Baking Essentials

These are some favourite products that I’ve found really useful in my baking and I heartily recommend!

– Equipment –

Gel colours – Use these to colour cake batter and frosting for gorgeously vibrant colours such as in my Rainbow Cake

Breville Stand Mixer – I use this mixer constantly and love it. It’s motor is more powerful than a Kitchenaid (plus its currently £310 cheaper!) and it makes short work of most cakes/meringues etc. The only downside is that its not as beautiful as a Kitchenaid!

Small offset palette knife – As sworn by by Rosie from Sweetapolita for decorating cakes and swirling cupcakes (and a million other uses). Her word is good enough for me!

Large palette knife – A larger version of the one above – very useful for very tall cakes like my Rainbow Cake.

Disposable cake tins (for baking Rainbow Cake) – The ones I’ve used to make Rainbow Cake and other 4+ layer cakes were from Wilkinson’s (UK budget store – they were 10 for £1 and 6 inches wide) and I’ve noticed more and more supermarkets selling similar items. I’ve since discovered that you can also wash and reuse them making them even more economical!

Sugar thermometer – Useful for making marshmallows, candy etc.

– Cookbooks –

How to be a Domestic Goddess by Nigella Lawson

This was one of the first cookbooks I ever received as a teenager and it’s still well-loved and frequently used to this day.

The Hummingbird Bakery Cookbook

I definitely have a thing for American baking and I LOVE both the Hummingbird Bakery cookbooks.

The Hummingbird Bakery – Cake Days

This book is much thicker than the first Hummingbird Bakery cookbook, and makes a beautiful gift. Classic Hummingbird recipes make an appearance, alongside new ones like whoopie pies.

Bake by Rachel Allen

This book is exactly what you’d expect from the lovely Rachel Allen – very clear directions, down to earth ingredients and great results. The recipes are classic British ones, but with added creativity and twists – this would be a great gift for someone who is in need of a baking bible.

The Cookie Dough Lover’s Cookbook by Lindsay Landis