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Throughout my baking journey, I’ve baked hundreds of cakes that gave me the experience that I needed to deal with any issues that arise during the cake baking process. I had parchment paper stuck to the bottom of my cakes many times throughout the years and through thorough research, I’ve figured out the best way to remove the parchment paper off of my cakes without damaging them.
Turn the cake out of the pan and onto a cooling rack. Spray the bottom of the parchment paper with water and let it rest for a few minutes. After the water absorbs into the paper, gently peel the parchment paper off of the bottom of the cake while patting the cake dry with a napkin.
No matter the baking experience, baking cakes is not an easy task. Many things can go wrong at any minute while baking, which is why I like to do thorough research into anything that goes wrong. Having parchment paper stuck to my cakes made me learn the right way of removing it without any piece of paper left behind.
This is why I have a few more tips to offer you so that you avoid chewing on any leftover parchment paper.
Removing Stuck Parchment Paper from Cake
Here’s a helpful list of what to do to remove stuck parchment paper from your cake:
- Remove the stuck cake out of the pan
- Turn the cake onto a cooling rack
- Spray the bottom of the parchment paper with water
- Let the water absorb for a few minutes
- Slowly peel off the parchment paper
- Use a knife to help peel off the paper
- Peel the paper from the middle to the center
- Pat the cake dry with a napkin
- Let the cake sit out for a few minutes to air dry
Lift the cake by using the excess parchment paper hanging off the sides.
While spraying the bottom of the parchment paper with water, make sure that you don’t overdo it! I spray a maximum of 3-4 times depending on the spray bottle that you have.
Spraying the bottom of your cake with too much water can cause a soggy cake after the water absorbs. Make sure to take your time during this gentle process.
After the water absorbs into the paper, begin peeling the parchment paper from the edges of the cake first while slowly traveling towards the middle of the cake.
So, how do you get parchment paper off a cake in one piece? You can also use a flat-edged knife to guide the peeling process of the parchment paper. This can help the paper not rip into small pieces that remain on the bottom of your cake.
*By the way, if you want to know The Real Difference Between Foil, Parchment paper, Wax Paper, and Freezer Paper, I wrote an in-depth article breaking down the Similarities and Differences of each one, which you can check out here!
Since the parchment paper becomes soggy, it will have a tendency to rip easily while you are peeling it. This can leave a few pieces of paper behind on the cake even if you use the knife. If that happens, don’t fret!
Use your fingers by applying slight pressure on any remaining pieces of paper and rubbing them so that they roll up and come off the cake.
- *Make sure to be careful while using the knife and your fingers to remove the paper because you might also create a hole in your cake
*By the way, I always wanted to be able to store my cakes the right way but I never found a good container that could fit my large cakes. However, I recently came across an Extra Large Cake Carrier/Storage Container That Holds up to 12 inch 3-layer Cakes. This carrier was perfect for storing my large cakes. You can check out this Cake Storage Container on Amazon here!
Speaking from experience, I always try to avoid damaging the integrity of my cakes. No one wants to deal with a hole in their cake, right?
Why is my cake sticking to the parchment paper?
As a general rule, condensation forms in the pan from the evaporating moisture of the cake batter. This glues the parchment paper and the cake together after a while. If not greased correctly, the cake batter can burn onto the parchment paper which can stick them together.
These two reasons are the most common reasons I encountered for my cakes getting stuck onto the parchment paper.
Although not as common, another reason why this could happen is if you leave the parchment paper on the cake during the cooling process. The cooling cake batter can attract the parchment paper to it, which can act like glue.
Condensation appearing in the oven is a factor that is hard to control, however, if done correctly, you can prevent the sticking of parchment paper altogether.
How to prevent parchment paper from getting stuck on the cake?
As a general rule, grease the top of the parchment paper with cooking spray before pouring the cake batter inside of the pan. Don’t leave the cake in the oven for too long to avoid burning the cake batter onto the parchment paper. Lastly, remove the parchment paper from the cake after you take it out of the oven.
My first tip to prevent the parchment paper from sticking to the cake is to grease the paper with cooking spray. This will help the cake batter stay detached from the paper throughout the baking process.
Spread the cooking spray with a pastry brush
You can also grease your pan thoroughly before placing the parchment paper in it. This will help you remove your cake out of the pan easily. I wrote an article not too long ago about Greasing a Glass Baking Pan. You can find this article here!
My second tip is to watch your cake in the oven like a hawk! Leaving the cake inside the oven for too long can burn the bottom of the cake batter onto the parchment paper which will stick them together.
My third tip is to try to remove the parchment paper as soon as you flip your cake onto a cooling rack. The condensation between the cooling cake and the parchment paper will create a suction effect that will attract the paper and the cake together.
To Summarize…
Learning how to remove parchment paper that is stuck on my cake helped me tremendously throughout my years of baking! I’ve struggled with this problem quite frequently at the beginning of my baking journey which is why I hope to pass on this helpful information to you!
