Having a variety of fresh high-quality products will help you to bake and decorate great cakes. Common ingredients you should have stocked in your kitchen are:
Cake flour
Unsalted butter for baking and mixing frostings
White granulated sugar
Confectioners’ sugar for frostings and icings
Eggs, at room temperature
Whole milk
Pasteurized egg whites for royal icing
Coloring gels, in a variety of colors, to shade frostings
Baking powder
Baking soda
Flavorings and extracts
Edible embellishments such as hard candies, chocolates, nuts, fruits, sprinkles, sanding sugars, and nonpareils, as well as marzipan for modeling
Nonedible embellishments such as candles and fresh flowers
