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I've always used a pencil to trace the outline of the pan onto the parchment paper and then cut around the pencil tracing with a scissors - the above method might be faster though

I just figured out a much easier way to do this last week: lay the parchment across the top of the pan, and run your scissors along the parchment/wax paper where it meets the top edge of the pan. It will leave a white line where you pressed the parchment between the scissors and the pan, then just use that as a guide to cut parchment into exactly the right size circle (try to cut just inside the line.) This takes about 10 seconds.

at the CIA, i learned to lay the parchment against the bottom of the pan turned upside down. use the back of a chef's knife to rub the edge/cut the paper as you turn it. so quick & fits just right.

the other method i learned was the one you mentioned but it's easier & a better fit to measure the triangle against the bottom of the upside down pan as well.

I usually turn the pan upside down, trace it with a pencil and cut. I've never had a problem so far.

I do a variation of what saltyc described:

lay the parchment on the table, then lay the bottom of the pan on top of that. Score around the edge with a pair of open scissors (or a knife) -- that will usually cut through the parchment, and then I just tidy it up with a quick scissor trim. Very fast.

I usually pre-cut my parchment rolls to sheet pan size, then store them between two sheet pans to keep them flat. This means I have flat sheets to trace the bottom of cake pans, then I fold along the trace, then cut.

I don't trust my eyes so much to make the triangle and judge the center of the pan, but no doubt it's quicker. I also have shaky hands due to muscular dystrophy, so I prefer having the pencil-traced circle there as a guide. I do think having flat parchment to start with is a major help though.

this is a smart method! thanks!

a million years ago I assited Jacques Pepin at a cooking demo. It was the first time I had ever seen it and I think about that day every time I line a pan or need a vapor baffle on a braise....one of the great things about his method is the tearing to shape - not even a temptation to use your knife on paper.

I keep an exacto knife in the kitchen for all sorts of things, and this is one of them. Put the parchment INSIDE the pan and use your exacto knife to cut around it.

I trace around the pan and then cut just inside the line so it fits - if it's any bigger than the bottom of the inside of the pan the cake edges get messed up.

The easiest way, if you're doing a lot of cakes, is to buy pre-cut circles.

Also - I've noticed that lots of recipes will have butter and flour the pan, then put in parchment, then butter again, but I've always just buttered the sides and stuck in the parchment - no flour necessary.

yeah, I trace too. and usually I take a strip of parchment paper (or a few strips, scraps from cutting the circle) the height of the pan to line the sides. they stick mostly with a little oil or butter and the batter holds them against the sides once you pour it in. it makes cake removal problem-free.

Talk about making things difficult for yourself

"Approximate the distance from the middle of the pan to the outer edge"?????

For goodness sake people!

Put the pan on the paper and draw around with a pencil - cut out - how much more simple do you need to get!!