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Ever dreamed of intricately decorating cakes like an expert? Here’s a secret…
You’ll need the following cake decorating supplies.
Do you, like me, find it practically impossible not to stare at the the beautiful cake on display in the bakery window?
A passion for such delicacies can make us want to create such works of art.
But can also leave us wondering if we could ever achieve the level of expertise in front of us.
Here’s the deal: It can be done.
Yes, you can achieve beautiful looking results from your cake decoration.
When you’re a complete beginner you are bound to have a few mishaps, like a child painting for the first time. But relax, practice, gain experience and you will see your creations transform, rivaling those cakes you love from the bakeries.
The secret:
Find the techniques and tools you feel comfortable with, and experiment for yourself.
The more relaxed and confident you feel the more beautiful your results, even when using the most basic of techniques. Your creativity begins to shine through as you develop your skills.
And in this post we will explore some fantastic tricks and tools to help you.
Many of the secrets to professionally decorated cakes are exposed below, taking the guesswork out and making it so much easier for you to get those results.
First Essential Ingredient
First ingredient you will need:
The right cake decorating tools and supplies …
(To develop advanced skills you may need to take some training classes too but for now let’s focus on the supplies)
Where Can I Buy My Cake Decorating Supplies?
Like a kid in a sweetshop you can get wonderfully lost in the specialist shops with endless, glorious supplies for pastry and cake decorating.
You can also buy them in our online shop here.
What are your favorites? Let me know in the comments box below.
My essentials list for beginners is:
- Pastry bags
- Basic set of decorating tips
- Offset spatula
- Food coloring
- Turntable stand for the cake
This list covers the basics for getting started.
But…
As you develop your techniques and own unique style you will undoubtedly find other tools and supplies you want to work with and add to your kit.
There is a huge array of cake decorating tools which will help you create wonderful, professional and uniquely decorated cakes.
And here are some of my favorites:
Cake Tins & Bakeware
Cake design starts way before the cake has ever been baked.
Advanced planning is key to success especially when working within a theme.
Cake tins and bakeware come in many different shapes and sizes. Some pans come with gorgeous designs and shapes like the nordic bundt pans.
With such variety all manner of cakes can be created very easily and effectively.
Cakes shaped as hearts, stars, squares, semi-circles, and more.
But also…
Impressively presented tiered cakes.
And for a perfect trick to instantly wow your friends and family:
Bake a beautifully shaped cake, and simply add a few elements from this post to complement the design, maybe some figures or shapes as patterns.
Hey presto: a delicious, beautifully presented cake made by you.
Cake Leveler
Ever wondered how to get that perfectly level cake surface?
The cake-leveller: a ‘must have’ for creating the smooth surface and also in the creation of multi-layered cakes.
It does just what it says…
It will help you very easily trim the top off your cake so that you are left with a perfectly flat, level surface.
Want thin slices of cake to layer with icing for a delicate multi-layered cake?
This is the tool for you.
Simple, easy to use and creates a highly professional look.
Spray-N-Seal Crumb Sealing Spray
No time to pre-ice your cake?
No problem.
Spray-N-Seal Crumb Sealing Spray is an awesome time saver. With no flavor, you simply spray the cake to keep those crumbs sealed in, creating once again a smooth surface to help you achieve top decorative presentation.
This can be a real asset because preparing the surface you have to work with is key to the finished look.
Icing Smoother
This wonderful and easy-to-use tool will help you create the smooth sides and top to a buttercream or frosted cake that bakeries demand.
Food Coloring
Food coloring comes in many versions: gel paste, liquid gel, and powdered.
Choosing the perfect base color, and combinations will definitely help you to get the most of your cake decoration design.
Some brands supply color combination charts to assist you.
There are also online tutorials to teach you about all aspects of food colorings, their properties and how to apply them.
I particularly like this one: A Guide to Food Coloring Types and How to Use Them.
Cake Turntable Stand
Image from amazon.com
Now I consider this an essential piece of your cake decorating kit.
A turntable will give you a consistent position to expertly decorate your cake from:
Rotate the cake, rather than yourself, just like the professionals.
Cake Offset or Angled Spatula
Spatulas come in different, shapes, sizes, and angles. Use them to spread the icing over the cakes.
Roll-N-Cut Mat
Image from amazon.com
Working with fondant is a delicate process.
The Roll-N-Cut mat allows you to work the fondant while maintaining its pristine appearance: roll it, measure it, cut it.
It also helps with those even more intricate tasks like cutting small decoration pieces.
Dusting Pouches
Image from amazon.com
Working from a mess-reduction mindset:
I love these pouches.
When you work with fondant, it is essential to dust the surface with caster sugar to prevent the rolling pin from sticking.
But it is messy!
Dusting Pouches can help to reduce this mess.
And while Wilton has discontinued this product, I am delighted to say it is still available from amazon.com.
Fondant Roller
These non-sticky fondant rollers help you roll out the fondant icing evenly with perfect thickness. They come in different sizes to suit your requirements.
