What do you do if there isn’t adequate space in your kitchen for a massive, traditional wall oven to fit in? A countertop oven is what you should go for in this case if you don’t want to miss out on any baking experiences. So, we will be exploring some of the best countertop ovens for baking cakes. Read on to decide the best pick for you.
If baking is one of your hobbies and you love to prepare delicious baked recipes, you will need a reliable oven. Not only is a countertop oven great for baking cakes, but you can also use these ovens to broil, roast, toast, and so on.
The best countertop ovens for baking cakes for 2022 will be reviewed here. Also, the buying guide below can further walk you through the best options.
Countertop Oven Overview
A countertop oven is an ideal kitchen appliance as a smaller version of a built-in or standard oven. This small cooker requires less space to fit in your kitchen and can work just like a conventional oven, though with a smaller capacity.
Just because this oven comes in a smaller size does not mean its capability should be underestimated. You can do a wide range of things with a moderately-sized oven. Reheating, baking, broiling, defrosting, air-frying, roasting, and the like can all be done with countertop ovens.
A countertop oven is excellent for cooking a small portion of food conveniently and efficiently, and you can even roast your vegetables with it. Also, you can use the compact kitchen oven heating element feature to reheat leftover dishes.
Even if you already have a full-sized oven in your home, you can still add a countertop oven just to enjoy its ease of use.
Why Should You Invest In A Countertop Oven?
Here are some compelling reasons why you should consider having a countertop oven for baking cakes, among other dishes:
- Space Management: Small but mighty, as we say of the moderately-sized oven. The countertop oven won’t take up too much space in your kitchen, and you will still enjoy so many of its helpful features. The appliance can always meet your baking needs… and more!
- Size Variability: Since they come in various sizes, you can select the size that fits your kitchen space. You should also know your cake pan size before purchasing your countertop oven to ensure it fits.
- Heat Distribution: Countertop ovens usually offer consistent and even distribution of heat. This is thanks to the top-notch heating elements that come on all sides. Therefore, your food will cook evenly, just how you like it.
- Energy-Efficiency: Another good thing about countertop ovens is that they can be more energy efficient than a regular oven since they may not require as much energy to heat up. Why fire up a massive oven for one slice of pizza?
- Affordability: A countertop oven will be considerably cheaper than a traditional oven or a built-in. Obviously, you’re paying less for a smaller device, but it may meet your needs all the same.
- Flexibility: This type of oven tends to be quite flexible in that you can use it for various tasks. For instance, apart from baking, you can air-fry, roast, broil, and cook with a countertop oven. You could even toast some slices of bread.
- Ease-of-Use: Countertop ovens are pretty convenient to use. We admire that most countertop ovens feature preset cooking functions, so it should be easy to cook your favorite foods.
- Easy-to-Clean: Traditional ovens are usually too big and may prove overwhelming to clean. However, with a countertop oven, their portable size makes them easy to clean. Also, most countertop oven models come with detachable parts, so they can be put into a dishwasher.
The Best Countertop Oven For Baking Cakes: Features To Consider
When choosing the best countertop oven for baking cakes, you should know some essential factors. So, allow us to walk you through some of the critical features to look out for:
Interior Light
The light inside your oven will allow you to see in your oven easily, so pick a countertop oven with good lighting.
Interior light features differ depending on the type of model. For instance, some models have an interior light on while cooking, and some countertop oven models may have the light on only when the door is opened.
Size
Make sure to determine the total space available for your countertop convection oven. Don’t just measure for the oven space alone. Include measurements of the sides and tops because you will need at least some space around the oven. Consider where to plug it in, as well.
Ideally, you should allow at least 4 to 6 inches of space on the left and right sides of the appliance, and then the upper part of the oven should have at least 6 inches. This is primarily a safety precaution, as the device will need adequate airflow.
Power
The power of your countertop oven will determine how fast, reliable, and effective the device will be. If you like to use the oven frequently, you should choose one with more power.
