How to Crumb Coat a Cake

Crumb coats are important in creating beautiful cake designs. A crumb coat is a thin coat of frosting around the cake that traps in crumbs so that your final layer is clean, smooth, and pretty. I apply crumb coats to all of my cakes, unless the cake is meant to be naked or semi-naked.

What is a crumb coat?

A crumb coat is a thin coat of frosting that goes around a cake prior to the final coat of frosting. The crumb coated cake gets frozen to keep in the crumbs and moisture so that your final coat of frosting is clean, neat, and crumb-less.

Which cakes need a crumb coat?

You should crumb coat any cake that you want to have a neat, clean look. Naked or semi-naked cakes do not require crumb coats.

How to crumb coat a cake

1. Prepare your cake. Prepare your baked cake layer(s) and buttercream. Allow the cake layers to cool completely, freezing them in advance if desired.
2. Layer your cake. If your cake has layers, layer it with frosting in between each layer.
3. Set aside a bowl. Set aside a small clean bowl for excess frosting. The excess frosting you have from scraping the cake may have crumbs in it, so you won’t want to put it back into your clean frosting.
4. Dollop some frosting. Dollop some frosting on top of your cake.
5. Spread the frosting. Using an offset spatula, spread the frosting all over the cake, including on the sides. Scrape off any excess frosting into your separate prepared bowl.
6. Fill in bare spots. Using your excess frosting, fill in any bare spots.
7. Scrape off excess frosting. Using a bench scraper, scrape off excess frosting from the sides and the top.
8. Repeat 6 and 7, as necessary. If any bare spots remain, repeat steps 6 and 7. The coat of frosting should be thin and should cover the whole cake, but it doesn’t have to look perfect.
9. Freeze. Place the cake in the freezer for 15-20 minutes. It should be cold to the touch.
10. Finish your cake. Finish with your final coat of frosting and any decorations.

Tools and Accessories Used

Cake Board: I recommend frosting your cake on top of a 9″ cake board for easy transfer and easy cleanup.

Rotating Cake Stand: You’ll want to continuously turn the cake while frosting it to ensure smooth sides.

Offset Spatula: You’ll use this to spread the frosting. 

Bench Scraper: Use this to create smooth edges.

Tips and Tricks

Chill your cake layers: prior to this first coat, your cake layers should at least be cooled to room temperature, however it is best if they have been chilled at least 30 minutes as well. You can also freeze your cake layers in advance.

Use a separate bowl for excess frosting: As you spread and scrape the frosting around the cake, you’ll want to put any excess frosting into a separate bowl, as it may have crumbs in it and you won’t want to put the crumbs into your clean frosting.

You may also like: