Ok...let me see if I can explain this so that you all understand. Everytime I icing my cakes (not the crumb coat, but the final) I have this "extra" I can't get rid of!! As I smooth out the sides, excess icing pushes onto the top of the cake, as I smooth out the top the excess goes down on the sides....and so on and so on!!!!!!!! I don't think I am using excessive icing, as I can still sometimes see tan'ish peeking through from the cake. What in the world can I do to make this work better for me???? I feel like a goof ball!
Andrea
Wow, I don't know. I guess you're talking about buttercream. Are you using an icing tip?
You know, it sounds like maybe your icing is too thin?
I know what you mean. This happens with any frosting really. You get like a ridge along the top edge of your cake? I like to take my spatula and start at the sides and smooth that ridge toward the center of the cake. Then I start smoothing the sides and top again but lightly so that the ridge doesn't form again. I've also been known to hold the spatula along the top and kinda cut it off.
oh my gosh! I thought I was the only person in the world with this problem!!! No your not stupid! Unless I am too. I dont have a fix for it, but i want you to know your not alone. It's not that it's a non crusting BC becuase mine does crust ok, maybe its too thin. That sounds plausible, I will try to thicken it up and see how that works. Let us know if you figure it out!!! PUH-LEEZE!!! 
You might try a lighter touch, but I still get it no matter how light I do it! Melvira-ing the sides helps, too.
I will either cover the ridge with a border, or if there will be no border, use the roller and roll it over the ridge from the outer edge toward the middle.
Edited to add: You can also hot knife it and 'fold' the ridge in toward the center. The hot knife will 'melt' it right into the top icing and blend it in.
I do my top first, then the sides... and the sides will push a little lip over the top. I just use my spatula in short strokes toward the center and that gets ride of it.
I don't know if you can picture that or not. It's the way I was taught in culinary school.
I ice the top of my cake first, then the sides. I make sure that when I do the sides the icing is built up higher than the top of the cake (the ridge) and then like the previous posts said you hold your spatula straight and bring it from the side up and over the edge and towards the center of the top of the cake. This will get rid of the ridge and give you a nice edge to your cakes.
HTH
Katie
I do the top first as well. It's kind of hard to explain, but to finish the edges, I use a spatula and come in at an angle and sort of just glance the edge bringing it towards the middle, then lift off.....sort of like a plane coming in for a landing, then taking off just as it hits the ground. 
The biggest help for me is to stop each time I do that and clean my spatula off before taking another swipe at it.
Other than that, this is one of the reasons I love big, puffy borders and hate the trend of going bare on the edges!
Other than that, this is one of the reasons I love big, puffy borders and hate the trend of going bare on the edges!
I found it encouraging when I heard Kerri Vincent say that she will not do a cake without a border.
Thanks so much for all the replies. Yes, borders are a lifesaver!! I am just dreading the end of the month.....I have a borderless wedding cake to do!!! UGH!! It frightens me! I see some of these cakes on here and they are smooth and the edges are so crisp. My buttercream does crust well AND it is definately not too soft. So, I guess I have a problem that I am going to have to work on quickly!
Thanks again everyone!
Thanks so much for all the replies. Yes, borders are a lifesaver!! I am just dreading the end of the month.....I have a borderless wedding cake to do!!! UGH!! It frightens me! I see some of these cakes on here and they are smooth and the edges are so crisp. My buttercream does crust well AND it is definately not too soft. So, I guess I have a problem that I am going to have to work on quickly!
Thanks again everyone!
Have you ever tried the upside-down icing method? It might help alot in this case...
http://www.cakecentral.com/article6-Upside-Down-Icing-Technique-for-Perfectly-Smooth-Icing.html
Can the upside down icing technique be done on square cakes? Maybe a stupid question, but was just wondering.
I love the upside down method, the more I do it the better it gets!! The crispness of the edges is amazing!
Another technique is to use two spatulas. After icing a square cake, you place one spatula (A)along a corner at a 45 degree angle. Then you run your other spatula (B) along the adjoining side to smooth out your icing. Run spatula B in one stroke all the way onto spatula A. Instead of having icing build up at the corner, it runs up onto spatula A. Does that make sense? You can do the same thing when you're icing a round cake. When you smooth the top, hold a second spatula right at the top edge, angled slightly down. Smooth right onto the spatula, bringing the edges of the two spatulas together. The excess won't go back onto the sides, it will collect onto your second spatula.
Hope that makes sense. I've now written the word "spatula" so many times that it's starting to sound funny to me!
Bec
Can the upside down icing technique be done on square cakes? Maybe a stupid question, but was just wondering.
I don't see why not. I haven't tried it but there's nothing about it that would make it only useful for rounds...
justme50 took the words right out of my mouth! Perfect explanation...a plane coming in for a landing! I have been trying to explain that to students for years!
But I must be sick, I take it as a challenge to have learned how to ice a cake and not need a top border. I feel like I have accomplished another technique since I have been doing that. Now I am going for no bottom border!!
Plane coming in for a landing is what I was taught as well. I have also used, with a very light touch on crusted buttercream, my fondant smoothers. Similar to the explanation of the two spatulas. I like that they have the square bottom and the rounded tops. Helps to get the sides really smooth as well.
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