So i was making a tres leches cake (recipe found here) for a friend of ours, and i was doing a FBCT as well - first time for both. I only used about 1/3 of the entire 3 cream mixture for 2 9" rounds, I was afraid to use all 38oz of milk, it seemed like so much! And then the milks were flowing all over the sides of the cake. I was petrified! I put the cakes in their pans in the fridge to cool while I worked on the FBCT (that was a lot of fun). It didn't turn out as well as I had wanted it to, but it was much better than I expected it to be. Then the darn cakes wouldn't come out of the pan! Major Panic!!!! My DH came in and played with the pans while I hid in the corner and prayed. He got them out with minimual damage (note on the recipe to use parchment paper next time).

So frosting the TL cake was a nightmare! Oh the crumbs!! I crumb coated 3 times, and put it in the fridge, hoping that would help. It didnt, i was still pulling crumbs, so in my Moment of Brilliance I stripped off 1/2" of icing, mixed what I had left in the bowl with some creamcheese frosting I had left over from another cake last week, and........ BASKETWEAVE!!! is the savior of the worst crumb problems!!! In 30 min, I had the bad boy looking wonderful.

I told my husband that the next time my crumbcoat is failing, to remind me to use basketweave for the sides, as it hides even the worst problems.

I feel for ya.



I never crumb coat. I use an icing bag, and coupler, no tip and ice the cake going in up and down strokes going all the way around the cake, then across the top making sure the tubes of icing are touching. On the sides, make sure the icing goes up and over the top edge by 1/2 inch. Use your bench scraper to smooth and voila! No crumbs, ever...

Give it a go and see if this works for you. A good baker can overcome and adapt! You did very well with your basketweave! All you have to say is, "I meant to do that!"

Those are both great ideas! Thanks for sharing.

I like my speed icer. No need to crumbcoat. But using it too often could wear out your hands.

Yup. Basketweave ran through my mind this weekend when nothing was going right. That's so funny