I've done 2 FBCT to date. I really like this type as I'm not artistic at all, so this is a very useful tool for me.

My first question is, can you only do a frozen buttercream transfer with a crusting buttercream? It's all I've used so far, but I'm curious as to if you can use other buttercreams, and if so, are they limited to only a certain few?


Additionally, I'm going to be doing a 9x13 cake and have an idea that I would like to complete as a FBCT -- and do the whole thing to fit the top, so basically a 9x13 FBCT. Is this really practical?

I'm trying to picture actually flipping the transfer onto the cake and am not sure if I'm being realistic in this. I could do just parts of it and fill the rest in without doing it as a transfer, but I'm just thinking this would be interesting to try.

Any thoughts?

Hi! I've only done 1 of these so far, but I think the best BC would be a crusting one because it needs to freeze well - and you barely have enough time as it is getting the transfer onto the cake once it's out of the freezer.......before it starts thawing out.

I think the 9x13 transfer could work as long as you have the dimensions right & make the transfer really flat on top. You'll prob need to touch up the cake once the transfer has thawed & melded together with the rest of the cake............would be interested to see how it turns out!

I have done several large FBCT, and they are really easy to flip onto the cake. Just make sure that your cake has crusted, that way you can move it slightly before pressing it into the cake to position it where you want it. I always use wax paper to pipe on, that way I can remove it by tearing it into strips so as not to pull too much of the design up as I go.
Also, I always freeze overnight and make sure Im ready to put it onto the cake immediately after removing from the freezer as it tends to warm up really fast.
I have also used Royal Icing and Color Flow, but didnt really like the way it looked after sitting on the buttercream for a while.
I think any type of buttercream would work, as long as it can be thinned enough to pipe through the smallest tip that you use for the outlines and small details.
Hope this helps!!

Saw the most wonderful demo at ICES on frozen buttercream transfer. My one trial didn't turn out so great. But the person demonstrating did a wonderful job. Will have to try it again. She used a crusting buttercream.

I've only ever used crusting buttercream. My suggestion for that is if you have some of a non crusting buttercream on hand, why not try it? You can pipe a really simple design, like a heart that is all in one color. The idea is that you need an icing that will freeze "hard" and will release from what ever you are using as the backing for it.

Depending what what color you are using for the background of the picture I may try to do a full 13x9 transfer, or I may do the main section, fill around around it a little, then freeze that and finish filling in the rest once on the cake. I'd probably do the fill in after if I was using white. With colored icings, I'd probably go ahead and just make the transfer out the size I needed it to be, because I'd be worried about a color difference in the frozen and non. Probably wouldn't happen, but I don't know.

I've only done one FBCT so far and the BC I used was not a crusting one:

http://cakecentral.com/gallery/2091440

I think the best advice I received prior to doing my FBCT was to be sure I didn't make it to thin, because then it would thaw faster. I put mine in my deep-freeze for about 6 hours and had no trouble moving it around a bit to get it positioned just where I wanted it. So that's my one experience with a non-crusting BC.

My one and only FBCT was not a whole cake. It was a 9x13" and the Predators jaguar was only in the middle. You can see it in my pictures. It probably wasn't the best FBCT ever, but it worked well for me.

Christy

Thanks for the info!

The one I'm doing for this weekend, I'll be doing a crusting buttercream, but I would like to try to expand and try different icings, but for a FBCT, I don't want to always be limited to a crusting buttercream.

SarahBeth3, I like that cake! What kind of buttercream did you use that was non-crusting?

sccandwbfan, I like yours as well! I haven't done anything that large which is why I'm nervous to do something so large.



The couple that I've done, they just kind of sit on top of the cake. I had read a post before about how to do it to get it even with the rest of your icing (FBCT placed on a crumb coated cake, ice around transfer and then smooth). That's something I'm trying to aim for which is what made me think of trying it this way.

My aunt likes roosters, so my dad requested something rooster-themed, so my original idea was just a FBCT rooster. Then it progressed to rooster on a fence. Which then kind of transformed into rooster on a fence, with grass, sky and clouds. I figure I'll have to ice around in some areas at the very least, but I thought it'd be fun try it as a whole (especially as I'm not artistic). I plan on doing a basket-weave around the sides -- so I'm hoping it'd all come together.

But I figured it'd be best to even see if something that big would be possible. My boyfriend is going to help me scale everything to the correct size so everything will fit properly.

If you want the grass and sky in the background, I would actually do the fence and rooster, so they do sit on top of the icing and not be flush. It would make it sorta 2 dimensional.