I understand that you are always working on the back side of the transfer,but when it says to smooth it...I'm a little confused.
You decorate the whole transfer,then you just add extra icing? And smooth that?and when you smooth,it doesn't mess up the colors on the transfer? Thanks..and sorry,I'm very new at this!

Once you have all the colors down, smooth a thin layer of plain bc over the pattern. I stick mine in the freezer while I'm coloring. So, first I do the outline then stick in the freezer for a few minutes. Then I pipe in some colors. If I have any colors that go ontop of colors already piped in, I put it in the freezer for a few minutes before I add the next color. I freeze the whole thing for a few minutes before the final layer of plain bc is put on and smoothed. To make all this in and out easier, I put the design on a cookie sheet/jelly roll pan and leave it on there until I'm ready to transfer to the cake. The metal pan helps keep the icing already on the pattern cold and firm as well. The reason you need to smooth some plain bc on to the back of the pattern is that you need it to be flat when you put it on the cake. If it is not flat it might crack.

I do the same. Also, I do all my fbcts on a piece of plexiglass and using a piece of acetate paper (i.e. overhead projector paper). That way, I can see right through the plexiglass. That helps me smooth the fbct on both sides. In other words, you can periodically lift up the plexiglass and look under it to see how the "right" side of the fbct will look on the cake before you have to put it on there.

So I tape my picture right to my countertop. I tape a piece of overhead film (although I have used waxed paper before with success) to my plexiglass. I lay the plexiglass over the picture and start "drawing" on the overhead film. I do outline and watch layering. From time to time, I will pop it into the freezer and then take it out and keep going. Whenever I do a new section of colour, I lift the plexiglass and peek underneath it to see how it's going. If there are any gaps between the colouring and the outline or any squiggly lines, I take a paint brush (for cakes only) and push around the icing from the "back" side (the side that's facing up at you as you are doing the fbct) to smooth it out on the "right" side. Keep checking until it's smooth on the side that will face up on the cake. Freeze the finished product.

I get my acetate film at office supply places, and any hardware store (Lowes, etc.) will sell various sizes/thickenesses of plexiglass or you can have it cut to the size you want.

I actually never put a smooth layer across the back of the fbct. I try to make sure that the fbct is an even thickness and just freeze it. I also only draw the actual picture while some people do the picture and some icing around it that will match the colour. But I find that then you have to do some kind of border around the fbct which I do not always want to do. The Coke cake in my pics is done with just doing the bottle and the words - no icing around it all. Then, I just laid that on the cake and didn't have to put any border around it at all. It had a 3D look to it, and I much preferred doing it that way. I did the Little Mermaid the same way. The "jungle" fbct, I did a white area around the picture and then did that leaf border to hide where the picture met the cake.

I hope that makes sense! Good luck!!

tracey - when you do the FBCT without the "white space" outside of the drawing, do you make the outer outline thicker?

I've only done one FBCT before, but I did the layer of BC over the whole thing, but like the last poster indicated, there is this "space" that sits out there on the cake. I didn't want to put another border around my image, so I thought for my next cake I would do a thicker border and no overhang too.
It's the Wall-e cake in my pictures.

I didn't do a thicker border when I do them that way. I find that it doesn't make a difference because the fbct is frozen when it goes on the cake, so you will get it on there fine. Having a thicker outline around the outer edges doesn't seem to make a difference when making the fbct, and it shouldn't affect the laying on the cake as it is frozen. I really like the "no border" around my fbcts. The only reason I did the border thing with my jungle cake was because the picture had some thin and "floating" type stuff in it that I didn't think would hold up to the laying on the cake without a larger border. But I really did love the Coke cake where I didn't do the border - again, the 3D effect of the bottle and lettering appearing to "pop" off the cake was great.

Thanks,everyone for the help!

I also have a FBCT to do this week. I have done them before but what i am thinking is its "Cars" cake and they want the cake to be the shape of the car. I am thinking if making the cake the shape I want and then the FBCT is the entire cake. I will ice the cake 1st will the color o the car and then put the transfer on. Has anyone done something like this before. I have only done an image on a sheet cake. Also what rec have you guys used for your transfers?? Thanks for any advice.

I haven't done a shaped cake fbct before. However, I have done two fbcts where I did not only the picture I wanted but also the entire rest of the cake top around it and then froze that whole thing. That way, the fbct is actually embedded in the cake top, instead of laid onto it later. Plus, I was able to make my cake top really smooth before popping it into the freezer, so it was nice and smooth when I turned it onto the cake. I can't see why you couldn't do that for a shaped cake. I use a combo of Indydebi's and Sugarshack's recipe, but I use a half-butter/half hi-ratio mix instead of all shortening.