Cake turntable

A baking glossary defines the turntable as a pedestal with a flat, rotating top, used for holding cakes while they are being decorated. Spinning the cake instead of walking around it lets a decorator keep the hand and the tool steady while the surface moves past.

A college baking text shows how the turntable fits into the workflow. A dry pastry brush is used to remove crumbs from the turntable and cake, and the same brush can add cake syrup to cake layers. Metal cake spatulas, also called palette knives, are used for cake decorating, and offset spatulas have an uneven blade. For side patterns, the cake comb is pressed against the side as you turn the cake, so the design left depends on the decorator and the comb used. The turntable is what makes that turning smooth.