While the real pros don't really need a paper towel to frost a cake, you can still achieve the same look to make yours appear as though you ordered it from a fancy cake shop. Observe as Youtube user littledelightsinlife demonstrates how you can achieve that perfectly smooth, professional look using a paper towel and a steady hand (skip to the 7:15 mark):


 
To ensure that smooth, fondant-like look, its best to find a paper towel that either has no pattern, design or ant print stamped into it.