Free 186 More Best Homemade Tools eBook:  
Get tool plans

User Tag List

Results 1 to 7 of 7

Thread: Cake Tester Kitchen Tool

  1. #1
    Supporting Member Paul Jones's Avatar
    Join Date
    May 2014
    Location
    Del Mar, California
    Posts
    1,231
    Thanks
    5,810
    Thanked 1,459 Times in 657 Posts

    Paul Jones's Tools

    Cake Tester Kitchen Tool

    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.
    Attached Thumbnails Attached Thumbnails Cake Tester Kitchen Tool-stainless-steel-cake-tester.jpg   Cake Tester Kitchen Tool-stainless-steel-cake-testers.jpg   Cake Tester Kitchen Tool-cake-tester-handles-split-ring-holders.jpg   Cake Tester Kitchen Tool-using-vise-press-fit-brasss-ferrule-into-handle.jpg   Cake Tester Kitchen Tool-drilling-brass-ferrule-number-59-drill.jpg  

    Cake Tester Kitchen Tool-cake-tester-brass-ferrules-ready-install.jpg   Cake Tester Kitchen Tool-cross-drilling-holder-split-ring.jpg   Cake Tester Kitchen Tool-parting-off-holder-split-ring.jpg   Cake Tester Kitchen Tool-reaming-0.124-inch-hole-0.125-inch-brass-ferrule.jpg   Cake Tester Kitchen Tool-applying-21-pitch-knurl-cake-tester-handle.jpg  


    186 More Best Homemade Tools eBook
    Last edited by Paul Jones; Dec 18, 2017 at 08:15 AM. Reason: Now using Loctite 620 instead of 680 to hold the probe

  2. The Following 7 Users Say Thank You to Paul Jones For This Useful Post:

    carloski (Nov 27, 2022), Jon (Dec 8, 2015), kbalch (Dec 9, 2015), Okapi (Dec 18, 2017), PJs (Dec 9, 2015), Seedtick (Apr 9, 2017), Toolmaker51 (Aug 6, 2016)

  3. #2
    Content Editor
    Supporting Member
    DIYer's Avatar
    Join Date
    Aug 2013
    Posts
    3,055
    Thanks
    791
    Thanked 1,880 Times in 1,677 Posts
    Very nice, Paul! I'm sure the wife and her friends appreciated that.

    2,000+ Tool Plans

  4. The Following User Says Thank You to DIYer For This Useful Post:

    Paul Jones (Dec 9, 2015)

  5. #3
    Content Editor
    Supporting Member
    DIYer's Avatar
    Join Date
    Aug 2013
    Posts
    3,055
    Thanks
    791
    Thanked 1,880 Times in 1,677 Posts
    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:

    Last edited by Jon; Oct 23, 2021 at 01:27 AM.

  6. The Following User Says Thank You to DIYer For This Useful Post:

    Paul Jones (Dec 9, 2015)

  7. #4
    kbalch's Avatar
    Join Date
    Jun 2012
    Location
    Clermont, FL
    Posts
    5,034
    Thanks
    2,275
    Thanked 532 Times in 384 Posts
    That's great, Paul! I'll have to make one of these and finally stop worrying about burning myself testing cakes with toothpicks.

    Ken

  8. The Following User Says Thank You to kbalch For This Useful Post:

    Paul Jones (Dec 9, 2015)

  9. #5
    Supporting Member Paul Jones's Avatar
    Join Date
    May 2014
    Location
    Del Mar, California
    Posts
    1,231
    Thanks
    5,810
    Thanked 1,459 Times in 657 Posts

    Paul Jones's Tools
    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

  10. The Following User Says Thank You to Paul Jones For This Useful Post:

    PJs (Dec 9, 2015)

  11. #6
    Supporting Member Paul Jones's Avatar
    Join Date
    May 2014
    Location
    Del Mar, California
    Posts
    1,231
    Thanks
    5,810
    Thanked 1,459 Times in 657 Posts

    Paul Jones's Tools
    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).

  12. #7
    Supporting Member Toolmaker51's Avatar
    Join Date
    Feb 2016
    Location
    Midwest USA
    Posts
    5,334
    Thanks
    7,044
    Thanked 3,009 Times in 1,900 Posts

    Toolmaker51's Tools
    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.



    2,000+ Tool Plans
    Sincerely,
    Toolmaker51
    ...we'll learn more by wandering than searching...

  13. The Following User Says Thank You to Toolmaker51 For This Useful Post:

    Paul Jones (Aug 8, 2016)

Thread Information

Users Browsing this Thread

There are currently 1 users browsing this thread. (0 members and 1 guests)

Tags for this Thread

Bookmarks

Posting Permissions

  • You may not post new threads
  • You may not post replies
  • You may not post attachments
  • You may not edit your posts
  •