I'm making cakes for my sister & brother-in-law's birthday party on Saturday. I'm trying to do frozen buttercream transfers on both cakes, but they didn't turn out great when I practiced yesterday. The one was ok... the other one was pretty much melting, and I had left it in the freezer overnight! PLEASE HELP!! I don't know what I'm doing wrong! The icing is medium consistency. Also - I don't understand how to make a backing on it... if you put white frosting (that's what color I'm frosting the cake) on the back, over the design, won't it just smear it?? I'm so confused!!!!

I just posted about a FBCT!!! Mine took about an hour to do with all the detail and colors and then after I flipped it to the cake, the lines were coming off. I put it back in the refrigerator, hoping that maybe I can take the parchment off with better luck in an hour or so.

If not, I'm going to be freehanding Dora on the cake!

Here is a tip for you.
DONT USE PARCHEMENT PAPER

use saran wrap.
Comes right off!

aHHHHH Saran.....good idea! I feel like it would slide off while trying to pipe it on?? It's going to stick ok?

I usually do the colors of the picture and then once that is all filled in I put it in the freezer for awhile before I put the "backing" icing over it. That way the picture will not get distorted when you pipe and smooth the frosting on the backside. I'm not sure why the icing would be melting. Maybe I am misunderstanding. After you freeze again so that the back icing and all is frozen you need to quickly remove from the freezer and place on the cake immediately before it starts to thaw. I hope I have helped!??!?

thanks! Also, what about the backing to the image? Won't it smear the design if I put frosting over it?

I use saran wrap. You have to work quickly after it comes out from the freezer. I place mine on the cake then take off the backing.

As for the question about the added icing on the back.. Once your design is made, I use a pastry bag and pipe lines over the design then use a spatula knife to spread it out over the design, ever so carefully. I think if it does anything, if closes the gaps you may have made making the original design. Gosh, I hope I made sense here....

Jessica

I usually use a sheet protector that I tape to a glass cutting board I have. When I am finished filling in, I slide the picture out and I can see if I have missed any spots by looking through the bottom of the cutting board. I have also never had any problems removing the sheet protector from the image.

That did help - thank you! Well, when I took the one out, it was fine & didn't melt or anything. But I had kept the other one in the freezer overnight, just to see what the difference between the two would be, and when I took it out after about 2 minutes it didn't melt, but started turning back into frosting, it was all smeared and everything. I'm just hoping this doesn't happen when I got to make the real thing.

I think that is the step I missed the one time I tried working with a FBCT, the frosting of the back.

Mine also started melting very quickly, but I did come out with a decent image by lining the entire image in black, freeze, fill in different areas in the colors, freeze. Next time after the 2nd freezing I will cover with buttercream. I have seen some that go a little bit outside the edges of the image, that will probably help with the transfer.

I will have to try the saran wrap. I used waxed paper and it peeled away okay, but the image was too delicate and got too warm too quickly.