Now I love Christmas, but I have to admit I always struggle with what to get my family. A week before Christmas you will usually find me adding items to my Amazon basket and hoping Prime will get these to me on time. So with a month to go I thought I would put together some gift ideas in case you are trying to think of what to get someone who loves to bake and decorate cakes, or if you are looking for ideas to add to your own Christmas list.
I have listed 15 items which range in price from fun stocking fillers to something a little more extravagant, so there is something for everyone. These are all things that I have either tried and tested and which can be seen in many of my video tutorials, or are on my very own Christmas list for this year.
1. Kenwood Stand Mixer, 1000w, Red – Now the reason I have put this as number one on the list is because this was one of my favourite Christmas presents a few years ago. I had been making cakes for a while and I was surprised with my very own kMix at Christmas by my parents who knew how much I wanted one. Having a stand mixer can be a real game changer when it comes to making cakes, it’s so much easier to mix large quantities and you can just walk away and let it mix the buttercream to perfection. One of my favourite things about the kMix is the splash guard that goes over the bowl. This stops all the icing sugar flying out when mixing that buttercream. In my buttercream video you might have seen that I have the metal bowl, but how nice does the glass bowl look! Click here for the link!
2. Sprinkles (Sprinkletti) – Sprinkles, need I say more! These are a great stocking filler for any cake maker, the amount of different colours and designs that you can get is amazing and I love having sprinkles on hand to add to my cupcakes. Click here for the link!
3. Wilton 2D & 1M piping tips – If you are looking to start piping cupcakes these are my two must have piping tips to add to your collection. The 2D features the closed star tip with the 1M having the open star design. When it comes to these two piping tips there are so many different variations of buttercream swirl that can be created with just these two. From a standard ice cream style swirl, to rose designs, ruffles and so much more. Click here for the link!
4. Kenwood Kmix hand mixer, 350W, White – Ok, so if you are not looking for something as large as the stand mixer at the start of this list, this mixer is my next favourite. I have been using a kMix hand mixer ever since I first started making cakes. This not only mixes cakes amazingly, but it also looks great on the shelf in my kitchen. I have the cream version and it comes with a great stand which holds the whisks and dough hooks. It has 5 speeds which is perfect for all my baking needs plus I also find the silicone handle finish comfortable to hold when mixing lots of ingredients. Click here for the link!
5. Modelling Tools Set – This is a set of 8 tools and probably one of the most useful things I have added to the list. When it comes to cake decorating these tools offer you 16 different ends which you can use to shape your gumpaste or fondant / icing in order to make your models. Whenever I am decorating a cake or making models or flowers these are the first thing I reach for. This would make a great stocking filler for anyone looking to start cake decorating. Click here for the link!
6. Mason Cash pastel pink heart mixing bowl – So this is quite a large bowl measuring 29cm in diameter. It is a chip resistant earthenware mixing bowl which I love. Firstly I love the fact that it is pink and has hearts on the side (it does come in other colours if pink is not for you) but I also love that it is a nice large bowl that is perfect for those recipes that require you to mix the ingredients by hand, or the times that I prefer to use a smaller hand mixer. Click here for the link!
7. Baby Pink Spatula – This idea may sound really simple, but I love spatulas, they are so useful when baking. This is the Pastel Flexible Silicone Spatula by purpleOAKdesign in baby pink, they also come in white and blue. The reason I love this spatula is for the handle. Wooden handles last for so much longer than the plastic ones. I have snapped so many plastic spatulas just through wear and tear, but the wooden ones always seem to last that little bit longer. Click here for the link!
8. Martha Stewart Silicone Alphabet Mould – I have been looking for this mould for so long and this is definitely on my Christmas list this year. I have seen so many Instagram images where the names have been written on a cake with an ornate, pretty font and I have finally found it. This is the Martha Stewart mould which features uppercase letters with a pretty pattern on each letter. This will make it so easy to cutout letters for your cakes as the fondant just pushes into the shape and pops right out! Click here for the link!
9. How To Cake It Cookbook – This is another item on my Christmas list this year. I don’t know about you, but I love watching Yolanda’s Youtube channel, seeing what cakes she makes each week, and this is her first cookbook showing you how she makes her amazing cakes. I am looking forward to having a read through this on Christmas Day! Click here for the link!
10. Wilton 8 Colour Icing Set – If you watch my video tutorials you will know I love the Wilton gel colour pots for colouring my icing / fondant and gumpaste. They are highly pigmented and give a great colour. This is a great starter set if you are looking to invest in some gel colours to colour your fondant / icing. The set includes Red, Golden Yellow, Leaf Green, Royal Blue, Ivory, Pink, Violet and Black, which gives you a great variety of colours. Click here for the link!
11. Colourworks Round cookie cutters – This is a set of 6 round cookie cutters in varying sizes and they come in fun colours. I love these cutters as they have a smooth round circle on one side and a scalloped circle on the other. These are great for cutting out cookies and also cutting out cupcake toppers. You may have seen me use these in my Teddy bear cupcake topper video where I used them to create the disc of icing to go on top of the cupcakes. These would make a great stocking filler! Click here for the link!
12. Squires Kitchen Bellissimo Flexi Smoothers, Medium – I actually recently bought these smoothers for myself and I will be using them in an up-and-coming video tutorial. They are great for smoothing off the edges of your fondant / icing cakes to get that crisp sharp edge around the top. The medium pack is for cakes that are 6-9 inches tall and you get 2 flexible plastic smoothers which you use together, one on the side and one on the top, working the icing into the sharp edge. Click here for the link!
13. Round Loose Based Cake Tin, 6 inches by Lakeland – If you’re doing a lot of baking it is a must to have a great set of tins. I think I use my 6 inch cake tins most often and these Lakeland tins are great, they are made from silver aluminium and have a loose base which makes it easy to push out your baked cakes. They also have a silicone rim around the base which stops any of the mixture escaping. Click here for the link!
14. Kitchen Craft Sweetly Does It Message Maker – I have had these little letter embossers for years and have used them so many times I have lost count. These are perfect for writing messages onto cupcakes, whether you are adding them to a fondant banner or a little plaque. They are mini letters about 5mm in height (I know that’s quite small!). You can then either slide the letters onto the white plastic strip and stamp your message. I personally don’t use the plastic strip and just stamp each letter individually to create the message, they can be quite fiddly, but allow you to add cute messages. In my opinion they are a great stocking filler for anyone who loves to make cupcakes. Click here for the link!
15. Tala Cupcake Cake Tester – So last on the list is this cake tester. This is a stainless steel skewer that you can poke into your cakes once they are baked to check they are fully cooked in the inside. If you take the stick out and it is completely clean your cake is cooked, if you remove it and it has traces of cake mixture you know to pop it back in the oven for a while. This is a great addition to a baker’s kitchen and I always have mine on hand just to check. Click here for the link!
So there we have 15 different gift ideas for bakers this Christmas. I really hope you like these gift ideas and find them useful in your hunt for the perfect gift. I also wish you a Merry Christmas and Happy Christmas baking!
