How to Crumb Coat a Cake

How to crumb coat a cake (video) | Photo by Zoë François

There is nothing more disappointing than having a cake that is speckled with crumbs, unless of course that is the look you are going for, like my Brooklyn Blackout Cake. However, sometimes you’ll want pristine white or a perfectly smooth surface to write on and for this it’s helpful to know how to crumb coat a cake. Once you have the dome trimmed off the top of your cake, the layers cut and then assembled with your favorite filling, it is time for a crumb coat. This is a quick and simple step that acts as a guarantee that your final layer of icing will be clean and crumb free. This technique is particularly helpful when you are working with Devil’s Food Cake and White icing, the ultimate combination in taste and pesky crumbs. 

How to Crumb Coat a Cake

Equipment I used in the Crumb Coat Video:

Revolving Cake Decorating Stand – Let the cake turntable do all the work for you, it will make life so much easier.

Offset Spatula or Straight Spatula – For getting the icing on your cake smoothly. I use both an offset and a straight spatula. Both are great, you just have to determine which is more comfortable. You want at least an 8-inch blade for icing a cake.

Cardboard Cake Circle – I build all my cakes on them, it just makes it so much easier to move the cake around. Be sure to order the right size for your cake or get slightly larger ones you can cut to the right size.

See Part 1: How to Cut and Fill your cake like a Pro!

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14 thoughts to “How to Crumb Coat a Cake”

  1. thanks zoe ! can hardly wait for the rest of the videos!!! i usually struggle with gettin that nice sharp edge on top , all round .. a perfect circle if u know what i mean.. but you seem to be gettin it so easily!! guess practise makes perfect eh? =)

  2. This is awesome and a great tutorial on frosting. I struggle with getting my frosting smooth, making a circular design to compensate; well now I know why! Thank you and I look forward to more videos.

  3. Thank you for this post, I am learning so much from you! Looking forward to see more videos on cake frosting and decorating.

  4. I first discovered “crumb coating” last year and I just love the way you explain it. My cakes are so smooth and crumb free now, I just love it!

  5. I love that you’re baking barefoot. Thank you for the tip on putting a damp paper towel under the cake board! Simple, genius, exactly the little tibdit I needed. 🙂

  6. Thanks for the great video. I’ll be making a wedding cake soon and I appreciate your tips.

  7. Hi Zoe, your tutorials are amazing! I’ve been experimenting with recipes to make my own small and rustic wedding cake but none of the cake recipes I have found hold up. May I ask what the cake recipe is for the cake in the video? It seems so much less crumbly than the ones I’ve tried. I would love your input. Thanks!!!

  8. thanks so much for your tip on turning over the top of a cake when filling it! I feel like i lost half my 6″ cake when I took the dome off!!!

    I had a wow moment when you fipped over the domed top and shwed how to use it!!! Thank you, I think of you often when i bake!

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