Test Kitchen video tips: Flouring your cake pans

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Many cake recipes call for greasing and flouring the pan before adding the batter. This step helps to give the cake something to cling to as it rises, giving the cake better volume while keeping it from sticking to the pan after it’s done.

The process is simple: Rub the inside of the pan with butter (there should be enough left on the butter wrapper; you only need a thin coat). Spoon in a tablespoon or so of flour and, working over the sink to catch any spillage, tap the pan to distribute the flour first across the bottom and then, tilting it, along the sides. Discard any that’s left over. You should see a very light film of flour clinging to the interior of the pan.

If you’re making a chocolate cake, consider replacing the flour with cocoa powder. Not only will the cocoa powder keep you from having to worry about the white film left by flour on a finished cake, it’ll also give you a little extra depth of flavor.

If you have any kitchen tips or questions you’d like me to explore, leave a comment below or shoot me an email at [email protected].

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-- Noelle Carter
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Video credit: Myung Chun / Los Angeles Times