The 1-Step Cake Frosting Tip Professional Bakers Swear By

Although it sounds more like a decidedly unglamorous piece of outerwear than it does a baking trick, a crumb coat is in fact the key to beautifully frosting a cake with ease. Many professional baking techniques are coupled with a hefty intimidation factor due to the degree of skill and amount of practice required to perfect them—not so with a crumb coat.

That’s because a crumb coat is nothing more than a very thin layer of frosting that’s spread over a cake and allowed to set before the final coat of frosting is applied. While you can technically apply a crumb coat to any form of cake that’s destined for frosting, this technique is most commonly (and most practically) applied to layer cakes.

What Is the Purpose of a Crumb Coat? [H1]

Generally speaking, the primary purpose of a crumb coat is to set the stage for applying a clean, professional-grade layer of frosting. It’s a lot like the coat of primer that’s applied in preparation for painting a wall. In a cake context, this thin layer of “primer” frosting accomplishes three significant objectives: containing loose crumbs, locking in moisture, and creating a smooth surface.

Containing Loose Crumbs

Anyone who’s ever put heartfelt effort into constructing a lovely, from-scratch cake only to have crumbs flake off into the frosting as it's applied (making for a disheveled appearance that does no justice to the time and care you’ve invested) will understand how valuable this simple security measure is. The crumb coat earned its namesake from the fact that it prevents loose crumbs susceptible to detaching from the surface of a cake from being incorporated into the final coat of outward-facing frosting. In short, a crumb coat locks crumbs into place, barring them from contaminating the frosting people actually see.

Locking In Moisture

Loose crumbs aren’t all that a crumb coat keeps contained. Once set, it also serves as a moisture seal that will help to prevent the cake from drying out in the coming days. While a crumb coat certainly serves the interest of aesthetics, in this way, it additionally acts as a valuable quality assurance measure.

Creating a Smooth Surface

Finally, applying the crumb coat fills/covers any gaps between the cake layers and generally creates a clean, smooth canvas to which the final frosting coat can be applied seamlessly. In truth, you won’t realize just how much easier it is to frost a layer cake until you’ve frosted one that has a crumb coat.

How To Crumb Coat a Cake

Now that you understand what it is and why it matters, use the following step-by-step instructions to apply a crumb coat with ease.

Step 1: Prepare the Layers

After you’ve baked cake layers according to your desired recipe’s instructions, cool them completely. (Frosting and even slightly warm cakes are not compatible.) If you’re in a time crunch, you can transfer your slightly cooled cake layers to the freezer to cool down more quickly.

Once the layers are cool, trim the top and perimeter of each as needed/desired to level and remove any overly browned edges. Next, use a pastry brush to lightly brush the top and sides of each layer, removing whatever loose crumbs you reasonably can before crumb-coating.

Step 2: Prepare the Frosting

You’ll use the same frosting that you want to apply to the entire cake for the crumb coat. So, as your layers are cooling, go ahead and mix up your frosting of choice. If you’re at all concerned about not having enough to work with, remember that it never hurts to double the recipe; after all, having more than enough frosting isn’t the worst problem to have.

Step 3: Assemble the Layers

Before stacking layers, you’ll first want to select the cake stand or serving plate you ultimately want to present the completed cake on. To keep the serving plate clean during the frosting process, you can lay 3 to 5 wide strips of overlapping parchment paper across it before placing the bottom cake layer on top. (Once all is said and done, you can carefully pull the strips from under the assembled cake to reveal a clean plate.)

Once you’re ready to assemble, place your bottom layer onto the plate and spread an even layer of frosting over top. For an 8- or 9-inch cake, you’ll typically need between 3/4 cup to 1 cup of frosting between each layer. Place the next layer on top of the frosting and repeat the process for all remaining cake layers.

Optional Tip

If time allows, loosely wrap the stacked cake layers with plastic wrap and refrigerate for at least 30 minutes (and up to 2-3 hours). This chilling period is especially beneficial if you’re working in a warm environment, as it will allow the assembled layer cake to firm up, preventing the layers from shifting as you proceed to frost the exterior.

Step 4: Apply the Crumb Coat

Grab an offset spatula, or whatever frosting application utensil(s) you feel most comfortable with, and spread a thin layer of frosting around the sides of your assembled cake. You want to spread this primer coat of frosting as thin as is reasonable (ideally, about ⅛-inch-thick), filling in any gaps between the layers and other surface-level inconsistencies as you go. If patches of cake show through the thin veil of frosting, you know you’ve done it right.  Once the perimeter is coated, follow the same procedure to apply a thin layer of frosting to the top of the cake.

Step 5: Chill Out

This step is arguably the most crucial—it’s time to let the crumb coat set. Place your assembled, crumb-coated cake in the fridge for about 30 minutes (or until the frosting is hardened to the touch).

Step 6: Finish the Frosting

Now that you’ve effectively sealed away loose crumbs and created a smooth work surface, you can apply your final, thicker coat of frosting, along with any decorative touches. If this is your first time having applied a crumb coat, you’ll likely be pleasantly surprised by how easy and satisfying  this final step feels; enjoy it. And give yourself a pat on the back for working smarter, not harder. 

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