My friend is having birthday, and I want to make her a cake.
I want it to just be a simple 9 inch round cake, and I wanted to do a FBCT on the top.
One problem I'm having is that the design I want to use has a bunch of black in it. And I don't have black coloring, and can't get any before I want to give her the cake. But I do have chocolate.
I was hoping perhaps I could melt the chocolate and use that for the black outlines, and to fill in the black section of the design, and then use butter cream for the rest like normal.
Would this work? Or would they not work together?
why not mix some melted chocolate into your buttercream, giving you chocolate buttercream to make your transfer with
I would, but I also need brown, so I need something much 'blacker' than chocolate butter cream. (Which was what I was planning to use for the brown.)
If I must I suppose I could make a much lighter chocolate butter cream for the brown. But I would like this to be as close to the original picture as possible.
is there a big WalMart or a Supercenter Walmart near you?
if so in the crafts dept. they have Wilton colors (i know, i know, not as good as Americolor but in a pinch.....)
use chocolate frosting and add the black to that. It'll go black fast and taste so much better than trying to take white BC to black (trust me -- ICK!)
(Michaels or A. C. Moore, or a Hobbly Lobby also have Wilton colors)
Sometimes, when I'm in a hurry, I use Betty Crocker's black Icing in a can. It's got the little tips attached to the nozzle. It's great for outlines.
You can get this at most all grocery stores. It's usually with the candles and misc. cake decorations.
You can use the chocolate, I have done that before. Don't put it into the fridge though to set it or it will become really brittle and just break into pieces. Let it set a little bit and then do the rest of your BCT as you would normally.
Good luck and post some pics!
Doug: The nearest Wal-Mart (or big chain supermarket) is 25 miles away. Which is too far of a drive for us right now. And our little local supermarket doesn't carry nearly the range of convenience frostings as I would like.
It's the only downside of living in a small town.
Tripletmom: So I can't put the transfer into the freezer if I use the chocolate? Or did you just mean not to freeze it before I covered the rest with butter cream?
And don't worry, if this comes out as I would like, there will be plenty of pictures!
Sometimes, when I'm in a hurry, I use Betty Crocker's black Icing in a can. It's got the little tips attached to the nozzle. It's great for outlines.
You can get this at most all grocery stores. It's usually with the candles and misc. cake decorations.
What a great idea! I never thought of that. Most supermarkets have a small rack of BC icing stuff now. Maybe you will be able to find black icing.
Doug: The nearest Wal-Mart (or big chain supermarket) is 25 miles away. Which is too far of a drive for us right now. And our little local supermarket doesn't carry nearly the range of convenience frostings as I would like.
It's the only downside of living in a small town!
i hear ya. lived in Downsville, NY for 1/2 year before moving up and over the 4 mountains to Oneonta. (then got froze out and moved south for warmth!)
do you have any colors at all...dark blue? red & Green (mixed would give a grey ... ditto for any other color compliments) might be able to approach a black by using other combos added to dark chocolate frosting.
I just recently got a little Wilton 8 pack of colours. But I've read so many horror stories of bitter frosting I was afraid to try mixing colours. 
it usually only gets bitter when you use a LOT (like nearly half to the whole jar) of it (like you have to for the red to be red or the black when starting w/ white frosting.
if you start w/ dark chocolate frosting, it doesn't take much black at all to get black frosting. the trick is to start w/ the chocolate frosting, which will have a strong enough taste you won't notice the added coloring.
(the only challenge I've had w/ this add black to chocolate frosting method was had a customer once who did not like chocolate!)
if you start w/ dark chocolate frosting, it doesn't take much black at all to get black frosting. the trick is to start w/ the chocolate frosting, which will have a strong enough taste you won't notice the added coloring.
Don't forget your colors darken over time! So make the black the night before and you will use less icing color. 
You won't need to make a ton of icing to do outlining. So I'd only color about 1/2 cup or less black. The smaller amount of icing you use the less color you will need. Plus with the little bit you will use with the transfer I doubt you would really taste it at all anyway. What you have left you can always save (in fridge or freezer) and use when you need black in the future.
Sorry about that! Yes, I meant don't put the outline into the freezer before you add the rest of it.
Doug is on the money. Start with the cocolate and go from there. And don't worry about mixing the colours, that's not what makes the bitter taste, it's the amount used. The Wilton red is notorious for that because it takes to much to make a true red.
Go for it!
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