Have only done a couple of these, and even though the design comes out great, my icing does not "flood" together smoothly. Should I be using a thinner icing, a smaller tip, both? I am worried a thinner icing will not set properly.

I think after you turn it out and it is softening a little you can place wax paper on top and very carefully smooth it a bit more,with your finger, I think thats what I did, but its been awhile.....

After the image is set onto the cake, let it soften up and put a viva paper towel over it and smooth it down with a spatula or,what I use, a drywall scraper...you could use your finger but I find mine are too bumpy or something because that makes my image wavy. I would use a medium consistency, crusting buttercream, if you make it thinner-it will really want to stay stuck to that wax paper. HTH

Your icing should be soft - a hint softer than you would make for piping vines and lettering.

It will not stick to the paper if it is high butter content.

keep the tip buried in the icing and let it flood out, do not pipe lines. HTH

Thanks everyone for the tips. Sharon, I think you hit it. It looks like lines to me. Getting ready to try another one this week. I will make the icing much thinner as I was just using your standard "Sugarshack", my all time favorite.

thanks. i dont thin my out. it is just how the tip is buried in the icing as you pipe..... HTH!

i did my first FBCT last week and whilst i did use thin lines, i coated the back in red to match my cake top and when spreadnig the back i gently pressed down enough to fill any minor gaps... dont apply to much pressure though or lines will blur!

hope this helps

sam
xxx