Reddit mentions: The best cake stands

Hey there! I know this isn't exactly what you were looking for but hopefully it'll help all the guys n gals looking to get their ladies the ultimate beauty station! As a professional makeup artist for MAC, Chanel and multiple other brands plus freelancing for years I have gotten many ideas over the years!
Be sure to get her plenty of storage if she has a lot of products and tools. Amazon/ Ebay also sell an electric brush cleaner now which is perfect for gals with a ton of brushes. My bro-in-law did the same project & I still have all the links. He installed lights (like these below) around my beauty-obsessed sister's makeup mirror & they're great. I also recommend a mirror that pulls out from the wall (like hotels have!) And a comfy & stylish chair is a must to make her feel like her fave beauty vlogger. Also, get crafty- you can always think of other ways to use these ideas for ex: instead of buying new, repurpose some cool vintage pieces!
Here are some useful, girl-dream links-

-Mirror for wall: DecoBros 9.8-Inch Two-Sided Swivel Wall Mount Mirror with 7x Magnification, 13.5-Inch Extension www.amazon.com/dp/B00J3K9W6G/ref=cm_sw_r_cp_apa_Y.FXBbX2GTC1Q

-Cute chair, multiple colors & adjustable height for her vanity she'll feel like a princess: Round Tufted Swivel Chair Purple and Chrome www.amazon.com/dp/B0062CI39K/ref=cm_sw_r_cp_apa_AbGXBb0PS7NAH

-Hair tool holder: Saloniture Tabletop Blow Dryer & Hair Iron Holder - Salon Appliance Stand w/ 3 Outlets www.amazon.com/dp/B00I4ZTDPQ/ref=cm_sw_r_cp_apa_5cGXBbBDH4DQN

-Brush cleaner: Pro Makeup Brush Cleaner & Dryer Kit - https://www.amazon.com/dp/B074TW2HDP/ref=cm_sw_r_cp_apa_vfGXBbQ9569NZ

-Palette for custom mixing colors, all pros use them: Miayon Professional Artist Cosmetic Palette with Spatula Tool 6''x4'' Sliver www.amazon.com/dp/B00IR61SQY/ref=cm_sw_r_cp_apa_WkGXBbC0TEPQH

*If she loves rose gold this is THE paint to use, try redoing some hardware (or buying new & painting it) with a little spray paint to glam up her vanity: Design Master DM241 Premium Metallic Spray Paint, 11-Ounce, Rose Gold https://www.amazon.com/dp/B00N3SVJKG/ref=cm_sw_r_cp_apa_HAGXBb813W6FW

• Cupcake or cake stands make beautiful makeup displays you can buy one at a thrift store & paint it or get a pre-glammed one like this, it comes in a ton of colors: "Sophia Collection" Metal 10" Rose Gold Cake Stand with Crystal Beads and Dangles, 10" Diameter Plate (Rose Gold) www.amazon.com/dp/B01EXCLYN2ref=cm_sw_r_cp_apa_jCGXBb77N7GB8
  
  
• Makeup Vanity lights: Hollywood Style LED Vanity Makeup Mirror Lights Kit with 10 Dimmable Bulbs,Lighting Fixture Strip for Makeup Vanity Table Set in Dressing Room(Mirror Not Included) https://www.amazon.com/dp/B077KXZCTJ/ref=cm_sw_r_cp_apa_JFGXBb4XKDRPH
  
  -Every girl needs a pro brush roll:
  Large Leather Makeup Brush Roll black- https://www.amazon.com/dp/B01G5QFOPI/ref=cm_sw_r_cp_apa_BLGXBbHF9BE40
  
  -Acrylic Makeup Beauty Brush Tower | 12 Space Cosmetic Storage (CLEAR) https://www.amazon.com/dp/B01CMJZLXM/ref=cm_sw_r_cp_apa_cOGXBb3YR28B4

Here are some of my favorite tools:

• Mini measuring cups/beakers - I love these! No more spilled/wasted vanilla extract.
  
• Instant-read thermometer - I use this to check on the temperature of my dough/ingredients and even to confirm things are done baking.
  
• Maybe you already have these, but if not, I use my kitchen scale and oven thermometer all the time.
  
• Bakeware rack - This keeps my baking sheets and smaller pans better organized and more easily accessible than just stacking them on top of each other.
  
• Marble slab - keeps pie/pastry dough cold as you roll it out (I keep mine in the fridge so it's always ready).
  
• Pastry strips for making sure pie (or rolled-out cookie) dough is rolled out to an even thickness. Pastry cloth/sleeve for keeping dough from sticking.
  
