Fbct Newbie Needs Hand Holding.
Decorating By ziggytarheel Updated 22 Sep 2007 , 10:11pm by ziggytarheel
I'm brand spanking new here. I've spent way too much time in the last 24 hours looking at this website. I'm addicted. I told my husband I would like him to hook up the computer to the TV and rig it so I can use the remote to scroll through pictures. 
Fifteen to 20 years ago, I was very interested in cake decorating and did mostly simple theme cakes for my kids and their cousins. I seemed to enjoy the cakes more than the kids! After I became allergic to eggs, I lost a lot of interest in making what I could not eat. But now that my last little one is off to college, I would like to try this all again. I wanted to start with something that seemed not too difficult and would be new and fun. Oh, and I have rheumatoid arthritis, so although I'm doing pretty well, I don't want to really overdo.
So, my rather strange idea is to start with a FBCT because it doesn't seem too daunting and reminds me of when I used to make t-shirts for my kids using coloring book pictures as a guide. (Did anyone else do this?)
I thought it would be fun to even start with one for my husband's birthday next week. I'm not sure what design to use, but that is the least of my worries.
I read the tutorial and I'm mostly okay with it. Mostly.
If anyone could fill in any gaps there with special pointers, recipes, first time things to watch out for, etc., I would love it! I'm going to set aside time on Wednesday to start on this.
Thank you!!!
well, congratulations on becoming a new addict LOL believe me it happens to the strongest of us....before long you'll wonder how you ever lived without visiting Cake Central LOL Anyhow.......you saw the tutorial that's a great start, I would suggest using the buttercream icing for frozen transfers recipe in the recipes tab and just go for it....be patient and have FUN!
One tip I have (and welcome to CC by the way ) is if you don't want the lines showing in your FBCT (because sometimes even when you do the last step, which is to smooth the back to get the lines out) kind of bury the tip in the icing and fill in like that that way you won't get snakey lines in your FBCT....goodness I hope I explained that right
HTH
Christi
Oooh, thanks for the tips! I'm getting excited.
How important is it to work on a piece of plexiglass?
And does anyone have any experience with doing this on an ice cream cake? I'm considering that option.
You guys make me smile.
FBCT are so much fun 
I'm no freehand artist, but give me something to copy!!
Plexiglass isn't the only material you can use. I use an old glass cutting board - once I used the bottom of a springform pan. The plexiglass is nice because it allows you to see the bottom (top) of the image while you're working on it. Anything solid (that won't bend at all) will work!
As for recipes - I thin down my buttercream dream since I usually have thta made and in the colours I needed!
Good luck and welcome to CC!
http://www.baking911.com/asksarahbb/index.php?showtopic=441
The above is a link to how I do the transfers.
I don't make a special icing for them. I just use my basic all crisco buttercream in a thin medium consistancy.
I don't freeze my outlines because they do thaw pretty fast so it doesn't really do anything. You can let the outline crust a little before filling in.
When I fill in the areas I try to keep my tip buried in the icing. I find this helps with not having as much of a worm look on the front.
I am eating up all this help!
After pondering a bit, I think I've chosen my design:
http://www.sportslogos.net/images/College/NCAAa-c/Appal_3111.gif
My husband's alma mater and 2 kids there now.
It isn't the prettiest thing, I'll grant you, but it seemed like a rather forgiving design for a first try, and I liked not having tons of colors for a first go round.
I'm a little puzzled about the outlining step, given there is so much black in the design. If you look, you will see there is a gray outline around the whole design...I'm not really worried about that. But it seems kinda weird to outline in black and then fill in with black. Would I still use a stiffer "black" (dark chocolate) for the "outlines" and a less stiff "black" for the fill-in? Or just do it all the same? Or...?
Anything that comes to mind when you see this design and you want to share, I would like! Both the kids will be home this weekend...one senior and one freshman. So I thought we would go on and celebrate Dad's birthday then and let them enjoy the cake's design too.
Thank you again!
I use the same consistancy for the whole transfer, which is a soft medium.
Instead of outlining it all in black you could outline the outside in black then outline the other sections in the yellow and white, then just fill in the black around those outlines. There is nothing that says you have out outline everything in black first.
Thanks! Everyone is so helpful!
I was having second thoughts about my idea. I'm afraid the lettering won't leave much room for error. But, I'm gonna give it a try anyway! Made the bc just a bit ago and the cake a little earlier. I plan to make the transfer tomorrow. We'll see!
I think for a first try I should have used something a little more forgiving. If worst comes to worst, we'll just have plain cake this time.
