Hey all...i have been asked to make a "texas" shaped cake for a co worker's birthday.

I did a test cake yesterday, cut it out in the shape and tried to frost the sides and ended up with a mess.

I had crumbs in the frosting and couldnt get it to smooth out, any ideas??

Any help would be appreciated.

Use a super thin icing to crumb coat the cake before you put on the final icing. let the crumb coat get nice and dry before applying the final layer.

Best of luck, I hope that helps.

gotta agree with enjoy that crumb coat works wonders

I always crumb coat the cake frozen. It is stiffer, and doesn't crumble as much. It takes longer for the frosting to dry and crust because of condensation, but every time I am in a hurry and try it on a cake that hasn't been frozen, I end up regretting it.

All good advice so far. Freezing the cake in advance is great idea -- BUT -- don't freeze the thing solid or it will take FOREVER for the icing to crust. Plus, you run the risk of the condensation causing the icing to slide off the cake.

Instead, place the cake in the freezer for just an hour. That will freeze the outside edges of the cake, where you're frosting, while leaving the inside of the cake thawed.

I would also like to stress the importance of using a thinned icing for the crumb coat.

The #789 icer tip works very well for getting frosting onto unusual shapes.

I do the same thing that DianeLM does. Put it in the freezer for about an hour, take it out and crumb coat it with thinned icing. It will be solid enough that it won't break the edges off. Once your crumb coat has set up, then ice it.

thank you all so much!!!