Dont Know What I Was Thinking..love Chocolate Transfers Now!
Decorating By springlakecake Updated 27 Nov 2009 , 4:16am by mrsmudrash
I use chocolate transfers ALL THE TIME! Any cake that requires lettering...it's a transfer.
I use candy melts and I still get the white film on it sometimes. Could it be the wax paper? Am I getting it too hot?
Not sure, I havent had a film on mine before. I do highly recommend doing them on some type of shiney plastic (I use clear report covers) because you transfer will be shiney that way. The chocolate picks up the texture or whatever.
Do you use tips or just cut out a hole in the parchment bag? Is it ok to use the plastic disposable bags?
I use parchment bags . . . i usually take the parchment triangle and cut it in half before rolling it up since with chocolate transfers, you don't need such a big bag typically. I don't use tips, I just make the bags nice and tight so that they have really small openings and then if I'm filling a larger area that doesn't need fine detail, I can snip the end a bit and get a larger opening. I tried using the disposable plastic bags once and you certainly can do that but I didn't fell like I had the same control with it and I really prefer parchment. Which is funny because I didn't like parchment triangles AT ALL when I tried them for cake decorating. I only like using them for chocolate.
I tried it this weekend, but it was so hard to get the color black. Any tips on that?
Also, I had some shiny plastic but when I peeled off the chocolate the chocolate wasn't shiny anymore. It looks dull and faded, especially the black outline. It wasn't a book report cover, I wonder if there is a difference on plastic.
I tried it this weekend, but it was so hard to get the color black. Any tips on that?
Also, I had some shiny plastic but when I peeled off the chocolate the chocolate wasn't shiny anymore. It looks dull and faded, especially the black outline. It wasn't a book report cover, I wonder if there is a difference on plastic.
For coloring the chocolate black, did you start with white chocolate or milk chocolate? I use the milk chocolate to start with and then add black coloring and it works pretty well.
I have used report covers, but this past week I went to a fabric store and bought some clear vinyl (they have huge rolls of it). It's somewhat thick and very shiny and it worked well. It's still clear so you can lift it up and look underneath as you're going along so if you've got air bubbles or something you can try to correct them while it is still pliable. If the surface of your plastic is pretty slick and shiny to begin with you should end up with a shinier finish on your transfers as the chocolate tends to pick up the properties of the surface that it's on to some extent.
I wanted to share my latest chocolate transfers . . . I did a cake for a bonfire last night and I was so happy with how it turned out. The flames for the bonfire and the trees are chocolate transfers. What i loved about the flames is that for some of them, I cut a strip of vinyl and layed it in my largest flower former. I painted some of the chocolate on first to get the mix of color and then piped the rest. I took it slow, letting each layer firm up but it didn't take too long at all. This allowed me to have some of the flames curve around so I didn't just have a bunch of flat flames. It gave pretty cool dimension to the cake.
This thread has inspired me to try my first CT for my son's birthday on Teusday. Hope it turns out well.
I tried it this weekend, but it was so hard to get the color black. Any tips on that?
Also, I had some shiny plastic but when I peeled off the chocolate the chocolate wasn't shiny anymore. It looks dull and faded, especially the black outline. It wasn't a book report cover, I wonder if there is a difference on plastic.
I start with the dark candy melts, it still does take quite a bit of black though in my opinion. just ask yourself if a true black or even black at all is really needed. Sometimes it is, but if you can get away with dark brown, just do that.
makje sure your plastic is nice and clean when doing your transfers. like if you wipe off a choclate transfer if you mess up, then you really have to buff the plastic shiney again, dont leave any streak marks or it will show up on your transfer. Also make sure you dont take it off too early. Sometimes I get a little anxious and take it off a bit too early and some of the chocolate sticks to the plastic in places and that creates a dull finish.
ckkerber: neat cake!
I usually stick mine in the fridge or freezer for a few minutes. A lot of people will advise you not to for good reason...they do tend to curl up a little and they can become a little brittle. But it works pretty good if you only do a few minutes, then you know they are set up hard. Otherwise I would probably wait 20-30 minutes just to be sure they are completely set( I make mine pretty thick).
i saw the instructions for the transfers....after filling in the colours, it says to smooth the back w/ a spatula...wont that smudge the whole thing???
It depends on how you do it. The idea is to do it in layers so you do the first set of details, let it set, do the next layer, until you fill in the image. Then, you want these to be thick enough to handle so ideally, you can put a solid layer on the back once everything else is done and if you were to smooth that layer with a spatula, the rest underneath it are already set. Does that make sense?? I never smooth with a spatula . . . I just kind of smooth it with the tip of my parcment bag as I go along.
i want to make this cake tomorrow(winni the pooh one) and want to know if i can make it w/out candy melts? can i just colour white cooking chocolate for CT? also, Merissa how do u get the fondant so clean b/c mine gets all dusty thanks to the cornflour/powdered sugar i have to use to prevent sticking? Is that i roll it too thin? can i get quick answers plz so i can make it for my son's 2nd bday. And also, where to get the pics from of the characters on the blue winnie the pooh cake?
Sorry-I didnt receive notice until now that there was a message. I did pm you some of the answers regarding the cake. You can do an internet search for winnie the pooh clip art or coloring pages to get images. If you send me an email I can forward my file to you of the ones that I saved.
I am not a chocolate expert and I dont really know the properties of the cooking chocolate you mention. I think regular chocolate has to be tempered to be melted properly??? I think you can use almond bark though. You can color it, but you need to use an oil based color or it with flo coat (like you can buy from here) or I know some people have added crisco to it. Otherwise your chocolate will seize us if the regular colors come into contact with it.
thanku CKKERBER for the great tip...i tried that and it works like a charm...do i have to use it CRISCO only or can any white butter/margerine can do the same thing?
I've only tried Crisco . . . I don't really know if you can use white butter. It might be more oily. If you try it and it does work, be sure to let us know!
I read somewhere on here that someone uses candle warmers. Those little round warmers you set glass candle jars on and they heat from the bottom up. maybe if you set a glass something over the actual warmer you could put the parchment or squeeze bottles on that.
save! Love you Carol. Hope you and your family are doing great!
? Is there a special web site to get pictures from for the Ct
If I'm doing cartoon type tranfers, I usually do a google search for images (you can google either the character -i.e. winnie the pooh- and get a lot of color pictures or do a search for coloring pages -i.e. "winnie the pooh coloring pages"- and get the black and white outlines). When I'm doing a more sophisticated cake, I like to do searches on stationery / invitation websites for image ideas. This is great for images / ideas for bridal showers, bachelorette parties, and even generic kids' themes (for these, I'd google bachelorette party invitations or kids birthday invitations and check out the links that come up).
Merissa,
Your cake is so awesome! I've recently started doing choc. transfers myself & absolutely love the finished product. I think that they look better than the fbct & you don't have to freeze them. I make mine on overhead projector clear sheets. They hold up much better as well. I did a p.ranger cake about a week ago & it went over so well. I'm trying to post it in the gallery.
Do you have the Whimisical Bakehouse? I just got it & it has some great techniques using choc. You can actually use a paint brush to blend your colors & do shading. Can't wait to do more!
Thank you! I do have the WBH book, though I learned mostly from cc and then a lot of trial and error! I look forward to seeing your cakes!
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