Parchment Rounds for Cake, Springform and Cheesecake Pans

What parchment rounds are and who orders them

Parchment rounds are circles die-cut from parchment to match the inside diameter of a round pan. The rounds in the photos are unbleached, the natural kraft tone, stacked flat and sold by the hundred in a sleeve.

Cake shops are the main buyer. A shop turning out forty layers a day cannot have someone tracing pans on a roll and cutting with scissors; the rounds arrive ready and every layer bases out the same.

Cheesecake makers, bakeries proving round loaves for a cast-iron pot, and pizzerias that par-bake on a disc also order them. The round goes in, the product comes out, and the pan needs a wipe rather than a soak.

Which round fits a 9 in springform pan?

A 9 in round. We cut each diameter a fraction under the stated size so it drops inside the pan wall and lies flat rather than riding up. Measure the inside of the pan at the base, not the rim, because many pans flare.

Pans between these sizes, such as a 7 in or an 11 in, are a custom cut. The pan size chart for parchment lists common pan dimensions if you need to check a mixed set.

How do parchment rounds behave under batter and heat?

The round sits under the batter, so it stays flat; nothing lifts it. The cake bakes against paper rather than metal, which gives a paler, more even base without the dark ring that greased pans leave. Steam from the batter stays above the paper, so the base sets rather than stews.

Grease resistance keeps butter from soaking through to the pan during a long bake. When the cake is turned out, the round peels off the base in one piece and leaves a smooth surface for filling or ganache.

Typical heat figures are 420°F for unbleached and Quilon rounds and 450°F for silicone-coated white. Cakes rarely pass 375°F, so any stock works; the guide on parchment heat limits by coating matters more for pizza bases.

Unbleached or white rounds for cheesecake?

Either works under a cheesecake; the choice is about looks and reuse. Unbleached rounds, the kraft tone in the photos, come from pulp with no chlorine bleaching and have a slightly fibrous, matte face.

Bleached white rounds look cleaner when a customer sees the base, as with a boxed cheesecake sold on its paper. White stock also takes a printed logo in true color, where kraft warms every ink.

Silicone-coated rounds release a sticky caramelized base and can be wiped and reused for two or three dry bakes. Quilon rounds are single use and cost less per piece. Our comparison of silicone, Quilon and unbleached goes into the details.

Five jobs beyond cake layers

Rounds get used for more than layer cakes once a kitchen has a sleeve of them on the shelf.

• Dutch oven bread: a 10 or 12 in round under the loaf lets you lower the dough into a hot pot without burned knuckles or a stuck base.
• Par-baked pizza: a 12 in round under the base keeps the dough from welding to the screen during the first bake.
• Cheesecake water baths: a round on the base plus foil outside keeps the crust dry when the bath leaks.
• Tart and quiche pans: a round lines the base while the fluted wall still browns the pastry.
• Layer storage: a round between stacked cake layers stops them sticking together in the walk-in.

Printing a logo on a parchment round

A round is printed with a single centered mark or a repeat pattern across the disc. For a cake base that nobody sees, printing is a waste; for a cheesecake sold on its round, or a pizza base boxed on paper, it is the only branding the customer touches.

Ink is food-safe soy or water-based, 1 to 4 colors, Pantone solid-coated matched, and goes on the face away from the food. One color on unbleached is the honest choice; two looks muddy on kraft. On white, two or three colors print clean.

Supply vector artwork and keep text above 8 pt. The logo printing guide for parchment explains bleed and halftone limits.

Sleeves, stacks and keeping rounds flat

Rounds ship in stacks of 100 or 200 inside a flat sleeve with a push-out slot, like the one in the photos, or a flat carton for the 12 in size. The sleeve keeps the stack square and lets one person pull a round with one hand.

Store them flat. A sleeve stood on its edge for a month leaves the rounds with a bow that batter has to flatten. A stack on the shelf above the mixer, pulled from the top, stays flat and clean.

If you run two diameters, keep them in separate sleeves and label the slot. A 9 in round pulled for an 8 in pan is the most common sizing error we hear about.

Mistakes bakers make with parchment rounds

Ordering by cake size instead of pan size. An 8 in cake is baked in an 8 in pan, which is what the round must match; a 9 in round folds up the wall and bakes a ridge into the layer.

Greasing the pan under the round. Grease makes the round skate when the batter goes in; a dry pan holds it in place. Grease the wall only, above the paper.

Using a round where the batter climbs the wall. A cheesecake that must come out of a straight-sided pan needs the wall lined too, and that is a job for parchment pan liners with sides, not a round.

How to order parchment rounds

From $0.30 a round, with the exact figure on a written quote within one business day. The minimum is 1,000 rounds, which can split across diameters, and payment is by invoice after you approve the quote and the proof.

1. Measure the inside base diameter of each pan you want to line.
2. Choose the stock: unbleached, bleached white, silicone or Quilon coated.
3. Send artwork if the rounds are printed; plain rounds still get a size confirmation on the proof.
4. Approve the free proof. Edits are unlimited before anything is cut.
5. Cutting runs 4 to 6 business days; delivery is free and tracked, 2 to 3 business days anywhere in the US.

Report a misprint or damage within 10 days with photos and we reprint or refund. The parchment rounds quote form takes two minutes, or call (503) 461-4788 on a weekday between 9 am and 6 pm Eastern.