Cake Tester Kitchen Tool

[Paul Jones]

This is a tool my wife asked me to make for her and her friends. It was a fun project. A cake tester is a kitchen tool designed for use in baking to test the doneness of cakes. The handle holds a long, thin wire that is inserted into the cake as a probe. If the tester comes out clean, the cake is done and it should be removed from the oven and cooled.

The cake tester handle and split ring holder was machined from 303 stainless steel rod. The 1.5” long handle was machined to 0.364” diameter before adding the 21 pitch knurl. I used a NIKCOLE Mini-Systems™ tool holder with a 0.051” wide carbide grooving insert (GIE-7-SG-1.3 R) created the handle banding accents that measure 0.340" in diameter. The split ring holder is 0.25” dia. with a 0.125” cross-drill hole and threaded 6-32.

The probe is approximately 3.5” long (with 0.4" of this inserted into a brass ferrule) and made from 0.041” diameter stainless steel wire (part no. 30789 from Malin Co.). Rather than drill a small #59 hole directly into the stainless steel handle, I decided to secure the probe in a 0.125” dia. x 0.4" long brass ferrule that is much easier to drill with these small drills. The ferrule is a press fit into the handle using a bench vise and the probe is secured with Loctite 620 High Temperature Retaining Compound (to be dishwasher-proof). The stainless steel split rings were purchased and helps to hang the cake tester and also prevents it from rolling off the counter top.

[DIYer]

Very nice, Paul! I'm sure the wife and her friends appreciated that.

[DIYer]

Thanks Paul! We've added your Cake Tester to our Culinary category, as well as to your builder page: Paul Jones' Homemade Tools. Your receipt:

Cake Tester by Paul Jones

tags: measurement, test probes

[kbalch]

That's great, Paul! I'll have to make one of these and finally stop worrying about burning myself testing cakes with toothpicks.

Ken

[Paul Jones]

Thanks Ken.

That's how the idea started when my wife was using a wooden tooth pick to test the cakes. I made several of these so far and used all three lathes for various operations to speed up the setups. So far, I haven't broken any of the #59 drills by using the press fit brass rod as a ferrule instead of drilling directly into the stainless steel.

Paul

[Paul Jones]

I have been making more of the Cake Testers and decided to make the 0.250" dia. brass ferrule a sliding fit along with the sliding fit of the 0.041" stainless steel probe. This makes assembly even easier. Also, I now use Loctite 620 that can withstand temperatures of up to 450 F. The cake probe can never get that hot but it is just as easy to use Loctite 620 as the 680 product. The grooves in the knurled stainless steel handles are made with a NIKCOLE Mini-Systems™ 0.051" wide standard grooving insert (GIE-7-SG-1.3 R).

[Toolmaker51]

My experience with verifying baked goods falls on two maxims.
One is the table knife. Stick it in and if it comes out clean = ready! Mom never appreciated the follow on to "...is it ready?" "Yup, came out so clean I stuck the dirty ones in too!"

and this from mid December 1987. Having a complete family ravenous for her cookies, this she howled at.