Well, I should have gone with my gut here. It was a mess, to say the least. My chocolate icing was much too stiff. My decorator bags are so old that 2 of them split while I was working. But the biggest problem was that the design called for very meticulous, careful work. Nevertheless, I finished it, put it in the freezer, and out came a mess. Oh, yes, you could kinda tell what it was supposed to be, but not enough to put it on the cake.
Not sure I'll have time to try again tomorrow. If I do, I believe I need to use a design that does not require such precision. And I need one of you to come make my butter cream to get it just right.
I'm not really discouraged, but I hate to put so much time into something that was a complete flop. I'll try to just think of it as practice.
I guess I'm off to look for some trees and a mountain...or maybe...just the ocean.
Try try again!! You'll be surprised at how quickly you get the hang of it.
You're right on - your icing was much too stiff. If it is breaking your bags for sure you need to thin it down.
It should be right between a thing and medium consistency ~ your spatula shouldn't stand up straight for long at all in it. And it should pipe out really easily.
What tip were you using to outline your design in? To fill in with?
You've got to have a light hand with complicated designs so you don't screw up already done parts! I had to do my Stewie body twice to have it look somewhat clean since I wasn't careful enough.
Good luck!
Keep at it! I learned SO much from doing my first one. (The batman logo in my pics!) My tip, make the transfer pretty thick. Mine broke when I was transfering it! I didn't have the plexiglass tip, so I did mine just on wax paper! It ended up OK, but still pretty stressful! Good luck!
Well, since the cake was already iced and I had some left over icing, I decided to go with an old school logo which was just a block capital A with some writing in it. I got the design to suit me, outlined it, feeling really good about it, and then realized that I had only saved the chocolate icing. I don't really have the time to make some more buttercream and am not sure how to make just a little bit anyway. So, either I'll have my husband bring some white home with him and I'll just fill in with white, or I'll just fill in with the chocolate and call it a day. No one will know what grand plans I really had. But it was much, much easier today to outline the figure.
I saved the first one I did so my family can have a good laugh. I certainly got it think enough! I need to buy some new bags, as I'm down to just two now. The old ones that split looked like they could be trouble to start with, so my ubber thick chocolate did them in.
I so appreciate all of your help. I think, eventually, I'll be able to create something that isn't too bad.
I'm glad to see you didn't completely give up on this. The first ones don't often come out the easiest or best. It is one of those techinques that does need a bit of practice or trying it a few times.
I really enjoy this techinque because I can not freehand. And you can use it with simple or detailed stuff. Yes the more detailed stuff takes longer and can be more challenging, but it usually can be done.
Good luck with the next one you make!!
Well, it actually turned out pretty nice, considering. The icing was fairly thick on the transfer, but that worked in my favor for this design. It looked like a letter from a letter jacket, which was perfect. And gives me an idea for another cake to do. However, one edge wasn't as thick as the rest and it was a mess getting to go on the cake and look right. So, I'm wondering how you make the transfer less thick and still have success?
I'm thinking about doing a pansy design for my grandmother's 89th birthday in a month. We'll see! Thanks for all of the good info and encouragement. I would have made a real mess without it!
Me again.
My grandmother's birthday is in 2 weeks, so I'm starting to think about her cake.
She adores chocolate. The richer and goo-ier the better.
She also loves flowers with a passion. So, as I had mentioned, I thought perhaps I could manage a fbct pansy design of some sort. I found a pattern, but realized that I would need to add a background to the transfer if I used it, because the stems being so thin would be weak. OR I was wondering if maybe I should just do a few pansies without stems.
I had even thought about doing a cupcake bouquet, but I'm thinking maybe no about that one.
Any suggestions on the pansy fbct for a real beginner?
And any suggestions for a really great chocolate filling? And with what flavor cake?
I'm sorry I ask so many questions. If I keep reading this site so diligently, someday I will be able to help someone else!
If I were making flowers with the transfer, I would probably freehand the stems and leaves after you place them on the cake. It would probably work out nicely. I haven't tried the transfers, but I'd like to. Good luck!!
And welcome to Cake Central ... my life hasn't been the same since I found it!! Lot's of wonderful people, and awesome advice for us beginners!
Thanks! Maybe that is the way for me to go.
Where in Sask. are you? I've been to Regina two times and have friends in various places around there.
I'm actually from North Carolina.
I made 2 trips up there taking teens to a conference/competition at Canadian Bible College. The last trip to Canada was Calgary, as the college has moved.
We loved Regina. The downtown park area was gorgeous!
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