Gather round, gather round. Today I’m sharing a video tutorial which shows you how to crumb coat a cake. If you’re a casual baker, you may be peering at your screen bewilderedly asking “What is a crumb coat?”, whereas the seasoned among you will be nodding sagely because you have experienced the joy of icing/covering a crumb coated cake and know how wonderful it is. Today, I’m going to share that wonder.
A crumb coat is a thin, loose layer of icing that you put on a cake before putting the final finish on. You know when you try to cover a cake in buttercream and you end up with crumbs all over the place? A crumb coat stops that. A crumb coat means you can put that buttercream on and it will be as smooth and plump as a baby’s cheek. I also use a crumb coat as a base for fondant icing.
Take your buttercream (tutorial and recipe here) and add a little splash of milk. Mix well. You want it fairly loose and runny, but if you think it’s too runny add a little more icing to thicken it up. Then spread this evenly all over the cake. There’s a knack to this, but don’t worry – it’s pretty clear what I’m doing in the video.
Pop it in the fridge for 10-30 minutes, and that’s it. You’re ready to ice it, coat it, do whatever you like to it.
This will change the way you make and decorate cakes. Promise x
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