Show It Off! Our Favorite Cake Stands for Displaying Any Dessert
Colored Glass Cake Stand
Hand-blown by artisans in Poland, a country renowned for its delicate glassware, this 12-inch cake stand takes its style cues from antique shop finds of yesteryear. Available in pastel shades of rose, smoke, lavender, and yellow.
Shop Now: Estelle Colored Glass Hand-Blown Cake Stand, $225, food52.com.
Show It Off! Our Favorite Cake Stands for Displaying Any Dessert
It seems almost counterintuitive that a freshly baked cake, like the Citrus Mousse Cake shown here, deserves its very own serving plate, otherwise known as a cake stand or cake pedestal. But there's a practical reason why you should display your carefully created confection on something beautiful that elicits oohs and aahs when you set it on the table—a unique serving dish announces that it's time for dessert, and if you invest in something of heirloom quality, it's a piece that can be passed down to the budding bakers in your family one day in the far-off future.
If you've been placing your cakes on everyday dinnerware or flimsy paper plates, we're here to demonstrate that there's a much better solution available. Consider a colorful glass cake stand with a sweet retro vibe reminiscent of the 1950s, a sophisticated sustainable style made from reclaimed wood and galvanized steel, or a cabbage-motif ceramic cake stand from an iconic Portuguese ceramics producer. You could go all out with a pedestal that's truly suitable for framing, like a handmade decoupage stand, handcrafted to order by artisans. And if you'd rather not fuss with wrapping the remains of your cake, then a cake stand that comes with its own cover—say, a shiny cast-aluminum variation with a glass cloche—is just the thing.
Whether whimsical or practical, old-fashioned or sleekly modern, this elevated perch is undoubtedly the perfect way to show off your labor of love, like an angel food cake, Bundt cake, or most any type of cake. Still, there's no need to limit yourself. Desserts like blueberry pie, carrot cake cupcakes, and even babka certainly deserve to take the stand.
Decaled Stoneware Cake Stand
Want to make dessert time extra special? Break out this elegant, 12-inch stoneware cake stand featuring a lovely blue-and-green motif and gold-finished edges.
Shop Now: Anthropologie "Whitney" Cake Stand, $64, anthropologie.com.
Porcelain Cake Stand
What better pedestal to present our chocolate-flecked layer cake with lush milk chocolate frosting than this 14-inch hand-fired porcelain classic with a gently raised rim? It's made in France by Pillivuyt, a venerable tableware producer and is available in 11 ?-inch and 14-inch sizes.
Shop Now: Pillivuyt Porcelain Cake Stand, $89.95, williams-sonoma.com.
Cake Stand with Cloche Cover
While nothing can outshine your mouth-watering baked goods, this gorgeous stainless-steel and aluminum cake server comes close, thanks to its polished, metallic-plated finish in nickel or gold. The finishing touch: a clear glass cloche to keep your cake fresh.
Shop Now: Frontgate "Amelie" Single-Tier Cake Server with Cloche, $118, frontgate.com.
Pink Glass Cake Stand
Our triple-layered strawberry sponge cake wrapped in strawberry-meringue buttercream is irresistible, especially when served on a vintage-inspired, 10-inch glass stand in matching pink from legendary Ohio maker, Mosser Glass. Also available in 6-inch and 12-inch sizes, with and without dome covers, in a wide range of colors.
Shop Now: Mosser Glass Glass Cake Stand, $102, food52.com.
Marble and Walnut Cake Stand
Take this unique rotating cake stand for a spin every time you slice, or even while you frost your cake layers. Constructed with a sturdy walnut base and a finished marble top that keeps your cake cool—it's not only practical but beautiful to behold.
Shop Now: JK Adams Marble and Walnut Rotating Cake Stand, $110, food52.com.
Decoupage Cake Pedestal
Expect a round of applause when you present your best-loved baked goods on this splendid 12-inch decoupage cake stand from John Derian featuring imagery of Camellia Japonica Bonomiana, an evergreen shrub with breathtaking flowers. The collaged paper is placed under handblown glass, and the pieces are handmade to order by trained artisans.
Shop Now: John Derian "Camellia Japonica Bonomiana" Cake Pedestal, $410, johnderian.com.
Ceramic Cake Stand
With its adorable overhang and petite dimensions, this fanciful, 8-inch ceramic stoneware stand, handmade by ceramist Julie Hadley, is the ideal platform for tarts, cookies, and other sweet pleasures.
Shop Now: Julie Hadley "Wabi Sabi" Ceramic Cake Stand, $90, food52.com.
Marble and Brass Cake Stand
Showcase your frosted layer cakes, cupcakes, and most any confection in style with this 12-inch stand featuring a solid marble top and snazzy brass-finished steel pedestal.
Shop Now: West Elm Marble and Brass Cake Stand, $40, westelm.com.
Cabbage-Motif Cake Stand
Supplement your Bordallo Pinheiro cabbage collection, or take your first foray into the whimsical world of this legendary Portuguese ceramics producer with this 12-inch majolica earthenware cake stand, a fitting plate for your most creative cakes and other sweet creations.
Shop Now: Bordallo Pinheiro "Cabbage" Cake Stand, $64, westontable.com.
Enamel Cake Stand
Made from dense stoneware, this sturdy 12-inch pedestal is glazed with an impermeable, nonstick enamel that stands up to knives, allowing you to cut right on the surface, and also resists cracks and scratches. Choose from red, white, or blue.
Shop Now: Le Creuset Enamel Cake Stand, $50, surlatable.com.
Wood and Steel Cake Stand
Meeting at the crossroads of modern and rustic décor, this eye-catching, sustainably sourced cake stand, available in short and tall variations, is handcrafted by artisans in Hungary from reclaimed wood and with a galvanized metal band. The top is finished with organic beeswax, the base with white glossy finish.
Shop Now: Pottery Barn White Reclaimed Wood and Galvanized Steel Cake Stand, $199, potterybarn.com.
After you've baked and frosted a simply gorgeous cake, place it on the pedestal it deserves. Here are our some of our favorite ways to show off your sweetest creations.