around at hobby lobby and they didn't seem to know what I was talking about. Thanks!
Rose
I get mine on either Sweetwise.com or CountryKitchenSA.com.
Judy @ Contented at Home
This is the first time I've heard of this idea--but I'm guessing that it would be less expensive than non-stick spray, which would definitely be a good thing!
Megan@Whimsically Homemade
Hey there! Just wanted to let you know we featured you in our Favorite Find Fridays post over at Whimsically Homemade. We used one of your pictures. If that's a problem let us know and we'll remove it immediately. Thanks for your great inspiration!
Rose
I have no idea how I missed this comment back in May, but thank you for the feature!! xx
katie scott
works great...thank you.
Voila,,,not wha-la
Rose
You're welcome! Maybe "voila" for you, but with my kiddos, it's "wha-la" and since I hang out with them 24-7, I might have started talking like them! 😀
ziba
HI Rose,
I've got a question, what is the difference between this method and the old method that we use (greasing the pan with butter and sprinkling flour over it?
thanks,
Ziba
Rose
I'm not sure - maybe less mess? Because the flour is mixed in already, you don't have to dust the pan and shake out the extra, etc.?
Ziba
thanks,
Ziba
Beth E
How does this work for chocolate cakes?
Rose
What do you mean? I use it for all cake flavors.
Beth E
Some chocolate cake mixes recommend using a bit of the cake mix rather than floor for preparing the pan to prevent white spots on the finished cake after it is baked.
Rose
Aahhh, I've never noticed that before. Well, I do use this for all flavors and it works beautifully! 🙂 Thanks for stopping by!
Alma Cerezo
Hi Ms. Rosie.... you mean when you use this, there is no need to put parchment paper on pans anymore? Many thanks!
Rose
Exactly!
Alma Cerezo
Wow... thanks for this tip. Been reading your blogs everyday and am continually amazed with the awesome cakes you make. Thanks again :))
cynthia illingworth
Oh Rose, you are a gem, must be a very special talent you have. Keep all of these good things coming and thanks!
Rose
Thank you Cynthia!! xx
Amanda Scoggin
I cannot thank you enough for sharing this! It has been a huge help! Thank you so so much!
Donna
hi. This sounds wonderful. How well does it work for those pesky bundt pans that are so hard to get in all the nooks and crannies?
Rose Atwater
Yes!! I've had good results with my bundt pans.
Carlota
thanks thanks thanks! This is awesome! it worked perfectly for my regular round pans but when i used it for my nordic wre heritage bundt pan it was a complete mess!!! it got really stuck. Have you used it for bundt pans with lots of creases? any guesses of what might have gone wrong? Also if read some diy cake releases in which the amount of oil is just a tbsp, have you tried it? thanks again!
Rose Atwater
Hmmm - I don't know. I've used it with my bundt pan with no trouble. I haven't tried any other recipes.
Twila
I was baking tonight and was outta Joy so I whipped up your suggestion and it is fantastic!!!!! Thanks so much for sharing...
Rose Atwater
Awesome!! So glad to have helped! 🙂
Lisa
Okay, I've got to try this. I have the worst luck with bundt and tube pans.
Lynn
Rose!!! You are my hero!!! I"ve pinned this to make the next time I bake...I'm all about finding homemade ways to substitute for the store bought items and this is a great one. Love getting away from the aerosol as well. Genius!
Rose Atwater
Thanks a bunch!! xx
Yolonda
Hi Rose. Just discovered your site. I have tried this homemade version 3 times over Thanksgiving and noticed my cakes were sticking in the middle of the pan. I added additional mixture on the 2nd and 3rd try but still the same issue. Any tips?????
Rose Atwater
Oh gosh - I'm sorry! I've never had that problem with it!? I wish I could help!
Chelle
If you are pouring all of the cake batter into the center of the pan and letting it spread out, it may be spreading the cake release too thin and that may be why it is sticking. You can try pouring the cake batter around the pan while filling it and see if that helps. Good luck!
Shaina
It could be the pan you have and the material it's made out of. Just a thought. I heard that dull finished pans are better than shiny for keeping things from sticking, but I haven't had a chance to test that. If you do test it, let us know how it works.
Twila
Thank you so much for this info I love it and will never buy Bakers Joy again. Rose You Rock!
Rose Atwater
Yay!! You're very welcome!
lynda godfrey
Hi Rose could you tell what is the biggest size cake tin you have used this on please?
Rose Atwater
Gosh - I don't know - at least 12". Possibly bigger.
lynda godfrey
Thank you, I will give it a try, I hate lining cake tins.
