i often get questions about baking and the tools i use. i have a plethora of gadgets and for whatever reason i never seem to have enough room and we have a good amount of kitchen storage. i thought i would dedicate a post to show you what i mainly use for my cupcake orders.
cupcake liners
like my pp have stated i have an addiction to pretty papers. i have one half of a cabinet that house these. i always look on etsy because i find that my vendor is way cheaper than my local cake shop, weird, i know. plus, when you order online they tend to send you little extras like fun sprinkles. tip: look after a holiday has passed at craft stores for discounted cupcake liners. i always do this for the major holidays because they usually roll out the same design the following year.
this goes three rows deep. sick addiction.
sprinkles
just like the liners always look after a holiday on the clearance rack. i just scored some really cute white and pink hearts for a $1. these work great for cake pops too. i usually pick-up sprinkles based on the order but like you can see below i have a pretty good stock. the drawer next to this one has more sprinkles/candies: sixlets, hearts, etc. that make for great cupcake adornments.
Pastry Tips
when i first started baking cupcakes i was given the entire wilton decorating caddy. this is a great gift for any starting baker. i used to get so frustrated using the small 1M tip to frost cupcakes, it would take me forever and my hand would throb. i moved on and purchased the ateco set from williams sonoma. most cake shops sell the tips individually. my go-to tips are the french star, round and closed star.
fondant
if i use fondant to cover a cake which is rare i only use fondarific. it is flavored so for all of you nay sayers about crappy tasting fondant you have never tasted fondarific. you could just eat an entire tub. you can also roll out a thin layer of this and place it in between cake layers for an added punch of flavor. my faves are the buttercream and chocolate. when i use fondant for cupcake i just use plain ‘ole fondant from wilton. it tastes like crap but nobody eats the cupcake toppers anyhow, if you do…don’t!
coloring pens
if you own a set of wilton coloring markers throw them in the trash. sometimes it is so easy to just use your 40% off coupon but they are watery and when placed on chocolate, think cake balls, it balls up and does not flow. the americolor set is the only set you will ever need. at $19.99 it is well worth the investment, you can thank me later.
cricut machine
now, i had this lovely machine tucked away in my garage for over a year and never used it. i am so mad at myself for never taking it out. it’s amazeballs. i also use regular cookie cutters for designs but this machine is seriously a great invention. on the plus side, you can use it just like the other cricut machines for paper crafts with the switch of the blade housing.
cupcake tin
i am fortunate enough to have a pretty good sized oven. when i first started getting cupcake orders i was using my 12 cupcake tin, taking me forever. when i got my first order of 100+ i went to restaurant depot with my old kitchen manager and purchased two 24-cavity cupcake tins. its a time saver and it keeps things moving fast.
gel paste
again, if you own any wilton gel pastes throw them away. the colors do not represent the colors on the lid and they taste funky. go to your local cake supply store and purchase americolor gel pastes. they offer every color of the rainbow and will make coloring frosting a lifesaver. for $1.99 each you cannot go wrong, again, trust me.
cake pedestals
invest in a few good cake plates. it will turn your dessert tables into a masterpiece. if you can’t dig out the funds for a gorg rosanna cake pedestal head to homegoods you can score really nice cake plates for around $9 each. this is another one of my addictions. it’s my mom and grandma’s fault. i am rounding out at just about twenty cake stands.
rectangular / square plates were purchased at crate & barrel. this is amira from shades of gray‘s dessert table i did.
that’s all i can think of for right now. i hope someone got something from this post! 🙂
Looks amazing! Thanks for all the tips!! 😀 I’d love to bake half as well as you do… Maybe one day! Ha
I’m a social baker, and this is really good information – I thought I was limited to Wilton, and its complete crap. Thanks so much!
Thank you so much for this! I am just starting a cake pop/cupcake/cake business and I need to stockpile some things. Love hearing about fellow bakers!
What an amazing looking dessert table! I adore that pink cake stand, I’ve gotta head to Home Goods and find a cute one!
You are ambitious and, yes, amazing (this is the word of the day). So creative!
I would love to watch you in your kitchen, Melissa. You are like a wizard! It is all so magical.
Sorry I’m new around here 🙂 so I was just looking at some other posts and ran across this one :). So… I took cake decorating classes, but people who have the patience to decorate cupcakes amaze me! you’re right, I bet that the 24 cupcake baker is much quicker!