"The Oneida carrier is a double-decker cupcake carrier. It comes in two layers and the bottom layer can also double as a nonstick baking pan," said Sharon Franke, kitchen appliances director, Good Housekeeping Institute. "It holds exactly 24 cupcakes, which is what you get from one cake mix. And after you've put in all your cupcakes, you can snap on the lid. It snaps tightly in place and you can carry your cupcakes securely."

Another item Good Housekeeping recommends is Wilton Silly-Feet! The silicone baking cups stand on feet and will amuse kids of all ages. "You can pour your cake mix right into these, bake them up so that they look like cupcakes, and then decorate them, either very simply or whimsically. And there's a booklet that comes with them that gives you decorating suggestions," Franke explained.

And the icing on the cake? Good Housekeeping says you can put that on easily with the Revolving Cake Stand. "When you buy a revolving cake stand, you want to make sure it turns in both directions to give you a lot of flexibility, and you want to make sure it's wider than the size of the cake you're going to decorate," Franke said.

For more baking tips, check out the April issue of Good Housekeeping. You could also try putting these gadgets to the test with one of the hundreds of cake recipes at www.goodhousekeeping.com.