I am going to use satin ice fondant on a cake. I know to cover the cake first with a thin layer of buttercream icing before I cover it with the fondant. How do I get the cake to have the smooth finish. I have tried several things in the past and the cake usually don't turn out perfectly smooth. PLEASE HELP.........

to start, i always like to ensure my buttercream layer is smooth. Having a smooth crusted layer of Buttercream will be like the starting worksurface for your fondant, the smoother that is, the easier your fondant should be to work with it. Try not to roll your fondant too thin, i find that this can show up more lumps and bumps rather than a thicker layer of fondant. Do you have a smoother tool? i find this is the trick to get a really smooth fondant.

First off, your buttercream layer needs to be very smooth - any imperfections will show through the fondant. Second, go to youtube and watch this video!

They use ganache for covering their cakes instead of buttercream. If you are using buttercream, you don't have to use syrup or anything to brush on the cake to help the fondant stick.

the first one i made i put to much buttercream and it was really lumpy not matter how much i smoothed it, alot if people will let their cake sit for awhile, and some have said they put something on top of the cake like a 12x12 ceramic tile they had left over from doing their bathroom to help with side bulging hope this helps,

Make sure you have a nice base, that is where it starts.