I bake a lot of cakes. It’s kind of my thing. I even have a T-shirt that says, “Real Girls Eat Cake.” Because I want people to know that the reason I eat so much cake is that I’m real, and not because I have a problem. Although I may not be fooling anyone but myself with that shirt.
Anyway, because of all the cake-baking happening in my kitchen, I usually also have a can of Baker’s Joy or a bottle of Wilton’s Cake Release in my pantry because they make such an easy one-step job of greasing and flouring my cake pans, which nearly every cake requires. With a push of a spray nozzle or a swirl of a pastry brush, my pans are covered in seconds and there is never a pile of flour laying around my trashcan.
However, I can be kind of a tightwad, so when my friend, Suzie, sent me the link for a miraculous recipe to make my own “Cake Release”-type product, I was overjoyed. And let me tell you, it works SO much better than Baker’s Joy. And just as good as Wilton’s product at a fraction of the price. I’ve never had a cake slide out so easily, except when using Wilton’s Cake Release! It is very shelf-stable and easy to make, so I encourage you to whip up a batch to keep on hand for your own baking projects.
Miracle Pan Release
Printable recipe
Printable recipe with picture
1/2 cup vegetable shortening
1/2 cup vegetable oil
1/2 cup all-purpose flour
Whisk thoroughly until everything is incorporated and smooth. Store in airtight container at room temperature. To use, dip a pastry brush or impeccably clean fingers into the mixture and spread a thin layer over the bottom and sides of pan(s) for any recipe that calls for “greasing and flouring” your pans.
*Note: you can make any size batch you’d like, just make sure all amounts of each ingredient are equal to each other.
Recipe source: Apron of Grace
Veronica's Cornucopia 
What an amazing gift! I’m dying to get a Kitchen Aid stand mixer and a Crockery Pot/slow cooker.
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I have never used either of those products but I am definatley going to give this a try! mmm now I feel like I need to bake some cake!!!
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Glad I sent you the link, I knew YOU of all people would use it…lol! :) I’d love a Kitchen Aid stand mixer also or a panini press :)
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Fabulous idea….I use somuch Baker’s Joy…will be nice to have a cheaper way to do it.
I’ve pinned your link on my Pinterest. Here’s the link.
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Going to whip up a batch of this and give it a shot. It should work on quick breads also :) I really really need a standmixer. Mine looks like something from maybe the eraly 80’s, maybe earlier? LOL!
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Yay! I’m glad the Fairy Hobmother visited you. =) And though she already visited me, if by chance she decides to visit me again (fat chance, heh heh), I’m looking for a small food processor to replace the giant one from before the dawn of time that came to me, spiders included, from my aunt’s basement.
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Mmm, I’m definitely an eat cake, not bake cake person.
Congrats on the fairy visit! Strangely enough, I could use a new oven vent/fan to go with the new oven for my kitchen remodeling.
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OMG, what a great way to save money on that cake release – woot! I am frugal too. :D
Congrats on the $50 card too!
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I would love any number of kitchen appliances and accessories such as, a chocolate melting pot(like the one you use for your cake balls), a large cake leveler(I have the small one but it doesn’t work as well with big cakes), canolli horns, an air brush gun for beautiful color on my cakes, and a Cricut cake machine. I’m not picky, big or small! I would love them all!
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I’m on the market for a new stand mixer. Mine isn’t more than a year or so old, but someone ran my flat beater through the dishwasher, and now it forms some creepy black residue that I cant get rid of. Kitchenaid apparently doesn’t make replacement attachments for the model I have, and the whisk just doesn’t cut it!
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I would love to have my 12 year old food processor replaced–a batch of hummus wiped it out and I can’t afford to replace it.
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First of all, I want that T-shirt!!! LOVE!
I’ve never tried the cake release stuff but I do love Bakers Joy. Will have to try this!
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A hand-held mixer would make a great housewarming present!! I’m hoping my first holiday season in my own house will mean lots of baking and cookie swaps!
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This sounds easy enough! I will definitely keep this on hand for baking my cakes :) Thanks!
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I just made a batch of this, and testing out on my upside down apple cake.. will let you know. I have looked at name brands of it and just refuse to buy it.
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I love it… my apple upside down cake literally just slid out of the pan, and used it on the cupcakes today. :) You just made my life a whole lot easier Veronica! Thank you!
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Sweet! Glad it worked for you. :)
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Veronica,
I’m SO excited to try this!! I have a can of that Wilton Cake Release and don’t want to keep buying it. Perfect timing, I’m almost out, too!
That’s so cool that the Fairy Hobmother came to visit! That’s like an adult tooth fairy!! Seeing as how I bake EVERY day, I am in need of a food processor, one that’s bigger and isn’t broken. I have a blender/processor, but in hindsight wasn’t big enough for what I needed. Haha, maybe that’s why it broke.
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Thank you for reposting about the Pan Release. It should be in every bakers pantry!
I am in terrible need of a Kitchen-Aid Pro 600 series mixer. I am using the dollar store hand mixers and burning up one every couple of months. With a family of eight and a food/recipe blog, it sure would be a blessing:D
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Dear Fairy Hobmother, I would love an Excalibur Food Dehydrator. And thanks for the info, Veronica. I need to make your pan release mixture.
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Oh, if the Fairy Hobmother were to visit me, I would ask for a pressure cooker. Even though they scare me a little bit.
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I seriously could use a kitchen Aid stand mixer. Being phyically handicapped, only having the use of one hand and arm, it’s difficult using a hand mixer.
