This week’s sugar showcase features Cake Decorating Bible author Juliet Sear in her role as ambassador for Cake Boss in the UK.
Making Mary Berry look rather tame, the latest celebrity endorsed baking collection by Buddy Valastro AKA the “Cake Boss” has finally hit our shores.
But who is this Cake Boss? Viewers of digital TV channel TLC – home to Here Comes Honey Boo Boo and described by Grace Dent as a girl’s “answer to Dave” will be familiar this this larger than life New Jersey Italian American baker and his family run Carlo’s Bakery.
Buddy has been personally involved in the creation of the range and many items have features rarely seen elsewhere – the lockable cake turntable, palette knives with serrated edges for instance.
Heading up the brand in the UK is our own cake decorating guru Juliet Sear, author of The Cake Decorating Bible. Whilst deftly decorating several cakes Juliet talked us through various features of these baking tools and gadgets.
Possibly the most covetable piece on show was this red and cream cake decorating turntable. Fitted with a lock it enables you to comfortably frost or pipe borders on cakes. The professional looking scraper – looking similar to one used by builders for plastering – is for smoothing off crumb coatings prior to covering with sugar paste.
Acrylic rather than wooden rollers are invaluable for rolling out icings and marzipan. The Cake Boss range features patterned acrylic rollers too for creating cakes with textured surfaces. These looked pretty on their own but can also be highlighted using cake lustre dust.
The range also features a variety of sugar craft tools including these bits pictured below:
A smoother is an invaluable tool (again similar to one used by bricklayers!) for smoothing sugar paste surfaces, acrylic rolling pins with guides to stop you rolling sugar paste too thinly, textured mats for indenting patterns into sugar paste and also pastry wheels, shaped cutters, 6 holed shaped “cakelet” pans and an array of Cake Boss spatulas.
I was impressed by the number of items in the range, even well stocked bakers are likely to find a tool or two to add to their kit. I especially liked the flour sifter with squeezy handle to drop icing sugar wherever you wanted it (illogically more appealing than a simple shaker!) and these clever rubber rolling pin rings.
Items in the range start at £3.50 to around £26. I found them to be nicely finished and substantial – they’re all made by Meyer, generally known for their saucepans and bakeware. Prices are higher than supermarkets but items felt more substantial than similar ones I’ve seen by PME and Wilton. The wooden handles on the palette knives and spatulas feel less flimsy than plastic versions available elsewhere although obviously dishwashing practicality is a consideration.
But easily the most impressive thing of the morning was Juliet happily and precariously waving heavy cakes around and cutting away spare sugar paste in a carefree manner.
Clearly this is a lady who is very confident about her cake decorating! You can find out more about Juliet’s cake decorating business on her website Fancy Nancy or investigate her book The Cake Decorating Bible. Seeing she’s only down the road Essex you may well read more here about Juliet’s work soon.
The rest of us later pitched in to make a pig’s ear of some cupcakes and I tried my shaky hand at ruffle icing (see Juliet’s tidier example below!)
The Cake Boss range is now available in shops including John Lewis, Amazon, Bentalls and various independent places. Availability of the range across different stores may vary. For a selection of items and prices as seen on Amazon check out the selection below:
Clockwise from top left: Cake Boss Cake Carrier £30 / Cake Boss Polyamide Square Cutters £12 / Cake Boss 6 Cup Mini Fluted Mould £15 / Cake Boss Bench Scrape £9 / Cake Boss Pastry Brush Set of 2 £20 / Cake Boss Decorating Turntable £26 / Cake Boss Basic Tip Set (12 pieces) £15 / Cake Boss Circus Cake Kit £25 / Cake Boss Fondant Ribbon Cutter £20 / Cake Boss Flour Sifter £15 / Cake Boss Trucks and Dinosaur Cutters £17 / Cake Boss Numbers Mini Cutters £10
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With thanks to Meyer for Cake Boss product samples.
I watch The Cake Boss from time to time, he’s quite entertaining. You have to admire what he’s built his business in to. These product look really good for the frequent baker. I have one of the rolling pins with rubber gauges, it’s very useful. Looks like a fun time. GG
Yes the rubber rolling pin rings were one of my favourites – so much better than those plastic guides.
Those tools all look so stylish and fun! I’m with you in that my favorite is the cake turn table.
Yes and it doubles up as a cake stand as it’s so good looking. Win win!
I have great respect for people that can make a tidy job of decorating cakes, it’s definitely not a skill I naturally possess!
Janie x
Just a little practice goes a long way!
I used to watch Cake Boss 😉 Buddy is awesome!
You should check out his Twitter feed too 🙂
Ah! one of the few shows I still like to watch now and then , lovely range of baking products , even for an infrequent baker like me some things seem immediately attractive to buy.Now if only I possessed the same dexterity and skill to decorate a cake !
Practice, practice – and the right tools for the job 🙂
I have never watched it. I must rectify this! Love the range, lovely sturdy kit and attractive red and white.
I do love the colour scheme. Especially because it’s not girly pink.
This equipment does look really good. Love the wood, I put my wooden utensils through the dishwasher and they seem to do fine. If they are made by Meyer I imagine the quality is great, their pans are lovely. Never heard of the show, must admit!
Might depend on temperature… I notice my glass tumblers go funny at 70c but are fine on 65.
If I own any of these then I will def make more cakes. They look well nice.
Well they’d certainly get you in the mood for more baking I agree 🙂
I have been after a cake turn table for a while now, will definitely check this one out! Looks like you had a fun day!
my goodness! Great equipment and great baking – even a #cantbakewontbake like me is impressed!
LOL even a can’t bake no bake needs a spatula now and again!
I have never seen this before. I will have to look out for it.
Amazon and Bentalls so far, John Lewis too I’m told.
I really enjoy Cake Boss, its very entertaining. Loving his new collection. After watching so many episodes, I am not surprised in the slightest that some his equipment resembles brick layers tools. Glad to hear they are sturdy.
I love cake boss! His cakes are amazing!!!!
fascinating. I just am not tidy and organised enough to create such pretty confections, but love those ruffle cakes!
They were surprisingly easy, I must have a bash myself.
A rather exciting looking range and I am pleased to hear that they are sturdy too! That might be needed with me!
Built to last 🙂
I’ve watched Cake Boss, but it doesn’t do it for me. Mostly standard sort of tools, but one or two that would be worth looking out for, the individual bun/cake tins look good quality.
I haven’t seen Cake Boss but the range looks lovely and I’d love to watch or take a proper cake decorating class, the turntable is on the wishlist!