Are you ready to unlock the full potential of your KitchenAid stand mixer? With its powerful motor and versatile attachments, the KitchenAid is an invaluable tool for both the novice and seasoned home baker. In this article, we will dive into 10 must-try recipes that will elevate your baking and cooking skills to new heights.
Whether you are craving the ethereal fluffiness of Angel Food Cake or yearning for the taste of authentic Italian Pan di Spagna, mastering these recipes with your KitchenAid will make you the star of your kitchen. Discover the secrets to whipping up a cloud-like meringue that forms the base for countless desserts, and craft the ultimate Carrot Cake with a velvety cream cheese frosting that melts in your mouth.
But that’s not all – why stop at cakes and confections when your KitchenAid can do so much more? Venture into the savory world and learn how to make the perfect pizza dough, which will serve as the canvas for endless topping combinations.
As we delve into each of these recipes, we’ll also share tips and tricks for making the most of your KitchenAid’s features and attachments. Whether it’s your first time using a stand mixer or you’re looking to expand your culinary repertoire, these 10 recipes will inspire creativity and bring joy to your kitchen adventures.
So, roll up your sleeves, and let’s get mixing (and kneading)!
#1 Easy Layered Carrot Cake Recipe with Whipped Cream Cheese Frosting!
- Best Stand Mixer for the Job? Any stand mixer will do here, such as the entry-level KitchenAid Artisan stand mixer (affilate link).
- Attachments Needed: Whisk attachment
- Pros to Using the Stand Mixer: Make both the carrot cake batter and the frosting with the whisk attachment
#2 Italian Almond Cake
- Best Stand Mixer for the Job? Any stand mixer will do here, including the entry-level KitchenAid Artisan stand mixer (affilate link).
- Attachments Needed: Whisk attachment
- Pros to Using the Stand Mixer: The cake batter is a base of whipped whole eggs and egg yolks, whipped to a fluffy mixture. This takes a good 15 minutes. With the stand mixer, you can get on with other tasks and let the mixer do the work of whipping.
#3 Easy Angel Food Cake Recipe
- Best Stand Mixer for the Job? You’ll want a large capacity stand mixer for making an Angel Food Cake. The finished batter will come to the top of even a large capacity bowl, so without that, you’d need to whip the egg whites in batches :/ We recommend the KitchenAid Professional (affiliate link) Series or Commercial Stand Mixer for this recipe.
- Attachments Needed: Whisk attachment
- Pros to Using the Stand Mixer: The cake batter is a base of whipped egg whites, whipped to firm peaks. This is a tedious process. With the stand mixer, you can get on with other tasks and let the mixer do the work of whipping. No need to fold in the flour! Just drop the stand mixer speed, and incorporate the dry flour mix into the whipped egg whites a few spoons at a time.
#4 Stand Mixer Pizza Dough Recipe
The truth is that ANY pizza dough recipe is suitable to make with a stand mixer. From mixing to kneading, you will save time and effort by letting the machine do the job.
- Best Stand Mixer for the Job? We recommend the KitchenAid Professional Series or Commercial Stand Mixer (affiliate links) for this recipe. These stand mixers have a more powerful motor and large capacity bowl: perfect for kneading big batches of pizza dough!
- Attachments Needed: paddle (leaf) attachment and dough hook
- Pros to Using the Stand Mixer: Mixing the pizza dough is easy enough to do by hand, but why bother? And there is no doubt that it’s easier to let the stand mixer knead pizza dough for 10 minutes. The dough hook does an amazing job in building the gluten structure that beginners may struggle to build when kneading by hand.
Stand Mixer Recipes for Pizza Dough
#5 Focaccia Bread Recipe
Focaccia bread is one of the most satisfying bread recipes you can make with your stand mixer. It’s not that easy to find good focaccia bread in the grocery. Focaccia is the perfect gourmet sandwich bread, or can simply be used to soak up pasta sauces.
- Best Stand Mixer for the Job? We recommend the KitchenAid Professional Series or Commercial Stand Mixer (affiliate links) for this recipe. These stand mixers have a more powerful motor and large capacity bowl: perfect for kneading big batches of bread dough!
- Attachments Needed: paddle (leaf) attachment and dough hook
- Pros to Using the Stand Mixer: Mixing the bread dough is easy enough to do by hand, but why bother? And there is no doubt that it’s easier to let the stand mixer knead the dough.
#6 Lemon Layered Cake (with Pan di Spagna Cake)
- Best Stand Mixer for the Job? Any stand mixer will do here, including the entry-level KitchenAid Artisan stand mixer (affilate link).
