The 6 Best Cake Turntables for the Easiest Decorations

How We Selected

Our writer, Irvin Lin, owns several of the cake turntables and has tested out their features while decorating layer cakes. He also consulted with professional bake decorators and pastry chefs as well as cookbook authors, bloggers, and enthusiastic home bakers to find out what they look for in a rotating cake stand. Almost all of them cited the Ateco cast-iron base turntable as their go-to cake stand to use when decorating a cake.

Beyond that, he looked at multiple online articles and lists on the best cake turntables and read reviews for rotating cake stands. He looked at the durability of the material, how smoothly it spun, the stability and nonslip base, the ease of cleaning, and whether it was a reliable and known brand. He also considered the aesthetics of the stand and whether or not it was something he might want to serve a cake on.

Other Options We Considered

• Innovative Sugarworks Artists Cake Turntable: This metal cake stand has an innovative locking mechanism and a graphic red base that made it stand out from the others, but it was more expensive than comparable turntables like the Ateco turntable with cast-iron base.
• Wilton High and Low Cake Turntable: This turntable can be raised taller for decorating the cake, so you don’t have to bend over as much, but the legs fold under for easier storage. It's great if you need a stand mainly for display, not decorating, which is why we included it on our Best Cake Stands list. The Wilton Tilt-N-Turn cake stand had a more stable base and durable top for decorating.
• Foreversmooth Cake Turntable Stand: This cake stand was highly rated, but it had a thinner plastic top that the Wilton turntable and felt like less durable.
• Kootek 11-Inch Rotating Cake Turntable: This plastic turntable looked similar to the Ateco plastic turntable we chose for the best budget category. It was highly rated, but Ateco is a well-known brand that specializes in cake and pastry decorating, while this brand was less familiar, with a lot of products in different categories.
• Spin and Serve Cake Decorating Stand: This cake stand looked great, but the slate base that was used for the top has a texture that looked difficult to clean versus the smooth marble top on the JK Adams cake stand.
  

What to Look for in a Cake Turntable

Stand Surface

Cake turntable tops are most often metal or plastic, with the occasional marble or slate top. Metal tops are very durable and can support heavy cakes. They are often easy to clean, though some metal cake stands do not have a removable top, requiring them to be wiped down with a damp cloth. Be aware that some metal rusts or corrodes, so read the instructions that come with the cake stand to find out how to properly maintain and clean it.

Plastic tops can stain and are sometimes harder to clean, as butter and grease can get be difficult to remove from plastic. However, plastic tops don’t rust or corrode, so they can often be washed directly in the sink. Not all plastic is the same, and some models are thicker and more durable, while others are thinner and won’t support the weight of a heavy layer cake. Some plastic tops also have rubber or nonslip grip rings to keep the cake firmly on the stand top so it won’t slide off. 

Marble and slate tops are beautiful to serve food on. They are heavy and durable, and they can keep cool for a long time, which is important when decorating with buttercream. If you're picking a rotating cake stand that has a marble or slate top, look for one that is sealed to prevent scratches and staining. Marble is particularly sensitive to acidic elements, like lemon juice or vinegar. Both materials are heavy as well, so storage can be a challenge sometimes.

Stand Height

The height of the cake stand can make a big difference. Some are short, which means you’re constantly hunching down, straining your back. Other cake stands are taller, which makes for an easier decorating experience, as you can see all the sides and views of the cake while decorating it. 

However, taller stands also mean you need the space to store them when you’re done using them. It’s always good to keep the practicality of storage in mind when purchasing a cake turntable. Your cake also may become unstable if you move a tall cake stand or attempt to carry it to another surface.

Maintenance

Nearly all rotating cake stands are hand-wash only, with a lot of cake stands recommending that you wipe the surface clean. Some cake turntables have a removable top that can come off, so you can wash or clean it more thoroughly. Some plastic cake stands tops can also be submerged in water for easy cleaning. Others can’t be submerged in water, not even the removable top. Before making your purchase, consider your decorating needs and whether you can maintain a cake stand that you cannot get wet.

