I am having troubles getting my edible images to completely dissolve into the icing. When the cake is cut, most of the image can be peeled off. I use a 1/2 butter and 1/2 shortening buttercream. I have tried laying a wet paper towel over the area of the cake where the image will go to keep the icing wet (thanks lisa for the suggestion) and have also "painted" water on the area where the images goes. Neither of these has seemed to help. Does anyone have any other methods they use. I get my icing sheets from Sugarcraft and they are Kopykake sheets (I live near sugarcraft so I can get them there without paying for shipping from Kopykake).

Thanks, Libby

I use the same BC recipe and kopykake sheets too and the best way to get the sheets to soak in is to lay them on right after you ice the cake...before it crusts. If you use Viva paper towels or parchment to smooth the BC, do it after you have put the image on the cake.

Another tip is to thin your BC just enough so that is still crusts just not as quickly. You'll have more time to get the cake frosted and the image on before it crusts.

Also...don't pop the cake right into the fridge after you're done decorating. It needs to sit out at room temp for a while for the sheet to soak in.

Another thing you'll want to do is to keep the decorated cake covered otherwise the frosting sheet will actually dry out on the cake and peel off just like you said.

Another thing I've noticed is that the kopykake sheets ordered from Sugarcraft have been in storage for a short time. They are not as moist and flexible as the sheets that are ordered straight from Kopykake. The drier the sheet, the longer it will take to soak in and you may even need to thin your icing a bit.

Thanks Lisa! I will thin icing some and see if that helps. I've only had one image work right and it was the very first one I tried so maybe the freshness of the icing sheets is the key. I also stored the first one in my rubbermaid cake carrier (not a box like the others) since it was just an experiment for home.

Would using something hot help (like a hot spatula on top of a viva towel)?

I don't know...the other methods I described have always worked for me. I think once you thin down the icing, you'll see the sheets begin to soak in better. It can take just minutes for this to happen or it can take as long as 15. Moisture is really the key because this is what "melts" the sheets into the cake. Too much moisture though and the sheets begin to breakdown or wrinkle which is why they don't work well with whipped cream.

I have found that by using a small spray bottle and lightly misting the top of the cake, lay the image down and smooth it works well.  If I feel it still needs a little, I mist again keeping the mister about 8" away from the image.  This has worked well for me with no issues.