Crumb Coating: “So THAT’S How They Do That!”

This is what the AHG cakes looked like before their second coat of frosting (and topcoat of fondant).

I thought I’d mention/show this in case you’ve ever tried decorating a cake and driven yourself crazy because crumbs kept showing up in the frosting. Do what the pros do: put on two coats of frosting.

• initial “crumb coat” – aptly named because it’s often full of crumbs
• final smooth, pretty coat

Basic technique:

1. Apply a thin layer of frosting. Don’t worry if you can see the cake through it; don’t worry how many crumbs you get in it. Just be sure to cover the whole cake. Also, if you scoop into your bowl to get more frosting, DON’T LET ANY CRUMBS FROM YOUR SPATULA GET INTO THE BOWL. I usually use a separate utensil for adding more frosting onto the cake if needed. Some people just wipe their main one off.
2. Let the crumb coat “set”. It should be a bit dry and firm for step 3. Put the cake in a fridge to speed the process.
3. Apply a thick layer of frosting over the crumb coat. Do this gently so you don’t break the crumb coat!

Also, here are some great how-to videos about crumb coating:

• Liv Hansen at howdini.com
• Sandy Sheppard at monkeysee.com

And now you can say what my friend and fellow fondant layer said the other night when she learned all this info: “Oh! So that’s how they do it!”