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The Pro Tip For Lining Irregularly Shaped Cake Pans

Whether you opt for a Silicone cake mold or an aluminum, nonstick base, Bundt cakes tend to be tricky. That's because their unique shape and ridged texture can be a pain to grease. For most cakes, parchment paper is the ideal option to prevent batter from sticking to the pan, but fat — like shortening butter — is much easier to use in intricately-shaped pans like Bundt cakes and other novelty desserts. You don't have to rely on just grease, however, just because the parchment won't perfectly fit inside your chosen pan. Rather, using a combination of parchment and fat will set your irregularly shaped cake up for success. 

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To pull off this trick, start with your preferred form of fat, whether butter, oil, or pan spray. While you can certainly stop with the grease, parchment paper will make your life infinitely easier once your cake finishes baking. It typically has a higher success rate than just a layer of fat in preventing batter from sticking, and therefore should not be overlooked. Given parchment's importance, you'll want to use the grease as a means of adhering your paper to your pan. Sure, your parchment won't perfectly match your cake's size, but once you press it to the layer of slippery grease, the paper should adhere easily. 

Coat your pan in fat so parchment paper can easily stick

If you've ever tried to line your Bundt pan with parchment paper, you know it won't perfectly fit your base's proportions. This mismatch may prove problematic, as parchment tends to slide upward. Should that parchment slide once you pour in your batter, your cake will not bake evenly and may look — and taste — imbalanced.

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Starting with a layer of grease, therefore, works as a sort of glue. It essentially acts as a loophole around even the most irregular of cake shapes and guarantees that your parchment protection will stay in place. Once the parchment sticks to the butter or other form of grease, you'll be able to pour in your batter without worrying about it changing form. 

That's not to say the parchment will always be easy to work with. The paper has long confused home chefs who employ various folding and cutting techniques to make parchment mirror pan. For the sake of your irregularly shaped cakes, you don't necessarily need to size the parchment paper; all you have to do is stick it to the glue. Of course, if you're looking for a trick to make your parchment all the neater, you can try using the edge of a Chef's knife to cut the paper in line with your pan's size. Your Bundt will be all the better. 

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