AHey everybody! Does anyone know if it's possible to put an image on a bake good prior to baking it (I would let it melt into the wet batter before baking). I am thinking of trying this with macarons, so I'm not too concerned with the change of shape, I'm more wondering if the heat would cause it to react.

Like this?  I've always wanted to try it!  Please post if you do it

AThat technique pictured isn't done with frosting sheets, which I am thinking that is what OP is referring to... But I'm not positive!

There are tutorials for the pictured technique online though, very cool!

Icing sheets would likely shrink/melt & discolor.

The cake above is NOT done with icing sheets, it's done with piped cake batter put down prior to adding the "background" batter.

I have seen prepared sheets advertised which already have patterns on them. Not sure where they are available, so the post is not entirely incorrect, although I think most people pipe and freeze the pattern, and then continue with the swiss roll mix.

I was thinking more along the lines of how to bake a design into something rather than an edible image.  I would be interested how you would do that on a macaron.  Am I way off base in thinking something like this?  These are not macarons, closer to cupcakes, but does the idea of baking a design on the top apply?

That technique/picture posted by PastrybagLady is called a joconde and it's not done with frosting sheets.

http://fine-motor-skills.blogspot.ca/2013/05/joconde-imprime-strawberry-mousse-cake.html

http://www.cakefu.com/joconde-cakes-turning-a-cake-inside-out/

A[IMG]http://cakecentral.com/content/type/61/id/3107133/width/200/height/400[/IMG]

Actually, I was thinking more something like this. I'm wondering how they got the printing on the macaron.

AI think there are possibly two ways to do this.

The first is the commercial bakery way using an industrial edible printer. Large commercial printers are different from the ones you get at home (or in a small bakery) in that the edible ink is applied to the whole finished item by passing the whole item through.

The second way, which is just an idea as ive never done it on macarons is to use 'blank' chocolate transfer sheets. These are the same as normal transfer sheets, but just with a thin layer of cocoa butter, no pattern. You can put them through an edible printer and print anything on them.

Usually you would obviously use them with melted chocolate, but given the low melting point of cocoa butter it is possible to transfer the image to things like hardened fondant and royal iced biscuits by carefully warming the back of the sheet so it adheres, putting in the fridge so the cocoa butter hardens up again and then taking out and peeling the sheet off leaving the image. It is very labour intensive though especially if you have a lot to do. I'm not sure where you would get them in the US, but I get mine from here http://www.thecakedecoratingcompany.co.uk/catalog/product_info.php?cPath=112_243&products_id=2195

However as I said I've never tried it on macarons so dont know if it would work on them. I would think it would be better to do it on macarons fresh from the freezer as they will be less delicate. I'm in bed sick this week otherwise I would give it a go - I'm curious now!

Would a stencil and airbrush work?

AIt would depend on what OP wants to put on it. If you wanted to print specific logos for lots of different clients it's a lot of work to create a stencil each time, especially one that intricate (unless you have something like a Cameo) I've since looked on the BO BO website and they actually say they print it on, so that's how they do it. They use a commercial edible printer.

AI rather impolitely forgot to say that the airbrush idea is a good one though, sorry Cazza1. Here's some Bo Bo have done with a photo on https://www.facebook.com/photo.php?fbid=646517525372361&set=pb.173516142672504.-2207520000.1380027273.&type=3&theater I really want to see if my transfer idea would work as a cheap alternative, but I have a stomach bug so not allowed in the kitchen for a few days yet :(

AThese are all great ideas! This picture is what made me think that they figured out a way to do it on a separate sheet for two reasons:

1) The fact that the design is on the "feet" and the side of the macaron makes me think the design was printed separately or else the design would be skewed if just printed directly onto it with an industrial printer from the top (if it made it on to the sides at all). At first the fact that the designs were off-centre was what made me think they were doing it pre-baking, but now that I think about it, the feet come from the inside where the colour wouldn't reach so they must have been coloured afterwards.

B) I thought of airbrushing, but multiple colours would take forever and these were probably printed as there are multiple colours used (it's more evident in the pink one) and they are very detailed (airbush would be less defined, yes?). Also, the sides would also be hard to do with a stencil, which again suggests some sort of "paper" image place on top somehow.

Or am I just going totally crazy?! [IMG]http://cakecentral.com/content/type/61/id/3107384/width/200/height/400[/IMG]

AAnd lindseyjhills, I also thought of the chocolate transfers. I will definitely try and let you know :)

AThank you! Yes let me know how you get on :)

Looking at the larger prints that are off center, I'm leaning toward a means of running them thru a machine that prints the designs. 

I'd think that if done individually they'd actually be more consistent.

A

ARubber stamp.

AAh, ya, ok, that makes sense. Stamp could work, too! I'll have to play around and see what works until I can save up my pennies. Anyone have an idea how much those things cost (ballpark figure)?

ACustom stamps from vista print are cheap and they will do your logo. When it's sent to you, the rubber part is not connected so that saves you the hassle of removing it since you don't want the hard backing anyway.

I like the rubber stamp idea, it seems cheap and easy. I'm just wondering if you would crush the macaron when you stamp it, however lightly you did it - and if you do it too lightly you wouldn't get a good amount of colour on there...

AI thought of that. Maybe pre-baking after the shells have dried for a bit?

AYou could use the freezer method for ripening them instead of the fridge method? That way they will be less delicate when you get them straight from the freezer.