The Simple Tool That Makes Cake Frosting Smoother Than Ever

Cake decorating is what takes a regular cake and turns it into an impressive masterpiece that can be served at weddings, birthdays, and other special occasions. One of the most common ways to elevate a homemade or grocery store cake is by frosting it. Many of us brave bakers have decided to put the cake decorating hat on and frost our own cakes because how hard can it be ... right? Speaking from experience, it can turn into a disaster pretty quickly, especially if you don't have the right tools — and a cake turntable is essential.

Frosting your cake is almost impossible without a turntable, which is essentially a cake stand that turns, allowing you to rotate the cake on a level surface while simultaneously frosting it. This gives a much smoother frosting finish and the turntable's height saves your back while decorating. If you're piping frosting, it allows you to pipe continuously around the cake with no broken lines, and the finished look is seamless.

Opt for a plastic cake turntable if you're a beginner cake decorator. Plastic ones are easier to work with and clean, giving you time to learn how to use a turntable and get some decorating wisdom. When you feel ready, you can switch to stainless steel to hold larger cakes. But keep in mind that they are heavier and harder to maneuver than their plastic counterpart. When buying your cake turntable, make sure you're going for features instead of looks. An aesthetically pleasing turntable shouldn't come at the cost of good quality.

You also want to clean your turntable properly to give your cake the best results. If you know you're short on time, consider buying a detachable turntable so you can easily pop it in the dishwasher. For non-detachable turntables, you want to manually clean the spinner (with warm water and dish soap) after each use so that you can keep frosting smoothly. Whenever you're decorating on a turntable, using a non-slip mat underneath your cake is vital in keeping it from flying off. And for those with a tight budget, you can even use your microwave plate as a makeshift cake turn table. There's truly nothing stopping us from perfectly frosted cakes now!