What kind of frosting is the smoothest frosting? I really like making buttercream frosting.. but I can never get it smooth. What do I need to do to make the frosting smooth?

Lots of variables in that question. I'm a "buttercream only" baker (no fondant) and I think my icing is pretty smooth. It could depend on the recipe, on the consistency, on how much icing you're using, whether you crumb coat or not, or on your overall technique. Check some previous threads in here on The Melvira Method and the Viva Method. These are two good tips that can help. You will also find tips on using wide spatulas (like the kind used to apply drywall) as a great tool.

I recently learned of using old (sanitized) credit cards to smooth icing and it is GREAT! This old dog learned a new trick after 25+ years!

The biggest thing is practice practice practice. You're gonna get lots of very good advice on this thread!

Be sure your buttercream is of thin consistancy for icing the entire cake. Always be sure there's a layer of icing between the icing spatula and the cake. It also helps to dip your icing spatula in a glass of water from time to time while smoothing. Wilton's tip number 789 is wonderful for applying icing on the entire cake and then all you have left to do is smooth is out! Note that this particular tip does take a "large" coupler.

Hope this helps!

Kim
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I think it also depends on your buttercream recipe. I find Italian meringue buttercream smooths to a satin finish with very little effort. And I like the taste and texture so much better than powdered sugar/Crisco recipes.

I always use the buttercream dream recipe on this site I think is delicious, but I learned on my new cake class how to use the big icer tip and a our cake instructor gaves us a bowl scraper in our student kit and showed us how to ice the cake with that and is wonderful my smoothest cakes ever!!! I still can't get sharp edges but working on it check out my last two cakes! baby shower cake and clown cake, and compare to rose cake and rainbow cake bottom see the difference? I also found the recipe for chocolate buttercream dream to be so smooth no air bubbles at all the best but rather expensive to make!!! Good luck to you I always obsses about how my cakes are not smooth!!