• Cookie scoops - for drop cookies, muffins, cupcakes, and really anything that needs to be portioned out evenly (including non-baking stuff like meatballs). Whenever I use these, I'm always really grateful for them. Mine are Zeroll dishers I got from King Arthur Flour, but Webstaurant Store has them for cheaper, and Oxo has a line of cookie scoops too.
  
• If you make layer cakes, you may already have a turntable, but if not, this one is really good. I also like this cake lifter.
  
• Of course, there's also stand mixers. Super-helpful for things like whipping egg whites for meringues/souffles/angel food cake, creaming butter and sugar, and kneading bread dough. If you ask for a stand mixer, the KitchenAid Pro has a stronger motor than the Artisan. I have the Artisan, and it's worked fine for me for several years, but if I could go back, I'd go with the Pro instead. An extra bowl is very handy as well.

I put this up in another thread where some guy was looking for help on gift ideas. Most of this stuff is under $50, though some things like a kopykake are very pricey they can be found used for under 50 in still damn near perfect condition. Anywho I hope it helps.

> Bread:
>
> A really nice lame 1, 2
> Bannetons 1
> A couche 1
> Large dutch oven
> Pizza stone
> Peel
>
> Cookies:
>
> Kopykake 1 (Note buying it new is pricey but these can sometimes be found used for $50 and still in nearly mint condition!)
> This awesome cookie sheet 1
>
> Cake:
>
> Silicon molds
> Ring molds
> Acetate
> Airbrush
> Portion marker 1
>
> General kitchen stuff:
>
> Whetstones
> Glass mixing bowls (A prime idea if she makes anything acidic)
> Really nice rolling pin Like this cherry one
> Chef knife (yes you can get good ones for under $50, just keep it sharp)
> Bread knife
> Kitchen scale
> Cookbooks!! (Textbooks are great to!)
> Deepfryer
> Marble board
> * Ramekins

• Rye - Bulliet
  
• Vodka - Stoli or Titos
  
• Gin - Junipero
  
• Tequila - Espalon
  
• <$20 red wine - Coppola Claret / Louis Martini cab / fuck, even j lhor.
  
• beer - no ciders. IPA's are a safe bet along with some good local brews
  
  Sorry not sorry for last night's drunken break down but you really need to step your alcohol game up. People judge on that shit. All the bottles I listed are under $25 at my local liquor store. And do more than just mixers Get yourself a cocktail shaker, a jigger and a mudler and learn to make some drinks. It's really not that hard and people will be impressed as fuck. Want to take it a step further? Get one of these bad fuckers and some nice glassware. bar glassware shouldn't be optional and you can pick up some nice stemware for cheap. Go get some big ice cub silicon molds and fill with filtered water. Use those in place of ice cubes. It's all about perception. If a girl were to come over and you made her a nice drink with a beautiful presentation, she'd be blown away vs the banal rum and coke. One I like;
  
  
• muddle basil and 2 pcs of cucumber with a pinch of kosher salt
  
• 1.5 oz silver tequila
  
• 1 oz simple syrup (sugar water
  
• .5 oz lime juice.
  
  Give that a good shake and strain over a cube/burg. Garnish with cucumber wheel and basil sprig. I cook a lot so I have both ingredients on hand frequently.
  
  Alcohol should have expression. Don't buy shit to pander to people, buy what you like. If you really really like new amsterdam and jose cuervo then fine do you but spend a few extra $$ and show that you really care. For the record, cuervo gold is just cuervo silver with additives.
  
  

Very cool contest idea! Thanks so much! :)

Home sweet home

Here are a few ideas that I really like:

1. Three tier cake stand
   
   
2. Love this teapot
   
   
3. Love this tea cup and saucer!
   
   
4. This is a print of Old English Tapestry - so pretty!
   
   
5. This paisley pillow is really neat.
   
   
6. I really like this utility crockery too.
   
   Ok, I think I've flooded you with enough links. I hope you have fun checking out what everyone sends in! :)
   

Couple of questions: How much baking experience do you have? Are you planning on starting with using frosting and then using Fondant or just making cakes with frosting?

Like you I hate overly sweet frosting. I hardly ever make the typical American Buttercream frosting (shortening, milk, & powdered sugar-Blech!) However, that frosting does tend to be a little bit easier to work with. If you have some experience with cooked sugar, an Italian or French buttercream frosting isn't as intense for sweetness. They are made with real butter so they are harder to work with because the frosting gets softer the warmer it is outside or the longer you are holding the piping bag in your hands.

If you plan to use Fondant, I will use a chocolate ganache for the filling and crumb coat because it's not as sweet depending on the type of chocolate you use.

