Okay, so I'm starting to see improvement in my "smoothing the buttercream" skills. However, I am still really struggling when it comes to the edges of the cake where the top and sides meet. I can get the top level and pretty smooth and the sides pretty straight and smooth but I'm having a heck of a time on the edges. Does anyone have any tips on how to keep those edges nice and clean, crisp and level?

Thx!

i,m not good all the time with this either.. i bought sugarshacks dvd on this and i am trying to watch it more and more. if you can, please buy her dvds.. the first one is all about buttercream. then the fondant one.. then, boxes and bows. and now i have her topsy turvy.. they are all so great. you log on the sugaredproductions.com or something like that. hth

Here is a thread that you might find helpful

http://cakecentral.com/cake-decorating-ftopict-629972.html

I am still not too perfect at this myself, but I can offer some tips that helped me a lot! This is going to be long, sorry.

I once worked with a lady who was absolutely INSANE with icing and fondanting cakes--- I mean, bullet-fast, and really really great quality work. She told me one very helpful thing: long, straight spatula... held more vertically turned than perpendicular to the cake, if that makes sense. I was smoothing the cake with the spat at least partially resting on the top, angle-wise, and turning it more so only the edge hit the frosting really helped with those sharp edges for some reason.

If your problem is that the edge tends to kind of "travel"... as in it's not totally level, that's more of a practice issue. I did see a decorator at my current job do something smart that I've just taken to copying recently, though. She takes a bit more time to completely smooth the top by holding whatever smoothing tool she needs against the top of the cake and spinning it on the turntable a ton like you would for a final smoothing, and then does the sides again. If the top is already really level and you just re-smooth the sides to get that little lip at the top, leveling it out to match is so much easier! Less guesswork. So simple, but it never occurred to me!

Other than that, just a really clean spatula and lots of practice is what did it for me.

I hope that made helped! It's kind of hard to explain these things, so sorry if it was a little nonsensical!

Thanks everyone! Great tips! Also great tutorial on you tube from tonedna. I think I will look into those DVD's too. Thanks again!

I have perfect edges now that I use the upside down icing message. Take a look at my last couple of cakes in my gallery!

I would also highly recommend Sharon Zambito's DVD's. I currently own all of them except for the Topsy Turvy. Adding that one to my collection next week. I would offer to loan them, but they are way TOO valuable to me (sorry). You can purchase any or ALL of her DVD's at www.SugarEdProductions.com She offers many techniques and bonus sections as well as tool references and recipes. A MUST HAVE!

Yes sharon's dvds are great. I recently bought 3 of them and will be buying the topsy turvy once I know i will have the time.

I'm going to have to look into some of these DVD's! What is "upside down icing"?