saw lots of ideas on here for the faux fondant with the paper towel technique...i was wondering if anyone knows if you can use the paper towel method for buttercream to get it smoother without it sticking or taking the buttercream off? Or just any tips for getting your buttercream really smooth...whats the best way to get a really smooth surface on buttercream without using fondant?? I would really appreciate anyone's help or tips....thanks in advance...=)

If you use a good crusting buttercream recipe (like Indydebi's), the Viva paper towel method or Melvira's foam roller method will give you a super smooth surface.

I use to also have problems with smoothing bc, until I started to use INDYS BC RECIPE!!!

And then I let it crust...once it does...I get a hot pan of water, and I bought a wide spatula, and I sit it in the water let it get hot, take it out, dry it good and run it over the cake...works perfect!!!

thanks for the tips, they are well appreciated to a beginner...thats the recipe im going to try then....hope it works as well for me as all of you..thanks again...=)

You don't really HAVE to use any particular recipe, though. As long as it's a "crusting" buttercream, which I'm pretty sure all American buttercream frostings are, it will work. Really. I know, I was really skeptical too. You just have to let the frosting "crust" (set) first and it does not stick to the paper towel.

("American" BC is butter or shortening or some combination thereof, creamed with a lot of powdered sugar, plus milk or other liquids and flavorings. Does not get cooked. It's what you might generally think of as "regular" or "plain" frosting. "Italian" and "Swiss" buttercream frostings involve heat and egg whites, and are more commonly encountered on wedding cakes and other "fancy" or gourmet cakes.)

If the paper towel sticks, it's not crusted enough. That's what I happened to me the first time and I thought y'all were crazy. Fortunately, I tried it again later and it worked.