One of the secret weapons chef Ina Garten uses to elevate her cakes is turbinado sugar. However, the sugar isn’t on the inside; it’s on the outside.

Before pouring the cake batter into the pan, she completely coats the inside of it with turbinado sugar. This results in the most amazing crackly crust on the cake’s surface.

First, grease the pans, then use a baking spray with flour. The idea is to make the inside of the pan non-stick and give the sugar something to adhere to.

Next, sprinkle a generous amount of turbinado sugar into the greased pan. Make sure that every bit of the pan is completely coated in the sugar.

Tilt the pan around to shake the sugar onto every nook and cranny of the pan. Proceed with your recipe as usual and remove your cake carefully to avoid dislodging the yummy crust.