I am doing a practice cake for my son's wedding cake.... I am trying MMF and it was SO bad, I'm not sure if I should keep trying or if I should just go back to my trusty buttercream. Here's the details:
I made a white cake, two layer, 9 in. I covered it with buttercream first, then put on the MMF. The problems are:
1) The surface is "pock marked" in places, not perfectly smooth... no matter how much I rolled, it didn't get silky smooth finish.
2) It is "gathered" around the bottom of the cake, I wasn't able to get it to lay smooth.
3) It isn't pure white... I tried two different brands of marshmallows and both weren't very white.
4) I am using a diamond impression mat and when I pushed it into the MMF it left only an ever-so-slight impression. The photo makes it look like there was more of an impression than there really was. It seems like it has too much "bounce back" in the MMF to get a good impression.
5) I had some bubbles under the MMF, too, on the top of the cake. How to prevent that?
It wasn't a perty sight ladies. 
I didn't roll the MMF very thick... it was probably less than 1/4 in. could that be part of the problem? Am I expecting too much by wanting a silky smooth finish?
I'm posting the horribly embarrasing photo. I should note that this cake did already have a piece cut out of it when I took the photo, so it looks a little more sloppy on the top than it did. (dh was waiting with baited breath for me to mess up my practice cake so he could eat it)[/img]
It doesn't look that bad. 1/4 inch is probably thick enough, but your buttercream may be too thick. Bubbles can be relieved with a sharp pin. If you let the fondant dry, the impression mat will not work as well. If you worked the fondant for a while, it would allow it to dry out and not take the impression.
I would keep trying, you almost have it.
Thanks for the encouragement, I needed it.... was definitely about to giveup.
I did the impressions in the MMF right after I put it on the cake, it didn't sit long at all. The MMF was a little tough feeling when I got it out to work with (made it the night before)... I warmed it in the micro for 20 sec and then it was pliable again. Then, I rolled it out. Did I do the wrong thing?
Can anyone tell me how I can get a smooth fondant without pock marks? Do I need to knead it more or something?
I'm just learning to work with fondant, too, but I have found that the recipe for MMF that contains a bit of shortening is a smoother product than the recipe that does not have the shortening mixed in. Smooth the top first and try to gently work out any visible air bubbles before smoothing the sides. I have found that I can smooth more of the "folds" around the base by kinda gently easing the fondant out away from the cake and then gently smoothing down, beimg careful not to stretch it too much but giving it a chance to drape down into place - like you would treat the hem of a fabric cut on the bias (if you sew). My MMF is slightly off-white, too. Colors knead into the fodant easily - wonder if the icing whitener product would whiten the fondant, too? A tiny bit of purple color will make frosting made with butter appear a little whiter - maybe the same with fondant? Maybe some of the more experienced members will comment. My limited experience with the impression mats is that they don't give fondant the depth of pattern that a roller gives, but maybe I'm too timid to press hard enough, or maybe there is a better brand of mat than the ones I have. I get better results from the mats with crusted buttercream. Dont give up on the MMF! Maybe we'll both learn the techniques eventually 
Probably you rolled it out too thin. You get less
"gathers" and get more impression if it's not too thin..
Don't worry about shine, because reg MMF does not really shine..
How about just brushing the entire cake with Super Pearl Lustre Dust after you do the impression thing...
NOT paint, just dry dust. It's not look as bad as it sounds.. 
A tiny bit of purple color will make frosting made with butter appear a little whiter - maybe the same with fondant?
Really?!?!? A little bit of purple??? That is so interesting. I would never have guessed that, and of course would not have tried it cause I would have figured I would just get light purple. Such a cool thing to know though. I will have to try it sometime to see how that works. Do you know why purple makes it more white? Anybody??
I've been working with mmf for just about 7 months now and I am just now getting to the point where it works well for me. Here are some things I have learned that have made my mmf batches look and work well. If you are a mmf pro - you probably don't need any of this info - but this is what I have learned after practice, practice, practice....
Tipp 1....Start with a brand name marshmallow. I've tried using store or off brands and have never gotten the right texture.
Tip 2...After you have melted your marshmallows, let them set for a few minutes so that the bubbles rise to the top. Hit the bowl on the counter so that the air bubles separate. I then take a spoon and smooth out the bubbles (trying to pop them). I do this several times. If you are going for pure white, I've been adding about 1 or 2 tablespoons of whitner to the melted marshmallows and using clear vanilla extract - and sometimes clear orange extract.
Tip 3...Sift the sugar and throw out the clumps.
tip 4...Add about a 1/4 cup of crisco to the mixer as your are mixing.
tip 5...After everything is fully mixed...keep mixing for another 3 to 5 minutes. Once I started doing this - I was amazed at how better the texture was when I went to use it. I then scoop it out onto a greased sheet of plastic wrap. I've been kneeding it at this point to - maybe for a minute or two. Then cover with crisco, plastic wrap and I let it set over night. I always make my mmf the night before.
tip 6...After I crumb coat the cake with bc, I refrigerate it for a few minutes then smoothe with a viva towel. I then put it back in the fridge for 15 to 30 minutes to get it good and cold before covering with mmf. I then gently press a warm wet paper towel over the bc icing to moisten it so the mmf will stick. The when you cover it with mmf and use an impression mat or emboss it - the cake will not shift or move on you.
tip 7...Kneed the mmf really good before you use it. I did not do this in the beginning and it never looked right. I kneed it for up to 10 minutes - and I coat my hands with crisco. I start with a fist full, then another handful, and so on, then kneed it all together. For me - this is one of the most important steps (right behind getting the bubbles out of the marshmallows)
tip8...I just recently started using this method for rolling it out - learned it in a fondant class from a wilton instructor - she's a cc member - thanks again Deb. I grease up my rolling mat and roll the mmf on it. If you did a good job getting out the air bubbles from the marshmallows and kneeding it this tis will work really well - if there are a lot of bubbles in the fondant - this works really BAD. I then take the rolling mat and flip it over onto my cake and peel the mmf off onto the cake. This took some practice - but after my 3rd cake - this method works awsome. I then sprinkle a 50/50 mix of pow. sugar and cornstarch before smoothing it out (the fondant smoother will stick to the mmf because of the crisco) so the 50/50 puff mixture helps the smoother work well.
Tip 9...I always raise my cake up off the table when I am covering it so that the mmf hangs down straight. This has helped me with those ripples along the bottom.
Sorry this is so long....but I hope it may help some of you mmf first timers.
This is just the kind of information I needed. THANKS!! I really appreciate you taking the time to post all that information!
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