I've heard a little about color flow and frozen buttercream transfers, but I'm not quite sure I know the difference.
1. I realize the ingredients are not the same, but is the idea the same?
2. Can anyone provide a link which shows a demo of these or a picture of the final products? From what I can see...they look the same.
3. Is one method easier than the other?
4. Does one last longer than the other?
5. Is one better to use on fondant and/or buttercream cakes?
6. Does anyone have a favorite recipe for color flow or do you just buy the ready made color flow from Wilton?
7. Is one method better for larger pictures vs. small detailed ones?

Thank you so much for your help!

1. They are both ways to get a picture on your cake with out freehanding.

2. One is made from soft buttercream, that remains soft after it is thawed. The other is made from a icing that dries hard and is often slighty shiny.

3. I think they are both pretty easy to use once you get the hang of them.

4. There are people that do the FBCT's that leave them in their freezer for days, weeks... The Color flow pieces have to be done ahead of time to allow time for drying but can be done weeks ahead of time as well.

5. I would probably use the Color flow on fondant since it would be a flater piece. Either can be used on buttercream cakes.

6. I usually just use Royal icing instead of the color flow recipe. I always have MP on hand and it works just fine.

7. I think this just depends on the person. I did a very detailed FBCT that I'm not sure would have worked as well as a Color flow piece. But that doesn't mean I might not find something else that works better as a color flow.

Wow! Your cakes are amazing!!! Thank you so much for answering all my questions. You've been VERY helpful. I just have two additional quick questions...when you mention that you use royal icing instead of a color flow recipe, does that mean you just use a thin royal icing? Also, what is "MP?" Thanks!

Yes, I think she means thinned royal. Use a thicker consistency for borders, let it set up and fill with thinned. MP is meringue powder.

Don't forget my favorite-chocolate transfers. You do them as you would colorflow but the result is much tastier. And you don't have to deal with freezing or drying time, pop it in the fridge and it sets in minutes. Here's one I did, it was my first.

I used dark chocolate on the back to reinforce the transfer, should have used white. Other than that I'm happy with how it turned out.

akgirl10 - Thanks for your reply. Would you mind posting & sharing your chocolate transfer recipe/method? Your cake looks great! So that would be considered a color flow (or in your case chocolate transfer)? Not FBCT?

Chocolate transfers are something I haven't done before, minus some little flowers. They are I believe like a cross between the color flow and FBCTs.

Basic with all of them you are outlining your picture and making any detail lines. With the Color Flow piece you start with a thicker icing (either color flow or royal icing) to do the outlining with, then you thin that down to a glue like consistancy to do the fill in or flooding. With the Chocolate Transfer and FBCT you use the same icing/chocolate consitancy for the whole piece. Chocolate transfers can be made using candy melts.

A pro to the Chocolate Transfer and Color Flow piece are that they are harder pieces so you can actually stand those up on a cake (by attaching a popcicle stick to the back) to add another deminsion to your cake. What I like about the FBCT is that it allows you to put an image in buttercream on your cake that doesn't require stars. I like the flat look of the icing on them.

I usually do my FBCTs while my cake is cooling and can pop it in the freezer so that when I finish icing it I can just stick it on, add a border and some writing and be done. It most cases the FBCT only have to be in the freezer from 20-30 mins, depending on the size. You can leave them in longer if you want too though.

Color Flow pieces, according to Wilton's directions say they need 48 hours to dry, but you can always put them in the oven with just the light on and usually dry them over night or in less time, depending on the sizes.

In the end they are three ways that are very alike in the basic process of making them to put a picture on cakes, just using three different types of icing. Give them a try to see what you like best. Just because I may prefer one over another doesn't mean you will always like the same thing best.

Thank you, TexasSugar! Your explanations are perfect! I think I now have a much better understanding. The only thing I didn't quite understand is the statement about how FBCT do NOT require "stars." I'm not sure what you meant by this. Do you mean like piping stars? Sorry, I'm a little confused.