Hi, I am new to cake decorating, this is my first try with butter cream. I made a recipe from a proffesional baker & the icing is wonderful, it crusted great, but when I smoothed it out it looks like the picture below, all splotchy, this is just the crumb coat so I have no idea if the finished layer will look like this or is it just because it's the crumb coat??? Please any suggestions on how to make this look better. It's a b-day cake for my SIL's birthday tomorrow. HELP!!!! I can't get the picture to load?! OK, my picture is to big and I don't know how to make it smaller. The cake looks wrinkled, has lines & wrinkles in it.

To resize a picture...at least on my computer....I just right click on the picture and a bunch of options come up. One of the options is to resize. I am a newbie to cake decorating also. I've made five or so fondant cakes. I finished my mother's day cake today and realized why lots of people use decorating bags and just pipe the icing on the cake....even for a crumb coat. If you pipe the buttercream on the cake you have a crumbless crumb coat! I let it crust then smooth it with a paper towel first. Another trick is to then smooth again with a fondant smoother and a piece of computer paper. That gets it really smooth. If your computer paper gets oily just get another one. I always use the fondant smoother thingie with the paper towel/computer paper to smooth my buttercream before I lay the fondant. You could just smooth the butter cream that way if you aren't covering with fondant. I use the recipe for 'Buttercream Dream' on CC. It is super simple.

Hi and Welcome, Babens.

Decoding CC acronyms:

http://forum.cakecentral.com/cake-decorating-ftopict-2926-.html

Overview of different frostings by type:
(Also has helpful troubleshooting chart on last page.)

http://tinyurl.com/yh44gu

Here are visuals for just what mrs_morton advised...

Paper Towel/Bond Paper method:

http://www.cakecentral.com/article10-How-To-Create-Faux-Fondant-The-Paper-Towel-Method----Viva.html

Melvira Method:
(Same as above but uses foam roller to smooth.)

http://forum.cakecentral.com/cake-decorating-ftopict-93051-.html

Wilton help links for decorated cakes:
(How to make either b/c or fondant covered cakes.)

http://www.wilton.com/wedding/makecake/index.cfm

You've posted in the following thread that you removed the crumb coat and added more liquid to your b/c:

http://forum.cakecentral.com/cake-decorating-ftopict-586539-.html

HTH

P.S. If your b/c crusts too quickly, and you keep working it; those little flecks of dried b/c might be what's causing the splotchy look.