I feel like an idiot.

I just read the whole post about chocolate transfers and how they are super easy and much simpler to get nice than FBCTs etc. Everyone was raving about how easy they are.

Well, I just tried one. It took me about 4 hours to do a small transfer. I have chocolate in various colors and stages of meltedness (new word) all over my kitchen.

It's finished and it looks like crap. I think chocolate transfers are like a hundred million times harder than FBCTs and I haven't done many of those, either.

I feel like I'm the only one who can't do this right.

Okay, I feel better now, I'm going to bed. Thanks for listening.

Did you let the different colors/areas set before going on to the next one? You can pop it in the fridge to speed it up if you like, but for example the pupil needs to be set before adding the iris before adding the face background - if not, it will smear. Don't give up yet

I was going to try one of these and now..... maybe not! I've done the FBCT and they don't always turn out so I thought this might be easier, not I'm not sure.

The biggest problem I had was how to apply the melted chocolate to the photo.

The pastry bag was too big, the amount of chocolate I needed for each color just about filled the metal tip and there was no way to squeeze it out.

The plastic squeeze bottle hole was too big and also, the icing only sat in the tip.

I ended up trying to make my own bags out of parchment paper but it was hard to control the chocolate coming out and the whole thing ended up a mess generally.

What do you use to get the chocolate on in small quantities?

Okay, now you have scared me too! I was going to attempt this technique for my 2 year old's "Wiggles" cake. I was planning on doing the characters with the chocolate transfer, now I'm not so sure how this amazing cake that I have pictured in my head is going to turn out!

I have bought the plastic disposable bags for my chocolate. I usually don't use them for icing, but I figured it would be easiest for the chocolate as I could microwave the chocolate right in them and also then cut a really small hole instead of using a tip. This might help you too if you are only using a small quantity of chocolate.

I use a parchment bag and no metal tips. If the chocolate sets up, how are you going to get it out? With a parchment bag, you can just pinch the tip or even pop the whole thing in a microwave. And you can do outlines with a small opening then cut it larger when you are ready to fill larger areas without switching metal tips. The tip I leave on my bag is probably equivalent to a 1. You can dye more chocolate than you need (doesn't have to be a ton, just more than the teaspoon that fits in a tip!) cause it keeps forever. I just keep a baggie full of baggies with all the diff colors.

Okay, first of all don't be scared of the choc. transfers........I've only done ONE but I did it like a hundred times lol these cookies below.....anyhow I found the best way to do it (because mine were tiny with tiny details) was to use the parchment bags like was already suggested and I stuck all of my bags of chocolate on a heating pad with a towel over top of them......it kept the chocolate at the perfect temp. for hours while I was working with these.....and I did more the next day and all I did was take the parchment bags with hardened chocolate in them and pop them on the heating pad, turned it on, threw the towel back over top (to help hold in the heat) and left them for an hour and when I came back they were perfectly melted and ready to go again!!! You NEED to use parchment bags ( there are NO tips that are as tiny as you need to do small details with the chocolate).......try try again!!!

It's not just you. I've done chocolate transfers twice so far and it takes me forever too. In fact, I was going to post a topic to vent my frustrations as well. It is very messy. Although, I will say it took me less time to do it the second time. Also, I use the wilton candy melting dish, a toothpick to outline and paintbrushes to fill in. [/quote]

It's not just you. I've done chocolate transfers twice so far and it takes me forever too. In fact, I was going to post a topic to vent my frustrations as well. It is very messy. Although, I will say it took me less time to do it the second time. Also, I use the wilton candy melting dish, a toothpick to outline and paintbrushes to fill in.

I did my first set a couple weeks ago just before my parents came in to town to visit. And I mean JUST before. I started at 3 during naptime and melted the chocolate to start- I was expecting them at 7 and I needed to do one for my mom's birthday, my sister's anniversary and my cousin's birthday so I could send them home with my family when they left- but it was all supposed to be a secret. My first turned out not great, the next was better and the third turned out great! I don't know if it was the different patterns or just practice, but I ended up having fun. And they didn't get in until late so I had plenty of time. In fact I think I was done by 7:30 and cleaning up. The only problem I had was the one that i used chocolate on (rather than almond bark) bloomed really bad. Perhaps I got it too hot.

Talk to me about parchment bags.

Can you buy them as bags already like the wilton plastic bag only smaller and in parchment?

I didn't have anything like that so I took a piece of parchment paper and cut it to a triangle and then tried to follow the instructions in my Wilton book how to roll it up.

The seam kept opening and it said to tape it but there is no tape in this house that will stick to Wilton's silicone parchment paper so that was useless.

