Help With Melvira And Viva Method
Decorating By pennywells Updated 24 Sep 2007 , 4:12am by madgeowens
Please look at my cake. This is my first time trying these two methods and I do not know what I am doing wrong. I first smoothed it with a hot spatula then the roller and then the viva. I still have air bubbles and cracks. What am I doing ahhh. This works so nicely for all of you. I am new at this so maybe it takes some practice. Any advice I have anyother cake to ice tonight.
First question I would have is...is the icing crusted when you did any of this? The hot spatula should have helped with the cracks.
Only thing I can think is the recipe your using for the icing may be a little off. Maybe you have too much sugar and its to dry?
Once you Melvira it, you shouldn't have to do anything else to it. If you wait too long to smooth it, you will get those cracks. The reason is the icing has already crusted, i.e. "set", so when you go back and manipulate the icing via Melvira or paper towel method, then you are "breaking" the outer skin of icing that has already set ..... resulting in cracks.
So you have do Melvira it before it crusts. I was waiting for it to crust first thinking that the roller would stick to the icing. I also wonder if thinning my icing a little would help. This was Sams Club icing (which I personally do not like the taste) and I did not thin it at all.
No....it has to crust a bit before you can melvira or the wet icing sticks to the roller. If it sits TOO long ..... well, it's one of those fine line things! 
Depending on my icing consistency, I can melvira anywhere from 3 to 10 minutes after icing the cake. I usually ice one ... set it aside. Ice another. Then Melvira the first one. Ice a 3rd one. Melvira the 2nd one.
I have heard that if you whip it to long it can create these problems. Also make sure it has crusted long enough. Good luck.
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