I know that I cant be the only problem with this. How do you smooth out buttercream. I always have trouble with this. I have tried these methods: heating a knife(''), wax paper(''), freezing the cake for 30 minutes(''), thining the frosting('').
Please help

I searched youtube for tutorials. Scrapers and Viva paper towels seem to be pretty popular, and they work well for me.

You'll be very (very!) happy with Sharon Zambito's instructional DVD, 'Perfecting the Art of Buttercream.' She devotes an entire DVD to your question. You can PM her here on CC, she's Sugarshack.

ok. thanks, i will check it out

You can also use a foam paint brush roller after your b/c has crusted. It works great!! That's pretty much all I ever use. They key to crusting buttercream is to not over whip it (to avoid too much air) and to make sure you have enough powdered sugar in your buttercream. Good Luck!!

Hi! I watched a video on this topic and saw her using a blade with a square edge. This made all of the difference. The second thing I did was stop beating the icing at high speeds. Never go above 3 or 4 and that keeps the air bubbles down. Lastly, once it is crusted over I do the Viva papertowel trick.

My last 2-3 cakes I used these techniques and it worked like a charm.

I have heard VERY good things about that DVD by Sharon Zambito. In the meantime, here is something I use... http://cakecentral.com/articles/126/quick-easy-smooth-icing-using-a-roller-melvira-method

I also found that making my buttercream (Sugarshack's recipe) slightly thinner than I had been, made it much easier to smooth. I still have lots of air bubbles, but I was able to get a very smooth finish using the hot spatula method.