17 Best Cake Decorating Tools, According to Our Experts

A cake turntable is essential for creating a flawless and perfectly-smooth frosting layer. Most are designed purely for functionality and are often stashed away once the decorating is done, which is why we love this rotating cake stand. It's made with sturdy acacia wood and a marble top that's just as beautiful as it is practical. The base is sturdy so it doesn't wobble and the marble top spins evenly ensuring a smooth frost.

Once you’re finished decorating, it doubles as a stylish display stand, making it a fantastic two-for-one deal. One important note: Whether you’re using this cake stand as a turntable or a display piece, be sure to protect the marble top with a covering such as a cake board to prevent it from absorbing oils or colors from the cake or frosting.

Using a cake leveler is an easy way to ensure your cakes are the exact height you want and perfectly level, allowing them to stack evenly. We like this particular leveler for its sturdy and ergonomic handle and adjustable wire to accommodate different cake heights. Using this, we were able to evenly cut through our cake in a few seconds. A bread knife also works, but achieving an even layer can be challenging — especially for beginners — and for under $6 this saves time and the headache of fixing an uneven layer.

Making frosting is a breeze with a stand mixer, and this KitchenAid is one of the best stand mixers available. It’s a top performer in our tests, thanks to its sturdy design and powerful mixing capabilities, allowing you to whip up a batch of frosting quickly. Although not as convenient, a quality hand mixer can also create excellent frosting. In our roundup of the best hand mixers, we found the Breville Handy Mix Scraper to be a standout performer.

Cake boards provide a sturdy base to easily move or transport your cake to lessen the chances of dropping or damaging it. These cake boards are double-sided: One side features a laminated layer so it doesn't absorb oil and moisture from the cake, while the other has a matte finish to help prevent sliding. Although we didn't get to test this particular brand, we have used similar cake rounds with success and these are highly rated on Amazon. They are also available in both white and gold.

A cake lifter isn’t an absolute necessity, but it makes moving your cake much easier and eliminates the fear of dropping your hard work. This particular cake lifter features a sturdy olivewood handle, and we found the thin metal surface slid effortlessly beneath a cake, making it simple to lift and transfer without damage. It's designed for cakes up to 10 inches in diameter.

Not only is a bench scraper a versatile kitchen tool, but it’s also excellent for smoothing cake sides. We love this extra-large bench scraper, which measures just over 15 inches long, making it perfect for taller cakes. The substantial stainless steel design with a rolled handle ensures a smooth, even frosting application every time. As a bonus, it also has measurement markings and conversions.

This offset spatula from Oxo makes icing a cake effortless. Its bent shape helps prevent unintended smears, and the 12.75-inch metal blade can frost a large area. We found the ergonomic, non-slip handle comfortable to hold and easy to maneuver, making it a reliable tool for achieving smooth, professional results.

Comb smoothers can transform a plain-looking cake into a stunning work of art by adding an extra decorative dimension worthy of any professional bakery. This set from Wilton includes three double-sided scrapers to create six unique textured line styles, unlocking new creative possibilities like multi-colored striped cakes. Once you're finished, the combs conveniently snap together for compact and easy storage. Even though we didn't get our hands on this set, Wilton is well-known for their cake decorating tools and reviewers on Amazon gave this high marks.

If you already own an offset spatula, getting another spatula might seem redundant. However, this tapered spatula comes in handy for decorations, such as creating beautiful buttercream flowers and leaves or picking up small fondant details. Its thin blade easily slides under delicate decorations, and we found the ergonomic handle with a thumb indent comfortable to use.

Sur La Table recently launched this decorating tip set and it's a great deal at under $45 for 60 pieces that are of similar quality to more expensive sets. We found the stainless steel tips easy to use both with the included couplers and without. The set includes 55 decorating tips to create all sorts of flowers, ribbons, stars, borders and much more. It also comes with standard and medium size couplers and two flower nails. The storage box keeps all the tips in place with a snap closure lid.

There's no denying that a plastic piping bag is convenient for its single use. However, if you want an earth-friendly option that's just as easy, you'll appreciate these compostable pastry bags. We found that these were pliable and strong enough to hold up to piping thick buttercream frosting with ease. According to Williams Sonoma, they're made with cornstarch and PBAT — a durable, fully compostable and biodegradable copolymer. If you would prefer a reusable option, we recommend the Wilton Reusable Featherweight Decorating Piping Bag, though it's worth noting that it must be washed by hand.

These icing ties are designed to keep a piping bag securely closed, reducing the need to hold the twisted part while frosting. During testing, we found they occasionally didn’t hold the bag completely closed under heavy pressure, but they did provide relief by reducing the need for a tight grip. An advantage over rubber bands is their loop-and-anchor design, which eliminates the need to stretch a loop over the entire bag. Additionally, we appreciated how easily they slide down as the bag empties.

If you're new to fondant, rather than building your decorating collection piece by piece, this kit provides everything you need for under $20. It includes a rolling pin, modeling tools, sugar cutters, scrapers, smoothers and a large assortment of molds, such as flowers, letters, numbers and animals. We didn't get a chance to test this fondant set, but it's one of the most popular sets on Amazon with high ratings and positive reviews.

The color combinations are practically endless with this Ann Clark gel food color set. It includes 12 rich shades, ranging from primary colors to pinks, blues, purples and even brown and black. When mixing these with buttercream frosting, we found the colors vibrant, so a little goes a long way. The gel formula allows for precise control over the amount used. One tip: Store these with the cap side up to prevent the color from leaking out when opening the cap.

We love these Wilton gel food color sets for their unique, well-coordinated colors, eliminating the guesswork of mixing colors to achieve your desired hue. In addition to this neon color set, there are four-pack collections in earthy tones, muted primaries and soft pastels. The colors are well pigmented so you don't need to use a lot, and we found the convenient squeeze bottles make it easy to dispense the exact number of drops needed.