I was wondering for those who practice this method how do you get your tops smooth. I just did one yesterday and the sides and crisp came out perfect (minus the air bubbles ) but the tp of the cake had huge pockest. So BIG that when I tried to smooth it with parchment it looked like rocky mountain

What do you do to avoid the top looking disasterous?

If you don't do this method how do you smooth the top? do you do the sides forst or the top?

I get my sides smooth it is the top I have the trouble with. (I use the spakle for my sides)

HELP!!!!!!!!!!!!!

The top should already be flat because you decorated it upside down. I guess I am puzzled why you would have troubles with the top of the cake.
Ideally, the top should already be smooth when you peel the parchment paper away from it while it is frozen.

Did you see the tutorial on this method? Here is the link to it just in case you haven't seen it before.
http://cakecentral.com/article6-Upside-Down-Icing-Technique-for-Perfectly-Smooth-Icing.html

Hi Mystic,

I use to use this method until I found out about the paper towel method and the different designs you can get on your cake from the towels.

When you apply the icing on the parchment paper, you have to make sure that the icing is smooth with no air bubbles. Use plexiglass so that you can check to make sure the under icing is smooth.

Hope this helps.

I've tried this too and had the same issue with the top...from my previous question re: this here on CC it's probably because we didn't freeze it long enough...or let it sit out too long after taking out of the fridge.

Thanks guys, Stephanie214 I like your new aviator.

I used the article and his top came out smooth and if I use the plexyglass do I apply pressure were I see the air holes?

AlsoStephanie214 when you frost your cake do you smooth the top first or the sides and do you wait until the frosting has crusted to apply the paper towel. I seen someone saying don't wait untill it has crusted or was that with the "damp cloth" I am not sure I read so much on this site sometimes I get confused lol

I use this method. I apply a thin layer of icing to the parchment first, applying pressure to make sure there are no bubbles, pockets or uneven places. Then I build up the icing from there.

What icing are you using? I use SMBC which chills completely smooth. The only issue I ever have is when I use a cream cheese icing, but I just dip an angled spatula in hot water, shake it off and swipe it over the top.

edit. SMBC is good to go after about 30 mins of chilling. I don't use plexiglass. For larger tiers, I tape the parchment to a masonite round. For smaller tiers I just tape the parchment to a larger cardboard round.

I tried the upside down method and had horrible luck. Not only could I not get the top smooth, but I couldn't get the sides smooth. I used the spackle tool and everything. I used the wilton BC recipe in a thin consistency. I don't know I followed the directions to a tee. I ended up using the paper towel method and found that worked wonders. Maybe I will try again at a later date, but it took twice as long as normally just icing the cake. So not sure!
I don't have that kind of time.

Well, it is one method I always thought seemed like a heck of a lot of work for the results. I say that because the people that try it are usually newer decorators who are having trouble getting their icing on both evenly and smoothly. From the efforts that I have been shown by the people using it, it really isn't coming out that smoothly. I think the end results are much better for people with a lot of experience smoothing than those who it was likely intended to serve, those that are having difficulty with getting smooth and even surfaces.
I think that the key to getting icing smooth and even is really the consistency of the icing, the manner of application and experience. I think for most people they will get the same results using any of the other smoothing techniques that are used with a lot less hassle. I think that people need to spend a lot more time smoothing their icing when they first start out and that a lot of the time it is just a question of them not having the patience or taking the time to do so.
This is just my opinion, but I find it a lot of bother and don't think it is worth it.
But if it gives people a sense of being able to improve or some confidence or some results in improvement, then it is worth it. In some cases the real plus factor is that newer decorators are not levelling the tops of their cakes and in using the upside down method, just the sheer weight of the cake upside down is going to result in compacting the top of the cake into a more level appearance.
Hugs Squirrelly

You might want to try it with acetate instead of parchment. You wouldn't get wrinkles and, if you got a thick piece of it (it comes in various thicknesses) you would be able to see under it too.

The first time I tried this method the same thing happened to me. I figured out that I had my icing too thin...that may have been the problem. The next time I did it, I used thin consistency to crumb coat with, but almost regular consitency to do the final coat. Try it again with icing that's a little thicker...only thinning it half as much as you did last time. That's what I did and it worked like a charm for me. It is a couple of extra steps, but if you get the hang of it and want those nice crisp edges, it's worth it, IMHO.

Thanks
I'll shall try and try again