My Fall Baking Essentials: Favorite Tools, Bakeware & Cake Stands

Fall is easily one of my favorite seasons to bake. Once September rolls around, I’m ready for apple pies, pumpkin bread, cinnamon everything, layer cakes and basically any excuse to turn the oven back on.

Over the years, I’ve collected quite a few baking tools, pans and serving pieces, but there are certain things I find myself reaching for over and over again, especially this time of year. Some are true baking essentials that make recipes easier, and others are just really pretty pieces that make my kitchen feel a little more like fall.

I put together all of my favorites for the year, from my mixer and everyday baking pans to the green stoneware and wooden cake stands I love using for fall.

here are all of my fall baking essentials!

My Favorite Mixer

Ankarsrum Mixer

If you bake often, a good mixer is one of those things that earns its place on the counter. My Ankarsrum mixer is great for everything from cookie dough and cake batter to breads and other heavier doughs.

I especially love having a stand mixer once fall and holiday baking picks up and I’m making multiple recipes at once. It’s definitely an investment piece, but it’s the kind of kitchen tool you can use year-round.

Mixing Bowls

Green Hearth & Hand Mixing Bowls

I love when something I use all the time can also look pretty sitting out on the counter. These green Hearth & Hand mixing bowls are perfect for fall without feeling so seasonal that you have to put them away once November is over.

Use them for mixing cake batter, tossing apples with cinnamon and sugar, prepping ingredients or even serving something on the table.

Baking Sheets + Cooling Rack

USA Pan Nonstick Baking Sheets

Good baking sheets are one of the least exciting purchases on this list, but probably one of the most useful. I use baking sheets constantly for cookies, pastries and plenty of non-baking recipes too.

The USA Pan nonstick baking sheets are a great everyday baking staple to have in your kitchen, especially heading into cookie season.

Cooling Rack

A cooling rack is another basic that you’ll use all year long. I use mine for cooling cookies, cakes and loaves and for letting glazes or chocolate set without everything pooling underneath.

If you’re putting together a baking collection from scratch, I’d definitely have at least one good cooling rack.

My Favorite Fall Loaf Pans

Fall might as well be loaf-cake season. Pumpkin bread, apple bread, zucchini bread, cinnamon bread, banana bread…I could keep going.

USA Pan Nonstick Loaf Pan

For a simple everyday loaf pan, I love the USA Pan nonstick loaf pan. This is the kind of pan I reach for when I care more about getting a dependable loaf than making it decorative.

Heritage Pie Dish + Fluted Loaf Pan Set

This set gives you the best of both worlds because it’s functional but also makes whatever you bake look a little more special.

The Heritage pie dish is perfect for all of those fall pies, while the fluted loaf pan makes a simple quick bread look beautiful without needing much decoration.

Hearth & Hand Toffee Cast Loaf Pan

I couldn’t put together a fall baking list without including this one. The toffee color is so pretty for autumn, and I love a decorative pan that can make a simple cake or loaf feel a little more special.

A dusting of powdered sugar or a simple glaze is really all you need.

Pie Baking Essentials

Wooden Rolling Pin by Hearth & Hand

A classic wooden rolling pin is one of those baking tools you’ll keep forever. I love the simple look of this Hearth & Hand wooden rolling pin, and it’s perfect for pie dough, sugar cookies and other rolled doughs.

Peeler

If you’re making apple desserts all fall, you need a good peeler. Apple pie, apple crisp, apple bread, this is one of those tiny kitchen tools that suddenly gets a lot more use this time of year.

Paring Knife

A small paring knife is another one of my must-haves for apple season. It’s helpful for peeling, coring, trimming and all of those little prep jobs where a large chef’s knife feels like too much.

Pastry Brush

I use a pastry brush for brushing pie crusts with egg wash, adding melted butter to pastries and getting that pretty golden finish before something goes into the oven.

It’s inexpensive, small and definitely worth having in your baking drawer.

Measuring Cups + Spoons

Not glamorous, but absolutely necessary.

A good set of measuring cups and spoons is something you’ll use in practically every baking recipe. If you’re slowly replacing old kitchen tools or putting together a baking setup for the first time, this is one of the basics I’d start with.

My Favorite Cake Stands for Fall

This is where we move from need to I just really love it.

I have always loved cake stands. Obviously they’re great for cakes, but I use them for so much more like cookies, cupcakes, muffins, breads or even just as part of the kitchen decor.

Wood, white and glass cake stands are especially pretty in the fall because they work with just about every color palette.

Molly Yeh Wood Cake Stand

The Molly Yeh wood cake stand is such a pretty way to add warmth to a fall dessert table. Put a chocolate cake, pumpkin cake or simple bundt cake on top and it instantly feels finished.

HBlife White Cake Stands

You really can’t go wrong with a classic white cake stand. The HBlife white cake stands work for every season and let the dessert be the focus.

They’re especially useful if you entertain often because you can mix them with wood, glass and seasonal pieces without everything looking too matched.

Vivirbien Wooden Cake Stand with Glass Lid

I love the old-fashioned bakery feel of a wooden cake stand with a glass dome. It’s pretty enough to leave on the counter with muffins, cookies or a loaf cake inside, which is exactly the kind of cozy kitchen detail I love for fall.

Hearth & Hand Wood + Glass Cake Stand

Another wood-and-glass combination I love is this Hearth & Hand cake stand. The wood adds warmth while the glass keeps it simple and classic.

This would be so pretty filled with fall cookies or a freshly baked cake sitting on the kitchen counter.

Fall Serving Pieces

Hearth & Hand Round Stoneware with Green Stripe

I’m always drawn to green in the fall, especially mixed with warm wood tones, creams and browns. This Hearth & Hand round stoneware piece with the green stripe has that simple farmhouse look without screaming FALL.

It’s something you can use for autumn entertaining and continue using throughout the rest of the year.

Hearth & Hand Wooden Charger Plate

Wooden serving pieces are one of the easiest ways to warm up a table for fall. I love this Hearth & Hand wooden charger plate underneath serving dishes or incorporated into a dessert table.

You don’t necessarily need a cabinet full of seasonal dishes. Mixing a few wood pieces with neutral dishes you already own can completely change the look.

Don’t Forget a Good Pair of Oven Mitts

After years of working around ovens, this is one thing I will never consider optional. A good pair of oven mitts is worth having, especially when you’re moving heavy pie dishes, sheet pans and loaf pans in and out of the oven all day.

Building a Fall Baking Collection

You definitely don’t need to buy everything at once.

If you’re building your baking supplies from scratch, I’d start with the things you’ll use constantly: a mixer, mixing bowls, measuring cups and spoons, baking sheets, a cooling rack and a good loaf pan. Then add a rolling pin and pie dish if you want to make pies this fall.

The pretty pieces can come later.

I’ve collected cake stands, serving pieces and specialty bakeware over time, and I think that’s part of what makes them fun. Eventually you end up with a collection that feels like your kitchen rather than buying an entire matching set at once.

And when fall baking season comes around, I love pulling all of those wood, green, cream and toffee pieces back out.

Whether you’re planning a full weekend of fall baking or just making a loaf of pumpkin bread on a Sunday afternoon, these are some of the baking tools and kitchen pieces I’d want nearby.

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