I was inspired to write this post after drawing a baking-mad colleague for virtual Secret Santa at work. The limit of £10 including postage doesn’t leave much room for creativity but I had fun looking for inspiration – some of my favourite gift ideas for bakers – at Christmas or any other time of year – are below:
Madeleine Tray
Madeleine’s are beautiful light French cakes, but you can only make them at home if you have the proper tin. At just £12, this one nearly snuck in as a Secret Santa option:
Beautiful Cake Stands
Anthropologie is one of those shops I can spend hours in, wanting to buy everything but leaving with nothing because it’s all just a little bit expensive and feels like too much of a luxury. The perfect combination for gifts!
Their homeware section is incredible and I especially love these gorgeous glass cake stands:
Lovely Cake Tins
No baker ever has enough cake tins and we always end up transporting cakes to work and to family occasions in random Tupperware boxes that get icing smeared all over the lid. This won’t be a problem for the baker in your life when you gift them these stunning hummingbird print cake tins:
Silicone Baking Mats
Yes, these are practical rather than completely lust-worthy, but any baker always likes to upgrade their kit to ensure a perfect bake every time. Silicone baking mats are easy to clean and perfect for making cookies, macarons and anything else that you really don’t want to get stuck to your baking tray.
Copper Measuring Cups and Spoons
All bakers secretly (or publicly, in my case), want to be Nigella. She has all the best kit, including lots of expensive looking copper accessories. These measuring cups and spoons look way more expensive than they are, and come from John Lewis’s Croft Collection – one I can personally vouch for as it is where all our wedding presents are from.
Collapsible Cooling Rack
Confession, I don’t actually have one of these and didn’t realise how much I was missing it until I remembered my Mum using it every time we baked jam tarts. If your baker likes to bake in bulk – cupcakes, cookies, tarts etc – they need multiple cooling racks in their life. This one collapses for easy storage.
Kitchen Tongs
Never underrate how essential a pair of tongs are in the kitchen. Not just useful for the BBQ, tongs are the best tool for flipping and checking and turning all sorts of bakes. These jazzy red ones would make a great gift:
Piping Nozzles and Bags
I couldn’t talk about the best gifts for bakers without going to the paradise that is Lakeland. As you might have noticed from my previous recommendations, I’m a sucker for pretty packaging, and this is where Lakeland falls down. However, they do have EVERYTHING a baker could want and are particularly well-stocked with all things to do with shaping and icing.
I’d go for these metal piping nozzles but with a set of disposable piping bags. Usually, I’m keen on all things re-usable, but life is too short to wash piping bags…
Cookbooks
I’ve been a fan of the Great British Bake Off for many years and find myself using recipes from former contestants all the time. They are always really well researched and presented, and often especially inventive with great twists and innovations.
It was released back in 2013, but my most-used baking book is by 2012 Bake Off winner John Whaite. I especially love the ginger nut and white chocolate tart, and the creamy baked ‘lonewolf’ eggs.
Released more recently is Edd Kimber’s ‘One Tin Bakes’ – I love this concept as it uses just one tin for everything, meaning it’s really accessible for people who don’t have all the kit. Edd shares loads of content from the book on his Instagram too.
Benjamina Ebuehi was a GBBF contestant a few years ago and has received great acclaim for her first book ‘The New Way to Cake’. I love how she uses interesting flavours like nuts, spices and herbs to make her recipes stand out but generally keeps the method simple. The photography in this book is also stunning.
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