Bake a Taller Cake Without Buying a Deeper Pan

There are times when I needed two identical cake pans and only had one shallow pan to work with, and there were times when I just needed a deeper pan for something larger, like a Basque cheesecake. Instead of making one crust at a time or sacrificing the apple crisp for a few smaller ones, just use parchment paper. You can make the cake pan deeper by adding a simple cake collar.

A cake collar can refer to a piece of parchment or foil that vertically extends the side of the cake pan, or a clear plastic or edible film that is used to wrap the finished cake. In this case we are talking about something that temporarily increases the height of the wall of the baking dish. If you make your cake pan taller, you can bake taller items, including cake, thicker brownies, Basque cheesecake, lasagne, or eggplant parmigiana. It can also prevent batters or foamy sauces and gravies from overflowing.

How to Make a Cake Mold Collar

What you will need:

• Sheet or roll of parchment paper
• Oil
• Round cake pan

With most baking pans you will have to grease them to release the finished product. (Unless it’s angel food cake, which is best made in a pan anyway.) Grease it well, especially on the sides. Unfold about 16 inches of parchment and cut it in half, pointing the scissors perpendicular to the direction the paper is curled, as in the picture.

You want the natural curve of the paper to mimic the curve of the pan, otherwise you’ll have to fight it by leveling the pan. You can also unroll 28 1/2 inches of parchment, but this is wasteful as you will never need to make a collar for a 12-inch tall cake. In addition, it is easier to separate it into two parts if you remove the parchment after baking.

Line the cake pan, dividing it into two parts. Take a piece of parchment and place it in the pan with the edge touching the bottom and press it against the greased side. Be sure to press the paper against the buttered side all the way around the inside to maintain a rounded edge and support the parchment.

Take another piece of parchment and stick it the other way. Line it up with the bottom and press it to the side, just like the first piece. Trim the overlapping paper or oil the bottom of the overlapping piece to make it stick.

Trim the parchment to a manageable height. You’ll probably only need to widen the pan two or three inches. This will make it easier to pour the dough or layers of ingredients, and too much excess paper may hit the top of the oven. When the pie, apple crisp, biscuits or scalloped potato pie are ready, let the pan cool slightly on a wire rack before carefully removing the parchment.