I have seen this a few times in my searching - but am a bit confused by what it means?

I thought it was coating the cake with sugarsyrup or something similar before puting the icing on it, but have seen it in postings that people crumb coat and then freeze the cake.

Also how long can you freeze a mud cake before decorating it. I have a wedding to do on 23rd April and don't know what the time frame should be. I have things to do before then i.e. decorations but not sure about the timeframe for making the cake and decorating it?

Rachel

Chuelchie,
First of all, welcome to the most addictive site ever. You will love being a member of CC.

Second, not sure on a mud cake. Never made one but I will bump you up. Maybe someone will know.

Sylvie

The crumb coating is just a thin layer of buttercream to seal the crumbs in so they won't get in your final icing. It also keept the air OUT so your cake stays fresher while you're waiting to do the final decorating.

I have used honey, or slightly heated apricot jelly as crumb coat as well. I tell students it is another way to add flavor to your cake.

thanks that's what I thought it was. I've only ever done it just before putting the icing on the cake, so I can do it a few days before?

I've already decided that this site has been very useful for me starting out, even though I have been doing cake decorating for family for a number of years and not for outsiders it helps to get information from elsewhere now that my teacher has retired - which sucks badly!!

Rachel

Part of "crumb coating" is also putting it in the refrigerator/freezer for a short while in order to make it a little more solid. By cooling it, it becomes stiffer so that when you apply your BC on top, it acts as a more solid undercoat than if it's still just room temp and softer.

Giving it around 10 minutes in the fridge before applying your top icing would do to set it nicely. You can use that time to tidy up and get ready for the icing stage or just have a little break and a coffee.

just a tip...try using a thinner icing when crumb coating...much easier to work with.