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1. I’m so excited to try your home-make cake release! I go through Baker’s Joy like nobody’s business and HATE the idea of eating propellants, no matter how few ppm there are.
2. My kitchen aid food processor motor works AMAZINGly, but I was recently making bread crumbs from sourdough ends and the bowl lock broke off of the base. Nearly every part is available for replacement from the bowl to other attachements, but parts for the base are no longer manufactured/stocked. I’m trying desparately to start up a new baking business and am finding myself crippled without my food processor and don’t have the funds to replace it. Dear Fairy Hobmother, Can you please help me?
Thanks a bunch on all counts!
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I’m dying to get a Kitchen Aid Stand mixer, please Fairy Hobmother grant me my wish.
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Dear Fairy Hobmother, My electric mixer has ‘just died’ and although she will be hard to replace (as it was a wedding gift from a good friend) It’s that time of year when I’m in Full gear….making & baking & delivering homeade goodies to friends and family for the holidays.
Happy Holidays to you and your families!
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I can’t wait to get baking – I ran out of the Baker’s Joy and have been ‘roughing’ it with solid shortening (crisco) and flour… what a mess!
Fairy Hobmother… What a great concept! I am in need of a food processor in the kitchen – ours that was handed down from my MIL just finally died and we are expecting our 4th child in April and I always make homemade baby food, it’s going to be very difficult without one this time…. May she bless someone who needs it and who will more than ever appreciate it!
I love that idea and someday I will be able to pay these sorts of things forward myself <3
~Luci
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I just used this tonight and my chocolate by st cake nearly fell out of the pan. Amazing!!!!
Fairy Hobmother…oh my. I have always always wanted an ice cream maker but could never justify the expense. That is definitely my kitchen wish…. Aah….
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of course, I would like…(need nothing) but would like a new pastry blender. I cannot believe they cost $20.00, IF I’d known this I wouldn’t have thrown my old one away. Now I’m making pies using a fork to get the butter or Crisco into the flour, I’ve been married 50 years in June so am a creature of habit – don’t have a food processor, still use my upright mixer, blender, can opener, etc etc and we get by just fine – thought I needed a juicer and a friend gave us one, but seems cheaper to buy juice since the fruit is so expensive and you need so much of it! so a simple pastry blender would be delightful! thank you Fairy – for spreading smiles.
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A food processor would be my wish!!
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My wish is for a handheld food blender i’ve always wanted one to blend our soups in the pot instead of lugging out the big blender. My 10 year old was reading recipes alongside me and would like to add her wish- a panini maker.
PS SOOOOO glad we found your site….LUV IT!!!
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I would really love to have a vita mix or blend tech blender…I don’t like veggies (it’s a tecture thing) but I have found that if blended with fruits and disguised I am more than happy to eat my daily 5…pretty please
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My family and I are moving out of my In-laws house and into our own place and we have nothing, so my wish is for anything to bake with, whether it be my kitchen aid mixer or a blender or simply a toaster oven..I am pleased with anything since we have nothing!!
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I work as an editor for The Huffington Post Taste and would love to do a short feature on your miracle release formula. Please let me know if you’re interested as soon as possible. Thanks!
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Sure, that would be fine. Thanks!
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Great website by the way!
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Hi Julie,
I have some great information for Huffington Post Taste – if you could provide your email address, mine is jackie@berkcommunications.com thanks so much
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I am going into business with a friend and we are throwing care to the wind and putting our faith where it should be and opening Lalapops n’more March/2013. I am not quite sure what we will need as we have spent a fortune (not really a fortune to some but a fortune to us) on all sorts of supplies. Every day we learn a little more and every day we realize we need a little more. If the Hobmother would like to offer us anything at all, we would be grateful. I do not want to sound greedy by asking for any one thing, but will accept anything at all with much happiness :) :)
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Bakers Joy and Wilton’s Cake Release are my favorite non-stick products also. I will give the Miracle Pan Release a try. Sounds great!
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Does this concoction not go rancid if not kept in the fridge? I will surely give it a try.
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I keep mine on the shelf and it never goes rancid. It might get too firm in the fridge and wouldn’t work as well for applying to the pan.
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You use it for chocolate cake too? No need to use cocoa instead of flour? I’m off to buy vegetable shortening. I never use that but I think this miracle pan release will change that.
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Yes, any type of cake. You might see a bit of white around the edge of a darker cake but not too much and the icing covers it.
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Awesome! Thank u for sharing this!!!!!
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As soon as I read this recipe for cake release I went straight to the kitchen and made a lemon pound cake in the most intricately designed bundt pan I could find in my collection. OH…MY…
GOODNESS…never before in all my 60 years of baking have I had such a beautiful cake turn out of ANY shape pan. Lovely! Just lovely! My jar of the cake release is in the fridge ready to go again. Thank you, thank you, thank you!
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That is music to my ears! Also, congrats on 60 years of baking – I bet you make a mean pound cake! I’m not sure this will work straight from the fridge, the shortening might get too hard so let me know how that goes – I’d like to know. I personally store it at room temperature as it has a great shelf life but if it works straight out of the fridge, I’d keep a bigger batch on hand!
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You wouldn’t even believe how smooth and “lotion like” the pan release is after being stored in the fridge! Shortening does go rancid when I have a large can since it doesn’t get used often. I just figured it would soften up if it solidified in the fridge. No worries there, though. I made another cake today and it is as wonderful as the one made the other day. Again, THANK YOU SO VERY MUCH for sharing this. I have passed this neat hint on to my family and friends.
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Great to know, thank you!
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