My Favorite Cake Decorating and Baking Tools
Hello!! It’s been a while! Please forgive me! Now that Summer is coming to an end and going into my 3rd trimester, I’m slowing down on traveling and just staying home and getting ready for baby! ahhhhh 12 more weeks!! WHAT.
Anyways, I’ve been wanting to share my favorite cake decorating and baking tools for a while! A lot of bakers who are starting out always ask – HOW DO I START!? Well, my first answer is to just START!!! But, my 2nd answer is have the right tools! You really don’t need a lot of tools to start out but here are some essential ones you need that will help you so much!
Baking tools
You probably have your typical 8-inch or 9-inch circle pans someone gave you as a wedding gift or for your birthday – those are great baking pans, but I would invest in 6-inch cake pans! A lot of bakers who are starting out have these huge cake pans and want to practice decorating, but it’s so tough to decorate a cake (in my opinion) with a very flat & wide cake. You want some height! So I suggest 6″ pans where you can bake 3 thick layers for a tall but small cake! I hope that makes sense. I’m going to be referring to a lot of the products from Amazon because it’s just so much easier to purchase from there if you love that 2 day free shipping!
6″ cake pans – I love Fat Daddio’s brand! The 6×3 size is perfect to get 2 cake layers from one pan! You can find the product HERE!
Oven Thermometer! There have been soooo many times where my oven that I thought I trusted was at the right temperature but was totally 30-50 degrees off! An oven thermometer will help you not overbake or underbake your cakes!!
Items you already have – parchment paper, saran wrap, oven mitts/towels, and lots of dish soap to wash all of your baking / decorating supplies!
Decorating Tools
Turntable, offset spatula, straight spatula, and bench scraper (icing smoother) – I just invested in The Ateco turntable about 2 weeks ago and it’s the greatest thing ever BUT you don’t need to start out with this pricey one when you’re first starting out!! Actually, I can actually live without the Ateco turntable which I did because I’ve been baking/decorating for 2 1/2 years now with this turntable from Amazon! It’s only about $12 and comes with an offset spatula, straight spatula, and a bench scraper so you can get those smooth-looking sides!
Nonslip grip liners - These are a game-changer to add to your turntable so your cakes don’t slide everywhere when you are trying to frost! I didn’t know about these until about a year and a half into baking and wish I bought this sooner! Also known as – drawer liners.
Cake boards - I linked the 6″ cake round boards from Wilton on that link but for some reason couldn’t find 8″ cake round boards on Amazon. When I’m frosting a 6″ cake, I like to use an 8″ round cake board so I can easily transfer it to and from my turntable to my refrigerator or freezer! Also, it’s perfect for my 8″ cake boxes when I deliver or have clients pick up their cake! Also, make sure your cake boards are grease-free! Some cheap cake boards are just plain cardboard so when you are frosting the cake on it, you’ll see grease stains that won’t go away – get the grease-free ones!!
Cake leveler - People are always asking how I get smooth tops on my cakes! Sometimes when you bake cakes, the cake layer will form a round dome depending on the recipe you are using. Don’t fret – use the cake leveler to “saw” off the dome to get that flat cake top! & save those cake scraps by putting them in freezer Ziploc bags so you can make cake pops with them later or just eat them!
Where I buy my cake products in BULK and what I usually buy in bulk
I buy my cake boxes and cake rounds from BRP Boxshop, an online store – they ship fast and for free after spending $75, which you can easily spend just buy a box of 100 cake boxes! You save sooooo much more money buying boxes and cake boards in bulk! Also, the reassurance that you have a ton on hand instead of going out and buying cake boxes at your local craft store will just give you peace of mind and save you lots of time!
Ways to SAVE $$$ on cake products
I love going to my local Michael’s or Joann’s store and using their daily coupons which range from 20% – 50% off! I always get the 40% or 50% off one full-price item! So if I know I’ll be buying something that’s more expensive, I’ll wait to use one of my coupons to make sure I get it half off!
Buy your products over time! I would suggest buying your essentials all at once like your turntable, frosting spatulas, cake leveler, and pans but if you are wanting to expand your decorating portfolio, buy things little by little and once you know it – you’ll have a closet full of cake decorating supplies and pans!!
I hope this blog post helped! You can find all of my products listed HERE! If you have any questions, email me or DM me on Instagram!
