Buttercream Transfer

I reviewed a DVD by Sharon Zambito called Sheet Cake Secrets.  You can buy it here: http://www.decoratethecake.com/store/WsDefault.asp?One=977

This is what the DVD looks like with a couple of her cakes.  The first cake is a color run, I can't wait to try.  She makes it look so easy!  I love the way she uses buttercream mostly with a few fondant accents since so many of my friends don't like fondant.  She teaches how to get your buttercream perfectly smooth (My baby shower cake had to be cane sugar free, so my thot not powder sugar did not turn out white, and could not get very smooth),  She teaches how to make great gumpaste daisies, and gives the extra tips that only another decorator can give you.   I loved the ruffled border and the fondant border also.  Th puppy cake is a frozen  buttercream transfer.  I had never heard of this technique before, and her instructions are very clear and easy to follow.  Her airbrushing techniques are awesome and very informative.  The royal icing bumble bees are so cute and easy to make.  She also makes a cowboy out of chocolate transfer, I will b e trying this technique on an upcoming cake.  I'm not able to afford these $200 cake classes so I love having a cake video to learn from, and I will be watching it over and over again because she tells you how to make every part of the cake, from the backgrounds to the trim and even the borders.  She's a great teacher and I really enjoyed the video!

I decided to make the buttercream transfer for a baby shower cake I made for a friend last week.  Except for having to use a special sugar, it was the least stressful cake I have made in a while!  First, I took granulated palm sugar or thot not sugar and made it into powdered sugar,  (get the how-to here: http://missyscakesandaprons.blogspot.com/2011/02/powdered-sugar-made-from-palm-sugar.html )  then made regular buttercream.   I printed off a clip art of a baby I found online and taped it to the back of a cutting board, I then taped a transparency sheet to the top over the picture.   Then I outlined the baby in black buttercream.

Next I colored in the blue top and diaper.  Then I colored in my flesh color, the tip I used was too big and distorted my feet some.

 Be sure to reinforce your buttercream transfer over the op by using extra buttercream, but first check and make you don't have any "holes" by looking from the bottom, I forgot to do this and it really makes a difference.  I did not make my transfer thick enough, and I think the thot not was not as strong as powdered sugar, and my transfer broke under the chin when I was ready to put it on the cake.

Next put it in the freezer for a few hours or overnight.

Carefully remove the transfer from the cutting board (Sharon recommends Plexiglas, I have not bought mine yet though), turn the transfer upside down own your hand and carefully peel it off.  This is when I lost part of my foot and it broke under the chin because it was not thick enough.  Quickly position it on your cake.  This all needs to be done quickly before the buttercream starts melting. 

Add a fun border like the e-border I learned from the video.  I used a 1/4 sheet pan and did not have the room to add the extra fun stuff to my borders that Sharon teaches.   I can't wait to make some more cakes using the techniques I learned.  This mini-tut does not include all the stuff and expert tips that Sharon teaches so be sure to watch the video and visit her blog here:   http://sugaredblog.blogspot.com/2010/11/tulip-time.html

Happy baking!

Missy

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