Hi All!

I have playing with cakes for a well now an most of the time I use the viva paper towel method to smooth my icing out. But I am finiding that I always get this wierd 'lip' the develops along the edge of any cake I make. When I am smoothing the sides, I get a bump that develops. If I press the top of the cake with my paddle, then the lip forms on the side of the cake.

Can this be the recipe? I use the wilton recipe but with high ratio icing. Is there a recipe that works a little better with the viva method?

Thank you in advance!

Is it possible that your using too much icing? If too much is "pushed" to the sides, that could cause that. Try smoothing the sides first then smooth the icing from the edges towards the middle. Hope this help some, I"m sure you will get more suggestions from others.

I have the same problem, so I re watched Sharon Zambitos, Perfecting the Art of Buttercream and noticed all the things I was doing wrong. Two main things I noticed I was neglecting was removing excess icing and then I guess you could call it presmoothing/leveling with a bench scraper.

Hi... when you do the sides.... the bumb should be on top... then plave the viva towel and with the smoother... gently slide from the edge to the center.... thus making the bumb blend on top if you keep pushing with the same strangth on the sides and on the top... the bumb will continue to go from the siedes to the top... use a gentle push/slide motion on top from edge to center...

hth

So your saying to do the sides first and then the top? Hm, I have never tried it that way! Thanks so much!

It's okay to start with the sides.... just when you do the top... go from the edge to the center.....

here watch this.... it will help you a lot.....

stiffer icing helps with that bump too, and do not press too hard on the viva