Cake decorating is an art that transforms a simple cake into a stunning centerpiece. To achieve professional results, it’s essential to have the right tools in your arsenal. Below is a guide to some foundational cake decorating tools and how to use them effectively.
Cake Leveler
A cake leveler is a must-have tool for even cake layers or for very thin cake layers. This tool allows you to slice through the cake horizontally. There are three basic types of cake levelers.
Types of Cake Levelers
Wire Levelers
These feature an adjustable wire on a holder that slices through the cake horizontally while maintaining an even height.
Holders with a Cake Knife
These come with a serrated blade held in place by two standards that maintain a level height of the blade for even cutting. The standards have notches from bottom to top allowing you so choose the height.
Round Metal Cake Levelers
These fit around the cake and have slatted sides, allowing you to cut through for precise layers.
How to Get a Smooth Flat Cake Top Using a Leveler
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Place the cake on a flat surface.
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Adjust the wire or blade to the desired height.
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Gently saw through the cake using a back-and-forth motion until the top layer is removed.
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Cake Boards
Cake boards provide a sturdy base for your cakes, making them easier to transport and display. They come in various sizes and materials, such as cardboard, foil covered cardboard for a decorative metallic look, and metal which is sometimes colored with anodized aluminium. Some cake boards are wood covered with foil. These are typically used for large, tall, tiered cakes such as wedding cakes.
Selecting the Right Cake Board
Select a board that matches the size of your cake, just just slightly larger. You want to be able to pick up by the edges of the cake board. The cake board also makes a nice looking platform for your cake.
Ensure the board is strong enough to support the weight of the cake. Standard cakes and desserts are fine with standard cake boards. Use metal or wooden cake boards for heavier cakes.
How to Use a Cake Board
Place the cake on the board before decorating.
Cover the cake board with wax paper strips placed just under the edges of the cake before decorating. This helps keep your cake board neat and clean.
Pull out the paper strips when you have finished decorating the cake.
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Turntable
A turntable allows you to spin the cake smoothly as you decorate, providing easy access to all sides. This is important when frosting a cake to get an even coating and smoothness. Without a turntable you end up twisting your arms into different positions to try to reach all of the areas and end up with uneven frosting.
Types of Turntables
Plastic Turntables
Often considered the best, budget-friendly option for beginners. They are lightweight, easy to clean, and inexpensive.These are ideal for hobby bakers, kids' projects, or smaller, lighter cakes.
Metal/Aluminum Alloy Turntables
Often described as a "game changer" for more experienced cake decorators. They offer good stability being heavy with a sturdy base. They often feature ball bearings for smooth, quiet, and consistent rotation. This type of cake turntable is essential for professional, heavy, or multi-tiered cakes, providing a solid, non-slip surface for precise piping.
Stainless Steel Turntables
A stainless steel turntable is a premium option for serious amateur bakers and professionals. It is highly durable, has weight and a study base. Also excellent ball bearing design for smooth, even turning. It is also very easy to clean.
A stainless steel turntable is a must for high-volume cake decorating, professional bakers, or those working with heavy cakes or complex designs.
My turntable is stainless steel and I would not work with anything else, even though I do not do a high volume of cake decorating.
Adjustable Height Turntables
These turntables allow you to set them to your desired height. Different models have different ranges, but overall this can go from 4” to 20” high. This helps for working on the top or top edge of a cake vs. the sides or bottom borders. You especially want this if you are decorating tall cakes or tiered cakes. I would caution against plastic for this type of turntable, although they are available. Stick with stainless steel.
Tilting Turntables
These specialized stands allow the platform to be locked at various angles. This dramatically improves visibility of the sides of the cake, allowing for intricate side design with less physical strain. They are used for intricate piping, applying fondant or intricate sugar or chocolate decorations to the side.
Key Features to Consider
Ball Bearings: Ensure smoother, quieter rotation compared to standard plastic pin mechanisms.
Locking Switch: Useful for holding the cake still while doing detailed, stationary work.
Height: Raised or adjustable height models help with better posture, reducing the need to slouch.
How to Use a Cake Turntable
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Place the cake on a cakeboard using a tad of frosting in the middle to help hold it in place.
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Place the cakeboard on the turntable, again, with a dab of frosting to hold it in place.
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Use one hand to spin the turntable gently while applying frosting decorating with the other hand using an offset spatula.
