What is an easy way to turn a heavy-ish cake?

Question

I don't have a metal cake pan. I bake my normal cakes and cake layers in a pan with a glass bottom and silicone walls, and cakes which can be expected to leak in a porcelain quiche pan.

Sadly, my oven has a hot corner. If I don't turn my cake around during the baking, one corner is going to be overbaked or even burn. So I have to turn it while in the oven. But the bottoms of my pans don't slide easily on the rack. The first doesn't touch the rack with the glass, it touches it with the silicone part, which has a friction comparable to smooth rubber. The porcelain pan has an unglazed bottom, and it is an even bottom, not just a rim like on most porcelain plates, so it is even harder to turn.

I mostly try to grip the rim of the pan above the cake to turn. The silicone rim is high enough for that, but squishy, and it wiggles under my fingers. The porcelain rim is so low, the cake layer reaches it, and even rises above it. So I have to squish part of the cake. It gets worse because of the thick silicone rubber mittens I have, they are not very easy to maneuver with.

Are there any easy tricks to turn the cake? Is there something I am missing here?

Answer 1

Well, the obvious answer is to buy a metal cake pan. Otherwise:

1. You could try putting a jellyroll or cookie sheet under it. Then grab the cookie sheet to rotate. Beware that depending on what the pan is made of, it may affect browning especially on the bottom of the cake. Adding some insulation (e.g., parchment) may help.

2. Plain aluminum foil may work too. That'll slide fairly easily on the rack, and again you can grab it easily. Especially if you pull the pan out of the oven, aluminum foil surrounded by air will cool quickly, and you'll be able to grab it without the inflexible mitts.

3. Similarly, a sheet of parchment paper under the pan. Same principle as the aluminum, except even at oven temperatures you can grab parchment briefly.

Answer 2

Assuming the racks in your oven are removable, simply remove the rack with the cake on it, turn the whole thing around and put it back in the oven.

Answer 3

You can try lifting a corner of the pan with something.

You could use a spatula, for example, or a cake server, or something flat and thin. It just needs to slide under the pan long enough to lift a corner, that will let you get you hand underneath (in the glove or with a towel or potholder) and you can use one hand underneath, one hand braced against the side, to turn - at least halfway, maybe more if you hand off that corner.
This will be easier if you pull the rack out at least halfway or so, by the way.

Alternatively, especially if you don't have a spatula that will slide under easily, you can use the handle of a wooden spoon, or even a butter knife, to lift the edge. Slip it between gaps in the rack usually run front to back, so you can slip the handle down between two wires to get under your pan, and lift up or use the front wire as a lever against the bottom of your cake pan. Again, once you lift a corner, you can get your hand under there, brace with the other hand, and use that to rotate it.

All of drobert's suggestions are also good, putting something under the pan, but this is an alternate method if you want.