Baking Spray

Brushing baking pans with fat, then dusting them with flour has long been the traditional way of keeping cakes and other baked goods from sticking. Baking sprays—nonstick cooking sprays that combine a fat and a starch—are designed to make this process faster and easier. But do they work better?

We tested several brands of baking sprays on Bundt pans (notorious for sticking and being difficult to grease), comparing them to the classic brushed-fat and dusted-flour approach. We also tried a conventional cooking spray (no starch), as well as brushing the pans with a DIY paste of fat and all-purpose flour.

All baking sprays prevented sticking but left behind floury mottling on the cake’s surface. In fact, premium brand La Tourangelle was least impressive, leaving unattractive starch marks and a bubbly texture. Though more work, we got better results from the traditional brushing and dusting of fat and flour, which left no marks.

But the real surprise? Classic Pam cooking spray, misted on heavily, performed as well as baking sprays—and left no mottling. So there’s no need to keep multiple products on hand. One can of classic cooking spray can handle all your sticky situations.