Frozen Buttercream Transfer

This was something I stumbled across on youtube when I was researching cake decorating methods. I loved the idea of being able to create edible characters on cakes that looked so accurate! I thought - hey! I might be able to do that!!

 

I made wilton's basic buttercream - http://www.wilton.com/recipe/Buttercream-Icing. It is important to use a buttercream recipe that has equal parts vegetable shortening and butter because it is the butter that freezes. If you do 100% shortening in the recipe, it won't harden properly and you'll have a big mess. I speak only through others whose disasters I have read about - I didn't try the pure shortening route myself, for fear of this not working.

 

I made a basic lemon cake and filling and then went to work on the images on the computer for the transfer. What was key was remembering that everything needs to be backwards when you print it off. I found the image I liked and then used the handy size tool in microsoft word to make sure the picture would be a good size for my 9 x 13 cake surface. I did the same with a font, choosing one I liked and making sure to flip it backwards in Microsoft Publisher before printing (yes, it should look like jibberish)

 

Next, I taped the pictures on the back of a cookie sheet. Tape one layer of wax paper over the images. Now get piping! Start with the black outlines. Do all of the lines. I did not want to waste all of my black food colouring, so I bought one tube of black Wilton Decorator icing, and used a small round tip. Next, set to dying your buttercream the colours you need and filling in the appropriate spaces in your picture. It is ok to go slightly over top of the black outline. Remember, what is against the table is the front of the picture so the black will still show up first.

 

Next, use a small spatula to spread the colours, filling in all the creases and holes.
Now take plain white buttercream (or the base colour of the cake) and cover the entire image, out past the black outline, everywhere. Do the same on the back of the words. Use the spatula again to create a smooth surface and fill in holes and creases.

 

Put in freezer until set.

 

Remove from freezer, invert ontio cake, peel away wax paper.

 

TADA! I totally did it, looked great :) Wonderful technique to master, and easy at that!