Chef-Approved Equipment You Need To Make Frosting Look Bakery-Worthy

Frosting cake is an art, and all bakers need to know the proper techniques to do it well. To learn how amateur bakers can make their frosting look bakery-worthy, Mashed consulted an expert. Leanne Tran leads a six-person, all-female team that manages daily pastry for Le Crocodile, dinner pastry at Bar Blondeau, and property events at the Wythe Hotel in Brooklyn. According to Tran, if you want your cake to look its best, start by using the equipment employed by professionals. Tran recommends a total of four tools: a stand mixer, an offset spatula, a rubber spatula, and a bench scraper.

"Your life will be much easier by using a stand mixer," Tran says. Stand mixers are a good investment because amateur bakers will get a lot of use out of them — including using them to make frosting. There are many types of frosting and different ways to use them, but typical cake frostings such as buttercream and cream cheese frosting require plenty of whipping to incorporate air. With all the speed settings you need, stand mixers do the work for you, ensuring a fluffy outcome. 

"A small offset spatula, a rubber spatula, and a bench scraper are your best friends," Leanne Tran adds. Not using these tools (and opting for a butter knife and spoon instead) is one of the mistakes everyone makes when frosting a cake. Offset spatulas have dull, rounded blades bent at an angle, making them ideal for spreading frosting either smoothly or organically. Tran reminds us that perfection doesn't always have to look factory-made. "Imperfect cakes with organic, unfinished edges and ridges can also be beautiful. Having texture and character can be elegant," she says

On the other hand, bench scrapers are the tools for flawlessly smooth frosting. Bench scrapers have very wide and flat rectangular blades that can smooth out frosting in large strokes. They work even better when the cake is spun on a turntable, and the bench scraper is held steady to the cake.

Finally, rubber spatulas are handy for scraping frosting down in the bowl, plopping it onto the cake before being spread, and scooping it into piping bags. Once you've mastered the basics with offset spatulas and bench scrapers, you may want to step up your cake decorating game with must-haves for piping such as food colorings, piping bags, and piping tips.