Top 10 Must Have Cake Decorating Tools for Beginners

I have been making cakes for as long as I can remember.  However, I really stepped up my skills when I went to culinary school to become a pastry chef nearly 20 years ago.  Over the years I’ve learned that there are some cake decorating tools that I absolutely could never live without.

I’ve put together a list of the Top 10 Must Have Cake Decorating Tools for Beginners.  I hope this helps you as you begin your adventure into the crazy world of cake decorating.

1. Cake Pans

An absolute MUST.  After all, this is where all the magic happens.  You cannot survive making cakes if you don’t have a really good set of pans.  You need to consider what type cakes you will be making.  Also consider if you’ll be selling cakes to customers and if so, will it be simple party cakes or elaborate wedding cakes.

That being said, no matter what you do, you need to have a good set of round pans.  I recommend a round set of pans that has straight sides and ones that are not slanted.  Cake pans that have a Teflon coating are not ones you’ll usually find in a commercial bakery or in most cake makers’ kitchens. Darker pans tend to bake hotter and can sometimes cause your cakes to get really dark edges. This is why I stick to aluminum or stainless type pans.

Cake pans come in even and odd sizes.  You’ll need to consider what you will be using the cake pans for and who your customer is to determine the right size and shape combination.

The most common cake pan size combinations I use are as follows:

a) 6x9x12

b) 6x8x10x12

c) 6×9

d) 6x9x12x15

f) 6x10x14

If you look at the sizes above, you’ll note that I tend to try and keep the distance between each pan the same so the cake looks symmetrical.  So for instance the cake set up in “a)” above has a 3″ size difference between each, so the cakes will all have a 3″ ledge in case you want to put flowers or something else on the sides.

Do your cake have to be symmetrical? No, you don’t have to have a fully symmetrical cake but this is what I tend to do most of the time.

Other pans that are a must are sheet pans.  These that I am referring to are ones you can make cookies on and other things.  I tend to use 1/2 pan size and on occasion the 1/4 pan size.  Mine are about 1″ depth.  Many bakeries use these type sheet pans and just layer up 3-4 cakes for customer orders.

If you plan on making decorated sheet cakes, I prefer rectangle pans such as the Wilton type.  The 1/2 sheet pan and 1/4 sheet pan sizes are approximately 2″ deep and great for making sheet cakes for parties.

Square pans can be purchased in sets that are usually in even sizes like 6x8x10x12.  I have all these sizes and larger up to 16″ but typically don’t use them.

Muffin pans are another absolute must have.  They come in jumbo size, regular size and mini.  Again it depends on what you’ll be baking but I cannot live without my muffin pans because well….you never know when you want to whip up a batch of cupcakes.

Lastly, there are several different shaped pans available on the market.  I have pans that are shaped like clouds, petals, hexagon, oval, paisley and topsy turvey.   I have to say these are my least used pans but I love them just the same.   Seems most people like round cakes so if you are a beginner, these are not a necessity.  So, while they aren’t a must, these cake shapes were worthy of mentioning.

2.  Turntable

Ok now a good turntable is the next item that I feel like I cannot live without.  I have made cakes without a turntable, but trust me it’s a pain.  Having a good solid turntable is a must for every caker because it lets you decorate the cake while turning it as necessary.  There are lots of turntables out there but make sure you get one that is solid and doesn’t have any wobble to it.  Otherwise it can be hard to notice when your cake is level.

Cake decorator turntables typically come in a 12″ plate size but there are others sizes available.  You can also buy an extender to make the plate size larger when working on bigger cakes.  Just be careful your cake doesn’t get too top heavy for the turntable which can cause it to tip over.  In this instance, it’s best to have one that is lower and not up on a pedestal.

3.  Spatulas

Every cake decorator in the world needs good spatulas to decorate cakes.  I remember when I was a little girl, I used a simple butter-knife to ice cakes, but those day are long gone.  I have all different size spatulas now…in fact, my spatulas have spatulas, LOL.

In all seriousness though, a good spatula is a must.  Some spatulas are firm and some are flexible.  They also come in all kinds of sizes and angles.  Cake decorators use spatulas to lift objects and also to spread buttercream on cakes.  I have a tendency to use my offset spatula the most.  It has an angle to it so I can glide it across the cake without damaging other parts of the already decorated cake.  I have a really long straight one that I use to smooth the top of my cakes.  I also have small spatulas and ones that are tiny for intricate decorating or decorating small cakes.

