I need help! I have done quite a few fondant wedding cakes but I have one in a few weeks that is 3 layers and buttercream. I have practiced several times and even though the cakes were ok, they were not wedding quality.

Do you do a crumb coat under your buttercream? Do you have favorite recipes? How thick do you put it on to make it look smooth in the end?

Quite worried, would appreciate any answers.

Thanks;

Jackie

No. No. And THICK!

I'd never heard of crumbcoating way back when I started decorating, and besides, big bakeries wouldn't have allowed all that extra time to make extra steps to get the job done. I understand it might be easier for those who can't ice a cake without getting crumbs in their icing to do a crumbcoat first, but with practice it's easy to learn what NOT to do.

The name of the game is... slap it on, and wipe it off! If you "play" with the icing, there's a greater chance of lifting crumbs off the cake. If you put it on thick enough and push the icing across the cake rather than trying to spread it on, spread it too thin, or lift your knife multiple times, you'll get better results. Once it's completely covered with a thick coat, there shouldn't be any crumbs to worry about, and you can start removing the excess icing with your knife or scraper. If you scrape too much off and make a bald spot where the cake shows through, just add a little more at that spot and continue wiping it off again. If your icing is smooth (with no air bubbles) to begin with, your cake will be smooth at this point. No need to "play" with it further, or wait for it to crust to make extra steps with paper towels, etc. Good luck... I hope this helps.

Thank you!