The power value that a standard countertop oven should have is 1000 watts or more, and this can allow you to prepare various dishes. Once you have a reliable countertop oven with higher power output, your food will cook faster.
More powerful devices tend to come with a broader range of functions and features.
Design
Make sure you select a design that suits your space and makes things easy for you. For instance, ensure the model you choose has good doors that can remain closed, especially to trap heat and ensure your food is cooked evenly.
Also, try to find an oven with doors that close easily, especially when the oven is in use and hot. This ensures your hands don’t get burned from touching the door while the oven is working. You don’t want to be struggling to close the door and accidentally burn yourself.
Additionally, ensure the knobs, dials, and buttons are of good quality. The dials should provide an accurate setting and shouldn’t move when the oven is in use. Also, to ensure you have utmost safety, the knobs and the buttons shouldn’t be too hot while the new oven is in use.
You can find other exciting features like a digital display or digital controls. A digital view lets you see what is inside the countertop oven, either on the control panel or on your Smartphone.
The 5 Best Countertop Ovens, Tested By The Experts
Our Top Pick: Breville Smart Oven Pro
Breville BOV845BSS Smart Oven is one of our top picks for the best countertop oven for baking cakes. I, for one, like that it’s stainless steel, easy to use, and loaded with unique features.
This great countertop oven comes with a bright interior light and a tempered glass door. These excellent features allow you to monitor your oven’s baking or cooking without letting out any heat.
We really like the function of the Element IQ Technology, which minimizes the overall baking and cooking time by 30% while in the convection setting. With the help of a built-in fan, hot air circulates inside the oven, accelerating the cooking or baking process.
The capacity of this oven is pretty significant in that it can accommodate up to 6 slices of bread, a 9-cup muffin tray, or a 13-inch pizza. The oven can accommodate a whole chicken and can even fit up to a 14-pound turkey.
Furthermore, it has 13 preset cooking functions: ‘Toast,’ ‘Bake,’ ‘Broil,’ ‘Pizza,’ ‘Cookies,’ ‘Bagel,’ ‘Roast,’ ‘Warm,’ ‘Air Fry,’ ‘Reheat, ‘Proof,’ ‘Dehydrate,’ and ‘Slow Cook.’
More key features include a clear LCD display, a ‘Frozen Food’ button, auto shutoff settings, 1800-watt power, a slow cook function, and a fast preheat option.
The downside is that the high heat generated by this oven may damage your countertop, which is why we recommend you set up this oven on a heat-resistant pad.
If you’re a newbie in the baking world and decide to go for a countertop oven, this one should work well for you. You won’t have to worry about technical difficulties because the oven is easy to operate and reliable. The user manual can further guide and help you understand how to use this oven.
This countertop oven may, however, be on the high side when it comes to price. But if you can afford it, you will surely enjoy its excellent functions. Even if you’re an experienced baker, Breville Smart Oven can work wonders for your baking needs.
Versatile Option: Instant Omni Plus 10-in-1
The Instant Omni Plus 10-in-1 oven is another great option when considering the best countertop oven for baking cakes. As the name would suggest, this oven features a 10-in-1 function, making it very versatile. These fantastic functions include baking, roasting, reheating, dehydrating, air frying, broiling, and warming, along with rotisserie and convection settings. Its external body is made of BPA-free stainless steel.
This multifunctional countertop oven has a substantial capacity. You can bake a cake of 8 to 10 inches or two trays of cupcakes (one tray on each oven rack). Also, the oven can accommodate 6 slices of bread, 12 pizza slices, or even a whole chicken.
With its efficient double-layered door, heat is insulated and circulated for optimal cooking or baking. It has good temperature settings and a time dial to adjust the specifics to your preference. There is built-in safety for overheating with an automatic shutoff. So, you can rest easy regarding any safety concerns.
More features include a digital timer, removable crumb tray, interior light, air fry basket, 1800-watt power, rapid preheating, and more. While this oven doesn’t come with an LCD display, it does have an analog temperature and time display.
