As a published baking cookbook author, I’ve tested MANY baking tools. And I’m happy to recommend my absolute must-haves to fellow home bakers. This list is a great place to start if you are a beginner baker, creating a registry, or shopping for a gift for someone who likes to bake (or wants to learn). These essential cake baking and decorating tools will make your home baking… a piece of cake!
Since 2011, I’ve developed and published more than 150 cake recipes on my website, in addition to cake recipes in my cookbooks. Testing, photographing, and filming video tutorials means that I make multiple cakes for every new recipe. I’ve made… a LOT of cakes!
From evergreen classics like chocolate cake, confetti cake, and white cake, to reader favorites like lemon blueberry cake, carrot cake, and red velvet cake… I’ve even done a tutorial for a homemade wedding cake!
With all of this practice (including recipe fails!), I’ve learned which cake baking tools are the BEST in my home kitchen. I like to avoid overloading my cabinets with unnecessary gadgets, so this list includes the top essentials. I’m not working with any of these brands; these cake baking tools are simply the items I own, love, and recommend.
See my 10 Cake Baking Tips for Perfect Cakes page, too.
Stock Your Kitchen With These 10 Cake Baking & Decorating Tools
All of the cake baking tools in this list are items I own. I list 10 here, but some include more than 1 item. Use your best judgment on which items you would use based on my descriptions. None of this post is sponsored—truly just items I love and am happy to recommend to fellow home bakers. A lot of these links are affiliate links.
1. ROUND CAKE PANS
What I own and love: Fat Daddio’s 9-Inch Cake Pan or Fat Daddio’s 8-Inch Cake Pan.
Quantity recommended: 3
I began using these pans in 2018 to bake layer cakes and immediately fell in love. They’re great quality for the price! I recommend owning 3. It’s best to bake cake batter all at once, and if you own only 2 round cake pans, you have to wait to bake that final layer if you’re making a 3-layer cake.
Tip: Purchase 2-inch-deep cake pans or those labeled “deep dish” style—some round pans are only 1.5 inches high, and you could end up with batter spilling over.
2. QUARTER SHEET PAN & HALF SHEET PAN
What I own and love: Nordic Ware Half Sheet Pan & Pyrex 3-Quart Glass Baking Dish.
Quantity recommended: at least 1 of each size
Half sheet and quarter sheet pans are some of the most versatile and useful pans a baker can have. Both of these brands are excellent quality and have stood up to very frequent use.
The 12×17-inch size of a half sheet pan (aka a jelly roll pan) is the perfect size for baking roll cakes, like this chocolate cake roll. I also use half sheet pans for baking cookies, scones, vegetables, potatoes, fish, meat, croissants, pastries, breads, pouring out toffee or chocolate bark, and so much more.
The 9×13-inch rectangular baking pan (aka quarter sheet pan) is just the right size for a one-layer cake, like this banana cake. It holds about 3 quarts and can be used for everything from homemade brownies to lasagna, vanilla sheet cake, casseroles, overnight cinnamon rolls, rice krispie treats, and more. I prefer glass because it heats slowly, and gradual heat is perfect to evenly cook a big cake.
3. PARCHMENT PAPER ROUNDS
What I own and love: Comfylife Parchment Paper Sheets.
No matter what size or brand cake pan you use, make sure you prepare it appropriately before you pour your cake batter into the pan. These days I ALWAYS use parchment paper rounds.
Here’s how:
- Trace the bottom of the cake pans(s) on a large piece of parchment paper. Cut out the parchment circle(s). Then, very lightly grease the cake pans with butter or nonstick spray. I usually use coconut oil nonstick spray or “baking spray,” which has a little flour in it. Place the parchment round inside, then grease the parchment round too. Yes, grease the pan AND the parchment. This promises an ultra-nonstick environment for your cake.
- When the cake has cooled, run a thin knife around the edge, invert the cake onto your hand or work surface, then pull off the cake pan. Peel off the parchment round from the bottom of the cake.
If it’s helpful, see this parchment paper rounds for cakes video & post for a full tutorial.
4. ELECTRIC MIXER
What I own and love: KitchenAid Tilt-Head Stand Mixer or KitchenAid 5-Speed Hand Mixer.
Quantity recommended: 1
An electric mixer is a must if you bake a lot. I use my hand mixer more than my stand mixer. If you want both, definitely get both. When I’m working with an enormous amount of dough/batter or making something that requires several minutes of mixing (e.g., fudge, dough, meringue), a stand mixer is key.
