What Do You Do When Sides Of Cake Are Not Perfect?
Decorating By Phyllis52 Updated 30 Mar 2007 , 4:46pm by Phyllis52
If the icing has started to crust, you can try the Viva papertowel method of smoothing. If the icing is still very soft, you can try the hot knife method. Or, if you really are at the end of your rope, leave it, or scrape it off and start with fresh. Before you do anything drastic, ask someone else how it looks, sometimes we are overly critical and see flaws no one else would ever see. Good luck!
THAT IS THE ONLY TIME I ACTUALLY USE A CRUM COAT. IF A HUNK COMES OUT I MAKE A KIND OD SPACKLING WITH THE HUNK....... I CHOP UP THE CAKE VERY FINE, MIX IT WITH ICING AND FILL IN THE HOLE. LET IT CRUST OVER AND THEN CARRY ON WITH THE ICING. HOPE THIS HELPS.
As rhopar33 said, sometimes the more we fuss, the worse it gets. I usually use a crusting BC so I try to leave it alone and then try to smooth it out the best I can after it crusts.
I have resorted to scraping it off and starting over if I have to but I try to avoid that. Seems hard to match up the other corners (on square or sheet cake) that I've already smoothed.
I find if i've tried everything to fix it and it still looks bad, decoration on the side always helps. You can cover it with coconut, chocolate, cookies or use your tips and use patterns, ribbon, flowers etc.
For me, i feel i'd never be happy but try your hardest to make them perfectly square and go over it when the icing dries w/th a paper towel. If this doesn't suit you, heat a spatula w/th hot water and dry it, this makes nice edges. But don't fiddle over it too much.
Remember that it was made with love, and every little stroke you made while icing the cake was put there with the best intentions by you. If a cake looks too good to eat, that can defeat the purpose of the cake. I think that every imperfection shows the time and effort that went into it and people should appreciate that.
Having said all that flowery stuff, I am a perfectionist and obsess if it doesn't look exactly how it should!!! Like the above posters said, try the viva or hot knife, but get a second opinion, because we see EVERY little thing we did wrong, and no-one else seems to! 
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