Covering with fondant

[mrsallergy]

How smooth does the buttercream have to be before covering with fondant?

Will the bumps show if I cover it like this or should I smooth them out first?

Cake has been in fridge so buttercream is no longer soft by the way...

I have never covered buttercream with fondant, but I have laid tiles in the bathroom and if you let the cake warm up a bit and break the skin that will have formed, it should self level when you press the fondant on to it........shouldn't it?

Thanks 4merely! I've never equated cake decorating with tiling, but it all comes under the umbrella of 'messing around with stuff' doesn't it.

I think I've found the answer to my question. Phooey. More work for me:

"Yes. For a perfectly smooth fondant cake, the cake surface you cover must be perfectly smooth. Any imperfections on the cake surface will mirror itself on the rolled fondant. Ice cake smooth with a thin layer of buttercream icing, covering all holes and imperfections. Use the Buttercream Icing Recipe, Wilton Ready-To-Use Decorators Icing or Creamy White Icing Mix. Let Buttercream Icing set before covering with Rolled Fondant. One-layer cakes with a very even surface can also be coated with apricot glaze."