Smoothers & Edgers
Image from wilton.com
Smooth fondant icing is an artform:
And it is absolutely key for the professional finish.
But what a sense of achievement when you get it right.
One of the most challenging steps in cake decoration can become way easier with the right tool: a smoother tool.
Again: remember to relax, practice and have patience with yourself while you develop the skill.
This tool can also be used on swiss meringue buttercream.
Let me know in the comments below if you have any tips or different uses for a fondant smoother.
I love to hear new and different ideas.
Fondant Trimmer
This tool is used for trimming excess fondant from the base of the cake.
Are you a perfectionist? Then you need this!
Cake Marker
With the cake marker it becomes much simpler to find the center of your cake.
It can also be used to mark the sides perfectly, creating guidelines to help you to place your decorations accurately, and evenly.
Cake Decorating Brushes
When shopping for brushes try to find a set that will give you different brush sizes.
These are absolutely ideal if you have a flare for drawing.
Simply use food coloring and apply unique, bespoke hand-drawn designs to your cakes.
Cutters And Fondant Modeling Tools
The possibilities here are absolutely endless.
Create the shapes you want from fondant, sugarcraft, gum paste or marzipan, and then apply them to your cake.
Take creativity to the max!
Fondant and Gum Paste Cake Tool
These are tools for modeling fondant and gum paste.
Get inspired and create beautiful, elegant flowers, leaves and so much more.
To learn how to use this tool to make flowers, watch this helpful tutorial: How to use the new Wilton modeling toolset for Gum Paste and Fondant flower making.
Water Brush
When working with fondant or gum paste, water is used to attach the decoration pieces to the covered cake.
This water brush makes it an easy and accurate process.
Gum Paste Wire and Tape
Leaves and flowers created with gum-paste, can be secured to the cake using this wire. Wrap the wire with the florist tape for the perfect and professional finish.
Gum Paste Flowers Drying Rack
The drying rack is another helpful tool for your cake decoration kit. It helps to keep your working space organized, optimized and professional.
And it also helps to protect your work.
After creating your delicate flowers, you need to take special care of them while they dry.
The drying rack allows you to hang your wired flowers and leaves upside down. They can dry while maintaining their shape and without becoming marked in any way.
Fondant Imprint Mat
Here’s a really neat trick:
Simply imprint your fondant with a beautiful pattern.
Perfect for when you are in a hurry but don’t want to skimp on the appearance of your cake.
Add some elements to complement the texture, like ribbons, pearls, if you want to. Or go for the minimalist, pretty look.
You can also find rollers which do the same thing.
Pastry Bags, Piping Bags or Decorating Bags
These bags can be found in the supermarket.
Depending on your preferences choose between the reusable or disposable bags.
Note: reusable ones come with a basic set of tips.
Piping Tips (or tubes)
A cake decorating supplies list would not be complete without a basic set of tips for your pastry bag.
If you are going to invest in a big set of tips I recommend buying ones that come with numbers engraved. This enables you to search online for tutorials showing you what each number can do.
Practice creating your own shapes, taking pictures and writing down the numbers: create your own archive.
Here is a list of online videos for different cake decorating techniques to get you started:
- How to Make Fleurs-de-Lis
- How to Make Garlands
- How to Make Star Flowers
- How to Make a Basket Weave
- How to Make a Reverse Shell Border
- How to Make Rosettes
Bag Cutter and Brush Set
Having invested in your decorating tips, they now need taking care of.
Cleaning them can be tricky because if the intricate cut-out shapes. This brush set makes it easier to remove all residue of left-behind icing.
Decorating Bag Holder
I love this!
If you are decorating your cake with many different colors, it can be messy and impractical to have all those bags lying around.
But this bag holder helps keep everything in order.
Handheld Steamer
Here we have a final and luxury item for your cake decorating supplies list.
This is a finishing tool which you can use when working with fondant or gum paste.
Use it to help set the colors, clean excess caster sugar from the cake surface, and so much more: See below for tips from Bake Boss
Steaming tips:
- Steam parts of the cake that require a shiny, lustrous appearance – perfect for fondant!
- Steaming wafer paper can help you to shape and mold delicate flowers or edible decorations.
- For additional shine, add some luster dust to the fondant before steaming. Luster dust is an edible powder that adds shine to a variety of food products.
- Using luster dust on your cakes will help them look more realistic, and steaming ‘sets’ the dust and prevents it from rubbing off
- As the steam makes the fondant wet, it will become sticky. Avoid touching the fondant/decorations for several minutes while it dries.
- Use a steamer to remove corn flour or icing sugar stains on fondant.
Have Fun
From the short list for beginners at the start of this post we have explored so many other delights, and tricks, in the cake decorating supplies world.
My advice:
Enjoy, practice and most of all, have fun creating and developing your skills.
I love the tools included because they can help everyone create a more professional and delicious appearance to their cakes.
Get ready to wow your friends and family.
And let us know in the comments below which tools you love and have been most useful in creating beautiful (or fun) results.
Test and get FREE cake decorating supplies that will help you make jaw dropping cakes while saving time Click here to learn more now
