I finished my lottery ticket cake (no picture...sorry!) and I had NOTHING BUT TROUBLE with this darn thing.
I was making a 2 layer 9x13, when I went to put my top layer on I blanked I couldn't figure out how to do it! I ended up flipping it onto my hand/arm and it promptly broke into three pieces. I got it situated and even and started to frost. It was sooo moist that it just kept breaking in the corners and edges, so I ended up with a TON of crumbs. I figured, ok I'll just make this a crumb coat and hope that I don't have the 'normal' problem after my crumb coat. My normal problem when I crumb coat is that when I go to do my frost thr crumb coat (which was previously crusted) slides around and then my icing never crusts. Well, it happened again, so I couldn't Viva. Then my first FBCT got stuck to the wax paper in places. I fixed that mostly and it looked OK. The only thing that went right was my shell borders. I'm beginning to be very proud of those things.
So, I get the monstrosity boxed up and head to the carset it in the back and look down, the side of the box squished into the side of the cake and pulled a bunch of frosting off. I could see cake! GRRRR
I don't understand why I have such problems with that darn crumb coat.
My aunt and uncle loved it. My uncles Mom ordered it and they were taking it to the resuraunt, so I hope she liked it too.

I suggest you use the #789 icer tip and stop doing a crumb coat. I have not crumbcoated a cake in about 18 years. I love my icer tip. It saves me work and time!

Do you freeze your cake first. I've been doing that lately and it seems to help. Then I crumb coat it and let it unthaw or pop back in the freezer. I always unthaw all the way before I decorate though.
Don't you hate messing up cakes. It always seems like its when something is really important. Bam that's when the whole thing falls apart..... Must be that Iowa weather!

I thought about freezing, but I made them the night before last and couldn't remember if I could frost frozen or not. I was also thinking that since I wasn't torting the layers I wouldn't have (m)any crumbs to mess with. Well, that flew out the window when the cake broke.

SugarFrosted, I'll get that tip and see if it helps.

I use the icer tip on my cakes as well and don't normally crumb coat, I do like to freeze my cakes but if I am short on time I won't do it.. My chocolate cake DEFINATELY needs freezing becasue I got crumbs even witht he icer tip.. it is so soft (its good though lol)

I do crumb coat, but I think it is very important to do that with THINNED icing, and to allow enough time to let the cake settle and the crumb coat to frost.

I don't ever freeze the cakes. I do crumb coat every one of them though. It takes just a few minutes and it makes the final coat of icing pefect. I also make sure that it is thin consistency icing and that I use a very thin coat of icing. It won't work well if you use too much. You should be able to see the cake right through that crumb coat.

If I have a cake with lots of crumbs then I will crumbcoat. Most chocolate ones I do anyway.

You need to use very thin icing. Make it a very thin coat then when you go to frost the cake use a bit thicker but still thin icing.

I will crumb coat and then use the icing tip with that. It crusts just fine.

I always use a chilled cake when I begin. Seems to cut down on the crumbs, when I crumb coat.

After I've crumb coated I always put mine in the fridge to set up, but then I use an all butter buttercream. Works perfectly and I never have problems with sliding or crumbs in the top coat. Sorry to hear of your problems, I'm sure it was loved anyway (and tasted great)!

I had terrible problems with my cakes breaking and with crumbs until I started freezing the layers! It works wonders! Especially for chocolate cake which seems to crumb much worse.

Well, I don't know what my problem is then because I do use thin icing and I can see through to the cake. After I crumb coated I put it in the fridge for about 5 hours. When I came back to it it was crusted over.
I'll just make the cake in time to freeze it and maybe that will help.

So, you can ice a frozen cake and the moisture from it thawing will still allow for the icing to crust?

A lot of people say not to but I do freeze my layers and ice them frozen. Sometimes I thaw them and sometimes I don't. They do fine both ways.

I have tried the frozen method and my frosting was freezing when I was spreading when defrosted the moister on my icing was crazy had to sprinkle with powder sugar just to Viva the cakes.
Also I wanted to let you all know that sams club sells there icing in the 28 pound buckets and its only 26.00 and some change its perfect never had a problem with it they sell both butter cream and whipped.
I use butter cream its way easier to open that bucket and spread than to mix your own it crusts and everything.
Dana Illinois

I don't now why some people are so concerned about serving a cake that has been frozen. I prefer to freeze my cakes. I have even found that it makes them more moist. When the cake is baked I remove them to a wire rack until they are cool. At this point I usually remove the rounded top, if one exists. I line the pan the cake was baked in with plastic wrap and tip the cakes back into the pan, then pull the plastic wrap over the cake. I follow up with an additional layer of plastic. The pans protect the cakes and I can stack them.

I might even freeze a cake for just a few hours to make it easier to handle.

Wrapped this way, the cakes are just as good, or even better than they are before they are frozen.

I remove the cake from the freezer, unwrap them, fill and stack the layers, then crumb coat while frozen. The layers are easy to handle while frozen. After the cakes thaw and the crumb coat is dry I frost the cakes.

By the way - everyone always raves about how good my cakes taste, so that is evidence that freezing a cake does not make it taste bad.

I know cakes taste the same frozen and I had no problem with the taste of the cakes I put them on cardboards and wrap in plastic wrap and stack them in my deep freezer.
Never had a problem except the icing went on smooth and then froze to the cakes and I couldnt get it to smooth out afterwards cause of the moister from freezing.
All the bakerys around my house freeze there cakes.

Dana Bush Illinois

Thanks for the tip about Sams Club! I may have to check it out. It would be cheaper to use that than to make it!

yes and you can break it down into smaller containers and freeze it the bakery dept at my sams said it will keep in the freezer for one month.
Not to bad in my eyes.
The 7 tier wedding cake I made this was a life saver.
I have a 2 tier baby shower cake for sat a birthday cake for tomorrow and b day cake for sept 2nd and a fundraiser I am donating cakes for on sept 9th so the bucket is a life saver in my eyes.
Dana

Well, I highly doubt that I could use 28#s of icing in a month, so that may be a waste of my money, but I will keep it in mind for when I am rollin' in the cake orders, 'cause I know it will happen!!

You don't have to totally freeze them. Just for about 15 minutes will firm it up enough to decorate.