Supply List

This is such a long list and I feel like I just barely scratched the surface! There are so many exciting cake decorating tools out there. Don’t feel like you have to buy all of these! Pick and choose from what techniques appeal to you--- start with the basics and build your collection over time. Let me know if you have questions about anything!

Wilton Piping Tips- These are the tips I use most often. There are so many more tips to choose from though! This collection is a great place to start. As a side note, you can also use the opposite end of your piping tips to cut out fondant polka dots! ***There are other brands of piping tips that work well too, and the numbers are usually the same (for example, Ateco & Magic Line). Most of mine happen to be Wilton.

Tip 21 (star tip),
Tip 16 (smaller star tip)
Tip 104 (petal tip),
Tip 12 (larger round tip),
Tip 3 (smaller round tip),
1M or 2D (great for cupcake swirls),
Tip 233 (Hair/Grass Tip)
Tip 67 or 352 (Leaf Tip) - The 352 is my favorite for leaves.
Tip 47 (Basketweave)

CMC Powder: You can add CMC powder to your fondant to turn it to a more gum paste-like consistency. It strengthens the fondant and makes it much easier to model. You can also use it to make “sugar glue”, for assembling your gum paste flowers and figures. I buy mine at chefrubber.com

Cake Cardboards: These are sold in varying sizes in places where cake supplies are sold, as well as online. My cakes, whether just one tier or many, all have a cake cardboard beneath them. They allow you to easily move a cake to its cake platter or cake base after the cake is finished. They are also a must when stacking tiers. Each tier rests on it's own circle (or whatever shape your cake calls for). Foam core circles are also very common. *If using cake cardboards as your cake base, glue 2-3 together depending on the weight of the cake. You need a strong enough cake base to prevent any bending when you pick the cake up. If a cake that has been frosted in a crusting buttercream is picked up, and the cake base bends under the weight, the crusting buttercream will develop hairline cracks.

Candy Coloring: If you would like to dye your white chocolate (chocolate bark, candy melts, etc.), you will need candy coloring. It’s available at most crafts stores that carry cake decorating supplies. You cannot use regular food coloring with chocolate, because it will cause the chocolate to get too thick. Americolor makes these or you can buy Wilton's from Michael's, AC Moore, etc.

Cel Board (grooved) - If you plan to make gum paste flowers with wired petals, a grooved cel board will make your life so much easier. I use this whenever I need to thread wire through my petals because it automatically creates a "track" for your wire to be inserted into as you out your gum paste. There are a couple of versions out there but this is the one that I have. (aff. link)

Comb/Icing Smoother: I fell in love with Ateco’s Icing Comb and Smoother. It is rectangular- 3 sides for combing, one side for smoothing around the sides of your cake. If you can’t find it locally, I happened to spot it on cheftools.com, but I’m sure you can find it on many other sites too. Click Here to See

Cookie Cutters: Cookie cutters in all styles and sizes are such a fun way to decorate your cake. You can make adorable cake toppers from them also. Some old standbys for me are smallish star cutters, heart cutters, simple flower cutters-(daisies especially), and then some round cutters. For more realistic or formal cutters (flowers, designs, etc) I like globalsugarart.com and sugardelites.com

Chocolate Bark/Candy Melts- Also known as compound chocolate, I use this “chocolate” candy coating often. Chocolate bark is sold in most grocery stores on the baking row, Candy Melts are Wilton’s brand, found in craft stores, and Merken’s is also a popular brand. I use these for chocolate transfers, chocolate shards, modeling chocolate, etc. etc. etc. You can tint white chocolate coating with candy colors. Do not use your regular food coloring gel to tint your melted chocolate—it will cause it to seize and become extremely thick and unmanageable. The best thing about candy coating/bark, melts, etc. is that this type of chocolate does not require tempering.

Couplers- Make things easy on yourself and buy a few couplers. These will allow you to change your tips easily without changing your bag (see Decorating Basics- Piping Bag Prep in the Video Tutorials Section) Click for Example.

Pans- There are so many fun pans out there—it’s hard to decide what you need! It’s good to at least have 8 or 9” round pans, 9x13” sheet cake pans, and maybe even some cute 6” round pans if you’d like to experiment with tiered cakes. If you have or hope to have a cake business, I’m sure you will add even more pans! – I use my Wilton Wonder Mold pan often, and my Mini Wonder Mold Pans too. Be Careful! Pan collecting is addictive! :O)

Piping Bags- I like plastic disposable bags as well as parchment triangles. Plastic or Reuseable (featherweight) bags are great for larger piping jobs, and parchment triangles are great for piping chocolate and smaller piping
jobs. Hygo & KeeSeal are the brands that I use most often for disposable--but Wilton & Ateco are fine too!

