Pattern Transfer Cake

In my cake decorating class we are learning how to do pattern transfers onto cakes and decorate them. We had an option to do a fish, a cupcake, or a hamburger...I chose the cupcake!

Using a pattern transfer just helps you to get the design outline onto the cake so that you have something to go by and not just having to create the whole design by hand directly onto the cake.

The easist way to do a pattern transfer is to have the outline of the shape or pattern you want (you can even use coloring book pictures or pictures from the internet) and tape a piece of wax paper on top of the pattern. then you will use what is called piping gel to outline (on top of the wax paper) the pattern of the picture you have. Once the gel dries and after you have your cake frosted and are ready to decorate, you take the wax paper with the pattern on top and turn it upside down onto the cake, press lightly so the pattern will transfer from the wax paper onto your cake. You now have an outline of a pattern that you want to put on your cake. You can then decorate it however you wish! Simple as that!

                              Here is my cupcake cake using a pattern transfer of a cupcake:

I wish I would have taken a picture of just the pattern before I filled it in and decorated it, but I didn't. The cupcake patter was very simple, but it was used as a guideling for me to know where to fill in and make the cupcake even and proportional.

*Piping gel- you can buy it in small containers and walmart, hobby lobby, michaels, or any cake decorating store. The purpose of the piping gel is to make the icing you use a little more elastic so it stretches and moves around a little better. You can do your pattern transfer with straight piping gel (use tip 1) or you can add some piping gel to your thin consistency icing (use tip 2 or 3) and do your pattern transfer that way. Piping gel is also good to use in your icing if you are going to be writing words onto the cake.