Cake and Cookie Decorating Tools I Love

As an artist and designer, I especially love cake and cookie decorating. While bread baking and pizza making are fun (and delicious!), I’ll always have a special affinity for pastry-related projects which allow me to apply the skills I’ve learned in my costume design and illustration careers. And cake and cookie decorating definitely fit the bill!

In honing my decorating skills, I’ve developed a list of go-to products and tools which elevate the artistic elements of my pastry work, add special finishing touches, and, in some cases, just make the work a whole lot easier. Below are a few of the cake and cookie decorating products I love.

For macaron-specific supply recommendations, feel free to check out this list of macarons tools I love, too!

To build a top-notch kit for cake and cookie decorating, I recommend the following products:

Miniature cookie cutters

I use my miniature cutters to create fondant shapes for cakes, cookies, and macarons. Miniature cutters are also perfect for  slice-and-bake cookies with designs in the middle, like these sunny lemon daisy cookies.

Fondant tool set

A set of fondant tools is a must-have in my decorating toolkit.  I use these for fondant projects (of course!) but they’re also great for other types of detail-oriented work, like royal icing piping (the pointy-edged tool is perfect for cleaning up piping mistakes) and decorating gingerbread houses.

Letter stamper

I love my letter stamper! It’s an extremely affordable (under $10 on Amazon) way to personalize cookies and fondant decorations by adding names, dates, or fun sayings.

Gel food coloring

Gel food coloring is a must for tinting buttercreams and royal icings, or even for coloring the cookie dough itself. I also use my gel food colorings for painting designs on macaron shells.

Oil based food coloring

I don’t use this as often as I use my gels, but it’s good to keep a set of oil-based food colorings on hand if you want to tint white chocolate for piping or other decorations.

Fun sprinkles

I always have the basics (rainbow sprinkles, white nonpareils, rainbow nonpareils, chocolate sprinkles) on hand. But I also like to stock a variety of novelty sprinkles. Fancy Sprinkles is my go-to for these, and the Sweets Indeed brand is also great.

Sanding sugar

I always have sanding sugar in a variety of colors—it’s great if you want to roll balls of cookie dough in colorful sugar, and is also perfect for sprinkling on top of buttercream, or as a finishing touch for royal icing cookies.

Disposable piping bags

Although some cake and cookie decorators prefer to use reusable piping bags, disposable piping bags are a true time-saver for me. I use these clear piping bags, as well as these sturdy blue piping bags when piping thick or difficult-to-pipe doughs, or for creating multicolored buttercreams.

Piping tip set

If you decorate cakes and cookies frequently, you’ll want to start building a stash of piping tips in a variety of shapes and sizes. Be sure to include a set of teeny tiny round piping tips—these are great for writing text, or for piping very small details.

Set of round cutters and square cutters

A set of round cutters is a great multi-purpose addition to any baking toolkit. I use mine for cutting cookie dough, as well as for reshaping baked cookies to make them perfectly round. Round cutters are great for cutting fondant, or for tracing or making templates, too. In addition to my round cutters, I also have a set of square cutters and round and rectangular scalloped edge cutters.

Meringue powder

For gingerbread houses, I’ll usually make royal icing from fresh egg whites. I do this because egg whites are cheap and readily available, and because gingerbread houses generally are for decorative purposes only. When making royal icing cookies, I opt for meringue powder instead; in meringue powder, the egg whites have been pasturized and dried, reducing salmonella risk and making iced cookies safe to store at room temperature.

Edible glitter

This one is just for fun! I love adding a dusting of edible glitter to my royal icing cookies. It catches the light and makes the cookies shimmer, plus it looks nice in photos, too.

Fun cookie cutters

In addition to round and square cutters, I have a huge stock of cookie cutters in fun shapes. At the very least, I recommend stocking up on the basics (flowers, hearts, holiday-themed) because they’re often requested by customers. For cutters, I like BobbisCutters and KaleidaCuts on Etsy; Ann Clark also stocks a wide array of cookie cutters in interesting shapes.

Paint brushes

Paint brushes are essential for adding small details with gel food coloring. (I also use brushes to paint designs on macaron shells.) You can also use soft-bristled brushes to “flick” (splatter paint-style!) edible glitter onto your cakes and cookies, without damaging the frosting. I buy regular artist’s brushes; just be sure to purchase a new, clean set that you reserve for food. Do not use brushes which have been previously used for painting or other craft projects.

Edible markers

If piping isn’t your strong suit, you can use edible markers to add text to cakes and cookies. I’ll occasionally use them to add very fine details, like pupils and eyelashes, or very tiny text.

Turning table/cookie swivel

A turntable will make life so much easier. I have a larger one for frosting cakes, and a miniature one for cookies.

Bench scrapers with decorative edges

These are a fun way to add texture to buttercream cakes and cupcakes; I’ll sometimes use them for scoring or marking fondant, too. You can also use decorative edged scrapers to create thin ribbons of tempered chocolate, and use these to decorate cakes and cupcakes.

Squeeze bottle

A squeeze bottle makes it easier to add royal icing via the “flooding” technique (although, I’ll sometimes use a wide round piping tip for the same purpose!) or to drizzle melted chocolate, royal icing, and other liquids.

Fondant

Some people make their own fondant, but I purchase commercially-made fondant for most cake decorating and modelling projects. In the US I usually buy Renshaw or Wilton Decorator Preferred; in the UK I like Dr. Oetker.

Tylose/Gum-Tex powder, and shortening

Tylose or Gum-Tex is a product added to fondant to give it increased pliability, strength, and elasticity, and to help fondant decorations to hold their shape. (It can also be mixed with water to make an edible “glue” for attaching fondant decorations to one another, or adding them to a fondant-covered cake.) Meanwhile shortening adds moisture, preventing the fondant from growing dry, cracked, and crumbly. In the US, I use Crisco shortening; in the UK, Trex serves the same purpose.

Small stepped palette knife and larger palette knives

I use my mini palette knife nearly every day. It’s perfect for slathering buttercream or ganache on cookies,  but also for things like transferring pastries between trays. If you plan to decorate cakes, it’s also good to invest in a set of full-size palette knives.

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About Rebecca:
Rebecca earned the Diplôme de Pâtisserie from Le Cordon Bleu London in 2020. She also holds an MSc in Culinary Innovation from Le Cordon Bleu and Birkbeck, University of London, and a Professional Chocolatier’s Certificate from Ecole Chocolate. She currently works as a recipe developer, food stylist, food photographer, writer, and pastry chef. Feel free to make one of her original recipes, or to follow her on Instagram @bastecutfold for more baking and pastry inspiration!