Dag Blasted Crumbs! I Need Help!!!
Decorating By OhMyGoodies Updated 11 Dec 2006 , 12:22am by OhMyGoodies
Ok I baked the two sheet cakes yesterday that I need for tomorrows dance. I wrapped them both in cling wrap, double wrapped. I left them to sit and settle over night and attacked them today. I smooshed up my BC (1/2 butter, 1/2 crisco) to soften it after it slept in the fridge last night, left it set near the window so the sun could help it soften and it's softened up great.
I put my crumb coat on one, it was nice and moist and looked so delicious, the top coating (the darker part of the cake on the outside) started coming off in the icing so I figured ok it's alright it's the crumb coat it'll be ok. So I let the first one sit while I cc the second one, then I took a 15 minute break and came here while they hardened up some. Well I went back up and proceeded to put the icing on them and the crumb coat started coming OFF with the fresh icing. So now my second layer of icing has crumbs in it as well.
The second cake, the chocoalte one, didn't do it as bad, I learned from the yellow one not to press as hard as I'm spreading but it still did it in some places... just not as bad as the yellow one. Now between the two of them I've so far used 2 1/2 batches of BC. Just to crumb coat and add a second crumb coat as it seems.... I have 2 1/2 batches left.... what am I doing wrong!??!!?! I can make more BC if I have to if I run out but I need to get these cakes done today! or at the latest tonight. (Did I mention they are 12x18 sheet cakes?)
I plan to use the Melvira method (the paint roller) to smooth the finishing layer of BC, and then stamp them with the 12x18 divider mat I have, then I want to trace those indentations with a pale blue/winter blue BC and add a border top and bottom, and then place snowflake candies I made on each "slice" as decoration.
I need to know what I'm doing wrong with the icing having so many dang crumbs in it... maybe I'm not letting it sit too long? Maybe it's got TOO much icing on it? Maybe the cakes are TOO moist?? I just can't figure it out. These cakes HAVE to be PERFECT!!! they are for a school dance tomorrow evening and I'm hoping to get a few customers from these but I can't if they aren't good enough 
Thanks in advance for any and all suggestions and help!!! 
Becky
I wish I knew exactly what to tell you to fix it... but, I really don't know, all I can say is that if you chill the cakes they don't get as many loose crumbs as room temp cakes (might be to late for you).
Did you use you icing tip or a spatula? I've also found that if I use my icing tip I will get way less crumbs than when I ice with a spatula only. I really don't know what to tell you, as if you add a second (or third by now) layer of icing, it will be way too much icing... what if you scrape it and start over? I know, not fun and more work but this way you might be able to achieve a crumb free cake. HTH!
I don't normally thin it down at all I use it straight force so that it "matches" the rest of the cake... Maybe I'll try that next time. As for these two I think it's done I think I'm going to have to leave it how it is and just pray it's dark enough no one notices the crumbs and if they do they blow it off as a cutting mishap lol
Oh and I used my angled spatula... I have the icer tip and have a reuseable bag cut to fit it but have yet to use it I'm scared but maybe next time I will give it a go... Thanks ladies for your help.
The crumb coat should be done with thin icing and then when you do the final layer of icing it should be med. Do try the icing tip. It works so much better then the other way.
I was like you for the longest time and didn't want to even try the icing tip but once I did I fell in love. Sure you will too.
Well my husband will be calling on his lunch break any minute now so I'm going to let the cakes sit and continue to "crust" for about a half hour while I talk to him then I'll attack them again lol I may be back so hang in there with me ladies I do truely love yall and appreciate all your help and suggestions
Joanne, I'm glad someone else was scared of a darn tip lmao it scares me to death lol and hubby just laughs and says "it's just a tip!!!" I'm like ok look at that huge monster of a tip lol but I think I'll give it a go next time I do a cake... which will be next week.... I'm doing a dora cake... will it work for that? as the instructions say to do a layer of blue icing under where I'm going to put the stars... to cover the sides and top in a pale blue before doing the decorations... will the icing tip work for that?
I do my crumb coat in very thin BC. Otherwise you are probably pulling off a bunch of crumbs to add to it. It should just be a thin layer to seal all of the crumbs in. I think the icer tip does help tremendously. I dont use it if I am doing a fondant cake, but i always do it with BC cakes.
Ok so now I need to ask.... How do yall go about thinning down the icing? My husband makes the butter cream it's 1/2 butter 1/2 crisco recipe, I found it here I believe.
Do I take my regular already made buttercream and add something to it to thin it down? Or do I tell hubby to leave out some sugar?
I just thin my buttercream by adding more liquid to some of my batch. Either milk or water. I've never crumbcoated with a tip before. Which tip would I use? I know how your feeling though. My last sheet cake was a mess with crumbs. I sure learnt some things here today. Thanks everyone.
I just thin my buttercream by adding more liquid to some of my batch. Either milk or water. I've never crumbcoated with a tip before. Which tip would I use? I know how your feeling though. My last sheet cake was a mess with crumbs. I sure learnt some things here today. Thanks everyone.
Thin with very small amounts of water...a few drops at time depending on the amount until it is where you want it to be.
