How does the viva paper towel trick work?

You have to use a crusting buttercream and wait for it to crust and then out the paper towel on the icing and smooth with either your handd or a fondant smoother. The reason for Viva versus the others is there is no pattern and the Viva is softer.

Wait until your buttercream has crusted over. If it isn't crusted over, your paper towel will absorb the oil and stick to your icing.

Once it has crusted, place your viva towel on the area you want to smooth and very gently rub with either your hand or f. smoother. I like to use my hand first so I can feel any dips or bumps and smooth them out.

If you use your can you can also get a better idea of what kind of pressure to apply. And as you are going around your cake, if your paper towel begins to stick at all, throw it away and get a new one.

If you can't get Viva paper towels (my problem!), you can use parchment - the stuff paper piping cones are made out of, and available at any cake supply store. Of course, living where I live, I can't get ANY buttercream to crust, so I guess I don't need the Viva trick anyway...

I just skip the viva method and go straight to using the computer paper.

I just made this cake yesterday with that method.

http://www.cakecentral.com/cake-decorating-gallery_display_1742771.html

What a cute cake, SharonK! So, computer paper, huh? Great idea - a lot more accessible and a whole lot cheaper than parchment. Thanks for the tip. Now for the next question - do you think my buttercream would crust if I put a little meringue powder in it?

Thanks Marianna!
What buttercream recipe do you use? Does it have shortening in it? I use Indydebi's recipe... Her magic trick is to put some dream whip powder in the buttercream. It causes buttercream (not IMBC OR SMBC) to crust like a dream! Look up the recipe on here and give it a try! Very easy to make! If you can't find it, let me know and I'll post it for you!

i use the viva technique but one time i ran out and had a scrap of fabric (very smooth and flat) and that worked just as well. i'll try the paper, looks cheaper than viva towels.

SharonK - Thanks for the suggestion. I've got the Indydebi Buttercream recipe. The problem is I can't get Dream Whip here in Mexico or I would be using that recipe all the time. My regular buttercream recipe (1 cup butter, 1 cup shortening, 2lbs. powdered sugar, a few tablespoons of water/milk and a couple of teaspoons of vanilla and/or almond extract) crusts just fine in the cool, dry climate of Mexico City, where I used to live, but here on the coast it just won't. I CAN get meringue powder here, which is why I asked. Any other ideas?