Lesson 4 of 5 · Cake Baking & Decorating

The crumb coat

  • Free video
  • Beginner
  • Cakes & Cupcakes
  • 11 min
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Video by Still Busy Baking on YouTube: “Cake Decorating for Beginners - How to Crumb Coat a Cake like a Pro” Watch on YouTube ↗

What you'll learn

Lesson 4 of 5

Apply a thin crumb coat that seals in crumbs and gives you a clean, firm base for a smooth final layer of frosting.

  • A crumb coat is a thin layer that traps loose crumbs
  • Chill until firm before the final coat
  • Keep crumb-coat frosting separate from your clean frosting

Ingredients for this lesson

Madagascar Vanilla Extract, 4 oz BottleVanillaGoods$19.00
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Madagascar Vanilla Beans, Grade A, 5 BeansVanillaGoods$15.00
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Tahitian Vanilla Extract, 2 oz BottleVanillaGoods$16.00
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Lesson notes from VanillaGoods

How to do it

  • Spoon a small amount of frosting into a separate bowl so crumbs don't get into your main batch
  • Spread a thin layer over the top and sides, filling gaps between layers
  • Scrape it smooth and thin with a bench scraper; it's fine if cake shows through
  • Chill 15–30 minutes until firm to the touch

Why it matters

Loose crumbs drag through frosting and ruin a smooth finish. Sealing them in, and firming the cake, lets the final coat glide on cleanly.

Watch for

Use medium-soft frosting for the crumb coat. Stiff frosting tears the cake surface and pulls up more crumbs.

← Lesson 3Next: Smooth buttercream finish →

Tools for this lesson

The equipment that makes this easier. VanillaGoods vanilla is always our own; these tools are from Amazon.

As an Amazon Associate, VanillaGoods earns from qualifying purchases. We only suggest tools that fit what you're learning.

Put it into practice

Bake along with a VanillaGoods recipe that uses this technique.

Find vanilla cake recipes

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