This maybe a dumb question but I am new to this but what is a crumb coat and what do you do?

Hi! From what I have learned, a crumb coat is a thin layer of icing that you spread on the outside of the cake to trap in the crumbs. And I think that it doesn't even have to be icing. I've read that you can use piping gel or fruit spread. After you do the crumb coat then you put on your final coat of icing and you don't have to worry about crumbs in your icing. I don't crumb coat. I just use an icing tip and then use the viva paper towels or my spatula to smooth.

No such thing as a dumb question! A crumb coat is the initial coating some people put on the cake prior to the actual layer of icing. It helps to seal in the crumbs and helps to fill in any gaps between layers... It is a very thin layer of icing that you put on the cake, let is crust over and then proceed to icing the cake as you normally would. Others use a simple syrup or glaze but I have not tried those!

Crumb coat is a thin layer of buttercream frosting that has been thinned and applied to your cooled cake. Very, very thin layer. You may also use a simple syrup as a crumb coat. This process seals the surface of the cake, to prevent crumbs pulling out into your frosting and also makes smoothing the icing on the cake easier.

Thank you for you help!

ok what is the thing with the paper towel?

YOU CAN HEAT PRESERVES JUST AS APRICOT TO A BOIL THEN STRAIN AND PAINT IT ON YOUR CAKE WITH A PASTRY BRUSH. THERE ARE RECIPES FOR THIS. AS FAR AS THE PAPER TOWEL THINGY. YOU USE VIVA PAPER TOWELS TO SMOOTH YOUR ICING (NON-PRINTED). PERSONALLY I HAVE NOT HAD MUCH LUCK WITH THIS TECHNIQUE.