Frozen Buttercream Transfer - What Did I Do Wrong?
Decorating By KeltoKel Updated 31 May 2007 , 8:31pm by LaSombra
I was practicing with my first frozen transfer today and it fell apart when I took it out of the freezer and tried taking the wax paper off of it. It just started to crumble.
My icing was pretty buttery and soft, but I thought that was a good thing.
Also, I found the FBCT directions of this site and have a question about step #8 that reads like this:
8. Anything you have on the edges will show on your cake. Using the same color icing you will ice your cake with, edge the transfer and cover the back evenly.
I am not sure what edge the trasfer and cover the back means. Can someone please advise? Thank you!
I'm addicted to FBCT! I love them doing them. Hopefully I can be of some help.
I make my icing quite soft. Half butter/half shortening. I basically make my regular BC icing, but minus the liquid and half the powdered sugar. I outline in regular BC icing. I always use wax paper and never have a problem. Did you leave it in the freezer long enough? I've always had mine in there at least a couple of hours. Once you remove from the freezer you have to move sort of quickly. Just turn it onto the cake and peel away the waxed paper. Not sure what would cause it to crumble?!
As for the edges....what it means is whatever color the rest of the cake is being frosted in you should cover the back and edges of the transfer that same color. Am I making sense? If the cake is all white, then once you have the transfer complete, you need to put a white layer around the edges as well as cover the back. Covering the back adds stability. Putting the color around the edges will help the FBCT blend into the icing you have on the cake.
I hope I'm making sense?! Jodie
I freeze my transfers for at least 2 hours, and when you put the backing on the transfer make sure it's thick, at least 1/8".
Something else that helps, I tape my design to a cutting board and then tape the waxed paper on that, it makes it very stable in the freezer. I love doing FBCT, it's SOOOOOO fun!!!
I dido all that has been said. I love doing then too. They have become a big hit with all of my customers. Since doing them, I have added a couple of more customers to my list. I actually use royal icing to trace my FBCT outline then, I ice in buttercream. I am sure to cover the entire back and make sure the edges of your transfer have been covered as well.
Also, I learned a trick on here (sorry can't give credit to the person because I forgot who listed in a thread 
But, now I ice my FBCT to the size of my cake. Meaning, I measure the size of my cake pan (the one you baked in of course 
and I cover my FBCT to that size. That way when I remove it from the wax paper it completely covers the top of my cake and it's leveled. I hope this makes since and helps you some. SORRY FOR WRITING A BOOK
oh and because i'm a scardy cat, I freeze mines for at least 24 hrs 
I tried FBCT last week and it was terrible. Thanks to this thread I think I will give them a try again.
I don't put a final layer over the entire transfer because that makes it so thick, but I do make sure to have all areas overlapping and have an even/flat surface to end with (otherwise you get a hilly final product).
My transfers are usually 1/4 inch thick in total and I never freeze mine more than an hour (because they are so thin) but have left them in the freezer upt to 3 days depending on when I need it.
My last transfer was JUST the figures, no border and nothing thick (the backyardigans cake). The transfer came off fine except for one shoe of Unique. I just piped that in and used the Melvira Roller method to get all the worming out when I'm done. I decided to do just the figures as I couldn't IMAGINE doing an entire 9x13 tranfer and I detest something that looks like it was just placed on the cake and "touched up". I think it turned out pretty well!
Melissa
I just did my first FBCT this past saturday (tractor cake in my gallery) but I went ahead and did the upside-down method for the cake and didn't have to worry about peeling it off like that. I just flipped it and peeled off the whole thing. It worked out pretty well. I then overpiped with an outline to the whole thing to make it stand out.
i tried one yesterday and it was a disaster. I froze it for over two hours. It stuck to the paper and wouldnt come off. So...I made a roayl icing piece,that I am going to put on tonight when I get home. Now im worried that it will mess up. Someone in another thread said it will break down on buttercream. I am going to put it on tonight and the cake will be served tomorrow night. Does anyone know anything about this..im freaking out..I dont know what to do!
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