Crumb-Coating a Cake
After stacking your cake layers, it’s helpful to apply what’s called a crumb coat of icing to the cake to prevent any crumbs from getting into the final icing coat and to create an even surface. For a roughly iced cake effect, this would be the final step of icing before inserting dowels for a tiered cake.
TOOLS:
- cake turntable
- large flat spatula
- bench scraper
Place a dollop of icing on top of
the stacked cake.
Using a flat spatula, spread the
icing on the top and over the edge of the cake.
Continue spreading icing on the side
of the cake, keeping the icing as smooth as possible. Only use
enough icing to lightly cover the cake; it should appear
transparent.
Go over the side of the cake with a
bench scraper to achieve a smoother surface, removing excess icing
if necessary.
With the flat spatula, smooth from
the edge into the center of the cake to create even corners and a
smooth top surface, holding the spatula above the cake and then
bringing it down to the edge of the cake in a swooping motion to
smooth the edge. Refrigerate for about an hour before applying your
final coat of icing.