When it comes to decorating cakes and pastries, you will find that there are hundreds of tools for you to choose from in the market. The sheer number of options that you have can very well tempt you to buy more than what you can actually use. If you are a beginner in the realm of baking and cake decorating, it might be a good idea to purchase what is essential first then slowly add to your collection as you gain experience.
The basic cake decorating tools you need to start making your cakes, cookies, and other baked goodies look amazing include the following:
Cake Turntable – also called a Lazy Susan, this particular tool helps you turn your cake around easily while you decorate it. This is essentially one of the most helpful tools you can find when it comes to decorating your cakes since it allows you to evenly distribute the icing as well as pipe frosting around your cake in a uniform pattern. Trying to decorate your cake without this tool can be one of the most frustrating and irritating things you can choose to do.
Piping Bags and Tips – some people usually choose to start with only one bag and around 5 tips for their cake decorating needs, but majority have found that having at least 3 bags and around 10 to 20 tips at their disposal helps them create more alluring and enticing cakes and cookies. You should start with at least two bags and piping tips in round, leaf, and star shapes, if you are thinking of starting slow. Slowly add in the other tips and a few more bags as you go along. There are some deals on tips with bags and tip holders however that you might want to take advantage of, so try to check those out.
Bench scrapers and offset spatulas – these are essential for applying icing evenly on your cakes with. Most beginners, when it comes to icing cakes, seldom go for fondant and gumpaste cake decorating, so what you should focus on are tools used with various types of frosting. The offset spatula is used to apply the crumb coating on your cake as well as to apply the first thin layer of icing on it. Bench scrapers, on the other hand, are used to apply as well as smooth the final layer of icing on your cakes.
Mixer (stand or hand-held) – almost, if not all, types of icing or frosting requires a generous amount of beating to make these frothy and foamy. Doing this by hand is acceptable but can be very tiring, not to mention would take too long. A good mixer is an investment when it comes to baking, since it can be used for more than just making icing.