Serrated Knife: This is what you will use for trimming and leveling your cakes. It makes cake carving much easier also. You’ll want a long one.

Offset/Angled Spatula: I really like to use offset spatulas to frost my cakes. Use what feels comfortable. I have a long one, a shorter rounded one, and shorter tapered one.

Turntable: I love my cake turntable! Cakes are much easier to decorate, especially when piping borders and frosting the cake, if you have a turntable. The cake easily spins as you go. It’s not an absolute must, but if you plan to do a lot of decorating, put it on your wish list! My silver "fancy" turntable that I often use is Ateco brand-it is like THIS ONE. I love the super smooth rotation. However, when I want my cake lower to the countertop when I decorate (Sometimes this just feels better--especially with taller cakes) I pull out my old Wilton Standby, which is much less expensive.

Rose/Flower Nail- These can be found in cake decorating stores, and are helpful when you are piping flowers in buttercream.

Floral Wire- I use all different gauges of floral wire, depending on the project. I often use 20 gauge when I need a nice, firm wire for whimsical toppers--- When working with gum paste flowers, other gauges may be recommended. 26 gauge is what I use with my gum paste lilies. Paper covered wire (Sunrise brand) are my favorite, although I still use fabric covered as well.

Food Coloring Gels: You’ll want the gels rather than liquid food coloring. You’ll use this for dying your fondant, gum paste, and frosting. My favorite brand is Americolor (because they are more concentrated than some of the other brands) -- I use Wilton now and then too...especially Wilton Leaf Green & Rose.

Lollipop Sticks: I seem to use lollipop sticks for just about everything! I especially use them a lot when working with fondant and gum paste to make figures, signs, and creative cake toppers.

Paint Brush: I like to keep little paint brushes on hand to paint accents on gum paste and fondant, brush water or sugar glue onto fondant pieces, and also to dust accents with pixie dust.

Pixie/Twinkle/Disco Dust – A great way to add extra sparkle to your cakes. Check the labeling--most are labeled non toxic but they are not considered a food product, so use sparingly and at your discretion. Many choose to use these dusts on toppers & accents that won't be consumed. You can find these a most online cake supply shops---here is an example~

Petal Dusts: Petal Dust is a powder used to create a matte finish on dried sugar decorations (such as gum paste flowers). Apply with a dry brush, or mix it with lemon extract or vodka for a “paint”. You can find them in many online cake supply shops—Check the label--most are considered non-toxic but also not considered a food product. Example

Luster Dusts: These dusts give a metallic look to your decorations. It’s most effective when mixed with lemon extract or vodka and used as a paint. Gold and Silver and the luster dusts that I use most often. Again, check the label---often the gold and silver are not intended for consumption--especially if it is labeled Highlighter (which has a much greater sheen).

Rolling Pin: I love my fondant rolling pins. I have one large size which I use for covering cakes in fondant, and a smaller size for rolling out gum paste flowers accents, etc. – Mine are Wilton brand, which you can find at Michael’s, AC Moore, and most cake decorating supply stores. Some people even prefer to use their wooden rolling pins or pvc pipes!

Lemon Extract/Vodka: I often paint onto my cakes or onto my accent pieces with food coloring. You’ll want to use vodka or lemon extract for this. The alcohol quickly evaporates, leaving the color. You can also use lemon extract & vodka for mixing with luster dusts to “paint” gold or silver onto your cakes.

Tape Measure: It’s always good to have a tape measure or ruler on hand when decorating. You never know when you need to check for symmetry. It’s also very useful when covering cakes with fondant or measuring out fondant ribbons.

Pre-Made Fondant and Gum Paste- This is optional. We always purchase pre-made gum paste. Ours is Satin Ice brand. For the past couple of years, we have made Liz Marek's Fondant Recipe which is a combination of Wilton pre-made & marshmallow fondant. We love the consistency and it does not crack or develop elephant skin, etc. You can also purchase colored fondant, which is nice (especially for red and black fondant)! - I often purchase from globalsugarart.com.

Fondant Smoothers: These are great for smoothing the bumps out of fondant covered cakes. If you are interested in covering cakes in fondant, these are a great (and inexpensive) investment. I also use fondant smoothers when using the Viva paper towel method of smoothing crusted buttercream. Click for Example

Fondant/gum paste Ribbon Cutter: These come in handy when you’re making gum paste bows. BUT, if you don’t have one, there are ways around it. You can also use it to make fondant borders and stripes. I like the FMM Multi Ribbon Cutter—Many online stores sell them, including Global Sugar Art.

