For quite a while, we were resigned to the fact that we just didn’t have too much control over how the base of our cakes, cookies, and banana breads would look or even taste, UNTIL we learned some brilliant advice, courtesy of our pals over at Food52.
Baker and blogger Emily Laperruque says that the key to getting your sweets to slide off the pan, while still maintaining an appetizing consistency is quite simple—all you need is a little bit of grease and sugar.
It sounds odd, but the idea totally makes sense. When the pan heats up, the grease creates a protective layer between the pan and the cake while the sugar crystalizes on the bottom.
This creates a super-addictive, slightly crunchy texture that is SO much better than the soggy, crumbly alternative.
This is what Emily had to say about her first experience using this brilliant method:
At first, I worried that the sugar would caramelize, creating a sticky sauce—but the sheer, lace-like coating does nothing of the sort. Unlike flour, which clumps, sugar granules want to establish an even layer.
And unlike raw-ish flour, which no one wants on the outside of their cake, toasted sugar creates a sweet, sparkly, crunchy crust.
How did we never know about this trick before?!
To get some more insight on how to best use the sugar-grease baking technique, be sure to check out Food52’s post here.
There you’ll find out exactly how much, or how little, grease and sugar you should use in order to get the best results.
Emily even includes a “fancy” variation on this smart trick. We can’t wait to test it out for ourselves!
From: tiphero.com
