I cannot smooth this crap out! I'm gonna cry! I've used the paper and the hot knife...what am I doing wrong? Please help! Are there any tricks?

Poke a hole in them and then smoosh them to ket the air out.

All the smoothing in the world ain't gonna get rid of trapped air. It has to escape. Pop with a pin and smoosh around until it's flat again. Then resume you other techniques.

I poke them with a pin then take a papertowel and smooth them out

ok i didn't mean air pocket...I guess it's just a bunch of holes...it's on butter cream

I tried to post a pic but it was too big

Ahhhh, that's a whole nother story. Did you turn the slower down real slow with the paddle attachment and let it spin for a few minutes? That helps get the air bubbles out. I do that with my SMBC, it isn't a crusting, so I don't get to do the Viva paper towel method, but it doesn't need it anyways.

Take a clean spray bottle with clean water and spray the sides of your cake. Then smooth with a hot knife. All gone. Then make sure to clean the board.

You can chill the cake then go over it with another thin coat to fill in any bubbles.