Viva Towel Vs. Parchment Paper For Smoothing Icing
Decorating By cakesbykitty Updated 26 Jun 2006 , 4:18pm by Euphoriabakery
i am doing a cake for a public event tomorrow.. still very new at this... i want to be sure and have a perfectly smooth surface on the frosting (no borders on this cake) I am going to try the upside down frosting method for nice, clean edges... i have used parchment paper (in the past) to smooth edeges and it's alright.. not great. bought the viva towels today (could only get kind with a border... will cut them off! LOL)... which do you think works better? normally i would experiment... but don't have the time.
I myself have only used the viva paper towel method. I would think that was paper would stick to the icing
, but not with Viva. thanks for opinions... going to try it out tomorrow. will let you know!
that would just complete the adventure of this cake!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!! i am so glad i started this far ahead... see the post i just did under "help, cake stuck.. big hole". cripes. or even the "royal icing, do i need to be a weight lifter?" this cake has challenged me from the get go. anyway... so the only viva i could find (welcome to shopping in alaska!) had printed borders... i plan on just cutting them off. thanks for the tip about dye transfer!!!!!!!!!!!!
promise? i am hoping to do this as a little side thing... i enjoyed it till this cake! 
I have only used the parchment paper. I've always worried that the paper towel with stick. I've never been daring enough to try. I've recently doing the upside down technique. While that is more elaborate I do find it a lot a smoother plus I LOVE the level top.
I have only used the parchment paper. I've always worried that the paper towel with stick. I've never been daring enough to try. I've recently doing the upside down technique. While that is more elaborate I do find it a lot a smoother plus I LOVE the level top.
Go and buy some Viva now! You will be so thankful that you did! The towel does not stick to the cake at all! It is nice because I always used to jam my parchment into the cake--great another thing to fix! With Viva, it drapes nicely! I have also found that I can fix flaws a day later with viva--with parchment, I was never able to do that!
done the whole jab and slice thing with parchment! LOL!
I am new to all this too..What is this upside down method you are all talking about?
there is an article and demo on it... go to
http://www.cakecentral.com/article6-Upside-Down-Icing-Technique-for-Perfectly-Smooth-Icing.html
It is nice because I always used to jam my parchment into the cake--great another thing to fix!
LOL!! I thought I was the only one that happened to. I figured with experience I would get better at it. LOL! 
I would use both hands to "stretch" the paper, then lay it gently on/next to the cake. I actually have VIVA on hand because its the only paper towel I like. I hate prints! And I find it to be the only brand that actually holds water well. I promise I will try it on the next cake. Thanks for the encouragement!
LOL!! I thought I was the only one that happened to. I figured with experience I would get better at it. LOL!
I would use both hands to "stretch" the paper, then lay it gently on/next to the cake. I actually have VIVA on hand because its the only paper towel I like. I hate prints! And I find it to be the only brand that actually holds water well. I promise I will try it on the next cake. Thanks for the encouragement!
Yeah, nothing worse than doing that in the middle of a course I demo for my students--See, parchement works great, guys, just don't shove it the side like I just did! 
Well, would like a full report after your next cake--I know that you will love it!
I have used wax paper and viva paper towels. As with all things cake decorating, I think it really depends on what works best for you. I like the viva paper towels becaues I can do edges and corners with out the crinkling of the papers.
I have also heard people that also use typing paper to do it. So just try out a few things to see what works for you.
well i have to say the viva saved my behind last night completing this cake!!!!!!!!!! i am totally sold. heading to costco for an economy pack!
Well, would like a full report after your next cake--I know that you will love it!
You are correct! I bit the dust tonight and finally tried the viva. Afterwards, I called everyone who I've ever complained to, about not being able to smooth a cake, and told the very very good trick of viva. I think I like viva better than the upside down technique. Thanks for the recommendation everyone and the encouragement. 
You are correct! I bit the dust tonight and finally tried the viva. Afterwards, I called everyone who I've ever complained to, about not being able to smooth a cake, and told the very very good trick of viva. I think I like viva better than the upside down technique. Thanks for the recommendation everyone and the encouragement.
GREAT! See, told you you would like it! You will never go back to parchment again!
Ladies..... Thanks for the viva and parchment information. I'm very new to cakes and decorating and sometimes I just feel like giving up. I can't seem to make my cakes smooth....but If I have to say so myself (they taste great!!!). I am gonna try both methods on test cakes this weekend to see which one works better for me.
MissJ
Please tell me...how smooth does the BC have to be in the first place,
before you use the VIVA?
I had spatula swipes(I guess is what you'd call them) all through mine. It will probably take years for me to perfect a smooth cake with just a spatula. I can't seem to hold a spatula(or paint spackler because I've tried that) perfectly even with the cake to get smooth. Then when I VIVA'd it they all went away. I also have a problem getting icing all the way down to the bottom, where my bottom border goes. But the border does a good job of hiding that.
Here is a picture for fun! Thats how proud I was. Its still not the greatest but I know with time it should be.
Okay, I tried the Viva method last night and it didn't work! Help, what did I do wrong? I used crusting bc, but put it in the fridge while I mixed up the rest of the colors and put them in bags. I'm guessing 30-45 minutes. When I pulled the cake out and tried to smooth it the Viva stuck! Can you not put it in the fridge?
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