As far as supplies, it again depends on where you want to start. But there are some items that you will use regardless of if you choose Frosting vs. Fondant. These are a couple of my favorite items.

• My favorite investment has been my rotating cake stand. I use the heavier one from Ateco that I bought on Amazon.
  
• I always use an Offset Spatula. It's perfect for spreading the frosting on top of your cakes.
  
  As far as time, it all depends on what you are making and how fancy you want it. I have spent several hours decorating a cake with fondant but that's because they had a lot of tiny details. Cakes with simple rosettes on them are a lot faster. If you don't a lot of time in a day to put several hours into baking and then decorating, you can always bake the cake days before and put it in the freezer until you are ready to decorate. I'm happy to go into more details if you want more. I just don't know how much information you really want.

You say she makes and sells cakes, but is kind of frugal. Does she have a rotating cake stand for decorating? It is SUCH a useful thing if you make and decorate a lot of cakes, but I was too cheap to buy one for years thinking it wouldn't be that helpful. It is so helpful though. I linked to a cheap model, but there are nicer more expensive ones too.


Higher quality extracts and powders (I like Nielsen-Massey for extracts, and Penzey's spices) are nice too. It's hard to suggest because we don't know what she has already and what she might need. Honestly - I would ask her!

I love to bake (I actually want to go to the culinary school for baking and pastry arts), and a cake stand would be great to help me practice! Thanks for the contest!

This would be pretty easy to do if you had one of these:

http://www.amazon.com/gp/aw/d/B0016BPTSU

(I actually got mine at a craft store for around $7.)

And a grooved fondant smoother. Good luck :)

Thank you!! Yes! This one was from amazon. It snaps in and out so you can easily clean the pieces.

Clear Plastic Macaron Tower 10 Tier Display Round Cake Stands https://www.amazon.com/dp/B07G9ZWTR5/ref=cm_sw_r_cp_api_i_tbRkDbB0FV56E

Are there any threads dedicated to different storage ideas? (didn't harvest anything out of the search bar, but you never know)

I was thinking of grabbing a cakestand for mine, but there's gotta be other pretty cool stuff out there as an alternative.

I do like that shot glass cabinet though!

I have had great success using an edger. I would also suggest grabbing a cake plate and covering it with shelf liner for easier cleaning.

I bought this turntable off of Amazon, wont break the bank and it is the best turntable I’ve ever had.
For icing cakes, I found it’s easier for me to use the flat side of a bench scraper like these plus you can use the rounded side to scrape all the excess batter or icing left behind in the bowl!

I like OXO scraper. Do you plan on leaving out the sipping stand? If so, this one is what I have. Ateco and Wilton are my go to for tips and bags. Here are some links.

Also, come check out r/baking There are a ton of helpful people there ♥️


https://www.amazon.com/gp/aw/d/B000BVFYUO/ref=ox_sc_saved_image_8?ie=UTF8&psc=1&smid=ATVPDKIKX0DER

https://www.amazon.com/gp/aw/d/B01EXHJCTA/ref=ox_sc_saved_image_3?ie=UTF8&psc=1&smid=A35NO8HBZ6S6IT

https://www.amazon.com/gp/aw/d/B008VMATVO/ref=yo_ii_img?ie=UTF8&psc=1

https://www.amazon.com/gp/aw/d/B00004OCNJ/ref=mp_s_a_1_1?ie=UTF8&qid=1502920863&sr=8-1&pi=AC_SX236_SY340_QL65&keywords=oxo+bench+scraper&dpPl=1&dpID=311FAYKN2DL&ref=plSrch

Hi! I use to make wedding cakes from home and have some experience! YouTube is awesome but I would also check out cakecentral.com. If you are afraid of stacking cakes, I recommend the getting a stacking kit like this https://www.amazon.com/Bakery-Crafts-Tier-Cake-Stacking/dp/B00E1MSVMC. It's very simple and sturdy.

Chuck Finley :)

I desperately need this cake decorator. My husbands birthday is coming up and I want to be able to decorate his cake nicely. Instead of the extremely hard way I have been making cakes. :) thanks for the contest!!

