So you’ve made your Hero Sponge baked beauty, or faked it with a genius fake bake creation, and are looking forward to showing it off in its full glory. Then you wonder what on earth you’re going to put it on!? You don't have a cake stand!

We’ve all been there, even those of us with years of experience, and it’s not a cause for panic. If anything, it’s another opportunity to display your fantastic creativity!

A quick search on Pinterest will give you lots of inspiration for DIY cake stands.  And although some of them are pretty (and some are hideous!), frankly we’ve not got the time for all the superglue and drying they need. But what you can do is grab some bits from around the house that’ll work perfectly and make sure your cake is elevated, grabbing all the attention.

Here are 7 Easy Ways To Make a DIY Cake Stand

Stack of Books

We’ve nearly all got them at home and they’re a great versatile option for a cake stand.  You can theme the books you pick (baking books are great), alter heights really easily and have more than one pile too if you need it. Just don’t go too high and beware of slippy book covers - it’s one reason why hardbacks are great and magazines aren’t!

Vase or Light shades

This may seem unusual but as long as it’s got a stable base and flat rim to balance a plate on, a vase or light shade can make a very stylish stand.  We’re talking more the retro-metal or geometric wire type lampshades, rather than your Laura Ashley florals, but if that’s what you’ve got and it’s strong enough then go for it! 

Teacups

Obviously a single teacup is not going to hold up a cake. But three or four will. A set of teacups or mugs can all act as feet to a plate or a board and as long as they’re the same height you can mix and match. Just make sure they’re evenly and equally spaced for the board, and maybe even turn them over to increase the stability. 

Chopping boards

These can make great stands, especially wooden ones for a more rustic style of display. And if they’re not the most elegant of boards you can easily extend your decoration down onto it which we'll cover further down in this article.

Wood slices and offcuts

Of course the cake doesn’t have to be on a plate at all! Log slices or offcuts, whatever their size, can be used and with the right decoration can look really sophisticated.

Smaller slices can be stacked to give height to a platter or cake board, and of course wide logs can be used as is and add a real presence to the display. 

Cake decorating turn table

We’ve written before how a turntable is a pretty small investment but 100% worth having, particularly if you make cakes pretty regularly. AND they can double up as a stand! Some are pretty by themselves - like my marble one. And even if they're a bit basic/ugly, they can be easily given a glow-up with some some simple styling props.

Simple cover-up ideas for your DIY stands

Given you’re rummaging at home it’s possible that actually the most stable item you’ve got isn’t the best looking.  But we can work with that.  

Filling the space between the surface and the cake is a great way to cover up the edges of that not-so-pretty plate or overturned serving dish. 

Flowers or green sprigs, party decorations and even battery LED lights can all fill a space really well.  Or, if you’re feeling a little bit crafty, you could cut some different colours of paper with a nice edge and wrap that round as a collar.

The bottom line is that as long as it’s wide enough and solid enough to support the weight of the cake and it being cut, even just for the first photo, you really can use pretty much anything. Just remember the stand isn’t the focus - your gorgeous cake is - so no need to stress over it.

PS - If you’re going on a car journey before putting your cake on your new stand, stop and read this post first about how we developed the best delivery service in London- Learn from our past mistakes and get your cake to your celebration in mint condition.