Dowels: This is required for tiered cakes. I often use bubble tea straws (bobadirect.com). You will probably find the best deals for bubble tea straws on ebay, where you can buy in smaller quantites (and shipping isn't as pricey)—but you can also find sturdy plastic dowels in cake decorating stores. I think that wooden dowels are much more difficult to work with.

Food Coloring Pens: I love food coloring pens. The one that I use almost exclusively is an Americolor black pen, with a fine point. But you can find pens in all different colors. You can find many different brands of decorating pens—but I do prefer that they have a fine tip (for drawing faces onto gum paste and fondant figures, etc.)

Sharp Knife: Its good to have a thin sharp knife, or even an x-acto knife, for cutting your fondant and gum paste accents. I always have a sharp knife close by!

Toothpicks- Another simple item that I use all the time when adding details to fondant and gum paste figures. They are also great for adding veining on leaves, and embossing holes into designs. Get the ones that are sharp and pointy at the end, rather that squared off.

Ball Tool (for gum paste work)- I recommend buying a ball tool (essential for thinning petals and on realistic gum paste flowers). I use my Colette Peters ball tool most often but you can also find equally good ball tools in the clay section of craft stores (like our Michael's here locally.) -- I highly recommend a ball tool with a metal ball rather than plastic.

Veiner- Gum paste veiners will give a more realistic look to flowers and leaves. You can find so many different types of silicone molds and tools that are designed for specific flowers, however I often use my JEM veining tool for many different types of flowers. You can find various veining tools at most online cake supply stores.

Foam Pad/Cel Pad (aff. link.)-Also a necessary purchase if you plan to do a lot of work with gum paste flowers. I always thin my petals (with the help of my ball tool) on a foam pad. However, Wilton also has a version too (that is a think pink pad paired with a thicker piece of foam) that also works fine and is less expensive.

5 Petal Cutter: Use this cutter to make all sorts of beautiful gum paste flowers. They come in all different sizes. I use this one for roses, but other brands would work well too. I use much smaller 5 petal cutters in my cherry blossom video.

Straight Frill Cutter: I have the FMMbrand Straight Frills cutters (set 9-12) which you can find at globalsugarart.com. They are great for adding extra accents to your cakes, and also to make fondant borders.

Sprinkles: I love all kinds of sprinkles! I love sanding sugar, which is a finer crystal than regular sprinkles. I also love confetti sprinkles, the flat, colorful sprinkles that you can scatter on cakes and cupcakes as a final touch.

Impression mats and Embellished Rolling Pins: These are so much fun! You can find the best variety online, at places like globalsugarart.com, cakesbysam.com, and cakedeco.com. Great for fondant and gum paste accents or fondant covered cakes.

Acetate: You will see me use strips of acetate in my Chocolate Wrap tutorial. Sugarcraft.com- look for “Cake Collar Strips”.

PME Luster Spray- I buy this spray in “pearl”. You can find it at globalsugararts.com— a little goes a long way…looks like a little spray paint can. I love it!

Scale: The best way to ensure that your ingredients are measured accurately is to use a scale. This is not an absolutely essential tool, but it’s nice to have. I use mine often.

Styrofoam: I use Styrofoam blocks, cake dummes, etc. all the time to stab my lollipop sticks into as I let gum paste and fondant figures and accents dry.

Wooden Skewers: I use skinny wooden skewers to help me figure out how long I need to cut my dowels or bubble tea straws when preparing to stack my tiers.

Shortening or Corn Starch/Powdered Sugar: This is important to have on hand when working with gum paste and fondant. I always use shortening to lightly grease my work area, but corn starch and powdered sugar are popular alternatives to this too.

Foam Pads for Flowers: You can find these at many stores, as well as pastrychef.com. When making realistic gum paste flowers, it’s best to have a piece of foam on hand. The foam allows you to use your gum paste tools (especially the ball tool) more effectively.

Cocktail Umbrellas: I know, this sounds strange. But I love cocktail umbrellas. I’ve had the same large box of umbrellas for at least 2 years! But every time I have a beach cake, or beach cupcakes, I find a way to incorporate at least one or two of these colorful decorations.

Clay Extruder: I love my extruder! I use the Makin’s Professional Ultimate Clay Extruder, which you can find at various craft stores, or online at Joann.com, amazon.com, etc. This is great for extruding fondant and gum paste hair, cake borders, thin bows, ropes, etc.

Nonstick or Vinyl Mat: This is optional, but some find it helpful to apply fondant to their cakes with the help of some sort of non-stick mat. A popular choice is "The Mat", which was invented by our friends at Sweetwise.com. It also helps in keeping your fondant fresh. You can lay your mat over your gum paste or fondant while you work so that it will not dry out. (I use this in our Monster Truck cake video).