Best Cake Knife in 2023

Different foods need different knives. Let’s take cakes as an example. You need a knife that can cut a cake into precise, neat slices. A cake knife is also known as a pie knife, cake slicer, or cake shovel.

Why do you need a cake knife

Imagine a delicious festive cake that was made with a lot of effort. It should also look just as delicious on the plate later. Use a simple kitchen knife or table knife to cut it, but it will hardly ever work. Cake and pie knives create the ideal conditions for the careful portioning of cakes and tarts of all kinds. They are not crushed and keep their shape.

Which cake knife is the right one?

You can best answer this question yourself. Because only you know how often you eat and serve cake or pie. You will find a wide range of cake and pie knives for home use on the market or on the Internet. They come in many different designs and quality levels.

For businesses such as cafés or confectioners, there are the so-called professional knives. With these, up to eight cake bases can be cut at the same time. So-called spreading pallets are also suitable for spreading and glazing all cake specialties.

But no matter which variant is relevant for you, you will certainly find it. The style ranges from “simple” to “noble”. The same applies to functionality. The knives are medium sharp to extra sharp. Sometimes the cutting degree is even adjustable. The 2in1 models are practical and “multifunctional”, so to speak. The first function is as a cutting aid for cake bases, then as a cake lifter. Multi-part cake knife sets can also be found in a large selection among the product ranges. They are also marketed under the name “Cake base cutting aid set” and consist of two to three parts.

What should be considered when buying a cake knife

First of all, ask yourself the question for which types of cake the knife should be used and how often. If you only have cakes on certain occasions, a simple cake knife will do the job. When browsing the internet you will find out that good cakes do not have to be expensive. In any case, it makes sense to compare prices. Customer ratings or reviews on shop portals are also helpful from time to time. Bestsellers are often published there as well. A look in this category is worthwhile in any case. After all, the products did not get the best marks for anything.

What do pie knives look like

Depending on the design, the handles are made of plastic or wood. In many cases they are ergonomically shaped. The blades are usually made of stainless steel. They can be smooth ground, wavy ground or both. The latter is then called a double-ground knife. The serrations are generally finely serrated. This ensures that the cakes can be cut into fine pieces. The ends of the knives are often rounded.

Most cake knives are suitable for cutting all kinds of cakes and are dishwasher safe. Exceptions are wooden knives such as windmill knives. Their handles are usually made of precious wood such as plum wood. Manufacturers usually include very detailed care instructions with such pieces of jewellery. It is recommended to follow them.

Cake knife test & comparison 2023

Baking cakes is not an everyday occurrence in the kitchen. An elaborate cream cake is only put on the table on very special holidays and therefore only the right professional has a special cake knife at home. You can choose between a smooth or a serrated cutting edge. Other, long cake and pie knives, on the other hand, have a serrated edge on both sides so that you can make beautiful, clean and also quick cuts, whether through cream and fruit layers or firm cake bases. In the following sections we take a closer look at these models.

Can you sharpen cake knives

With a whetstone or knife sharpener you can get almost any knife sharp again. An optimal whetstone has several grains and is coarse on one side and fine on the other. This means: there is one surface for removing unevenness and one for fine grinding. More detailed information on the use of whetstones and knife sharpeners can be found in the respective grinding instructions. Alternatively, you also have the option of having your cake knife professionally re-sharpened by a specialist.

Buying Guide: You should pay attention to these criteria when buying

Which knife for cakes and which knife for pies? This question is asked by many prospective buyers who are looking for a new cake or pie knife. Because in the end both are the same. With a good cake knife you can also cut cakes. And with a good cake knife you can of course also cut cake.

The prerequisite in each case is that the knife is a good specimen. You can find out how to find this out when buying a cake knife by following the purchase criteria below. By the way: These are also relevant for cake knife tests.

With the blade it depends on sharpness and length

The most important criterion for a good cake knife is of course the blade. Various factors such as the length of the blade and the material of the blade play a role. In the following we will go into the individual points in more detail.

When sharpening the blade, we recommend models without serrated edge, which is often used for bread knives. This could result in an unsightly cut when cutting the cake. More recommendable are confectioner’s knives or cake knives with straight blades, which are simply guided through cakes and tarts with pressure and less with sawing movements.

The length of the blade should be long enough so that you can cut larger cakes without problems. We therefore recommend knives with a blade length of approx. 17 cm or more. You can place the point of the blade in the middle of the cake and then simply make a clean cut downwards. If the blade is too short, you will have to reposition it or press the handle into the cake by mistake.

Stainless steel or steel is primarily used for the blade material. But there are also cake knives made of ceramic. Ceramic cake knives have the advantage that they are rust-free and very sharp. However, the choice is not very big and the prices are usually more expensive. The same is also true for cake knives made of silver or silver-plated cake knives, which of course leave a particularly high-quality impression.

