OK, I made a FBCT using the recipe in the recipe forum. I did however add some water to it, because it looked too thick? Anyway, I let it freeze for a few hours and went to apply to my cake. I pressed and smoothed with my hands and when I went to peel off, only some the transfer stuck to the cake. The rest stayed on the wax paper. The other thing was that the wax paper messed up the icing on the cake?
All that work...good thing it was just a cake for fun for my kids!
What did I do wrong???
It sounds like it maybe wasn't frozen enough. I've always been told to freeze at least over night. I'm sure someone that has done it more than me can give you a better answer though!!!
Personally I think a better choice is parchment paper. I like the wilton silicone treated kind, never had a problem with it. I havent tried waxed paper, but I know I have read lots and lots of post where people describe there FBCT sticking to wax paper. On the other hand, lots of people say it works fine. I have even read where people lightly coat the wax paper with crisco.
I have never even flipped a fbct over onto a cake. I just flip it into my hand and lay it on the cake
ooooohhhhhh!!!
Flipping it on your hand would make sense!!! Thanks, I will have to try this again, I will freeze overnight and try the parchment paper! You gals are swell!
What was it that you added the water to? Maybe that was it. Did you add water to thin the icing before starting the FBCT? Or did you put water on the transfer itself? The only time I've ever had trouble with a FBCT was my first time the icing was beginning to thaw without my knowing it. It broke and didn't adhere all the way. I patched it and made it look okay, but it really has to be frozen solid and hard as a rock. It thaws quickly in like a minute or two!
I had thinned the icing with a couple tbsp of water as I was making it, to make it a more smooth, thinner consistency. Is this wrong?
I'm wondering if it would be possible to use plastic wrap (like Saran or Glad wrap) over the wax paper? I use it now whenever I do stuff with royal icing and everything comes off so well without any breakage. I think I will test it out sometime if no one here has done it and see what happens. I think the key would be to taping it down really taut so there are no wrinkles, otherwise your fbct will look wrinkled.
How I wish all posts about FBCT could be edited to remove the words "waxed paper." I think it's the worst possible medium to do this with. I followed the directions at first, and quickly saw that waxed paper was wrong, wrong, wrong! I've not used parchment paper, but I have used plastic wrap (smoothed and taped down) and it releases perfectly. I wonder how many people have been discouraged by this and then gave up. So sad....
I'm sure everyone has figured out what works for them, but I ONLY use wax paper, have done about 25 FBCTs and have not had a single problem with any of them-big or small. I've made them thick and covered an entire 11 x 15 cake top, and also thin and tiny enough to go in the center of a 6" smash cake. I have always used my normal crusting BC recipe-half shortening/half butter. I do know that if it is a non-crusting BC, it will not work well!
OK, I made a FBCT using the recipe in the recipe forum. I did however add some water to it, because it looked too thick? Anyway, I let it freeze for a few hours and went to apply to my cake. I pressed and smoothed with my hands and when I went to peel off, only some the transfer stuck to the cake. The rest stayed on the wax paper. The other thing was that the wax paper messed up the icing on the cake?
All that work...good thing it was just a cake for fun for my kids!
What did I do wrong???
The buttercream will start to thaw fast especially if your house is warm. Most importantly heat from your hands will thaw the transfer. So if you need to press the transfer to the cake don't use your entire hand. Use your fingertips around the edge to minimize the amount of heat transfered. Better yet try using a fondant smoother.
I use wax paper all the time to do my transfers and I never have a problem. It's cheaper than parchment paper.
Granted I have only done 4 small ones but I used wax paper with a thin layer of crisco applied before I started and the transfers came right off.
Another ?? about the fbct-how do you guys get the fine details without them smearing when you try to fill in? I have not problems when i do a chocolate transfer-the details are set before the next fill. I tried to make a small Pink Ladies jacket (from the movie Grease) and the lettering got mangled!
I've only made three FBCT's and each one came off easily. I used wax paper for each one too. Maybe the water is what did it, it looks thick when making it, but when you actually use it its pretty easy. Or maybe your environment was too warm like cake_princess suggests.
...quickly saw that waxed paper was wrong, wrong, wrong! I've not used parchment paper, but I have used plastic wrap (smoothed and taped down) and it releases perfectly.
So it DOES work!! I knew it! Yay!! Thanks for the info, now I need a cake to do one on!
I think that thinning the icing was fine. I did that too. I used waxed paper with no problem, but I've heard alot of people have trouble with it. My only problem was that I didn't recognize how fast it was thawing my first time!
I'll start by saying I have always used waxed paper on mine, so while some may have problems with it, it does work for others. I also have never left mine in the freezer for more than an hour.
I made a transfer last year where I had to make black and red, and by making those my icing got thinned down and of the transfer those parts stuck to the paper when I was trying to remove it. So my thoughts are if your icing is too thin, it because more sticky.
Other things that can factor into the transfer sticking is not making it thick enough. If it is too thin then it will thaw faster and there for will stick before you can pull it off.
Plus you want to make sure when you pull it out of the fridge you place it on the cake and pull the backing off right away. You can not move slowly in this process.
Did you put a second coat of icing on it? That and working very quickly to apply it to the cake are essential.
Another ?? about the fbct-how do you guys get the fine details without them smearing when you try to fill in?
I smooth mine with a sponge paint roller. I haven't smeared a design "yet".
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