- Attachments Needed: whisk attachment
- Pros to Using the Stand Mixer: Classic sponge cakes like the Pan di Spagna are perfect for soaking up syrup and liquor! However, it is the whipped whole eggs that give the cake that amazing sponge-like structure. It takes a good 15 minutes to whip whole eggs to the right consistency…. so, yeah, we prefer using the stand mixer 🙂
#7 Zuppa Inglese Recipe (with Pan di Spagna Cake)
Trifles and trifle-like desserts such as the Zuppa Inglese require sponge cakes to soak up the syrups or liquors that are often added. We would not even tackle this dessert without a stand mixer.
- Best Stand Mixer for the Job? Any stand mixer will do here, including the entry-level KitchenAid Artisan stand mixer (affilate link).
- Attachments Needed: whisk attachment
- Pros to Using the Stand Mixer: Classic sponge cakes like the Pan di Spagna are perfect for soaking up syrup and liquor! However, it is the whipped whole eggs that give the cake that amazing sponge-like structure. It takes a good 15 minutes to whip whole eggs to the right consistency.
#8 Meringue Recipes (Swiss Meringue, for instance) for a Baked Alaska
There are many, many excellent reasons to master meringue—and many meringues to master! One delicious reason to bust out your KitchenAid stand mixer is to whip up Swiss Meringue to coat (and insulate) a classic Baked Alaska! This ice cream cake is famously baked in the oven—a feat that is possible because the meringue protects the ice cream from the heat.
- Best Stand Mixer for the Job? Any stand mixer will do here, including the entry-level KitchenAid Artisan stand mixer (affilate link).
- Attachments Needed: whisk attachment
- Pros to Using the Stand Mixer: Again… Whipping egg whites takes time and energy. The stand mixer will let you focus on preparing those other ingredients, or whatever else you are preparing for your menu!
#9 Fresh Egg Pasta Dough with a Stand Mixer
There is nothing that elevates a meal more than fresh pasta! Some people love to make, knead and stretch pasta dough by hand. However, others find this to be an intimidating project. Even if you love making pasta by hand, you may have arthritis or another condition which makes this more challenging. KitchenAid stand mixers are excellent pasta making partners! Just want to make noodles (fettuccine, spaghetti) and sheets of pasta for lasagna? A stand mixer delivers!
- Best Stand Mixer for the Job? Any stand mixer will do here for small quantities of pasta dough. However, if you want to make big batches (and freeze that dough), we recommend investing in a KitchenAid Professional Series or Commercial Stand Mixer (affiliate links).
- Attachments Needed: paddle (leaf) attachment, dough hook and pasta roller (affiliate link) —if you want to stretch and cut the dough!
- Pros to Using the Stand Mixer: Mixing dough by hand can be messy and kneading pasta dough is time consuming. It’s also not always easy for those with arthritis or those wanting to make big batches. And stretching that dough? The only person we know who wants to stretch pasta dough by hand is our Italian Grandma! Pasta roller attachments that work with the stand mixer motor let you stretch pasta quickly and easily. The vertical setup is much more ergonomic than old-fashion, hand-crank pasta roller machines.
Stand Mixer Recipes for Fresh Pasta:
#10 Grinding Meat ( and Making Ravioli Pasta or Meat Tortellini)
If the stand mixer is a good partner for making fresh pasta in general, it is almost a must for making big batches of filled pasta. Pasta like tortellini and ravioli need to be filled when the fresh pasta is freshly stretched (not too dry). The pasta roller attachment available for the KitchenAid stand mixers is awesome! It will allow you to stretch the pasta at lightening speed and save your energy for the filling and folding.
- Best Stand Mixer for the Job? Any stand mixer will do here for small quantities of pasta dough. However, if you want to make big batches (and freeze that dough), we recommend investing in a KitchenAid Professional Series or Commercial Stand Mixer (affiliate links).
- Attachments Needed: paddle (leaf) attachment, dough hook and pasta roller. Also? A food grinder is a useful attachment for preparing mouthwatering fillings for pasta, homemade sausage and more (affiliate link)
- Pros to Using the Stand Mixer: Mixing dough by hand can be messy and kneading pasta dough is time consuming. It’s also not always easy for those with arthritis or those wanting to make big batches. Especially when the pasta you are making is a ‘filled’ pasta, you probably want to save some time and use a stand mixer to help with the dough.
Stand Mixer Recipes for Filled Pasta:
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