I just finished my first Topsy Turvey cake and it turned out great. My only problem is getting the icing smooth. Does anyone have any foolproof techniques??

go on youtube and search for tonedna1. She has tons of great videos, and I love her smoothing techniques. Also search for sugaredproductions and seriouscakes, because they have great techniques too.

I agree with cakemommy3, they have great advice. I also use the viva paper towel method, works great for me. Recently I changed my buttercream recipe and I love the new one, works so well with viva!

I use viva method combined with the melvira method. I found it just takes practice. The first time I did it, I was like..this doesn't work. But the more I do it, the better they work, and the smoother my cakes get! Good luck!

Oh, and def. check out those youtube vids

I need smooth frosting too! can anyone post a few of their favorite recipes to try? i would watch the videos but my sound is out on my computer....

You don't need the sound for my videos
Buttercream recipe:
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=eUBOPGjmIFI&feature=channel_page
Viva method:
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=iqvL4zhVbE8&feature=channel_page

thanks so much for your help. I have to watch the youtube videos at work. I live in the country and still have dial-up and a 3 min video will literally take me 3hrs to buffer and download. I have tried the paper towel method and "it works". Thanks again!!