Hi CCer's,
I see so many of you with perfectly iced cakes...nice square edges and smooth tops and sides. Mine never turn out that way. 
I know about using Viva paper towels and parchment paper and hot spatulas. Is there anything else I can try? Especially for getting sharper edges? Also tips on icing consistency for roses would help! Thank you so much for any ideas!
~Kelli
Hi Kelli,
definitely practice with the smoothing the icing, and find what works for you. A user on CC named Melvira has posted a lot about a method that she started out using that many people have had really great success with. You ice your cake with crusting buttercream, allow it to crust and then roll over it with an UNUSED FOAM paint roller. As you lightly roll, you can see it getting smoother and smoother.
also, for roses, you want to use pretty stiff consistency icing. if you poke your finger into the icing in the bowl, it should be soft but should not stick to your finger. if it's too stiff, your petals will tear, if it's too thin, they will droop.
HTH and WELCOME!! 
Jill
I got the smoothest cake of my life today. I started by using a plastic quilting triangle to run along the sides and top. The triangle made it easy to make sure the sides were straight up and down. I just made sure the bottom edge was solidly on the cake plate...and then worked my way around it. Swiped across the top a couple of times with the triangle, too. I have a bench scraper, which a lot of people swear by, but it doesn't have square edges, and I find the triangle gives me more control
And then, I let the icing crust just a little and used the Melvira method.
Melvira....I kiss your face!!!!!
Don't get me wrong...this smooth finish didn't just "happen." I had to fiddle with it a while. But, usually, my fiddling just makes things worse. Today, using these two methods, my fiddling resulted in a lovely surface.
I'm just glad it worked out for you! That makes me very proud!Quote by @%username% on %date%
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