Are you looking to improve your cake decorating skills? When it comes to creating a well-decorated cake that will leave everyone talking, there are several steps to follow. At Bob's Red Mill, we consider ourselves a family full of bakers. From cookies to cakes, we've tried and tested hundreds of recipes to ensure that we provide you with only the best.
Throughout our baking journey, we've discovered how to decorate a cake like the pros. While there are many ways to decorate a cake, the best methods all have one thing in common—a crumb coat. Applying a crumb coat to your cake before fully frosting and decorating is crucial to creating a smoothly decorated cake.
Curious to learn more about how to crumb coat a cake? Continue reading as our experts walk you through the basics.
What Is a Crumb Coat?
A crumb coat is a baking term used to describe an extremely thin layer of icing, which bakers use to seal in a cake's moisture and provide an even base for decorative frosting and toppings. It works to trap stray crumbs in the cake's surface and prevent them from popping up later on. It's also used to fill in any gaps between the cake's layers and create a solid surface. A crumb coat is beneficial if a cake needs to be stored before decorating. By sealing in the cake's moisture, it will keep your baked treat looking and tasting delicious. Think of a crumb coat as a great-tasting primer for your favorite cake recipe that helps separate the cake from the icing and makes decorating a lot easier.
How to Apply a Crumb Coat
To properly apply a crumb coat layer, it's essential to follow this step-by-step guide. Frosting a cake immediately after it's removed from the oven is a recipe for disaster and will likely result in a bumpy, uneven cake finish. To crumb coat a cake to perfection, follow these next steps.
Step One: Wait for the Cake to Cool
When decorating any cake, the most important rule is to allow it to cool completely before adding frosting, even if that frosting is just a thin layer. To properly crumb coat your cake recipe, wait until it has thoroughly cooled before applying frosting. In fact, using a crumb coat on a day-old cake actually works much better. It's much easier to decorate, plus the cake is still fresh.
Step 2: Keep Your Crumb Coat Layer Thin
When applying a crumb coat, be careful not to use too much frosting. Instead, spread a thin layer of frosting on the top and sides of the cake. Try not to worry too much about what it looks like at this point. Remember, this is just a foundation for your finished result.
Step 3: Allow Your Crumb Coat to Chill
Once your cake is fully covered in a thin layer of icing and all crumbs have been sealed, chill the cake in the fridge for at least an hour. This will help the crumb coat set to ensure it's ready for the decorating process.
Step 4: Decorate Your Cake
After the crumb coat has thoroughly chilled, it's time to get creative! Remove the cake from the fridge and add a finishing layer of icing to the top. Be sure to cover any visible crumbs, cracks and uneven sections.
Step 5: Admire Your Work
While it may not sound like much, you'll be amazed at the difference adding crumb coating will make. You'll see a difference in the final result, and your friends won't be able to tell that there were flaws in the first place.
How to Properly Apply a Crumb Coat Layer
Now that you know what it takes to frost a cake like a pro, you might be wondering what tools are needed. When applying a crumb coat to a cake, we've found that an offset spatula works best. Use this spatula to spread a thin layer of frosting over the cake. Your crumb coat should be light enough that you can see through it. At this point, don't worry if crumbs are still visible. The final coat of frosting will easily cover them.
Crumb Coat Tips and Tricks
Go Easy on the Flour
When preparing a cake for baking, go easy on the flour that you add to the pan. Accuracy is an essential part of cake baking, and extra flour can cause crumbs. These extra crumbs will leave you with more work when applying the crumb coat layer.
Don't Apply a Crumb Coat to a Hot Cake
While we touched on this above, a crumb coat is best applied to a cool cake. Using icing on a hot or warm cake will melt the icing layer, turning the cake into a crumb-filled disaster.
Layer and Tort Before Adding a Crumb Coat
If you're making a cake with multiple layers, be sure to layer and torte (split a layer into multiple layers) it before applying the crumb coat. After you've applied a crumb coat, handling a cake and moving layers will cause the frosting to crack and create an uneven surface.
Avoid Thick Frostings
When it comes to crumb coating a cake, avoid using thick frostings. While any buttercream frosting will likely get the job done, icing that's too thick will pull at the surface of a cake. As yummy as they may be, glazes and icings like royal icing are much too sticky to be used as a crumb coat.
Keep Things Consistent
To ensure that your cake looks as great as it tastes, try to use the same color icing to crumb coat the cake as you do when decorating it. This will avoid your crumb coat showing through the top layer of icing. Plus, it will make everything look cohesive when cutting into the cake.
Use a Thicker Crumb Coat When Working with Fondant
Using fondant to decorate your cake? If so, we suggest adding one more icing layer between the crumb cake and the fondant coating. Doing so will help the fondant better stick to the cake.
Test Your Skills with These Delicious Cake Recipes
Homemade White Cake
Searching for a cake recipe that's simple to make and tastes delicious? You've found it. This Homemade White Cake is the perfect base for all of your cake creations. Made with our Unbleached White All-Purpose Flour, it can be prepped and cooked in under 40 minutes. This quick prep time makes it the ideal recipe if you require multiple layers.
Buttery Yellow Birthday Cake
Tasked with making a birthday cake and not sure which recipe to choose? We've done the work for you and tried and tested this delicious Buttery Yellow Birthday Cake recipe. It's a cake that's light to touch and overflowing with a sweet buttery flavor. When making this cake, a more fine flour is used to create a light and airy base that can be topped with icing, sprinkles or whatever the birthday (boy/girl) dreams of!
Confetti Cake
Confetti Cake is a classic that deserves to be in every baker's recipe book. When baking a confetti cake, be sure to apply a crumb coat before adding the frosting and confetti topping. Not only will the crumb coat help the frosting stick, but it will also ensure that your confetti falls onto an even surface. Make your next confetti cake perfect, and follow this simple recipe.
Salted Almond Fudge Cake
A chocolate lover's dream, this Salted Almond Fudge Cake is the perfect mix between simplicity and decadence. It's easy to make and looks even better when a crumb coat is applied. A cake that looks almost too good to eat, make this for your next gathering and leave guests in awe.
Tip: if you’re allergic to or don't like almonds, switch them out for a nut or topping of your choice. This cake pairs well with just about anything!
And there you have it! You've learned how to apply a crumb coating properly. Now it's time to test out your kitchen skills. Choose your favorite cake recipe and start baking! Apply a crumb coat using the step-by-step guide above and get creative when decorating your cake. The crumb coat will keep your cake surface from mixing into your frosting, and you'll be left with a beautiful crumb-free result. From everyone at Bob's Red Mill, happy baking!
Have a crumb coat tip you'd like to share? We love hearing from you. Let us know the different tips and tricks you use to apply a crumb coating in the comments below.
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