Hi guys, I'm new here and I'd really appreciate some help.
I am attempting to make small apple logos to top cupcakes with. Since I can't draw them out with icing on each cupcake, and I obviously won't find molds for this, I decided to trace them out of candy melts. I printed out the logos and traced them on parchment paper and it works fine, the only problem is that I can't get it to look smooth at all. I get a weird terrain on top with peaks and bumps, and it looks terrible!
How can I smooth it out so that I get the logos to look sleek and smooth? Or if anyone has another idea of what to make these out of that would be even better!
I'd go for fondant rather than the candy melts. If you've got a pattern you like, you can place it on your fondant and trace around the pattern with a small utility knife or any small bladed knife. Might be more time consuming but it would probably be smoother.
If you've got an apple cookie cutter, even better. Once you apple shape is cut, you just have to cut out the bite from the one side. The wide end of a decorating tip should do that nicely. All you'd need then is the "stem" part of the logo. You could do that with a small oval cutter or a knife if you don't have the cutter.
Heres a link to some apple logo cookies as an example.
http://www.flickr.com/photos/sweetsbyzoe/3217841275/
Thanks guys!
I'm having trouble finding clear information on royal icing transfers. Does anyone have a good resource to read up on that?
I wasn't able to find any apple cookie cutters, otherwise that would have been fantastic.
ohtanya, click on the link for a tutorial on royal icing tranfer. Just scroll down a bit to see.
http://cakecentral.com/modules.php?name=Forums&file=viewtopic&t=648450&postdays=0&postorder=asc&highlight=royal&&start=15
You couldnt find a small apple cookie cutter...
Oh thats too bad. 
The one have is about 1.5 in.
I love doing chocolate transfers, but parchment isn't a good surface for piping chocolate.
If you place the pattern under a plastic report cover or piece of acetate and pipe on that, the "down" side will be smooth and shiny. Place the piece "down" side up and you're good to go. They'll all but fall off of the smooth surface.
HTH
Rae
Thanks, BlakesCakes! When you say "plastic report cover", do you mean something like this: http://www.business-supply.com/sku_images/large/UNV20504_1_1.JPG ?
Thanks, BlakesCakes! When you say "plastic report cover", do you mean something like this: http://www.business-supply.com/sku_images/large/UNV20504_1_1.JPG ?
Yes, those are perfect and can be found at any office supply store.
You can print up a page of patterns, afix them inside the folder, and pipe away. Stick it in the fridge for for a few minutes when completed, and they'll come off very easily.
Don't wash the surface when finished, just polish it using a soft cloth like a papertowel or piece of flannel. By keeping the surface scratch free & shiny, anything you pipe on it in the future will come off smooth and shiny, too.
Rae
Thanks, BlakesCakes! When you say "plastic report cover", do you mean something like this: http://www.business-supply.com/sku_images/large/UNV20504_1_1.JPG ?
Yes, those are perfect and can be found at any office supply store.
You can print up a page of patterns, afix them inside the folder, and pipe away. Stick it in the fridge for for a few minutes when completed, and they'll come off very easily.
Don't wash the surface when finished, just polish it using a soft cloth like a papertowel or piece of flannel. By keeping the surface scratch free & shiny, anything you pipe on it in the future will come off smooth and shiny, too.
Rae
Blakescakes, thanks for posting your tip on using the report cover. I'd never have thought of that!
So... I tried the royal icing, and it was a flop I could not trace with my #2 tip for the life of me, ended up with terribly squiggly lines that looked horrible. I don't have shaky hands or anything, I think maybe it was too thick for the small tip and I had to press way too hard.
Anyway! I'm going to have to go with the candy melts at this point since I'm running out of time. Does anyone have any experience thinning out candy melts to "fill in" like you would with royal icing or color flow? Would that solve my problem?
If you want shiny decos that will "snap" when you bite them, you can thin the melts with paramount crystals. If you use shortening or veg oil, they'll be duller and softer.
You honestly don't need to thin the melts to get them right for piping. If you get them melted properly, they'll work fine. The melts will set up in the outline immediately and then use them to fill in. Keep the tip of the bag or bottle buried in the chocolate and work quickly.
HTH
Rae
They don't melt well in those bottles.
Melt them in a microwave safe bowl on 50% power on short bursts, stirring after each cycle. Once you get them to the consistency you like, transfer them to the bottle. You can keep the rest melted by placing the bowl on an electric hot pad set on low (put a cake board on top of the bowl). If you have 2 bottles, you can keep one fluid by putting it in a coffee cup filled with hot water and put that on the heating pad, too.
HTH
Rae
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