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I’m excited to share my favorite cake decorating tools for beginners with you. I am a self-taught baker and decorator, and have built up my collection of tools over time. A lot of trial and error (as well as watching GBBO and other baking shows/videos) went into what I ultimately chose. I hope I can help you narrow down your choices by sharing my go-to and favorite tools. Some of these I found at garage sales, some I started with the cheapest/most basic thing I could, and some I splurged a little on. In some cases, the basics are really just fine, and in others…well…you get what you pay for (in my experience). I’ll try to let you know which is which based on my experiences.
These are in no particular order.
1. Stand Mixer: absolutely splurge-worthy
I truly have no idea how I managed without my stand mixer. My go-to recipe for Swiss meringue buttercream calls for mixing on high for at least 10 minutes. I can’t imagine doing that with a hand mixer. Stand mixers allow you to clean or tackle other tasks while they mix (within reason). There are a huge range of stand mixers, both in price and quality. I started with a Kitchen Aid Artisan mixer, and I loved it. I have upgraded to a commercial mixer, and love that one too. If you want to read more about the differences, see my post about them here.
2. Piping Bags: so, so handy
Okay, these seem a little silly, but seriously – I love my piping bags. You can absolutely make them using zip top bags, but there are limitations to those, and it is significantly harder to add piping tips (for some types, essentially impossible). They are great cake decorating tools for beginners because they allow you to explore the basics of decorating (frosting, drawing, decorative piping) for relatively little money. Honestly, you can get 200 piping bags for a little more than a box of zip top bags, so why not? If you are looking for a more green option, there are reusable piping bags. You can also make them using parchment paper, which I have not tried, but is on my list of things to learn how to do. A lot of professional bakers swear by these so I can’t wait to try them out!
3. Piping Tips: a decorator essential
You don’t need many, but having a basic set of piping tips is a pretty essential cake decorating tool for beginners. Having the tips will let you practice edges, lettering, and if you want to get really fancy, you can practice buttercream flowers. I’m sure there are quality differences between plastic and metal, Wilton and other brands, but as a beginner you don’t need the fanciest tips out there. The best part is that you don’t need cake to practice all of these faboo things, you just need…
4. Parchment Paper: so simple, so useful
This is such a baking staple, I almost feel silly including it on this list. The thing is, parchment paper can be used in lots of ways. You can use it to make makeshift piping bags, as a practice surface for piping techniques, to keep your cake board clean while frosting, even as a homemade stencil. There are so many uses for parchment paper. It’s a great multi-tool.
5. Offset Spatulas: so weird, so handy
So these little guys were probably one of the first things I got, since I found some at a garage sale. I do recommend these guys as a tool for beginners, but they take a little getting used to. I kept going back to my regular butter knife because I was familiar with it, and it was comfortable. The butter knife was fine, but oh em gee, this is better. I don’t have to do wrist gymnastics to ensure a really flat frosted surface. Most offset spatulas are long enough that they can double as a scraper, though they’re not as good for that. Which leads me to…
6. Bench Scraper: a tool with many uses
As a cake decorating tool for beginners, this one is a “want” more than a “need.” The bench scraper is a faboo little multitasking tool that can be used for things other than cake decorating. You can use them to help you knead really wet bread dough, to move shaped cookies and biscuits from the counter to your baking sheet, etc. I got one for those purposes, but then I watched some home bakers’ videos and saw them using the bench scraper to get really smooth sides on their cakes. Oh mama, do these guys make some nice and smooth sides.
7. Turntable: to make frosting and decorating all sides of your cake easy
If you have the storage space, turntables are a cake decorator’s best bud. It greatly speeds up the frosting, since you can glop it on, then smooth it out while spinning the turntable. I started out with a Wilton turntable. The better the quality of turntable, the smoother the frosting and the decorative icing will be. That’s why I upgraded to the Ateco cast iron base turntable. Just keep in mind that many of those videos you see online of people twirling their cakes as they smooth the tops and sides in nothing flat are sped up quite a bit. That said, I can’t imagine frosting cakes without mine anymore. I have had to, and it’s just so much more clumsy and inefficient.
8. Cake Leveler: for truly flat and even layers
Cake levelers are quite handy to have. They are especially nice tool for beginners, but if I’m honest, not an essential tool. Levelers make it easy to trim and tort cakes, but if you’re relatively careful with a knife, you can do without them. I’m just not that great at the knife thing, and the levelers make the task go really quickly…plus, you’re pretty much guaranteed equal layers. Win-win in my book. One word of caution though, I found that the levelers that are made with wire (as opposed to blades) are essentially useless. The wire deforms, warps, and generally doesn’t cut as smoothly as a blade does. You can still find inexpensive ones with blades, just avoid the wire ones.
9. Kitchen Scale: measuring made easy
Most serious bakers already have them, and there’s a range of different types. I started with an inexpensive store brand scale that I got while visiting my in-laws. The more serious I got about cake decorating and baking, I realized that this basic version would not be sufficient for my needs. I got a My Weigh KD8000, and have never regretted my upgrade. Scales mean that your measurements will be consistent bake-to-bake, as volume measurements can vary pretty substantially. It also allows for easier dividing of decorating things like fondant and gumpaste.
10. Acrylic Circles: they’re like a cheat code for frosting!
Okay, so confession time: these are a very new acquisition of mine, but man I wish I’d had them ages ago. In nearly every Facebook group I belong to, the question came up about just how to get those super sharp corners and flat sides. Over and over the answer that came up (other than ages of practice) was acrylic circles. I got a kit from cakesafe.com, which got me pairs of circles in 3 sizes, a scraper, a mini-level, some cardboard cake circles, and some parchment circles. I’ve used these on two different cakes. I am in love. I have not mastered the art of the acrylic circle by any stretch of the imagination, and the difference in my frosting game is already night and day. The smoothness…oh my gosh, the smoothness of the sides!
These are the essential cake tools for beginners, in my opinion. A few are splurges, that perhaps you will find alternatives for, but these are the ones I started my journey with. I hope my list helps you find the tools that work for you. Let me know in the comments if you think I missed any! I’m always looking for things to add to my collection.
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