Okay, I finally tried the viva paper towel method for smoothing bc. My gosh, it works great! I don't know why I waited so long to try it!! I put my cake in the fridge for probably 15-20 minutes, smoothed it with the fondant smoother and paper towel and viola! VIVA ROCKS!!

here is the article
http://www.cakecentral.com/article10-How-To-Create-Faux-Fondant-The-Paper-Towel-Method----Viva.html

(Just in case anyone was curious)

I've always use a piece of parchment to smooth my icing, that's what I learned in my first Wilton course about 5 years ago. I assume the viva method is the same. Is there any difference in the two methods?

No--I've used both parchment paper and Viva. I prefer Viva because I think it's more forgiving--it's less likely to fold or crease. But the technique is the same.

I've used both as well and Viva definitely works better!

Julie

I learned this method from my instructor when I took a class. She does it just a tad differently. Instead of letting the icing crust, she dusts the cake with 3 parts confectioners sugar, 1 part corn starch (sifted together well). She uses the wooden fondant roller and rolls a light dusting over the cake. Then she uses the viva paper towel and smooths the cake with her hands. The icing doesn't stick to your paper towel and you can smooth your cake immediately. I've never tried it on colored icing, but she said it would dissolve into the icing and not show up. Just thought I'd share. I do love the smooth look you can get with the Viva!!

I tried using this method on my first cake in my Wilton classes, and it did work, I had a pretty smooth cake, but I noticed very tiny fuzzys on the sids of my cake, like the fibers in the paper towels cake off onto the cake. No one else noticed this but me. Has anyone else noticed this happening?

This is the only way I smooth my frosting... that's the way I learned at my first class, never even attempted to try hot knifing. besides, everyone likes the way it looks like fondant even thought it isn't....
I took another class somewhere else and she showed us how to heat a plastic water bottle with water inside to get it hot then use that instead of hot knifing... of course when I came in and didn't do it that way everyone wanted to know how i got mine so smooth... the instructor just put her finger over her mouth so i didn't reveal my secret.

Hmmm. I wonder why the instructor didn't want you to tell everyone your secret? Did she just want everyone to use the water bottle method?

of course noelle, she didn't want me to upstage her... lol