Let’s Start With The Basics
Hello Bakers! We all find Cake4Kids for many different reasons. In my opinion, one of the best side effects of baking for the youth is increasing your baking and decorating skills! I came to Cake4Kids in 2011, never really having made decorated cakes or cookies, but I knew I was a good baker and made tasty treats. It’s so much fun to look at the progression of cakes I’ve made over the years, enough so that I have my own custom bakery now!
As the holidays are approaching, I thought I’d create a list of my favorite tools or must-haves to create cakes for our youth. You may find yourself putting some of these on your own wish list!
Cake Pans
Starting with the basics, to have your cake layers come out great, quality pans are essential. I recommend Fat Daddio’s or other heavy-duty aluminum pans. Skip the nonstick, and don’t put them in the dishwasher, please! Along with pans, parchment paper is a must. I always line my pans with parchment circles, use it on sheet pans, and cover my counter with parchment to keep it clean while decorating.
Decorating Tools
My first decorating essential is a heavy turntable. I started out with the white plastic Wilton turntable but was gifted a much heavier Ateco 12” cast iron turn table. I still use the lightweight turntables for teaching class, reminding myself of how much more stable, and therefore easier, it is to use the cast iron turntable, as it doesn’t slide around and turns smoothly. If your turntable doesn’t come with a nonslip mat or surface, cut yourself a square of shelf liner or purchase a silicone cake turntable mat to keep your cake board in place.
To smooth out buttercream, you need both large and small offset spatulas. Get in the habit of using the larger size for everything – it is easier (and faster!) and smooths better than the small size. I started out using only the small size, thinking I had more control, but once I switched, I’ve never gone back. I still use the small size for filling in smaller areas and painting with buttercream. Once you’ve got your buttercream on the cake, you’ll need a bench scraper or frosting scraper with sharp corners (90 degrees, no rounded edges) to smooth your crumb coat, and then each coat of buttercream thereafter.
To create some basic cake designs, you don’t need a ton of piping tips. I recommend the following, along with 12” piping bags:
· Round #3 – for writing
· Round #12 – piping borders, pearls, etc.
· Large tips #1M, 2D – piping swirls, borders, roses, etc.
· Large grass tip (Ateco) – piping grass, fur, borders, etc.
I have no loyalty to piping bags, lately, I find the Wilton brand is just too thick. I often buy Riccle from Amazon.
Packaging
Lastly, to make sure your cake arrives in perfect condition, I recommend using sturdy cake boards. I only use 12” round ½” thick cake drums, as they can take the weight of an 8” or 9” round, 4-5” tall take, filling and buttercream. The thinner, cardboard rounds can bend under the weight, which can make cold buttercream crack! And the 12” cake board gives you plenty of room for piping borders and, if necessary, putting the celebratory message on the cake board. Another fun decorating option with the cake drum is gluing a coordinating ribbon on the edge of the board for added color. Then of course you are going to pair your 12” cake board with a sturdy 12” cake box.
Do you have other favorite tools? Drop me a line at robin@cake4kids.org and I can update everyone in future newsletters and our Facebook Groups! Stay tuned for cupcake and cookie decorating lists, too, as well as recipe and decorating tips.
- Robin, aka The Cake Robin