Offset Spatula
An offset spatula is a versatile tool with a long, narrow blade that’s offset from the handle. It’s essential for spreading frosting and smoothing surfaces. They come in various lengths.
How to Use an Offset Spatula
Use the spatula to apply frosting evenly over the cake’s surface. Use a small offset spatula for detailed work and a larger one for covering bigger surfaces.
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Hold the handle keeping the blade parallel to the cake, that than at an angle.
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Smooth the frosting using long, even strokes.
Piping Bags and Tips
Piping bags, often used with various tips, allow you to create intricate designs, borders, and embellishments on your cake, or to apply fillings to the inner layers.
Types of Piping Bags and Tips
Bags
Piping bags come in different sizes and can be made of cloth, silicone, or disposable plastic. Cloth are the best because they are durable, sturdy, surprisingly easy to clean.
Tips
Piping tips come in a variety of sizes and extruder designs. Most tips are made of stainless steel. I caution you against any cheap tips that are not stainless steel.
Couplers
A coupler is a two-part screw together device made of plastic. It attaches the tip to the bag. It also allows you to change the tip without using a different bag. This is handy when using the same frosting, but you then want to change to a different design.
Piping tips often come with couplers and if not you can always buy couplers separately.
I recommend you keep several couplers on hand - multiples of the same size and different sizes. When you are piping different frostings or fillings or different colors you don’t want to have to stop and change bags. Just fill a set of bags and keep going.
How to Use Piping Tools
Prepare the Bag
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Put a coupler base inside the bag and through the tip.
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Fit the tip onto the coupler base coming out of the tip of the bag.
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Set the piping tip onto the coupler base and fasten the top part of the coupler over it by screwing the coupler top to the coupler base.
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Close the tip end with the tie or clip.
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Put the bag in a tall cup wrapping the top edge of the bag over the top edge of the cup.
If you are going to need multiple bags, set them all up in cups.
Fill the Piping Bag(s)
Fill the piping bag(s) with frosting or filling and close the open end with the bag tie.
You can also wrap the top edge of the bag over your hand and fill it with the other. This works only if you are using one bag to pipe one thing. Also you need to be good at this technique, so I prefer cups.
Start Piping
Hold the bag with both hands, one above the other. Squeezing gently using the top hand near the top of the bag to push the frosting through. Use your bottom hand, near the bottom of the bag to guide the tip.
Practice different pressures and motions with different tips to achieve a variety of designs. You can make a paste with flour and water to practice.
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Cake Dowels
Cake Dowels provide structural support to tiered cakes, ensuring they remain stable. Cake dowels are made of food safe plastic or bamboo.
How to Use Cake Dowels
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Cut the dowels to the exact height of the cake tier.
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Insert the dowels into the lower tiers of the cake to support additional layers.
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Arrange them in a pattern that distributes weight evenly.
Cake Rings aka Dessert Rings
Cake rings are cylindrical molds used to shape and neatly layer cakes, mousses, mousse cakes, and other desserts. They are made of stainless steel and come in a variety of sizes, but all have enough height to support multiple layers and fillings.
How to Use Cake Rings to Make a Neatly Layered Dessert
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First make sure each cake layer is sized to fit the cake ring. Place the cake on a flat surface, like a large cutting board or the kitchen counter with a parchment or silicone mat.
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Place the cake ring over the cake layer. If there is any little bit that exceeds the edges of the cake ring, the ring will cut it off.
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Put the base cake layer (or dessert layer such as a brownie bottom, or cookie crust) onto a cake board.
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Please ring the cake over the base layer.
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You can now add the next layer, usually mousse, no bake cheesecake, compote, curd, whipped cream filling, or a frosting, perhaps a nut layer, depending on your recipe).
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If this second layer is soft, you will want to chill it or freeze before adding the third layer which may be cake, or could be another soft filling, depending on your dessert design. Again, if it is soft, chill or freeze it before proceeding.
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Continue like this until you have all of your layers in the cake ring.
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Apply your top layer, frosting, whipped cream or whatever topping you like. Chill to set if needed, then you can remove your cake ring.
Be Creative - Make Something as Beautiful as It is Delicious
By familiarizing yourself with these essential cake decorating tools, you’ll be well on your way to creating beautiful, impressive cakes. Remember, practice and patience are key to mastering the art of cake decorating!
