How To: Prepare Cake Pans

To line a round pan, cut out a square of parchment paper slightly bigger than your pan.

Fold the parchment into quarters, then in half. Fold in half again to form a narrow triangle.

Place the narrow point of your triangle in the center of your cake pan, measuring and marking where you reach the edge of the pan.

With scissors, cut at your mark and unfold the sheet. You should have a circle that perfectly fits inside your pan.

Tip: Alternatively, you can trace the bottom of your cake pan onto parchment paper with a pencil, and cut along the line.

Use a pastry brush to paint an even layer of very soft butter on the bottom and sides of your cake pan. Line with the prepared round of parchment paper, smoothing out to remove any creases or air bubbles.

Brush another layer of butter over the parchment paper.

Add a couple tablespoons of flour and shake it around the pan until the interior surface is lightly and completely covered. Turn over the pan and firmly knock out any excess flour into a bowl. If you’re coating two pans, dump the excess flour from the first pan into the second pan.

Tip: For chocolate cakes, dust the pan with cocoa powder instead of flour to avoid leaving a white film on your cake.

Tip: To line a rectangular cake pan, the process is the same. Just cut your parchment paper to fit the length of your pan, leaving about a 2-inch overhang on both sides. This will help keep the sides of your cake from sticking to the pan and will also give you handles to easily lift out the cake.