Cheesecake has long been a favorite indulgence for dessert enthusiasts. Whether it’s a classic New York-style cheesecake or a creative flavor variation, cheesecakes have graced numerous tables in homes and restaurants across the country.
Nothing looks and tastes better after a meal than a perfectly smooth slice of cheesecake!
However, the process of removing a cheesecake from a regular pan can sometimes prove challenging, leaving even the most experienced bakers frustrated.
Unlike many other desserts, cheesecakes have a soft structure and weak base, making it more likely that the cheesecake will either stick, crack, or completely crumble as you try to remove it.
In this article, we will look at how to remove a cheesecake from a regular pan. Whether you’re a novice or a seasoned baker looking to enhance your skills, our two different methods for removing a cheesecake from a pan will ensure seamless cheesecake removal every time.
Step One – Spatula Lifting The Cheesecake
This is one of the most common ways to remove cheesecake from a regular pan and it’s a method that you may have used before. Even if you have tried this before, it’s worth trying again with a few extra tips and hints!
Chill The Cheesecake
You will need to chill your cheesecake in the refrigerator overnight first, so don’t use this method if you’re looking to serve the cheesecake a couple of hours after cooking.
We recommend allowing your cheesecake to reach room temperature first before putting it in the fridge. Simply let the cheesecake sit on top of the stove for a couple of hours before chilling in the fridge.
It can be frustrating to wait so long for your cheesecake and you will need to make sure that you have enough room in the fridge for your cheesecake pan. It’s worth the wait, however, as you’re likely to get a perfect cheesecake at the end of the process!
When your cheesecake has thoroughly chilled overnight, you can start loosening the cheesecake from the pan. The first step in this process is to use a butter knife to loosen the cheesecake from the edges of the pan.
Use A Little Heat
Warm your butter knife by placing it in some warm water. You can just place it under a running faucet for a few moments. Then take your warmed butter knife and use it to loosen the sides of the cheesecake.
This should help to keep the sides of your cheesecake nice and smooth.
This next step is optional but it will make the rest of the process much easier so we do recommend giving it a try! You can use either a cook’s blowtorch or a gas burner to heat the bottom of the pan. This will make it even easier to remove the cheesecake.
Spatulas And A Friend
You will need three spatulas to remove the cheesecake. This is much easier with a second person to help out as they can hold a spatula and remove the pan as well.
We recommend using three spatulas as they will support the cheesecake much better than two spatulas and will prevent the cheesecake from falling apart.
Slide the three spatulas underneath the cheesecake. Take this process slowly and get your spatulas as deeply into the pan as you can.
Coordinate with your partner to move the spatulas at the same time and as you start to lift the cheesecake, you can slide the spatulas in even further to hold the cheesecake more firmly.
Step Two – Use Parchment Paper
This method starts before you bake the cheesecake. It won’t help you to remove a cheesecake that has already been baked, but it will make removing your next cheesecake much easier.
Line With Parchment Paper
Cut out a circle of parchment paper that is a little bigger than the base of the pan. Place this in the bottom of the pan. We also recommend using parchment paper to line the sides of the cheesecake but this step is more optional.
Once you’ve lined the cheesecake pan with parchment paper, you can fill the pan with your cheesecake base and mix. Cook the cheesecake as normal.
After you’ve baked the cheesecake, allow it to cool completely before you try to remove it from the pan. The parchment paper should make it much easier to remove the cheesecake from the pan and you can then peel the parchment paper from the cheesecake.
You can use the spatula method from earlier to get between the cheesecake and the pan if you want to make things a little easier. This will give your cheesecake more support as you lift it out of the pan.
Bonus Tip – Use An Aluminum Pan
Our third and final step is another that won’t help you once the cheesecake is baked but will make your next cheesecake much easier to remove.
Instead of using a solid regular pan, bake your cheesecake in an aluminum pan. These pans are thinner and can be cut away from your cheesecake, making removing the cheesecake much easier.
They are flimsier than regular metal pans so you will need to be careful when handling your cheesecake and ensure it has plenty of support whenever you lift it. However, if you don’t have a springform pan to hand, aluminum pans are the next best option.
Final Thoughts
In this article, we introduced two different methods for removing a cheesecake from a regular pan.
The first method detailed how to remove a cheesecake that has already been baked whereas the second method gave hints on how to make things easier before the cheesecake has been in the oven. We also introduced a bonus tip that will make removing cheesecake even easier!
We hope that this article will ensure that your cheesecake is perfect every time!
Have you ever made something so delicious that you wished you could savor it forever?
Only to find that the recipe has now mysteriously vanished from your phone and the entirety of the internet. Yep, there’s not much more painful than that.
Hi, my name is Mark Williams and I have been infatuated with cooking since I was young. I would beg my mother to pull a chair up to the counter so I could watch what she was doing.
