Lille Allen/Eater
This old-school gadget is fun piece to have in your kitchen
Nothing brings me joy quite like browsing the aisles of an antique mall. Every corner of every booth is a new chance to discover something lovely, rare, and most importantly, useful. My most cherished kitchen tools have come from neighborhood estate sales or small vintage shops with coffee stations and frosted home-baked goods at their entrance, and it was one of these weekend outings that brought the cake breaker to my attention. I gripped the slick handle, noting the tines jutting out similarly to those of an afro pick. The faded but cheery packaging included appeals to midcentury homemakers, promising perfect slices — but why would bakers, past or present, need a big comb for cake?
A cake breaker is simply a tool used to cut cake without flattening it. Baked treats that require a more delicate touch, like angel’s food, chiffon, and sponge cakes, are prone to tearing or being smushed if they’re cut with a standard chef’s knife. Serrated knives might go easier on compression, but they can leave behind a mess of crumbs. This is where the cake breaker, also known as a cake rake or chiffon cake slicer, comes in. To use it, you slide the prongs into the cake with a gentle wiggling motion and just slice through. The moderately sharp individual pins pierce the slice, firmly holding the portion in place while creating a seamlessly straight line through the sponge. And the tool’s handiness doesn’t end with cutting — you can also use it to transfer those soft, cloud-like slices to individual plates.
First patented as a food breaker, the cake breaker was invented by Cale J. Schneider in 1932 and took off in the 1950s (think of the go-to gift for bridal showers and housewarming parties). Schneider was supposedly inspired by his wife’s frustration with having to serve dense angel food cake to dinner guests. The breaker is a lightweight utensil that comes in a range of shades and prices; you can choose from dozens of brightly colored, bakelite-handled options or select a sterling silver charmer that screams heirloom. Regardless of price point, cake breakers are a brilliant marriage of problem-solving and prettiness. My own favorite is a lovely tortoiseshell-handled piece made by Langner Manufacturing Co. as a part of their “Hostess” kitchenware line. It’s affordable, beautiful, and takes up minimal space in my baking drawer.
You can find plenty of cake breakers living outside their packaging — there are many on both Etsy and eBay — but there’s something special about purchasing one in its original box. The designs are wonderfully kitschy and inspire me to throw on my laciest apron to bake something that’s centerpiece-worthy. Buy one, pull it out at your next get-together, and let the inevitable questions commence. It’s an instant conversation starter, and that’s what really matters when you gather around a cake.
Rai Mincey is a food writer and baking enthusiast whose focuses include culinary history, seasonal cooking, and Southern cuisine. She splits her time between Birmingham, Alabama, and Tulum, Mexico.