The following table gives you an overview of the most important characteristics of the different blade materials:

Material	Features
Steel/stainless steel	– most commonly used material – should be absolutely rust-free – can be reground
Ceramics	– stainless, hygienic and suitable for allergy sufferers – in any case dishwasher safe – material is more sensitive than steel – cannot be reground
Silver	– either entirely of silver or silver-plated – extremely expensive – less variety

The best way to judge the sharpness of a blade is in practice. Various challenges await you there, e.g. cutting toppings and different doughs as well as cutting fillings, glaze, sprinkles, etc.

It is important that a good cake knife can cope with all challenges equally well. Crumbles, glaze and dough should be cut through with a clean cut. The same applies to fillings made of cream, fruit or nuts. We have taken this into account in our large comparison table at the top of this page and have assessed and noted the performance of the individual candidates in the various challenges individually.

Be careful not to cut with the cake knife in a cake tin. This makes the knife dull and can also damage the mould – especially if you handle a cake knife in a silicone baking tin.

The handle should lie well in the hand

The second elementary component of a cake knife is the handle. On the one hand, it is important that this is firmly connected to the blade. This is a clear quality feature and with cake knives made by WMF and other brand manufacturers it is usually on a high level. On the other hand, with badly processed and inexpensive cake knives the connection between blade and handle is usually quite wobbly, which is not exactly conducive to handling and stability.

As with the blade, there are also different possibilities for the material of the handle. This is either also made of stainless steel, in which case the complete knife is usually made of this material. Alternatives include handles made of wood or plastic. It is individual if you have the handle of the cake knife engraved. A cake knife with engraving is for example a popular gift for a wedding.

Ideally, the blade and handle should be made of one piece. As a result, there is no connection between the two parts and materials. If this is not the case, make sure that the connection or riveting is stable and solid. Usually aluminium rivets will be used to join handle and blade together.

By the way: At a wedding there will be no dispute if you buy a cake knife with 2 handles.

Cut and lift with a cake knife and cake server

The cake knife is particularly practical if it is multifunctional and can also be used as a cake server. For this to succeed, the blade must be wide enough to load a piece of cake. Cake pieces are usually more difficult to serve with a cake knife, as they are usually cut even wider and less favourably shaped than the elongated and pointed cake pieces.

As an alternative to the multifunctional cake knife, there are also sets consisting of a cake server and a cake knife. With these you may be even better positioned, as you don’t have to use the blade of a cake knife in a silicone baking tin, for example, but can take the cake out of the tin with the cake lifter. If you use a different cake mould, the cake knife is usually not the right tool either, as this can cause damage to the knife and mould.

Cleaning, weight and other criteria round off the decision

In tests of cake knives as well as in your purchase decision, a few more things should have an influence in addition to the criteria already listed. Especially for a cake knife made of steel or a cake knife made of stainless steel it is important that it is a stainless model. Otherwise rust can form on the blade over time, which is neither good nor appetizing.

After enjoying the cake or the gates, the duty then awaits: put away the knife, plates and cake forks and clean them again. This is particularly easy if the cake knife is dishwasher-safe. Then you can simply put it in the dishwasher and do not have to laboriously rinse it by hand. However, this also has a disadvantage: over time the knife becomes dull.

The following comparison gives you an overview of the advantages and disadvantages of cleaning the knife in the dishwasher:

A final criterion is the weight of a knife. This should be neither too high nor too low. If a knife is too light, it is often an inferior product and not a high-quality cake knife made of stainless steel or a cake knife made of silver. On the other hand, if the knife is too heavy, the use is more strenuous. In practice, cake knives weighing approx. 200 to 300 g have proven to be very suitable.

Known manufacturers of cake knives

We offer cake knives from different manufacturers. Among others there are cake knives by WMF, cake knives by Dr. Oetker and many more. The following alphabetically sorted list gives you an overview of well-known brands:

• Dr. Oetker
• Kaiser
• Rösle
• Sally
• Städter
• Tupperware
• Victorinox
• Villeroy & Boch
• WMF
• Zenker
• Zwilling
• uvm.

According to the experience of various tests of cake knives and ours in the course of the search for this cake knife comparison, the trade mark does not play a predominant role. Of course, there are well-known brand manufacturers that most people are probably familiar with. But even a cheap cake knife from a rather unknown manufacturer can be really good if it meets the purchase and test criteria listed above.

Suitable accessories for the cake knife

If you already shine with a high-quality cake knife, the rest of the equipment for cutting and serving cakes and tarts should of course also be of a high standard. We have already dealt with the subject of the cake lifter above. But there are even more accessories that can complement a great cake knife.

Instead of cutting a cake by eye and dividing it into hopefully evenly sized pieces, use a cake divider for the cake knife. Sometimes there are also cake knives and cake dividers in a set. These accessories are not only helpful for cutting, but also for decorating the cake evenly.

There are also other accessories on the market, e.g. as a cutting aid for the cake knife. A cake knife with spacer, as it is available for kitchen knives, is however rare. A scraper for the cake knife is practical. Then you can wipe off the cake and pie leftovers on the blade and thus ensure that the blade is clean again for the next cut.

Cake knife FAQ: What else you should know

Not all of your concerns about buying and using a cake knife have been answered yet? In the following we answer some more frequently asked questions.