Hi All.
I made a 9'' strawberry cake last night and also made my first homemade MMF to go with it(yay me!) for the first time. My problem is that I only got as far as icing the cake with BC and left it in the fridge. Now im starting to think that because I didnt so such a great job with icing the cake that my MMF will be "bumpy" looking on top of my cake.
How can I get the cake to have that smooth look before applying the MMF now that the icing is rock hard?

Thx in advance.

You might can let the cake come to room temperature & try using the paper towel method with you warm hand to smooth it. Good Luck!

as long as you crumb coat isnt rock solid when you cover it (and if it is, it may also be dry, which may mean problems with your fondant not sticking), it doesnt matter if your crumb coat isnt perfectly smooth. the smoother it is, the easier for you, but when you smooth out the fondant, it will smooth the bc too (to a certain extent!).
xx

You can always use the hot spatula method to smooth your cake down. I usually find it works best when the cake is cold or harder.

You could also try using a fondant smoother to press the bumps down. Let us know what worked best.

oh ok... I'll try all methods and let you know.. thx ladies!

Just so you know - not all CC'ers are "ladies". I've got some great cake decorating tips from guys, too.

what works for me is a high density roll from the paint store.

oops.. sorry Im sure there are some guys on here too.
ok so I left the cake warm at room temp and used the hot spatula method..worked like a charm!
the only problem is that when I was covering my cake with the MMF I had the darnest time making it stick to the sides of the cake... what I ended up doing was the old "nip n tuck" which left me with folds at the base, and I had to then use a strip of fondant as a border to cover up the mistake....is there a specific reason why my MMF wouldnt stick to the sides of the cake?

thx in advance CC

heres a link of the cake...

http://cakecentral.com/modules.php?name=gallery&file=displayimage&pid=1434284

if the bc is to dry on the outside, that can happen. a very, very gentle misting with water can help. but there is a limit to how much it sticks, it usually isnt like glued down.
and your cake looks really good!
xx

Thx Brincess_b! I'll keep that in mind for next time...

Thank you.. My daughter took it to camp today to celebrate their last day..

I always do a fine water mist before I put the MMF on. It probably didn't stick because the hot spatula actually seals the buttercream (because it melts it). Awesome way to smooth it, but probably a fine mist would have helped.