Baking Tools

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Measuring Tools

You will need a set of measuring spoons, a set of dry measuring cups, and a liquid measuring cup.

Electric Scale

Weighing ingredients instead of measuring by volume is the ideal way to measure for baking. It will help you be more precise. Spend the money on an electric scale, it will change your life! (However, the recipes in this book include both volume and weight measurements.)

Saucepan, Medium or Large

You will need a saucepan for preparing specialty fillings and sauces such as Caramel Sauce (page 331), Lemon Curd (page 327), and Ganache (page 69).

Heatproof Bowls, Variety of Sizes

Metal or tempered glass bowls work great for general mixing and weighing of ingredients. They can also be used to make a double boiler for heating chocolate or agar agar, which can burn easily over direct heat.

Rubber Spatulas

Between messy batters and icings, you’ll want rubber spatulas to help scrape the bowls clean!

Stand Mixer with Paddle and Whisk Attachments

I’ve found that with a stand mixer it’s easier to add ingredients, and it will often produce a smoother batter and fluffier icing. But if you don’t have access to a stand mixer, you can use an electric hand mixer.

Paring Knife

Small knives are perfect for intricate tasks, like cutting open and scraping out a vanilla bean pod or trimming fruit to accent a cake. They can also be used for cutting fondant or sugar paste if you don’t have a utility knife or pastry wheel.

Scissors

Kitchen shears are used for cutting herbs and fruit for flavoring or decorations, as well as for trimming straws and cake boards when stacking tiered cakes.

Pastry Brush

I use a pastry brush to apply a light, even coat of palm oil shortening to my cake pans before lining them with parchment paper to keep the cakes from sticking.

Parchment Paper, Unbleached

Parchment is helpful for lining cake pans and sheet trays, so your cakes and desserts don’t stick.

Cake Pans

When you’re first getting started, it’s important to have a few basic cake pans. Although cake pans come in a multitude of shapes including stars, hearts, and blossoms, I recommend beginning with an assortment of round pans. They come in diameters in 1-inch increments from 2 inches to 24 inches, and in a variety of heights from 1 to 4 inches. I use aluminum pans that are 2 inches deep and 3 to 12 inches in diameter. Because of how fragile vegan and gluten-free cakes can be, I don’t usually make them larger than 12 inches. When buying cake pans, make sure to get two to four of the same size so you can bake multiple layers at once. A standard one-tier cake is usually 6 to 9 inches in diameter with two to four layers.