![vegan vanilla buttercream recipe by sugar and sparrow](jpg/vegan-vanilla-buttercream-recipe-header-750x1030.jpg)
The right tool can be the difference between a cake and a caketastrophe.
All of the caking tools I’ve come to love over the years and use on the daily. Whether you’re brand new to cake baking or a seasoned pro, you’ll find something on this page to help on your journey.
Visit the Amazon Store
I’ve set up an Amazon Store that collects all my favorite tools in an up-to-date storefront.
Tool Section Shortcuts
Baking tools
![A 5-Quart Kitchenaid Mixer sits on a white background.](jpg/red-kitchenaid.jpg)
5-Quart KitchenAid Mixer
The perfect all-purpose stand mixer for whipping up layer cakes, cupcakes, and up to three batches of buttercream.
![A 6-Quart-KitchenAid mixer sits on a white background.](jpg/6-quart-kitchenaid.jpg)
6-Quart KitchenAid Mixer
The perfect large batch stand mixer for whipping up layer cakes, cupcakes, and up to six batches of buttercream.
![A white KitchenAid paddle attachment sits on a white background.](jpg/paddle-attachment.jpg)
KitchenAid Paddle Attachment
The ideal attachment for mixing cakes, cupcakes, and buttercream – it incorporates the least amount of air, making your cakes fluffier and your buttercream smoother.
![A stack of three 4-inch cake pans sits next to a single one stood up on its edge](jpg/4-inch-cake-pans.jpg)
4-inch Cake Pans
A set of four baby cake pans that have a removable bottom for easy release! The sides are straight as well (hard to find with smaller cake pans), which helps you bake straighter cake layers. The perfect size for smash cakes and small servings.
![Two 6-inch cake pans sit on a white background.](jpg/6-inch-cake-pans.jpg)
6-inch Cake Pans
The most popular size for party cakes, as three layers will serve up to 18. I recommend having at least three of these pans for baking all your layers at once.
![8-inch cake pans sit on a white background.](jpg/8-inch-cake-pans.jpg)
8-inch Cake Pans
Perfect for adding a bottom tier to your 6-inch cake, or having a slightly larger party cake. I recommend having at least three of these pans for baking all your layers at once. A three layer cake in this size serves up to 30.
![A 24-cup muffin pan sits on a white background.](jpg/24-cupcake-sheet.jpg)
24-cup Muffin Pan
A great pan for baking two dozen cupcakes at once, which is a life saver if you’re making larger batches!
![](jpg/cake-leveler.jpg)
Wilton Cake Leveler
The easiest way to get perfectly torted cake layers. There’s an easily adjustable wire to ensure that you get the right height for your layer, and it’ll slide through your cake like butter to create amazingly level layers in seconds. Beats torting with a knife any day!
Decorating tools
![A 13-inch angled icing spatula sits on a white background.](jpg/angled-icing-spatula.jpg)
13-inch Angled Spatula
My go-to icing spatula for applying buttercream to cakes and smoothing the top.
![](jpg/cake-leveler.jpg)
Wilton Cake Leveler
The easiest way to get perfectly torted cake layers. There’s an easily adjustable wire to ensure that you get the right height for your layer, and it’ll slide through your cake like butter to create amazingly level layers in seconds. Beats torting with a knife any day!
![A 13-inch angled icing spatula sits on a white background.](jpg/angled-icing-spatula.jpg)
13-inch Angled Spatula
My go-to icing spatula for applying buttercream to cakes and smoothing the top.
![A 6-inch metal bench scraper sits on a white background.](jpg/bench-scraper.jpg)
6-inch Bench Scraper
My go-to for getting ultra smooth sides on buttercream cakes. Since it’s made of stainless steel, it’s easy to heat up if you need to smooth out wrinkles and creases.
![A small white culinary torch sits on a white background.](jpg/culinart-torch.jpg)
Culinary Torch
A must for torching meringue, toasting creme bruleè, and anything that requires a bit of fire.
![A white Wilton turntable with lime green accents sits on a white background.](jpg/wilton-turntable.jpg)
Wilton Turntable
The turntable I started with in the beginning of my cake making journey, and it still holds up after eight years and counting. There’s a built-in non-slip pad to keep your cake steady, and although it’s the cheapest cake turntable you’ll find, it’s great quality.
![A white Ateco turntable sits on a white backround.](jpg/ateco-turntable.jpg)
Ateco Turntable
The smoothest cake turntable I own, and also the prettiest. Comes with a non-slip pad to place under your cakes and made from high quality materials (cast iron and steel) in a design that’s beautiful enough to display your cakes!
Piping tools
![A stack of disposable piping bags sits on a white background.](jpg/disposable-piping-bags.jpg)
Disposable Piping Bags
A pack of 100 disposable piping bags for those times you need twenty different colors of buttercream or royal icing. They fit quite a bit of buttercream at 12 inches long, and can easily be trimmed to create smaller piping bags.
![](jpg/reusable-piping-bags.jpg)
Reusable Piping Bag
The more environmentally friendly approach to piping. These reusable bags are completely washable and last for years.
![A metal Wilton icing tip (number 104) sits on a white background.](jpg/wilton-tip-104.jpg)
Wilton Tip 104 (Petal Tip)
My go-to tip for creating a huge variety of buttercream flowers that look realistic.
![Wilton icing tip 4B sits on a white backround.](jpg/wilton-tip-4b.jpg)
Wilton Tip 352 (Leaf Tip)
My go-to tip for piping leaves to accent buttercream flowers and succulents.
![A metal Wilton icing tip (number 104) sits on a white background.](jpg/wilton-tip-104.jpg)
Wilton Tip 104 (Petal Tip)
My go-to tip for creating a huge variety of buttercream flowers that look realistic.
![](jpg/wilton-tip-352.jpg)
Wilton Tip 352 (Leaf Tip)
My go-to tip for piping leaves to accent buttercream flowers and succulents.
![A metal Wilton icing tip (number 3) sits on a white background.](jpg/wilton-tip-3.jpg)
Wilton Tip 3 (Tiny Round)
The perfect sized tip for piping the centers of buttercream flowers, tiny dots, or for writing with buttercream and royal icing.
![A metal icing tip (Wilton Tip 1A) sits on a white background.](jpg/wilton-tip-1a.jpg)
Wilton Tip 1A
A great size open circle for piping swirls on cupcakes, large dots, and borders on cakes.
Photography tools
Looking for the perfect tools to capture your baking or other recipes? I searched high and low to find the best combo that was affordable and wouldn’t break the bank. These are the tools I use to capture all of the photos you see on my blog!
![A Canon T7i body sits on a white backround.](jpg/canon-7ti-body-only.jpg)
Canon T7i Body
Switching from iPhone to a DSLR camera has grown my food photography tremendously! This is the perfect (affordable!) beginner camera with a low learning curve that takes incredible photos with ease. There’s a flip out screen with touch focus capability, and also films videos in 1080p.
This kit gives you the best bang for your buck and comes with tons of goodies: a tripod, camera bag, handheld shutter button, camera strap, memory cards, and more!
![A Canon 50mm lens sits on a white background.](jpg/50mm-lens.jpg)
Canon 50mm Lens
The ideal lens for food photography and portraits. I researched lenses a TON and this was the one recommended across the board. The nifty fifty.