My new mixer – AEG Ultramix Orbital Mixer Review

Let me introduce you to my new mixer! If you follow me on Instagram you may have seen that around a month ago I was surprised with a package from AEG UK and inside was their Ultramix stand mixer (or the AEG Ultramix Orbital Mixer KM5540-U for it’s full name). As someone who loves cake I have to admit that any parcel with cake bits inside makes it feel like Christmas.

I have been so lucky to work with AEG UK on on few projects and have had the privilege to attend some of the events they have put on where I have been able to have a go at using this mixer and also their ovens, but it’s been great to have something in my own kitchen that I have been able to use and test with different recipes. I thought as I’ve been using it for a little while now and you might have seen I used it in my latest YouTube video showing how to make a lemon sponge cake I would let you know my thoughts.

Now before we jump into talking about the mixer I just wanted to let you know that the mixer was a gift, and AEG have not asked me to write this, so these are just my honest thoughts. I just thought if any of you were looking for a new mixer you might find it useful.

Ok so the first thing I noticed when taking it out of the box was the colour. I love this metallic dark gun metal grey colour. It’s so modern and has such a streamlined look, that I love. Unpacking the mixer it comes with a lot of attachments. You have the standard beater, the whisk and the dough hook which are all made of metal with a white coating. There was also a soft edge beater with a spatula running around the edge which has become my favourite to use and I will tell you more about this below. The mixer also comes with 2 metal bowls, one 4.8L, which is the size I am used to using with the other mixer I have, and a smaller 2.9L bowl which is so handy to have and perfect if I just want to mix up a small amount of cake mix. There is also a pouring lid which acts like a cover and is particularly helpful if you are making buttercream so the icing sugar doesn’t puff out everywhere. And lastly a proving lid for if you’re making bread so you can cover the bowl.

My experience with the mixer

Over the last few weeks I have mainly used the mixer for cakes and buttercream which is what you know I make most of. So let’s start with the soft edge spatula attachment I mentioned. This is something new to me that I have never used on any of the other mixers I have owned. This is honestly amazing and has become a game changer for me. I can’t believe the difference this makes. The attachment is made of a hard plastic with a strip of soft bendy plastic around the edge. Usually if I’m mixing a cake mixture or making buttercream I would have to stop half way and scrap down the bowl to combine all the ingredients that have been left on the side, but the small spatula on the side of the beater runs around tightly to the edge of the bowl and picks up all the ingredients. It also helps make the fluffiest buttercream, it seems to not only beat the buttercream but whip it at the same time taking out a lot of the air bubbles that can sometimes form.

The machine is also so easy to use, there is a little lever on the back that allows you to lift the machine and add in your attachments. The metal bowls then just slot in and you turn them to tighten them in place. I have to say I am a fan of metal bowls for stand mixers as they are so light and so easy to clean. Additionally, I haven’t tested these out, but similar to other stand mixers you can add additional attachments like a grater or slicer to the front (under the AEG logo on the front plate) if you wanted. These are sold separately but this is something I would definitely look for in a new mixer as one if my favourite cakes to make is carrot cake, and a grater attachment really does speed up this process.

It’s sometimes easier to see something working to get an idea of what it’s like so here is a little clip from the first time I used it; attaching the normal beater and starting to mix a vanilla sponge cake recipe. On the side it has a 10 speed settings and you might see that the dial lights up blue when you are using it.

I have read in a few reviews since receiving this mixer that some people think it’s a little loud. I mean its an electric mixer so I would never expect it to be silent. This wasn’t something I noticed when I started using it and from my experience it doesn’t seem any louder than other mixers I have used and personally it’s not an annoying noise. I mainly use my mixers for cake mix and buttercream so they are not running for that long either.

People also mentioned in a few of the reviews that I read that they had experience of the mixer moving up and down when mixing. I did notice with stiffer ingredients it can bounce a little more than I’m used to when mixing, but for what I’ve used it for this didn’t affect the result that I got, which was a really smooth cake mixture and a lovely fluffy buttercream.

You will see from the video above this is a little further into mixing my cake mixture. I have also switched to the soft edge beater and it’s thoroughly mixing the ingredients.

I then have a clip below making some American Buttercream with the pouring lid attached and again you can see its getting right to the edge. Before using the plastic cover / pouring lid I did wonder if it would stop the icing sugar creating that cloud off icing sugar which seems to cover every surface when mixing without one as there is a large pouring hole and its open at the back, but it was perfect. You can see from the video it had stopped any icing sugar escaping from the bowl which is a massive plus from me.

Over the last month I have made different cakes and buttercream in the mixer and I am really enjoying using it and can’t wait to use it more. When choosing a mixer I know there are so many options and different brands to choose from, and it can be hard to know which to choose. This is one of the top end mixers price wise and I have only ever used this and one other stand mixer, but if you love to bake cakes and make a lot of buttercream and are looking for a new mixer I would say the AEG Ultramix is definitely one to consider and I definitely love how it looks on my kitchen worktop.

If you want to read more about the mixer then head over to the AEG UK website where they have lot more information and technical details. You can also find a list of retailers that stock the mixer including Amazon https://amzn.to/2BcDYXC

I really hope this post has been useful. Let me know in the comments below if you have this mixer and what you think!