How Do I Smooth Out Buttercream Frosting?
Decorating By KellyWH Updated 19 May 2006 , 9:42pm by steplite
I'm new at cake decorating, have done a few in the past but want to make a fantastic cake for my son's upcoming 3rd birthday party. I have a design in mind, but have an icing question.
I want to use buttercream frosting, but have had trouble in the past getting it to smooth out well. Have tried my finger, knives, etc. dipped in water, but it doesn't work very well. Any tips or advice will be appreciated!
Thanks in advance!
Kelly
Wait for your icing to crust, then use the Viva method (lay a Viva paper towel over your cake and smooth the icing under the towel with your fingers or a fondant smoother). HTH.
what I find that works is dipping a spatula in hot water then running it over the cake to smooth out
~kim
I was thinking if those techniques didn't work, maybe your icing is too thick. For frosting the cake, it should be thinner than that which you use for your borders.
My Wilton instructor gave us a huge hint. When the buttercream frosting is just crusting over. Get a square sandwich container and mix equal parts cornstarch with powdered sugar. Then, take a fondant roller, the small wooden one with the handle, and roll it in the mixture. Smooth off any large clumps with your hands and roll it VERY lightly on the surface of your cake. You will need to powder up the roller frequently. Make sure before you start, that your roller is spinning easily. This is what I used for my 1st completed class cake shown in the gallery of class cakes. It works really well, but like everything. It does take practice as the roller will sometimes want to push the frosting rather than smooth it. Once you get the right technique, you will love the results. Good luck! 
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