User-Friendly: Cuisinart TOB-260N1
Cuisinart TOB-260N1 countertop oven offers lots of user-friendly features for your baking needs. It is made of brushed stainless steel and has 15 different preset cooking functions. The cooking functions include ‘Baking,’ ‘Toasting,’ ‘Waffle,’ ‘Bagel,’ ‘Roast,’ Broil,’ ‘Sandwich,’ ‘Pizza,’ ‘Warming,’ ‘Leftovers,’ and ‘Dual Cook.’
You get up to 1800 watts of heating power, producing a rapid heat up in no time. The convection toaster has temperatures ranging from around 150 to 450 degrees Fahrenheit. We love the LCD display screen feature for a quick glance during the cooking progress.
Another of our favorite features is the number of physical buttons: ‘Start/Stop,’ ‘Oven Light,’ ‘Convection,’ the function selector, speed dial (stops preheating), ‘+30s’ button (to add 30 seconds cooking time to any setting), and ‘Dual Cook’ (merges 2 cooking functions or temperatures).
This oven’s large capacity is an excellent choice for a bigger family, accommodating up to a pound of a whole chicken, 9 slices of toast, and a 12 or 13-inch pizza. However, because of its size, the drawback of this baking oven is that it is heavy and may not be easy to move around.
Additional features include an exact heat sensor, a non-stick interior wall for easy cleaning, 2 cooking racks, an auto-slide rack, a front pull-out crumb tray, a baking tray, and more.
Mid-Tier Price: KitchenAid KCO211BM Digital Countertop Toaster Ovens
I love the black and sleek look of this KitchenAid countertop oven. Compared to other countertop ovens (especially the ones I’ve reviewed here), this one is a bit cheaper.
Apart from baking, you can enjoy other cooking functions such as ‘Reheat,’ ‘Toast,’ ‘Pizza,’ Bagel,’ ‘Keep Warm,’ ‘Cookies,’ and ‘Broil.’ You get the ease of use with this 1800-watt-powered KitchenAid countertop oven. So, it will be a good idea to add this sleek oven model to your kitchen appliances.
This modern toaster oven has a non-stick inner wall that allows easy cleaning. Also, some additions come with the oven, such as a removable metal rack, a baking pan with a grill rack, a removable crumb tray, a broiling rack, and several oven racks.
The KitchenAid counter oven has an excellent digital display so you can keep track of the cooking time and progress of your food. The capacity of this oven is still reasonable, and it can house a 9-inch cake pan well.
We’ve noted that this oven may not be great for a big family because it can’t cook much food at once.
Budget-Friendly: Hamilton Beach 6-Slice Countertop Toaster Oven
So, we have the Hamilton Beach 6-Slice Countertop Toaster Oven as your budget-friendly option. You can get this countertop oven for around 100 dollars. This countertop oven can bake, toast, and broil, so if you’re on a tight budget, this should be all you need. It’s excellent for making cakes, cookies, cupcakes, toast, pizza, meat, meatloaf, and muffins.
This small oven should feel pretty comfy on your countertop and provides easy access to your food without compromising countertop space. It is easy to clean and use, and you can easily maneuver this model. The Hamilton Beach countertop oven is a 1400-watt powered oven.
Additional features include two rack positions, a baking pan, auto shutoff, interior light, and a slide-out crumb tray for easy cleaning.
The downside is that it is pretty compact and can only accommodate some specific small foods. Even though this countertop oven won’t take up much space, it can still do some baking and general cooking.
Conclusion
You don’t always need to go for an extra-large capacity oven to meet your baking needs. A countertop oven can be a great option if you don’t have enough space in your kitchen. You can make some delicious cakes with the best countertop oven for baking cakes.
If you’ve got the budget for it, the Breville Smart Oven Pro is top-tier. But honestly, any of the cheaper options might fit your needs just as well.
We have reviewed our top picks for the best countertop oven for baking cakes. So, think it over and decide which might be best for you!