BASIC TOOL KIT
Cake
Pans: Several different sizes, even helpful to have two of the same as
they cook more evenly. Most widely used
is the 8’’ or 20cm round pan.
Mat:
Non stick/silicon, some have markings on them to help measure size of cake or
cutting out shapes
Smaller
mat or board: Useful for working with small pieces of fondants. Can be
made from plastic or soft foam.
Powder
for dusting: Either Cornstarch or Potato Starch. Icing sugar stains
darker fondants. Can also use Crisco or Kremalta to stop fondant sticking and
to also soften it up.
Spatulas:
also known as a Palette Knife. Useful for spreading ganache or buttercream on
cakes and lifting fondant off the boards. Best to have different sizes and one
flat one and one offset one.
Fondant
smoother: polish over the fondant to get smooth finish.
Piping
Bags: Disposable or reusable. Available in different sizes. Can also
buy bags with two pouches for two-tone icing.
Couplers:
Standard or large. Consists of a base and a ring. Worth having several
in the kit.
Basic
set of tips: Depending on what brand you use to what numbers are used.
More in later workshop.
Cake
Leveller or Serrated Knife: Cake leveller is useful as you get smoother
cutting and can set the chosen height of each cake so that it is consistent.
Turntable:
Very useful from ganaching the cake to piping decorating evenly. Helps
get straight sides and smooth finish.
Cutters:
Basic must haves are 5 piece rose cutter set, 3 size daisy cutters, 3
size rose calyces, blossom cutters and rose leave cutters. You will find that your collection of
cutters will grow as you purchase specific ones for new projects
Tools:
Gum paste tools are recommended for creating realistic flowers and you
should have at least have a ball tool, dog bone tool and veining tool. (good
starting place is the Wilton Flower Cutter set)
Small
scissors and Tweezers: useful
for snipping fondant to get feather texture. Tweezers useful for placing
cachous balls.
Cutter:
The wilton stitching fondant tool is helpful which has 3 different
wheels.
Brushes:
Different sizes for brushing on glue, luster or glitter.
Gel
food colours: (Americolor) Better than using the water based ones at
the grocery store, which affect the consistency of the fondant. Can use
toothpicks to add colour and mix either using hands (recommend using gloves) or
using standing mixer. Better yet buy the already coloured fondants like satin
ice or bakels. Having the primary colours is good starting place
Fondant:
Satin Ice or Bakels. Can also make your own.
Lustre/Dusting
Powders: Useful for adding colour or sparkle to fondant or buttercream.
Useful lustre is Hologram white glitter as it reflects and enhances the
surrounding colours. Basic colours is having silver, gold, red, blue and green
and yellow for flowers.
Edible
writing pens: Useful for small details on fondant such as eyes. Best not
to refrigerate as can cause them to dry out. Black is an essential.
Gum
Tragacanth or CMC: Useful for adding into fondant to harden quicker and
stronger. Can buy gum paste fondant but useful also to add to other colours.
Edible
Glue: Can buy already made or make using vodka and Gum Tragacanth.
Useful for sticking small bits of fondant together.
Spirits
or vodka: To make glue or use to stick bits of fondant together. Can
use to mix dusting powders in and make coloured paste.