10 Amazing Gifts for a Cake Decorator

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Every year, I find myself thinking about what to get for myself as a Christmas gift!!
Last year, my husband got me my Dinky Doodle Airbrush. Five years ago, he got me my subscription to Paul Bradford’s Online School. Four years ago, he got me my K-Mix.

These were of course what I requested instead of jewelry. I LOVE jewelry and he knows it’s the key to my heart. But, as a new cake decorator, I found that cake decorating tools have become my priority……. Ah well, they still are.

I think it’s a great time to think of what you want to give a friend or loved one for Christmas. I’m a big fan of books. So, often I will send my cake decorating friends some books or even cake toys, like lace mats or molds.

Here’s a list of just 10 things I can think of that every cake decorator or cake enthusiast would love.

10 Amazing Gifts for a Cake Decorator (Save/Pin)

1. Cake Mixer

Now, if you have a cake person in your life – this is a mus-have!! I cannot say enough what a time saver it is. It makes life so much easier. I don’t think I can live without my K-Mix or my Food Processor. They were both gifts that I got from my husband over the years. I like making life simple in the kitchen and cake room.

I have the Kenwood K-mix, and yet the Kitchen Aid is also a very popular brand among cake decorators. Heck, the cake mixer is so important I have a whole post on it explaining what you should look for when buying one. Read here The best stand mixer for a home baker.

2. The GIFT of Education!

A Subscription to a School or a Video Tutorial. The most valuable gift, I think?

Often among friends, we gift each other video tutorials as birthday or Christmas gifts. Five years ago, my husband gave me this as a Christmas gift – A Subscription to Paul Bradford’s online school. And today, I am a member of Paul Bradford’s School, Yeners Way Cake Art School, SugarEd Productions, Avalon Cake School, and yes, I do have close to 100 tutorials on Craftsy. Honestly, each and everyone is worth it. I have learned SO MUCH!! It has taken my cake decorating skills to where I am today. To me, the money spent on education is worth every penny. Nowadays, there are many online schools that offer a lot of options.

The three schools that I always go-to for anything cake are:

• Paul Bradford online Sugar Craft School – They also have a good selection of free tutorials. Read my review on what to expect with Paul Bradford School.
• Yeners Way Cake Art Tutorials/Subscription – They also have a lot of free tutorials for cake decorators. Read my review on what to expect with Yeners Way School.
• Craftsy is one place I go to for individual tutorials – just a one-time payment and it has great options to send someone a gift too!
  They also have some good free classes.

But there are other online schools that offer tons for their subscription, plus a section of free tutorials too!

• SugarEd Productions 
• Avalon Sugar Craft School
• Sugar Geek Show

If you need more help deciding, you can read my post on which online school should I join.

3. Airbrush

A lot of the beginners think this is for advanced cake decorators and they need a lot of experience to start airbrushing. Not true!

Airbrush is like a little toy in the hands of an artist. Once you start using it, and once you know the basics, this little pen in your hand can create wonders. It will guide you to artistic places you have no clue existed in your mind. I speak from experience. I never thought I’d be able to airbrush the scenery. But I did, and I’m no painter nor do I have any artist background.

The three most popular ones that I know are Master Airbrush,  Dinky Doodle, and Clairella. I have a Dinky Doodle and a Magic Colours Airbrush. And the Clairella is on my wish list. Shhh….. don’t tell my husband.

4. Pasta Maker

I bet you wondering why am I giving pasta maker to a cake decorator? Well, it’s a true blessing for your hands. I roll a lot of stuff in the pasta maker. For one, I don’t have to roll so much, plus the roller gives you a smooth even sheet. Making sugar flowers can be so easy because you can roll the gumpaste to a number one width so smooth and with no folds and wrinkles.

I must admit, it took me a while to get one myself because I never realized how easy it could make my life. I also make pasta, but my pasta maker does more cake decorating than pasta. Now, you don’t really need any fancy brand. And yet, you do need one that will handle some wear and tear. If you can, get the pasta attachment to your K-mix or Kitchen Aid.