Bought it on Amazon :) Very happy with it! https://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B0756ZQX42/ref=ppx_yo_dt_b_asin_title_o01_s00?ie=UTF8&psc=1

I said spindle, but meant a rotating cake stand/ table... like a potter's wheel, but for cake decorating... usually on a 3, 4 or 5 inch axle... makes decorating so much easier; and if you get nice ones, you can serve straight from the stand.

https://www.amazon.com/Kootek-Aluminium-Revolving-Turntable-Decorating/dp/B072X63HQQ/ref=sr_1_12?s=kitchen&ie=UTF8&qid=1526495033&sr=1-12&keywords=cake+stand

I actually bought the led mirror at Costco! And I bought the cake stand at Ross for like $10. If you want a fancier cake stand, I fell in love with this one!!
https://www.amazon.com/dp/B004UG50RS/ref=cm_sw_r_awd_4IKGwbWT13RX4

It's always bugged me that you can only display one side of a set when there's usually interesting details on the back or other side. So, I found a pretty cheap motorized display turntable on Amazon. Completely silent (to my ears) and really adds a cool element to my UCS display. I'll add LED's to it someday...

CAblE

Also, these two actually have the word cake in them.

Happy cake day! Thanks for the contest!

I highly recommend using the Ateco Stand

I've used a cheap turn table before. The Ateco spins better and the thin aluminum plate makes it easy to grab and turn the cake as you go.

This example should help. Basically,
hollow plastic dowels and cake boards between each layer will support the weight of the tiers and keep them from collapsing. Depending on the diameter of each tier, you'll use anywhere from 3 to 7 dowels. Assemble a tier on top of a cake board with the same diameter. Looking down at the top of the tier, figure out where the dowels need to go. The dowels will go in about halfway towards the center of the cake in a triangle (3), square (4), cross (5) pattern, etc. Once you know where they need to go, cut the dowels to the height of that tier, then gently tap them all the way in. Do this with each tier to secure it. Then stack the tiers on top of each other. And if the tiers are particularly huge and heavy, you'll need a center dowel all the way through the cake (solid wood or metal). But this is only for massive cakes, usually. Voilá.

Edit: Fixed broken link

So the first thing that comes to mind is layering up a cake stand like this and just put everything on it. I think it would be really cute.

here is another

Sorry, /i just have so many ideas... here is an organizer thats on sale at michaels. There is also this one from qvc.

Here's the exact stand: https://www.amazon.com/Dessert-Macaron-Wedding-Valentines-Birthday/dp/B07HJ3KGCG

Based on counting what's visible and doubling, you would need approximately 124 macarons.

Have you ever made macarons? They are notoriously difficult. I've been baking cakes/pies/cookies etc since I was a teenager and macarons still gave me a lot of trouble. If this is something you decide to DIY, you would need to practice until you're comfortable in your ability to make them perfectly.

I found a few things!

Dip clips:
http://www.amazon.com/gp/aw/d/B004S67ULE/ref=mp_s_a_1_sc_1?qid=1404719750&sr=8-1-spell&pi=AC_SX110_SY165_QL70
I'm a sucker for decorative pillows: http://www.amazon.com/gp/aw/d/B00IJRU2TK/ref=mp_s_a_1_1?qid=1404719811&sr=8-1&pi=SY200_QL40
And an adorable cake stand to display whatever you want: http://www.amazon.com/gp/aw/d/B004EBU50G/ref=mp_s_a_1_3?qid=1404719944&sr=8-3&pi=SX200_QL40
Thanks for the contest :D

I PM'ed you my answers. :)

Thanks

https://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B0756ZQX42

Ive put down a large cardboard piece and thrown quite a few dudes on it so can handle a bit of weight.

Maybe something like these? You could spray paint them gold.

http://smile.amazon.com/Deco-79-Metal-Stand-7-Inch/dp/B009D4SPDS/ref=pd_sim_79_5?ie=UTF8&dpID=316aQOeLsDL&dpSrc=sims&preST=_AC_UL160_SR160%2C160_&refRID=0D6728TPKBFDDWQ2DTDV

Personally, I think you may have a hard time finding 5 matching stands in different heights, but I have 2 suggestions:

(1) If you're DIY-inclined, head over to your local thrift shop (e.g., Goodwill) and pick out cake stands of similar styles. You could probably find cookie trays too, but not likely 3 matching ones. Spray paint them a matching color.

(2) If you're not DIY-inclined, get ready to search Amazon, Target, Michaels, and Joann with a fine-tooth comb. Pick a color you like and search for "X + cake stand":

• Lace: Cake stand that comes in two diameters, both different heights + similar low cake stand + rectangle stands
  
  
• Silver: Cake stand + another cake stand + etc., etc.

i use this, unless that's still too small. gl!

A good spinning cake stand. It’s pricy but a hefty one will give you more stability when decorating cakes than a plastic one. I have this one .

This turntable

and with this mirror on top

Here's one for a round cake, adjustable into 14 pieces

Never heard of one for a square cake. It's so easy to lay out square pieces I bet it doesn't exist.

However, here's one with long dividers in a rectangular cake