I’m ashamed to say that I haven’t experimented more with this technique, because it’s a really cool one!
Buttercream transfers are certainly not a new idea. They’ve always been a popular way to get images like kid’s cartoon characters or logos onto buttercream cakes.
But the idea of of transferring and image so that it’s flush with the side of a cake, that’s not a technique I’ve seen very often. I don’t know that it really has a name, but I’m calling it inlaid buttercream transfer!
The basic idea is to trace an image with buttercream, then let that traced image chill until it firms up. Then, you can actually push the traced image into soft buttercream without messing it up. It’s a fairly simple process, but after trying it out there are a few small details I realized are important.
Choose the Right Kind of Design
The first and probably most important thing to consider is the type of design you want to transfer.
If you want to transfer a flat design onto the side of a round cake AND make it flush, you need a design with spaces to make it flexible. A solid block of buttercream (like a cartoon character) won’t lay nicely onto the side of a round cake. That’s why you usually see those types of designs transferred onto the top of a cake.
It’s also probably a good idea to consider how complicated your design is. For this cake I picked out a pretty complex design, and it took quite a while to trace!
Trace the Design
I used parchment paper to trace my design, but if you happen to have acetate or wax paper those would work as well.
You can make it easier to trace by first taping down the picture you want to trace, and then taping the tracing paper in place over top. This is especially helpful if you have a really complex design and don’t want things sliding out of place.
You’ll want to use a small round piping tip to trace out your design. I used a #2 since my design was intricate, but if your design is simpler you could use a larger tip. Just match the size of the tip to the size of the lines you need to trace.
A toothpick is also a good tool to use. After you trace your design, you can use the toothpick to clean up any uneven edges or to pull the buttercream into the corners of your design.
Chill the Design
After the design is all traced out, you need to chill it until it firms up.
Now here’s one of the tricky parts: you also don’t want to chill the design too much. There’s a point where the buttercream will be firm enough that it doesn’t budge from a slight touch, but where it will still be a bit flexible. That’s what you’re aiming for. It needs to be firmer than the frosting on your cake, but still flexible.
For my design it only took a few minutes in the fridge to get to this point.
Transfer the Design
Now for the fun part! Once your design is chilled, you can gently hold it up and press it into the side of your cake. Don’t worry about getting it pressed all the way in at first, just make sure it’s it the right spot.
Then you can go about smoothing the whole thing out. It’s easier to smooth from the center out, especially if the design is larger. This will help you avoid wrinkles.
If you have a fondant smoother, now’s a a great time to use it. Otherwise, just find something flat to press up against the side of the cake and help you get everything nice and smooth.
Once you’ve got the side nice and smooth, put the whole cake into the fridge. Once all the frosting is chilled, the design will be stuck into the frosting and you can peel away the paper.
If the design is looking a bit wrinkly after peeling away the paper, you can clean it up but scraping away the cold buttercream. Use a cake scraper to carefully scrape over the design, wiping away excess buttercream after each pass.
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