I personally ice the cake with the icing tip while the cake is frozen, and still I can't get BC as nice as I like. So I put MMF on almost everything! To me, it is way easier than smoothing BC. But again, as someone else said, we are our own worst critics. I have complained about BC pointing out all the problems on my cakes and others just don't see it.
to thin use the same liquid you did in the recipe,, water or milk... add small amounts at a time...drops for a small amount of icing, or teaspoons for larger batches till you like the consistency, it should be really easy to stir, spread, much creamier, not stiff. make your ccrumb coat thin enough to just seal in the crumbs. i'd be scared to try on such a big cake, but i'd probably think of scraping it off carefully and starting over with the icing.
I also thin my icing by adding more of the liquid (usually water) but I have learned (rather was told) to think it by hand so u can feel the consistancy. I was thinning an entire batch and I was always making it too thin or not thin enough
JoanneK,
I thin my buttercream a little more for the crumb coat but from class was told to use thin for icing. I have the same problems with crumbs no matter what I have done. That is the most aggravating part. I know the more practice the better but just not sure what else to try. 
Well I think I found my MAIN problem.... I wasn't letting it crust long enough.... The 2nd "crumb coat" sat and crusted for a total of maybe 45-60 minutes instead of 15 as the first did..... I went up to tackle it again and was able to use the roller on it but I guess it sat TOO long for the roller method cause it didn't do anything but moosh it down some lol.. So I then added another layer of butter cream and it came out beautiful!!! Didn't pull the icing up at all. Now that's 3 3/4 batches between the two cakes so far lol. I plan on mixing the remaining bc with the other batch and mixing it up until it's soft and then coloring it the wintery blue I want to decorate with. I figured I'd mix a lot of the blue color incase I need to touch up something with decoration somewhere. So here I am again waiting on that layer to crust, I figured I'd watch Paula (OMG IT'S PAULA!!!!!!!!! I LOVE PAULA hehehe) and let it crust and then go up and do my decorating that way I can use my divider press without messing up the icing since I've never used it before I'm kinda scared of it too lol.. But I do know from coming here not to press too too hard just slightly so I should be ok lol.
Thank you all so very much for all your help!!!!
What I tell my students for the thin icing for the crumb coat is that is should be about the consistency of the icing you buy in a can from the store. VERY thin - and when you put it on the cake, you should be able to SEE the cake through it - if you put that crumb coat on thick, it will peel off when you put the final coat of icing on. It's only job is to be a VERY thin coating to seal the crumbs, that is it. It should dry in 5 minutes or so and be ready for the final icing.
another thing in addition to the thick icing that might be a problem is if you move your knife one way, then back the other, it will usually pull the cake back with it. its instinctive for us to move it back and forth, but its better to train yourself to go just one direction to avoid that.
quadcrew- do you happen to know the typical amounts needed to crumbcoat a cake? for example, wilton will say something on their charts like an 8" round will need 3 cups to fill and frost. would you recommend half of that, a third?
-another Q- under a fondant covered cake, do you put the same amount as a crumbcoat or a little bit more. i've experimented with a bit of both but would like someone elses opinion (i'm assuming you know this if you have students 
ohmygoodies- so lets see the cakes! do you have pictures posted yet?
edited update: NICE SAVE on that icing!!!! i didnt see one crumb 
The back and foth motion is not a big deal - the important thing is to ALWAYS have that spatula in icing, NEVER let it touch the cake! I use a back and forth motion all the time, and it isn't a problem.
To crumb coat a double 9" layer cake, it takes less than 1/2 cup of icing. It is literally see thru thin.
For a fondant covered cake, I put more than what a "crumb coat" would be - but not as much as if I were icing it in buttercream. Just a nice covering - hope that helps!
the important thing is to ALWAYS have that spatula in icing, NEVER let it touch the cake!
i think thats how i meant to word it
thank you for your response on icing amounts, i like a little more on the fondant too, otherwise if its less, i tend to see the ridges where its torted a bit. i did four fondant squares the other day and one i must have put a bit too much because as i smoothed it down, out squished BC. then the last one, i was literally scraping the bowl because i did NOT want to make another batch, so it was more like a crumb coat. turned out ok, but i saw the ridges when i really stared at it ( i doubt they noticed though). what i wasted on the other cake, i could have used it on that one!!! LOL
Update: I finished the cakes and they were a HUGE hit!!! I've uploaded them to my photos section. They went very very fast until they hit the half way mark lol Then people got a lil bit weird I guess lol. This one guy looked at the one I was slicing up and said "Do you know who they had make the cakes?" I said very polietly "I made them, they are all butter cream icing and a chocolate candy on top this one is yellow cake the one down at the other end of the table it chocolate fudge cake" He said "Oh" and walked away real snooty lol Oh well can't please em all all the time lol 
Anyway all the ladies/mommys there loved them and said over and over again how beautiful they were and I was so happy lol. I just wish I had gotten at least one order or request for my card outta all this lol but maybe she'll call and say someone is requesting info lol Oh well.... Anyway they are up thank you all for your help with the CC issue
Thanks Deb! I made the chocolates with the Wilton Snowflake candy mold and blue and white candy melts. Took me a few hours to make all of them but there are 108 of them lmao plus the ones the kids and my momma stole while I was making them lol.
The grid did help alot in the cutting and serving process although the lady that cut the other one last night didn't follow it 
I was so mad lol. She saw how I was cutting the one and still she wanted to rush thru it and made a huge mess and had cake everywhere and made each piece so nasty messy looking... but they all loved it so I guess it was alright lol.
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