A Gift Guide for the Cake or Cookie Decorator in Your Life

We are in the midst of frantic holiday gift buying season and I know that many of you (me included) are feeling the pressure. Navigating gifts for someone in an industry you don't know much about can be difficult, so in my humble attempt to ease some of your holiday stress, I am here to offer some guidance! If you have a cake or cookie decorator in your life–be it a beginner or a pro–here is a list of gifts that I know they’d love (and use!) 

The holidays look a little different this year and I am not used to doing all of my holidays shopping online. I started gift shopping sooooo much earlier than I usually do to account for the delivery times (and the possible delays due to Covid-19). Hence why this blog post is up in mid November!!

I am also actively trying to buy more from small businesses this year to help support them through these rough times, and I encourage you all to do the same! Small businesses are the backbone of our economy and their products are crafted with so much love and care. I love shopping from small businesses because I know that I am supporting someone's dream when I do. Many of the items I've listed below are from small businesses that I personally love. Let's dive right in.
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For the Beginner:
For beginners, I generally suggest offering them more of the basics to get them started! The tools you use make a big difference in the quality of work you produce, so here are some basics that make great gifts for a budding cake or cookie decorator.

• metal cake turntable - I have this one and it is the best. Easy to clean and use. Super sturdy and a must-have for a cake decorator
• offset spatulas
• bench scraper
• cookie turntable - In addition to these turntables being adorably small, they’re actually incredibly useful for cookie decorating
• kitchen scale - The one I've linked is the newest model of the one I currently have (and love) but I haven't tried this new one. I've also linked my precision scale (for small quantities) here
• metal measuring cups  - So the one I linked is suuuper extra… But I’m kind of in love with it?
• reusable piping bag - Make beautiful cakes while saving the environment!
• piping tips - Having a large variety of piping tips is so useful. I recommend buying a piping tip set and letting them play around with all the different ones! PS. you can find cheaper ones online but I do recommend buying a brand like Ateco or Wilton just because they fit better than non-official ones
• acrylic cake scraper - I use a custom one that someone cut for me, but they are great and easy to find! And they come in a lot of different shapes to get different icing textures. I know that a lot of people love these ones made by Ivy + Stone Cake Design
• French rolling pin - In my humble opinion, these are far superior to the conventional ones
• Dominique Ansel: The Secret Recipes - This recipe book is literally the one that jumpstarted my love for pastry and I have no doubt it will do the same for another curious chef out there

For the Pro:
Great gifts for the person in your life that's either already a professional, or is on the road to becoming one!

• Wüsthof knives - These knives are the best. I have 3 of them and they’re the only knives I ever use
• kitchen torch - A great addition to a baker’s toolkit. It will really elevate the kind of work they can produce
• Arkon overhead mount - A great piece of equipment for anyone looking to start recording their work. No more balancing a cell phone on a tower of books!
• edible markers - I just bought edible markers for the first time several months ago and they are a game changer
• KitchenAid attachments - Chefs love new attachments for their toys! KitchenAid offers tons of great ones
• clay extruder - So useful for fondant work! Saves tons of time
• silicone bakeware - Used to make entremets (mousse cakes) and using really elaborate ones have been all the rage recently (Also, the queen of silicone cake molds, Dinara Kasko, sells her own silicone designs on Amazon and they're insanely cool)
• Sweet Sticks Edible Paints - These paints are so great I highly recommend them. They work on cookies, gumpaste, fondant, anything!
• Avalon Cakes School - Avalon is a crazy talented cake artist and she offers really great online tutorials. The techniques she covers are quite specialized and advanced, which is why I recommend this for the pros!

For Both!
Some special gift ideas that both pros and beginners alike will appreciate. Have fun with these ones! Try to make them personal!

• cookie cutters - Everyone loves getting new cookie cutters. Find fun and unique ones that you think they’ll have fun playing around with! I’ve linked a few cookie cutter stores that I personally love: Holly Fox, Cut My Cookies, and Ann Clark
• fun sprinkles - fun and seasonal sprinkles are a great addition to any baker’s repertoire! My two favourite stores are: Fancy Sprinkles and Sweetapolita 
• ​cookie scribes - Cookie scribes are used by cookie decorators to even out and pop bubbles in royal icing on sugar cookies. They come in tons of adorable colours and designs and I've linked a really cute store here: Sweet Scribes
• ceramic bakeware - This brand: Emile Henry, makes some of the most beautiful ceramic bakeware ever. I love their pie plates but their other stuff is wonderful as well
• cake stands - You'll never in your life meet a cake decorator who doesn't love cake stands. That is a guarantee. My absolute favourite cake stand is from American Heirloom
• dishware - Nice dishware is always a hit with someone who loves food, staging food, or food photography. My favourite ones are from the pottery geniuses over at Jono Pandolfi
• apron - A customized apron with either their logo or name is always a touching gift. Redbubble also has some fun and quirky ones made by independent artists!
• Food52 ornaments - These vintage-style food ornaments are so. stinking. cute. Someone buy them for ME
• American Cake Decorating - This is my favourite cake decorating magazine and they offer both print and online subscriptions at very affordable prices! Each issue is full of great tutorials, interviews, advice, and inspiration

I hope that this gift guide was even slightly helpful for anyone out there! I promise that any one of these products will make that cake or cookie lover in your life very happy. And I hope you were able to show some of these small businesses some well-deserved lovin'.

Happy Holidays everyone! Stay warm, wear a mask, tell people you love them, and I'll see you all in the New Year.  

❤️ Lexi

*this post is not sponsored