I just made a batch of Bc for frozen transfers (cali4dawn recipe) and it seems more light and fluffy than stiff. Should I put it in the fridge for awhile? I added a bunch of extra sugar trying fix it... err.. I'm at a loss..
Any help would be appretiated!!
Thanks!
Actually you want a thinner consistency icing for a buttercream transfer, one that will flow easily. So if you thickened it up, it will not flow well and will be more difficult to smooth.
I use 1/2 cup butter
1/2 cups shortening
1 1/2 tsp. vanilla
2 cups of icing sugar
I beat the butter on low until completely softened and add the shortening, again on low. Then I add the vanilla on low. Then I add the icing sugar.
The other thing I do differently, is I let the completed transfer sit for about 25 minutes, then sprinkle some icing sugar on top, then press down vertically, actually a gentle pouncing motion, to get rid of any squiggle worm effect until smooth. Then I put the final coat of icing on top, again wait the 25 minutes and sprinkle on more icining sugar and smooth with fingers again vertically down. Then I carefully smooth over with a spatula. then I sprinkle a bit more icing sugar on top, cover it with parchment paper and bag the whole thing, glass and all and freeze. I tend to freeze these overnight for up to two weeks.
If this is your first transfer and you are not sure of what consistency you need the icing to be, I would suggest you try this recipe. It is exactly the right consistency. Once you know that, you can use Dawn's or anyone elses buttercream and thin it down so it is like this consistency. Just a suggestion.
Hugs Squirrelly Cakes
Thanks for your bct icing recipe. I really needed it. I want to try this.
mami2sweeties
Good luck Mami2sweeties,
I think that once you know what the consistency you are going for looks like, it makes it easier to adapt whatever recipe you want to use. I tend to use a tip#3 for outlining and use larger round tips for filling in, like a #12 . Some folks don't use tips, but just use a parchment bag that they snip whatever size end they want from.
I use this same recipe to make my black icing with Wilton black and it works well and doesn't bleed out.
Hugs Squirrelly Cakes
squirrley cakes,
Can you tell me how to make black that won't bleed and navy blue that won't bleed. I always have had trouble with this.
Thanks,
mami2sweeties
Well you know I usually have this problem too, but only when I freeze an iced cake with these colours on it, it bleeds out when it defrosts.
Funny thing with this recipe I listed for the buttercream transfer, it doesn't bleed out at all, not with black, red, navy, none of these colours and it is frozen and still when defrosted there are no problems. I use Wilton black and I stir it really well before using it. I have made nearly every colour of it for a transfer and had no problems at all.
My regular icing doesn't bleed out either. My regular icing is the same as the one above, but with 5 cups of icing sugar and two tbsp. of cream and then I use whole milk to thin it out. However this one will bleed out when frozen, but not if it isn't.
Sometimes I suspect it is the chemicals in people's water, if they use water in their icing. Sometimes I have bleed out issues if I add meringue powder to icing even though some people say it sets the colours, it doesn't for me.
I use salted butter, I am not certain if that also helps set colours better.
I use mostly Wilton colours, they may not be popular with some people, but they are readily available to me and I have always had good luck with them.
Hope that helps.
Hugs Squirrelly Cakes
Regarding the black turning purple, Dawn had some notes about that when using her recipe. I think she uses a fudge icing that she mixes black into, not the recipe she listed with black colour added.
Haven't made her recipe for the BCT, but sometimes you really need to stir up black before using it. It often goes a kind of purpley grey for some folks. It is more common when you use water in your icing, sometimes I think the various chemicals or minerals in some areas cause this issue.
Glad to hear it worked out for you.
Hugs Squirrelly Cakes
Every thing worked out great. He seems to be peeling off of the wax paper just fine.. But the black outline when i tfroze it turned sorta purple. It's no big deal.. just a little strange! Any reasons why it did this?
Black can fade to purple if it's exposed to too much light (house lights, sunlight...) I've found too that the Wilton brand is more prone to fading/bleeding especially with deep, dark colors. I use AmeriColor or Bakery Craft. I've heard Chefmaster is another good brand. You'll use less of those too to get colors like red and black. The color holds better and you won't get any aftertaste. I still like Wilton colors for pastels or lighter shades. They just don't do well when it comes to black, red or other deep dark colors.
Maybe too the black wasn't deep enough. When trying to take icing from white to black, it can sometimes go purple on you. You'd just need to add more black. It'll deepen as it sets. Another trick is to add hot water as your thinning liquid. That will get it deeper too.
The recipe you use can also effect the color. Recipes that are all shortening bleed less. If you use dark vanilla instead of clear vanilla, that can effect your colors. If you add salt, it can leave spots in the icing...
Heehee, yes sorry, icing sugar is more of a Canuck term, it is powdered sugar, 10X being the finest commonly available.
Haha, yes resting the colours is a good idea, but I find sometimes I don't have any time to do so and still the colours are fine with this recipe. Heck resting the decorator sounds good too, haha!
Some folks also say you should let the black outlining dry before putting the other colours, but I don't find this a problem. You could give it a try though.
Hugs Squirrelly
Heehee, see that is what makes this all so interesting. Water based shortening icings have a tendency to bleed more for some people, likely the minerals and such in the water.
Personally though I agree you use more of the Wilton colours to get the deeper colours, I find that they do stay true, but then again, I don't use water in my icing and I do use half butter. Like I said I have only had this issue with a cake that was frozen decorated. I do know a few folks that use the all shortening water recipe and have this issue with freezing their darker coloured buttercream roses.
Wilton colours are more readily avaiiable here and since they were at one time the only ones, I got used to them. I do use a Chefmaster red and also have used a Cake Craft red and yes, you do use less of them. I don't have the Americolors available to me.
Yes light, even house light has more effect on black and purple than it does on other colours. But if the transfer was in the freezer that shouldn't have been a problem, unless it sat out for a long time under intense light.
It is all a challenge to find a way around these issues, isn't it?
Hugs Squirrelly Cakes
It is all a challenge to find a way around these issues, isn't it?
Hugs Squirrelly Cakes
Well this a great forum to try and do it in 
. Everyone has their own experiences and opinions and by sharing them, the hope is to help someone else. What works for one doesn't always work for another so it's great to have lots of different options.
Heehee, see that is what makes this all so interesting. Water based shortening icings have a tendency to bleed more for some people, likely the minerals and such in the water.
Hugs Squirrelly Cakes
I think I should be more specific about the hot water trick. It's not a water based shortening although it could be if that's what works for you. You would actually add the hot water after you've added the color. The temperature of the water is what deepens the color. I got the tip from Earlene and it works great! I use it mostly when doing red because that's where I need the most help.
Heehee Lisa, yes there are many water based recipes, I was referring to the typical Class Icing, all shortening, no butter, water based. What I meant was that some people have hard water or water with chemicals or mineral deposits that seem to have an effect on the icing retaining its colour and in some cases even causing gritty icing. We started to notice this problem with several Wilton forum posters from different parts of the U.S.
Rusk, I actually let it set for about 25 minutes, sprinkle some icing sugar on top so the icing will not stick to my fingers and use my fingers to pounce down gently on the icing in a vertical motion as I have found that a horizontal motion will spread out any outlining and make a mess. Some folks press down with a spatula, I tend to use a spatula at the very end after I have iced the complete top of the transfer with the colour that the top of the iced cake will be.
What you are trying to do is to force the icing down and get rid of all of the wormy texture that filling in may have caused. I generally don't get a lot of this worminess, unless I use a small tip, it generally flows out fine, but still I do this to make sure there are no air bubbles underneath.
Does that make sense?
Hugs Squirrelly Cakes
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