Quite a few months ago I had a post on my facebook page about running out of Bakers Spray. Lots of smart and seasoned bakers chimed in, and almost half of them suggested this weird thing called GOOP.
I was Weary. Anxious. Apprehensive. And that was just because I was watching the Real Housewives of New Jersey. Man last season was stressful! Any Theresa fans?
But on to GOOP.
I tried it. I loved it. Its cheap. Its easy. It works.
The recipe is beyond simple: take equal parts flour, a vegetable oil, and shortening. Blend them together.
Thats it!
To use your ‘goop’, simply grab a pastry brush and spread a generous amount around your cake pan. I re-loaded my brush about 3-4 times for one 8 in cake pan. One thing that I am conscious of is the sides, I do not go all the way up the sides. Try to only put the goop up as high as the batter would be. (about an inch)
If I use it all the way up the sides it tends to coat the cake around the edges as it bakes. Not a problem per say, just a preference on my part. 🙂
Tips for success:
I have used this with success on all types of cake batter, thick and thin. However, some people suggest using more ‘goop’ with chocolate cakes and runny batter.
I whisk my ingredients by hand, but you can certainly use a mixer. If you use a mixer the ingredients will still be creamy, but will be slightly fluffier right away.
For the most part I do not allow the cakes to cool to room temperature in the pan, I try to remove them from oven and then invert them to a cooling rack. In my experience, when the cakes were allowed to completely cool to room temperature in the pan they did not release as well.
Be generous with the goop.
Store it in an airtight container in the refrigerator. When I left mine on the counter for an extended period of time it seemed to separate faster. If you find the mixture separated at all, simply re-mix.
You can easily halve or even quarter this recipe. I used the above recipe in about 5 months. (I bake a lot.)
This is one of my most requested “recipes” because it truly works. Once you try it you will be hooked!
I’ve used this for years. I just store it in the fridge and brush it on my baking pan. It’s so much better than the spray stuff, which I find doesn’t work as well.
We do not have crisco in Germany what do I use instead?
A semi-hard shortening of some sort. What is sold in Germany that meets that criteria?
Lard
Do you have rendered lard?
Would it work for Baked cheesecakes?
OMG!! Used this over the weekend. I’m in love!!!
Hi i’ve tried ur Ding Dong Cake, its taste super good. Thank you very much for the rcp
It has been successful for everything but my Nordic Ware bundt. Any suggestions?
Hi June. I ran a small town bakery for a few years, and I think there could be a few problems there. Nordic Ware pans are wonderful, but they’re also treated in a way that is supposed to make them cook more evenly and release more easily. Whats more, bundt pans are notorious for their nooks and crannies, but also for their sloping sides. This incarnation of a pan grease recipe “goop” is quite watery/oily,, so as the pan heats up, the mixture can run leaving areas exposed, especially for a bundt pan which has more of a heating area and coverage area because of the middle.
You might try a number of things- if you are set on using “goop”, you might try further flouring the pan in an attempt to keep the grease stuck to that area of the pan. Another tasty alternative to flour can be something like graham cracker crumb, and you you can even create your own flavored crumb mixtures! You definitely want to make sure all those nooks and crannies are a thickly coated.
If you don’t mind trying another pan grease recipe and have a kitchen scale for accuracy, you might try this:
1lb Shortening
1lb Flour
1/2 cup vegetable oil
(You can half the ingredients if you want, it makes quite a lot, but it doesn’t have to be refrigerated)
You mix the shortening and flour well, scrape your bowl, and then cream the dickens out of them until it’s a light, fluffy mixture. Scrape, add your oil, and cream again.
The weight ratio and lower oil content but higher air content because of the creaming helps the mixture stick to the pans even at high heats, and it’s great for just about anything, from cakes, to crumb coats for cheesecakes. Works well with or without parchment, and in bundts. I’ve not used it in Nordic Ware because I have a USA Aluminum set of pans that are treated and textured to aid in release, but I’ve used it in a number of different kinds of pans. If all else fails, one thing you can try is to chill the cake in the freezer for an hour (after it’s already cooled in the pan, and you’ve covered the top so as to keep it from drying out) and then stick it in the oven at 350 for a minute before flipping it over and tapping on the backside. It’s possible to melt the grease without heating up the pan or cake significantly, causing the cake to easily release. You just have to be careful with that method, because some pans don’t take kindly to being heated from a cold state, even if it’s for a very short period of time like 45 seconds to a minute and a half. Nordic Ware should be okay, their pans are top notch, but if you choose to try that, you definitely have to keep an eye on it. Hope that helps!
Any suggestions for gluten free baking??