Okay, I'm posting a pic of the baby shower cake I did today. I loved how the overall cake turned out, but the buttercream drove me crazy!! I've tried the papertowel method, the foam roller method, the hot knife, the bench scraper, the spackling kinves, the parchment paper...HELP! LOL...maybe I just mess with it too much and that's what goes wrong. My buttercream crusts really well and I usualy wait 20 minutes before I try the smoothing....does anyone have any ideas?
very pretty cake..i use the roller method myself and it works pretty well
is this cake chocolate? im asking because on the bottom tier it looks like the cake is peeking through..maybe adding more icing would work better
i put on the icing smooth it as best i can..let is crust then use the roller.
I don't use the paper towel method so, I don't know about that technique.
But for the other methods when you are first icing your cake, you need to smooth it then - not after it crusts. Using a turntable and a long straight edge, just keep going around the cake until it is smooth. I usually start with a pretty thick layer of buttercream on the sides. Also, make sure your buttercream is very thin. I don't follow the Wilton recipe, it is too thick for me (add a touch more water). Also, if you have butter in your recipe, you want to work in a warm room so the butter is very soft. Unfortunately the only other advice I have is to practice. 
evesloven,
When you use the Viva method do you smooth with your hand first? Also, what type of BC are you using. The BC I use does not have any butter in it, it is all crisco with butter flavoring. Also, maybe 20 minutes is to long to wait. I usually wait between 10 and 15 minutes then start smoothing mine. Finally, do you use the icer tip to put the icing on your cake. That always seems to help me.
HTH,
Bradymom
Do I detect some air bubbles in the icing? Maybe that's why you couldn't get it real smooth. It is such a cute cake, I'm sure no one will care if it's not super smooth.
I swear by the foam roller now.
Diane
You know...I never have tried the icer tip...I think I'll have to give that one a shot. Yup..those are air bubbles...when I make my icing, I use butter and crisco and always have a problem with air bubbles...that's practice on my part..I just whip it up too much. 
next cake I do will have to be with the cake icer tip...maybe that will help since it'll give me an even layer of icing to work with...I think I just take off too much. Thanks for the great tips guys!
First let me say that its one of the cutest darn cakes I have ever seen!!!! Your characters are AMAZING and totally ADORABLE!!! I am not sure if its the monitor of my laptop or not so forgive me but the top tier looks smoother to me than the bottom. It isnt at all lumpy or anything jsut not super smooth...did you maybe let it crust a little too long then try to smooth again? Or possibly is the icing on the bottom not thick enough? I am a little too heavy handed with my icing I am sure, but I am usually able to get it smoother that way. Either way I am sure nobody other than yourself will notice anything except that it is gorgeous!!!
Just wanted to add that your cake and fondant figures are absolutley adorable! I love that cake, and hope you got the money/self satisfaction out of it that you deserve, despite the fact that you were unhappy with your icing smoothness!
I think your cake looks fine after all the decorations it really hides everything that you are talking about that's why I love cakes with lots of decorations!!!!
You're cake is very pretty..........Is the butterfly fondant? Also, I'm the same way about trying to smooth the icing, I finally end up taking off too much, that's kinda what your bottom cake looks like. I swear by the high density foam roller technique. I have used it on the last couple of cakes I've made and it smoothed out perfectly.
I use the spackling knife to smooth the icing, but that must be done before the icing has crusted - straight after you've put it on. The knife must be at least tall as the cake too.
As for the air bubbles - I mix on lowest speed and still get them like crazy, you need to spend a while "mashing" them out with a spatula. It does help. The more you mash, the less bubbles.
The icer tip makes apply the icing so much quicker and you get a generally more even amount of icing all over the cake.
The cake looks great anyway though!
Thanks for the compliments on the cake.
diamond008 - the butterfly is fondant. All the decorations are fondant except for the field flowers. daisies, blue bells, apple blossoms and forget-me-nots are made out of gumpaste.
Now that I'm going over everything I did, I really think I totally forgot to go over that bottom part of the cake with my next layer of icing. 
... I think that is my crumb coat you're seeing. Crazy....the top tier did have a thicker layer and smoothed a bit nicer..sheesh...I think I went nuts on this one. I absolutely love it and will make it again if requested..but I was up till 2am this morning..then got up at 9am to finish it up (I had to leave my house at 1 to make it to the party by 2 for delivery). No one said anything other than the cake was the most adorable one they've seen...lol. So I think the un-smooth icing bothered me more than anyone else. The customer paid me $110. So I'm pretty pleased with that! lol..OOhh...and there was a caterer at this party that called me after she ate it and wants to talk to me about catering her deserts for her....so I guess it wasn't all that terrible!! LOL.
I am going to try the icer tip next time and try not to take so much icing off....I have a big problem with that. I've got another cake here soon and a few in march..so more practice...this is really only the 7th or 8th cake I've made..so I should be pleased with my progress since I've taken the Wilton classes. You guys are awesome, I knew you'd all be honest and give me good tips and yet still make me feel good about the cake I made. Thanks so much!!
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