lining cake pan with parchment paper

Today we’re talking about one of my favorite subjects, lol: how to line baking pans with parchment paper! Whether you’re getting ready to bake a loaf of bread, a batch of brownies or a celebration-worthy layer cake, let this be your guide for how to line baking pans with parchment paper the RIGHT way. I promise, it’s so easy, and it will save you so much stress and time once you have the know-how.

Look, I know this isn’t the world’s sexiest blog post topic, haha — but it is very important! It’s so important, in fact, that I dedicated a whole portion of my cookbook to explaining how to line your baking pans the right way.

Here’s why: Once you know how to line any type of baking pan with parchment paper, you’ll never again have to deal with stuck-on bits of brownie, broken cake layers, breads that won’t pop out of the pan, etc. IYKYK — it’s not fun, especially when you’ve spent all that time/energy/money to make a delicious baked good, to have it turn out imperfect because the pan wasn’t lined appropriately.

So! Here is how you line baking pans of all shapes and sizes with parchment paper so you can make all your baking dreams come true. It’s science.

How to Line Square Baking Pans with Parchment Paper

Cut two long sheets of parchment paper (long enough that some of the parchment will hang slightly over the sides of the baking pan once placed in the pan). Spray your pan with cooking or baking spray as directed in the recipe, then stack the sheets of parchment, perpendicular to each other, and press them into the bottom and sides of the pan. Spray the parchment as directed in the recipe.

lining square baking pan with parchment

How to Line Round Cake Pans with Parchment Paper

On a cutting board, place a sheet of parchment paper underneath your cake pan. Using a sharp paring knife, run the knife on an angle along the bottom of the outside of the pan, scoring the parchment paper as you go (you might need to run the knife around the pan twice). Gently punch the scored circle out of the parchment paper, or use scissors to cut along the score line if you didn’t cut all the way through the parchment. Spray the cake pan as directed in the recipe, then place the circle of parchment paper in the bottom of the pan. Spray the parchment as directed in the recipe.

lining cake pan with parchment paper
lining cake pan with parchment paper

How to Line Loaf Pans with Parchment Paper

Cut one long sheet of parchment paper (long enough that some of the paper will hang slightly over the sides of the pan once placed in the pan). Spray your pan as directed in the recipe, then place the parchment in the pan so that the overhanging paper falls over the long sides of the pan. Press the parchment into the bottom and sides of the pan, then spray the parchment as directed in the recipe.

lining loaf pan with parchment paper