Rose Atwater
I hope it works great for ya!
Laura | Food Fun Family
This would be SO helpful! Totally trying this next time I bake a cake! Thanks for sharing at Delicious Dishes recipe party!
Stacey
I mixed mine in the blender on the lowest setting. Saved a lot of stirring! Consistency was perfect.
Rose
Great idea!
Sarah Powell
Awesome! Thank you
Rose
Thank you for being here 🙂
Ardell
Thank you this is awesome. Do you know the shelf life of this? I made this today and it worked great never buying Baker's Joy again.
Rose
Several months (at least!)... thank you for stopping by and I'm so glad you like it!
Lila Libby
Can you tell me how to Price cakes. I have never charged for mine. I get to many orders. So I need to charge. Please help.
Rose
I have a blog post up here: how to charge for cakes.
Mary Ann Davis
I took cake decorating classes in early 90's and instructor gave us this recipe which she called "goop". I have used it for countless cakes and it always works like a charm and lasts a very long time in airtight covered jar. To avoid white spots on baked cake, used hoop somewhat sparingly.
Tracy
I made this and its brilliant even better (i think) than shop bought and so cheap and easy to make. Thanks x
Rose
Awesome - thank you!
Katrina
Used this for a Wilton Mickey Mouse cake pan and it worked brilliantly! The cake came out perfect. Thank you!
Rose
You're welcome 🙂
sofia
awesome!!
eukaable
this stuff is AMAZING for high detail bundt pans!!! I thought greasing was good enough.. but after using this, i will never go back!! thought i might use cocoa in place of some of the flour for chocolate cake but it looks great!
Rose
So happy to hear it!
kirsi salminen
Hello!
I live in Finland and I don´t know what is shortening. We don´t have "shortening`. Is it margarine? Could You , please, tell me what are ingrediens that I can use. What kind of vegetable oil?
Thank You so much!
Kirsi
Susan
Hi Kirsi - thanks for stopping by the blog. Perhaps this recent post where she explains shortening will help you: https://rosebakes.com/shortening-substitutes-butter/
The question about the vegetable oil...that's what's it's called here - vegetable oil. I've also used canola oil.
Stella
I used this for an intricate bundt cake pan today and it released perfectly! I left the cake to cool in the pan for about 10 minutes and then took it out of the pan to cool. Thank you!!
Rose
That's awesome - thank you Stella!
NicoleScheiner
Do you do equal parts by weight, or just a measuring cup?
Rose
Measuring cup.
Donnita
Another method... and its ancient because I've been using it for at least 50 years.. is to wad up a piece of wax paper and put some Crisco on it. No wax paper.. no problem.. just use your hand. Rub it all over your pan in all the seams, bottom, and sides. When you have completed that put about a tablespoon of flour in the pan and tap, tap, tap.. rotating the pan to get the flour all over the sides and bottom. When done turn the pan upside down over the trash can and tap out the excess. I still use this method to this day.
Miles Thompson
Works like a charm - fastest may to make it is in t he food processor.
Ellen Matthewson
I have a family member who is Epi-pen allergic to soy. Is it possible to use butter in this recipe?
Rose
I've never tried it, so I'm just now sure how it would work.
Lynnora
I've been using a variation of this for over 40 years! It's the same except I never added the oil. Mine just called for flour and crisco. Bundt cake are a breeze! Character pans, easy as can be. It's so easy getting the whole pan "brushed" You can see if you've missed a spot so quickly.
El
Thank you for the suggestion!
Someone asked a similar question to mine, but not quite...
I understand you wrote that you use a “measuring cup,” but do you use a plastic measuring cup for the shortening and a glass Pyrex for the liquid? Or, do you use the same plastic measuring cup for all three ingredients?
Rose
It really doesn't matter - whatever you're more comfortable with.
Pandora1230
I really need to start using this on my intricate Nordicware pans. My question is geared towards the brush you use. How do you wash them so that they get perfectly clean? I've had problems before with brushes not feeling totally clean. Perhaps it was the quality of my brush. I'm not always fond of silicone brushes.
Amber
This has been great for my baking! Usually I just use butter but things still stick. Everything I've used this on has come right out of the pan.
Denise
I have been doing this for 20 years and it never fails!
Esme Slabbert
I use the same but only GF flour and its awesome
Found your post on My Random Musings: Anything Goes. My entries this week are numbered #39+40
Hope you will join/share M-Sat at https://esmesalon.com/tag/seniorsalonpitstop/
Rose Atwater
Awesome!