4.  Stand Mixer

Alright, well we all have probably whipped up a cake or batch of cookies by hand in a bowl.  I used to always use a hand mixer to make cakes.  However, once I realized all my stand mixer could do, it quickly became another item I cannot live without.  Stand mixers are great because they have so many attachments.

I have a Kitchen Aid 6qt stand mixer where the bowl is raised with a handle.   These mixers come with different attachments such as a whip, paddle and dough hook.   The whip attachment is used for whipping up things like egg whites.  The paddle attachment is for making anything in what is called the creaming method.   Paddle attachment is used when making cheesecakes and cookie dough.  The dough hook is used to making bread dough which requires the hook to build gluten in the dough.

5.  Silicone Baking Mats

Silicone baking mats are amazing.  Nothing really sticks to them and you can bake with them in your oven.  These baking mats come in various sizes like 1/4 sheet, 1/2 sheet and full sheet size.  You never want to cut on your silicone baking mats.  So if you are tempted to slice into your baked goods and there is a mat under it, don’t do it.  You will mess up the mat.

Another great thing about these silicone baking mats is you can use them for sugar work, like poured isomalt sugar.  I love my silicone baking mats for piping out French Macaron cookies.

6. Impression Mats and Cake Embossers

If you ever wondered how perfectly straight lines are made on the sides of a cake or impressions that seem perfectly lined up on the side of a cake, an impression mat or cake embosser was probably used.  I recently did a wedding cake where the bride wanted a beautiful diamond pattern on the side of her cake with little pearls at each intersection.  Yes, you could do this by hand but chances are you will not line up the diamond sections perfectly.

Impression mats and cake embossers are super easy to use on buttercream or on fondant.  If you are making a buttercream cake, wait until the buttercream has crusted over and gently press your mat for the embossed impression.  If you are making a fondant cake, press the mat firmly enough to leave the impression on the fondant.

Embossers are super affordable and often times can be found in sets with various patterns.  The exact product I used can be found at the link below.

7.  Piping bags

You can make your own piping bags out of parchment paper if you cut them into triangles.  These also are sold in a pre-cut triangle shape and are great to pipe super fine designs.  Piping bags also come in disposable plastic sleeves which typically come in 12″, 16″ or 18″ sizes.  Ateco, Wilton and a few other companies also sell re-usable piping bags that can be washed and used over and over again.  Truth be told, I tend to use the disposable piping bags which are plastic, so you can wash them with hot soapy water and dry them to be reused.

I’ve seen piping cones made of acetate or celophane, but I can’t say I have used them myself.

8. Decorating/Piping Tips

Wilton and Ateco are probably THE top two companies who make decorating and piping tips.  These tips come in sooooo many shapes, sizes and styles, it’ll blow your mind.  Wilton has a nifty cheat sheet which illustrates what each tip can be used for.  There are also so great new piping tips that have come on the market like the Russian piping tips that are a bit large in size but they pipe multiple flowers in one squeeze of your piping bag.

The decorating tips that I use the most are round and star tips.  Hands down I cannot live with mine.  You can cut the tip of your piping bag to easily mimic a round, star and leaf tip, but the metal piping tips have a cleaner look.

9. Rolling Pin

Rolling pins come in all shapes and sizes.  When I grew up, my Mom had old faithful that was a dusty looking wooden rolling pin with wobbly handles that fell off on occasion.  Fast forward, my assortment of rolling pins vary.  My absolute favorite is a large aluminum one that I picked up from a restaurant supply store.  It has the perfect weight that’s not too heavy but gives me even pressure when rolling out fondant.  I also have silicone covered rolling pins.

10. Cookie Cutters

Cookie cutters are a must have and they come in so many shapes.  If possible it’s best to keep cookie cutters organized in bins that are marked by occasion or holiday.  I have to confess I have more cookie cutters than I’ll probably ever need.   I’m always finding really cool shapes and can’t help but pick up new ones I don’t have.  The most recent cookie cutters I picked up where in Maine and of course they are of a lobster and a lighthouse.  My favorite cookie cutters, however, are Wonder Woman set and my Mickey Mouse set.

You never know what occasion will arise when you need a special cutter.  So as long as you keep them organized, it will help you maintain your sanity when looking for the perfect cutter.

So, these were my Top 10 Must Have Cake Decorating Tools for Beginners.  If you have any questions and need help, feel free to leave a comment.