jake_dixon•3mo agoProlific Poster

Warning: I learned the hard way that a 'crumb coat' is not just for fancy cakes.

I was at a big family picnic in Portland last summer, bringing a simple two-layer chocolate cake. It was hot, maybe 90 degrees, and I skipped the crumb coat because I thought it was just for smooth, perfect frosting on wedding cakes. I just slapped the final buttercream on. By the time we cut it, the whole thing was a mess of dark crumbs floating in white frosting. It looked gray and dirty. My cousin said it looked like a storm cloud. That one fail changed my whole view. Now I do a thin crumb coat on every single cake, even a basic birthday one, and chill it for 20 minutes before the final layer. It takes a bit longer, but the cake always looks clean. Does anyone else have a simple step they used to skip but now swear by?

3 comments

3 Comments

white.grant3mo ago

Same with sifting dry ingredients.

jennifer693mo ago

Isn't it funny how the small steps we skip are often the ones that matter most? I see this everywhere, like people not preheating the oven and wondering why their cookies are flat. That extra ten minutes for a crumb coat makes all the difference between a mess and something you're proud of.

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aaron_wilson1724d ago

I heard a pro baker on a podcast say that the biggest mistake home bakers make is rushing the little stuff, and it stuck with me. Preheating and sifting seem boring but they're basically the foundation of not wasting your time and ingredients. Kinda makes you realize that the annoying steps are usually what separate "good enough" from actually good lol.