I think our thread got too long. I can get pretty decent smooth icing on the sides of my cakes but not on top of the cakes. Why is that? My cake is level, i guess ny icing is not. i always seem to have lines in the cake where the spatula has been but the rest of the icing looks smooth. Sometimes I hav an issue with putting a lot, maybe too much icing on the top of the cake and scraping away too much icing. My cake is level but not the icing on top. I"m trying to make sure that the icing is level, that i end up taking too much icing off and then you can see the cake underneath. If i'm decorating over it, i don't worry about it, but when i can't do that, what do I do? ANd why do I always end up with extra icing all around the edge of the top of the cake? How do I get rid of that without pulling it back into the cake and messing up the smoothness?

I have that same problem...and here is what I do...once I ice the cake...and it is smooth, I take my Viva papertowel and my fondant smoother and I use light pressure and kinda smooth it over and down. I hope that made sense. And if I don't need more on the sides, I just smooth the extra icing upwards.... I hope this makes sense to you, if not let me know and I will try to explain it better

Beth

will a wooden rolling pin work as well instead of the fondant smoother? I don't have the little "fondant rolling pin" but I do have that wide fondant smoother thingy. NOt sure what it's called. I'm tired, can ya tell? i"m going to have to try that technique. I"ve heard that mentioned up here often.

I took a class on cake smoothing and after you use the viva paper towel you let it sit for a while longer then you can use the wooden fondant rolling pin. Works great.
Sherry

I'm sorry, but I just have never understood the Viva paper towel thing. Paper towels have patterns on them! I don't get how using that makes it smooth???

Viva towels do not have a pattern.

Berta

oh!

You have to be sure you are using a crusting buttercream or when you use the paper towel it will stick to the frosting.

I use the viva method, and love it. I have never heard of using the rolling pin after the paper towels, does that really make a difference? I am going to have to try that next time. Thanks. Keli

I just use a sheet of wax paper to smooth it myself. i never knew Viva paper towels didn't have a pattern.

Christiancaker,
I have the wide plastic fondant smoother too...and it works well.

Oh and this is to everybody....there are SOME Viva towels out there that DO have a pattern. I found a big 8 pack of them on sale and was about to buy them, but just so happened to notice that there were impressions in them. I had never seen Viva towels with the pattern before. So, now I am very careful before I buy any. It is safe if you just buy the single rolls...but beware of some of the multipacks. Just an FYI.

Leslie