Stability

Some cake turntables are unstable, made of cheap material, or lightweight. These stands often bend or warp when heavy cakes are placed on them, making your cake decorating lopsided or uneven. Worse, a warped or sagging cake stand could cause your cake to topple over while you decorate it. Choose a turntable made of sturdy material that can hold up to the weight of the type of cake you make.

Keep in mind that cake stands can also move and slide around if you have a slick surface. Look for turntables that are heavy or have a rubber or nonslip base, or consider purchasing a separate nonslip mat for your cake stand to sit on. That will prevent unfortunate accidents while you work on your cake decorations.

Rotation

Look for a cake stand that smoothly rotates when you use it. Jerky or stiff cake turntables will interrupt your workflow. Loose stands that spin too quickly can also be challenging if you do detailed work or want a little more control with the cake decorating. Cake stands with ball bearings are often smooth but create more noise when rotating. 

Some cake turntables come with a "locking" mechanism that prevents them from rotating. That is handy for detailed work. Look for the cake stand that works with your own style of cake decorating.

FAQs 

Do you need to put anything on your cake turntable before decorating? 

Unless you plan on serving your cake directly on the cake turntable, like the JK Adams cake stand or the Ateco cast-iron cake stand, you should first place a cardboard round that is the same diameter as your cake on the rotating cake stand. Then place a smear of frosting on the cardboard round, and place the bottom layer of the cake onto the cardboard round, over the frosting. The frosting will act as “glue” adhering the cardboard round to the bottom of the cake.

Then decorate the cake as desired. The cardboard round will allow you to lift the decorated cake off the rotating cake turntable and move it to the decorative cake stand.

If your rotating turntable is flat or has a slick surface, you may also want to place a nonslip mat between the top of the turntable and the cardboard round so the cake won’t slide around as you decorate it.

How do you transfer a cake from a turntable to another cake stand?

Moving a decorated cake from the turntable to a cake stand can be super anxiety-producing. If you don’t opt to use a rotating cake turntable that can also function as a cake stand, then the best thing to do is to first make sure you have decorated the cake on a cardboard round.

Once you have decorated the cake, place the serving cake stand next to the turntable. Carefully slide a long offset spatula underneath the cardboard, and lift it up gently, just enough to slide your fingers and hands under it. Then, lift the entire cake up, and move it to the cake stand. 

To place the decorated cake on the serving cake stand, do the exact opposite, placing it on the cake stand gently, and slide one hand out from under the cake, leaving the other hand under it. Slide the offset spatula under the cake, and use it as a lever to hold it up while you slide your other hand out from under the cake. Gently lower the cake, and slide the spatula out from under it. In the transferring of the cake, you may find that you might have disrupted or damaged part of the frosting. Use a little bit of leftover extra frosting to fix any small flaws.

Does spinning speed matter?

A lot of professional cake decorators prefer to have a quickly and easily spinning turntable. Faster and more easily spinning turntables mean you can decorate more quickly. Getting the crumb coating and the base layer coating onto a cake takes time, and if you are a professional, time means money.

But for most home bakers or hobby cake decorators, quickly spinning turntables might not be the best. A beginner or home baker might want a slower turntable, because they have more control over the frosting or are just not comfortable with a quickly spinning cake. Pick a cake turntable that spins at a level you are comfortable with. Faster isn’t always better for everyone.

Why Trust The Spruce Eats?

Irvin Lin is a cookbook author of "Marbled, Swirled, and Layered" and an ongoing contributor to The Spruce Eats and Simply Recipes. He runs his own blog, Eat the Love, and is a professional recipe developer and writer. He’s decorated a lot of cakes and has gone through a number of rotating cake stands and turntables, trying to find the perfect one for his cake-decorating needs.

Sources

• Jamie Li, founder of Jamie Cake SF in San Francisco
• Bronwen Wyatt, owner of Bayou Saint Cake and chef-in-residence at the Southern Food & Beverage Museum in New Orleans