The tiny hole kept getting stretched out as I squeezed the bag, too.

Any ideas how to use parchment bags properly? It looks like they should be folded but I usually twist my icing bags and work like that.

Help!

I don't know how anyone else keeps their parchment tips from gaping or moving, but I put a piece of tape AROUND the parchment, at the tip. This way, it sticks to itself.

I then cut the tip, and away I go.

HTH

You have to fold down the parchment, and yes you also have to fold them. You will not have very much chocolate in the bag to begin with, so "twisting" is not needed, plus you have better control with the palm pressure than the "twisting" method. You will just have to practice folding the triangles to get the method down. Blessings on your baking! Shawn <><

I know how you feel. Last year I tried and tried for a couple of days and I was not getting the results I wanted until I figured out the secrets.

Yes, use parchment bags, especially if you have fine detail work. You may have to only cut the tip a tiny bit if at all.

I like to mix up all the colors before hand and keep them warm on a heating pad. you can nuke them for a bit if they do get hard

I use the pre colored melts whenever possible. So much less messy and time consuming than coloring your own.

I do mine on a report cover to make them shiney

Stick them in the fridge for a couple of minutes to set up

make sure they are not too thin

Here was the thread I started after I figured them out if you havent seen it.


http://cakecentral.com/cake-decorating-ftopict-35817-love.html+chocolate+transfers

Thanks, I will read that post.

Where do you guys buy parchment bags? Are they already bags or do you have to make them from triangles? I didn't have any luck with that part.

I put my chocolate in ziptop bags and then cut a tiny hole on the corner (or big for larger areas). I also use a heating pad to keep everything warm enough to use.

I have never seen parchment bags...I make my own either by cutting my own triangles, or buying the premade triangles. keep trying!

I bought myself a roll of cellophane when I saw it used in The Whimsical Bakehouse book. I cut small triangles, roll to a super sharp point, tape it together, ( the tape sticks well), cut a tiny or bigger hole. Works great!!!

I LOVE CHOCOLATE TRANSFERS! I do all my writing on cakes with it and almost everytime I make cupcakes, i make a chocolate transfer to go on top. It did take practice to work with the chocolate and the consistency, but I love them now. I use squeeze bottles with differnt hole sizes. I found some at my local cake decorator shop the has a really tiny hole and then I have others i have cut to get different sizes. I do notice though that the premium melts that I get from the shop are MUCH better than the Wilton ones...keep practicing!

Parchment bags always have to be rolled, you aren't going to find any already done for you. If you did, they'd get crumpled and creased and would be even harder to work with. You can buy the triangles or cut your own... the shape in no way has to be perfect, just resembling a triangle. I buy full sheet parchments and cut corner to corner into 2 triangles, of course smaller works too.

In using acetate....report holders, mylar, rolls of cellophane, etc. are those items food safe? I was going to get some and was told my a pastry chef that they needed to be food safe or could leech chemicals into the food with the warm chocolate, etc. Does anyone else think this? Sure would make it easier to just use any type..... You can get food safe acetate and it is reusable... Probably costs a little more. I know they have some on J.B. Prince in huge quantities for prof. chefs.... I found a gourmet shop that sells it in strips for 15 cents a foot. I have been struggling with this and working on finding it.....

Well I think acetate must be because that is what they put those other chocolate transfers on, but there probably are types that are specifically food safe. Good point.

yes, I was told all acetates are not food safe. Some buy them in fabric stores or get from florists, etc. I am just trying to get the low down for sure.... They are not all made the same and the ones used in food industry are supposedly different. That is not to say everybody does it this way.... I know there was a "to do" about the type of throw away compressor painting that Duff uses. You can get them at Home Depot. I have a Badger with canned air that I was told was not food safe. I was all set to try it out.... Supposedly the propellants can mix with the food safe stuff you are trying to spray out.... I don't know...things get so complicated!!! Not sure what kind of problems I could incur.....or cause.... I was hoping someone here would know the answer. Thanks for listening anyway....

Well if you are worried you can just use parchment paper or wax paper, but they wont be shiny. You could try buying the acetate sheets from the cake supply places.

I use waxed paper, personally. I haven't had any problems. It's convenient and cheap to come by.
HTH!

I use wax paper...when I am doing something that requires more than one color, i found that since parchment does not stick, my first color of chocolate that i piped moves around and is notin the right spot when i go to flood or add another color...did that make sense??

You pipe on the wax paper or just use as a bag? Doesn't seem like it would be stiff enough but I guess you could tape it down to a cookie sheet or cake pan.... Good idea? Wouldn't work for other chocolate work like collars, etc. though....

I put a picture on a cookie sheet and lay wax paper over it.