For beginner bakers, a hand mixer is perfect. More affordable, fantastic quality, and works wonderfully for mixing together cake batter.
5. DIGITAL FOOD SCALE
What I own and love: OXO Good Grips Stainless Steel Food Scale.
Quantity recommended: 1
For more accurate measuring, definitely pick up a food scale. This OXO food scale is the one I use. A gram is always a gram. An ounce is always an ounce. A cup is NOT always a cup, and therefore weighing is the most accurate way to measure. My team and I include weight measurements in all my recipes.
A kitchen scale is also useful for making layer cakes. I often weigh the pans when I’m adding the batter to them, to make sure I’m getting about the same amount of batter in both/all of the cake pans, assuring the layers will be uniform and bake evenly. (This only works if you’re using a set of the same cake pan since they all weigh the same.)
6. SIFTER/FINE MESH SIEVE
What I own and love: Cuisinart Sieve.
Quantity recommended: 1 set
Sifting dry ingredients is often a step in many cake recipes… and it’s just as often overlooked or skipped. That step is not just for fun or to make your life difficult—it aerates the ingredients and rids any lumps so your recipe turns out! You can’t make angel food cake, French macarons, vanilla sheet cake, or this cake flour substitute without one. You also use a sieve to dust treats with confectioners’ sugar or cocoa powder, such as star bread and tiramisu, and even to strain seeds/lumps out of raspberry sauce and pastry cream for Boston cream pie.
This set conveniently has 3 different sizes with nice long handles. They’re easy to clean (just use soapy water and rinse off) and have lasted me years. I consider a sifter/sieve a crucial kitchen tool and even recommend them in this list of 14 Best Baking Tools Every Baker Needs.
7. ICING SPATULAS
What I own and love: Ateco 8-Inch Straight Spatula, 4.5-Inch Straight Spatula, & 4.5-Inch Offset Spatula.
Quantity recommended: 1 of each, but that depends on the type of decorating you do
I use a large straight icing spatula for decorating large layer cakes like this chocolate peanut butter cake. A small straight spatula is handy for running around the edges of a cake to remove it from the pan or to spread frosting on a smaller cake. And I prefer using a small offset spatula to decorate sheet cakes that are served inside the pan.
8. CAKE TURNTABLE OR CAKE STAND
What I own and love: Revolving Cake Turntable Stand and Marble Cake Stand.
Quantity recommended: 1
I’m not a cake decorating pro; I tend to stick with basic techniques for finishing off my cakes. A cake turntable can be helpful when you’re frosting a layer cake. If you don’t want to serve the cake on the cake turner, you can carefully lift the cake off of the cake turntable onto a serving plate or cake stand, with the help of a couple thin flat spatulas and a friend.
9. BENCH SCRAPER
What I own and love: Ateco Bench Scraper.
Quantity recommended: 1
A bench scraper is super handy for smoothing out the icing around the sides of a layer cake. If you’ve never used one before, you can watch me use it in my vanilla cake video (and you can see that I don’t even use a cake turntable there, I just use the marble cake stand linked in #8 above). This bench scraper works for any size cake.
10. CAKE CARRIER
What I own and love: Sterilite Cake Server or XL Cake Carrier.
Quantity recommended: 1
Honestly, this should be #1 on today’s list. Cake carriers are an absolute lifesaver for storing and transporting cakes. Have you ever needed to refrigerate a layer cake, but covering it with aluminum foil or plastic wrap completely ruins the icing? Store it in a cake carrier! Have you ever needed to travel with a decorated layer cake? Use a cake carrier! I even put pies in this thing.
I recommend this cupcake carrier for storing and transporting frosted cupcakes, too. And not just cupcakes/muffins—this carrier is also excellent for transporting 9×13-inch cakes, round pies, cookies, and more.
Worth their weight in gold!
Even More Cake Baking Tools & Tips
Baking cakes can feel intimidating because they’re usually for a special event or occasion… and the pressure is on! Let me help take the fear out of cake baking. Here are my top cake baking tips:
Additional Helpful Posts:
More Baking Tool Recommendations
- 14 Best Baking Tools Every Baker Needs
- 10 Best Pie Baking Tools
- Favorite Candy-Making Tools
- 10 Best Cookie Baking Tools
- 8 Best Baking Pans
- Top Recommended Cookie Decorating Supplies
- 100+ Gifts for Bakers
I love this recipe so much. I am just a beginner so I think you may help me with more techniques for baking and decorating cakes.
How do I know how long and at what temperature I should bake a banana bread that calls for a 9 x 5 loaf pan when I would rather make this into 2 smaller loaves?
