when doing a round cake..i use madeira..i have to cut it where it peaks and cover it with buttercream...then i use sugarpaste fondant to cover it, but i get creases down the sides and when i try to smooth it down the sides i get 'stretch marks' near the top of the cake...plus it never smooth..i have lumps and bumps everywhere even though i put buttercream on!! im so rubbish at covering cakes. and i dont really like using madeira coz its alot stiffer but its good for carving.
does anyone know a better type of cake to use, and how id cover my cake...id like to try MMF...but i wouldnt no where to start making it! theres so many recipes on here and i dont know what to choose!

I use this recipe all the time for MMF and it works beautifully

http://www.cakecentral.com/cake_recipe-1949-Marshmallow-Fondant-MMF.html

It smooths really well, I just put a thin crumb coat of BC on my cakes and then the MMF....when I'm putting it on...I lay it on the top and smooth it over with my hand then for the sides I gently slide my fingers up under the edge of the MMF and pull it out away from the cake slightly as I smooth down a little of the side, maybe an inch or two down and then continue this in a band around the cake..then I start again going down a couple more inches until I've reached the bottom of the cake...hope that made sense...it's a lot easier to do than to describe doing it. The way I make the MMF too is with a hand mixer with the dough hook attatchments...I used to always make it by hand and didn't find it very difficult either, just more of a work out on your arms kneading it...which I've always thought was theraputic anyhow LOL guess I'm weird.

I have only used the MMF, and it does work really well! From what I've heard, it is much easier to use than other fondants. Plus, it's supposed to taste better! As long as your buttercream icing underneath is relatively smooth, you shouldn't have any problems smoothing out the MMF.