Icing and Assembling Tools

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Cake Turntable

A rotating plate makes trimming, filling, icing, and decorating effortless.

Serrated or Cake Knife

Use a serrated or cake knife to even out the tops of cakes.

Flat Spatulas, Small and Large

A flat spatula is essential for assembling and decorating cakes. I use them frequently for smoothing icing while filling, crumb-coating, and making final coats on cakes as well as for lifting cakes when stacking them. They come in a variety of sizes.

Bench Scraper

A bench scraper is a multipurpose tool used for smoothing icing on cakes and cleaning off your work surface.

Cake Smoothers

Smoothers are specifically made to smooth out fondant over an iced cake, so you don’t leave finger marks on the clean finish. They are usually sold in pairs and are made of plastic or silicone.

Sewing Pins

Use pins from your sewing box to get air bubbles out of fondant.

Cake Boards

Cake boards are necessary when you’re stacking a cake into tiers or transporting it. I use two types of cake boards: unfinished cardboard rounds for assembling the layered tiers and a finished ½-inch-thick foam core board for a sturdy base. If the sides of your board are unfinished, you can use a hot glue gun to apply a pretty white ribbon around the side.

Straws

Heavy-duty plastic straws are inserted in cake tiers to distribute the weight of the next tier properly. Just make sure to remove them before serving!

Wooden Dowels

You will need a wooden dowel rod, about the circumference of a pencil, to make a tiered cake that is structurally balanced. Inserting it through the center of the tiers helps them to stay in place without shifting. You can find these at your nearest hardware store.