Hi EJ, you can bake the banana bread at the same temperature, but the bake time will be shorter and depend on the exact size of your smaller loaf pans. Keep a close eye on them and use a toothpick to test for doneness.
The cake turntable just added to my Christmas list. But no fair posting the photo of that amazing chocolate cake and not linking the recipe! I guess i can search 🙂
Hi Mary Louise, that’s our beloved black forest cake!
Thank you for all your terrific suggestions on Best Baking Tools and more. My kitchen is well stocked but I have just some you suggested, particularly for cake decorating – the decorating bags and all the decorating tips. Can you recommend a “coupler” to use with the tips?
With baking thanks,
Hi Sally, these like and use these couplers: http://amzn.to/2ysW7J3 Hope this helps!
Thank you Lexi.
For some reason I wasn’t able to use the coupler information you sent me.
Would you mind resending it, perhaps in a different format.
With thanks,
Sally W
oops another question- what is the plastic wrap that you use ? i am fed up with the supermarket kind which is thin and difficult to use. Thanks
We often use the Glad brand of plastic wrap or, especially when freezing baked goods, we like to use the Glad Press and Seal wrap because that’s what is most available in our local stores. But we have certainly used many different brands before.
Good morning. I have a question about the Kitchen Aid mixer that I see Sally and other chefs using on their videos. I have a 5qt Kitchen Aid that I have been using for years. Now it is beginning to shake and move when I attempt a heavy batter or bread. I see that Sally is using a mixer with a glass bowl, which I would prefer because it looks to be larger and can hold dough for breads, etc. She recommends another one here, but not the one I see her using with the glass bowl. Since I will be spending a lot on a new mixer and bake often I would like to know which model she uses in her demo videos.
Hi Aline, All of our recipes are made using the 5 Quart Tilt Head Mixer that is linked here. We have a few in different colors which is why they make look different in different recipe videos. And we do like to demonstrate many of our recipes using a glass bowl instead of the metal, so that it’s easier for viewers to really see what’s happening inside.
Love this site, it’s my go to! One thing though, I got the 9×13 baking pan that you recommend. I have to say I don’t love the corrugated surface — one example, my favorite lemon squares resist coming out neatly. Can you recommend a flat surface 9×13 as a second choice? Thanks —
Hi Susan! We also love the Nordic ware 9×13 pan linked in this baking pans post – even more favorites are linked there (including a glass option that we usually recommend for making lemon desserts).
Cake Slices – any tips on sharing/gifting cakes slices from a round layer cake that look presentable ? Everyone loves cakes but don’t necessarily need an entire cake. Thank you!
Hi there
Emailing from Australia & enjoying your site & cooking tips. What are your cup and spoon sizes in grams/ mls in your recipes eg sponge cake I presume these are US sizes which I understand differ from Australian measurements?
Thanks
Hi Sally,
I’m new to cake decorating and I’m wondering if you use cake boards in your layer cakes, or do you assemble and frost your cakes on the cake stand?
And if I’m using cake boards, will the cake still look pretty?
Thank you so much!
Hi Debbie! We usually assemble the cake on the cake stand, but some bakers prefer to use cake boards – either way works. If you use a cake board the same size of your cakes, you won’t be able to see it when decorated – transferring it is a little tricky this way but can definitely be done!
Is there a difference between marble & wooden rolling pins?
My daughter & I love baking your recipes!!
Hi Gina, It’s really personal preference. We use a wooden rolling pin for just about everything! They are a bit lighter weight and easier to handle. A marble rolling pin is much heavier but a beautiful addition to your kitchen and can be chilled if you are working with very delicate colder doughs often.
Thank you for the recommendations. While I love vintage cake stands/carriers, my favorite has a collapsible lid and stacking trays for carrying g cupcakes!
Since finding your website I am a convert to weighing ingredients instead of using measuring cups. A trick I learned is to put my scale in a zippered bag. It is so easy just to wipe off the bag which keeps the scale immaculate as well as cutting down on dish washing.
That is genius!
Love that tip!!
Thinking “inside of the bag”!
The parchment paper rounds would be so helpful! I am happy to say I have almost all of these, so maybe I should get to baking!!
You are well stocked! I really do love using parchment paper rounds and I’m going to throw together a video tutorial about them. Helps round cakes release so easily!
Loved, as always, what you have to share! Would you mind if I share some of this advice, of course saying it comes from you in my Argentinian Instagram page? Belquis Sara Marina Garcia Estrada @theglutenfreeveganbakery
Absolutely, thank you for sharing my list!