5. Sugar Shapers

This is now the new modeling tool I think any cake decorator should have in her basic cake decorating toolkit. I use it almost ALL THE TIME! The yellow Dresden tool used to be my favorite tool and god knows how many of those I have broken.

This is now my new favorite. Good quality, excellent grip! You can use it when sculpting your cakes or when sculpting your figures. It is’ so versatile. In fact, I love using this so much that I have a blog post about it. Cake Decorating Sculpting tools.

You can buy the sugar shapers on Amazon. These come in sets of 4, but even one as a gift is worth it.

6. Books

No matter how many video tutorials are out there, books will always have a special place when learning. I have so many cake decorating and food recipes books that I truly treasure. I still buy books anytime a great book is released.

Here are three recent books I think very highly of and would make for great gifts. See my favorite cake decorating books here.

This year’s most popular books have been these three. I got the first two and love them both. Did you know that you can get FREE shipping to anywhere in the world using Book Depository?

7.Silicone Molds

These have now become big time savers to any cake decorator. Gone are those days when we spent hours creating intricate, painstaking details by cutting or molding each piece separately.  Silicone molds have become a true blessing. These can vary in price, from inexpensive to very expensive, depending on what and which you buy.

Some of the good quality molds you will find are from Marvelous Molds, Katy Sue, Karen Davies, First Impression, These will last you longer and of course, are food safe.

8.  Cake Stands

NO NO NO NO!! This is not a cake toy. This is an obsession. Believe it or not. A cake decorator has a special place in her cake room for these – no matter how small her workspace is!

Cake stands are a cake decorator’s collector item. She can never have enough of them! NEVER! It’s like her collection of shoes; they are never enough. You can never go wrong with cake stands. Usually, we love them all.

9. Aprons – the cutest stuff!!

My most recent craze!! I have a standard kitchen apron black with stripes. I picked a cute one for my Rhea and she flaunts it with pride. They really do have a beautiful selection these days. These would be a great buy as a Christmas gift. Such amazing designs – Perfect gift for any woman. I think!!

10. Cake Photography Backdrops

While our cakes are important in terms of taste and design, so is showcasing them. Having a nice background makes the cake stand out of all the clutter of your workspace.

It is, however, very important to pick a background that will showcase your cake and not make it look busy. So, pick simple, elegant, rustic ones that are not too busy. Often, I will use a plain white backdrop if I already have a busy cake.

SAVE THIS RECIPE ON PINTEREST FOR LATER. TRIED MY RECIPE? SHARE IT WITH ME, PLEASE.
Share a picture of your work with me by uploading an image here below my image on this board. You can also find a collection of my tutorials and recipes here on Pinterest.

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If you love baking then you probably already have most of these baking tools in your kitchen. If you are new to baking than I hope these will serve as a guide to stock your new baking journey. And if you have a baker friend than this might just be the gift guide you need to find her something for the holidays.

10 Best Gifts for Bread Bakers

Find the perfect gift for the bread baker in your life. Know a friend who loves to bake bread? Here are 10 best gifts for bread bakers starting from as low as five dollars.

Holiday Recipes

I wanted to make a special post just to wish you all a Merry Christmas and to share with you some of the baked christmas goodies I made for our family this year.

1. Paw Patrol Cake with Chase Cake Toppers – Video
2. Spring Buttercream Basket of Flowers – Video
3. Floral Buttercream with Russian Piping Tips  – Video
4. Fondant Tree Stump Tutorial Pink Baby Shower Cake- Video
5. How to make a Pumpkin Cake – Video
6. How to make a Fire Truck Cake – Video
7. Gum Paste Princess Crown and Cake – Video
8. Buttercream Ruffles Cake – Short video
9. Fondant Cheese and Mice Cake
10. How to make a Doughnut Cake – Video
11. Ice Cream Sundae Cake
12. Paris Fashion Theme Cake
13. Giant Cupcake
14. Giant Cupcake Video (Coming soon)
15. Cinderella Carriage Cake

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