The generous-sized cake plate and the tall, straight-sided cake dome allowed us to store larger cakes or heavily decorated ones, as well as big batches of other baked goods-all enticingly on display. We found that the Libbey’s cake stand was slightly taller than other models, with an elegant but sturdy base. Plus, leaving this stand out on your countertop also means you won't have to find a good storage spot. Having baked goods out on display also makes every kitchen seem like home, where you can grab a quick muffin before heading out to school or work. It’s the perfect place for items like muffins, donuts, or cookies, where the cake dome helps keep them from going stale. The Libbey cake stand is the ideal example of a completely clear glass cake stand that should be a basic necessity in everyone’s kitchen. However, the tall stature is what helps gives it elegance and beauty, so that may not be a downside to some.

The only downside we found during testing was the height of the stand, which may make storage difficult. But even without it, cakes and desserts look fantastic perched on top, ready to be served. You can purchase a cake dome separately if you’d like. But the cake stand comes in numerous colors, including vibrant translucent red, soft Georgia blue, and classic jadeite green. The milk glass white version is a classic standard color. During testing, we found the lip still prevents any crumbs or spills from glazes from falling off the top of the stand. This allows you to manipulate the frosting on the sides of the cake without getting in the way. Frosting cakes is easy because the top of the cake stand has a low-profile lip. But the original version, hand-molded in Ohio, is timeless, with a solid base that makes this tall and elegant cake stand surprisingly stable.

The Mosser glass cake plate has been imitated and knocked off countless times. Whether you're looking for a basic turntable stand or an heirloom for generations, we found that the best cake stands blend design, performance, durability, and overall value. Then, we tested our list of cake stands by frosting cakes and serving them up to see if the cake stands stood up to real-life use. We searched for the most popular brands and asked pastry chefs, bakers, and food writers if they had a favorite cake stand in their homes. Others just look poorly manufactured or lack aesthetics. Some are unstable and will fall over if you barely touch them. Not all cake stands are made the same, however. Plus, when they aren’t functioning as a display for your home baking, you can use them as a centerpiece or display piece by swapping cake for a bowl of fruit, candles, or other knickknacks. And they’re not just for cakes-nearly any dessert or baked good, whether cookies, brownies, cupcakes, muffins, or even loaves of bread, will look more elegant and potentially dramatic if presented on a cake stand. It’s the sort of thing that literally (and figuratively) elevates a cake from good to great and from great to magnificent. Every home baker needs a great cake stand in their kitchen.

Christmas cake stands