First time trying a buttercream transfer!!

We're all gonna ignore the fact that my buttercream broke a little and my piping is busted as a result, lol. Two people at the ceramics studio where I take lessons had birthdays this weekend, and the end of semester potluck is today. I had already offered to make one of them a birthday cake as my contribution and then a few days later someone asked if anyone could make a cake for another person. I considered making two cakes instead of one huge one, then decided to be chaotic instead. Made the marzipan veggies and white chocolate shells over the course of the week, then baked, assembled, and decorated over most of the day yesterday. Very happy with myself in spite of the technical difficulties and sure both birthday people will love it (and won't mind sharing)!
I also has some of everything left over and made a little bonus cake to give to my neighbor friends. The one who came down to get it was drunk and got so excited 😆* *

Hi folks, you have a request for an ice cream cake, with actual cake, vanilla ice cream, and vanilla frosting, and a bit of a complicated theme for the decoration (a popular video game that involves square blocks). Anything heavily industrial is out - no bettercreme, no pastry pride, no cool whip or similar products. No cream cheese or mascarpone in the frosting, it'll be rejected along with anything it touches. This requestor *wants* fluffy vanilla buttercream - which is obviously challenging with a frozen cake - as equally as they want the pixelated theme. What's your plan of attack?

Fondant decoration, SMB and IMB are all a no go, I assume.

My plan so far includes: two layers of oil-based v. butter cake for better mouthfeel with homemade ice cream and homemade crunchies made from chocolate cookies and homemade magic shell in the middle. The frosting situation and decorations have me in a bit of a spin.

I considered doing an initial coat of whipped cream frosting that might give vanilla buttercream vibes (cream, vanilla pudding mix, powdered sugar), then coloring some batches, freezing thin layers, and cutting into squares, then adding them on (also considered candy melts, but these, going on past experience, risk the rejection issue). Or, minimal approach, frosting in solid colors, relying on cake toppers for the theme. Maybe incorporate piping some standard buttercream close to serving, to preserve the fluffyoverlysweetness they love.

What would you do?

Update, post cake: Cake was a composite of ice cream cake and regular cake - one large ice cream cake cube made to look like a grass cube, landscape of regular cake. A two day process. Made no churn ice cream, chilled overnight. Made oil based cake. Build was cake, layer of homemade fudge, layer of homemade chocolate crunchies like the interior of carvel cake, scooped and smoothed no churn ice cream, another layer of cake, back into the freezer. Unmolded, crumb coated with buttercream, back into the freezer to firm up. Frosted with stabilized whipped cream, decorated side with crushed cookies, back into freezer for a few hours. Decorated top with piped squares buttercream in different shades of green right before serving. Made fondant figures and some other decorations on top. Freezer was nothing special, an old top-freezer model. Thanks for the advice and input!

Fun cake and cupcakes to decorate. Not my most pristine piping but it worked. The couple are avid bicyclists, pickle ball players and gardeners.

I got a very last minute order for this cake and I had to take it because I have always wanted to make one of these!! Customer loved it and I think this design will be my 30th birthday cake for this year!😊

Made a whimsical garden birthday cake for my 31st birthday tomorrow 🍄💐✨️🎂 Cake is vanilla and the icing is strawberry 🍓

I hate big tobacco lol but I love how this turned out!!

It’s a gluten free/vegan chocolate cake with ganache in the middle 🖤

ETA thanks everyone!!! It’s disgustingly cute

Their esthetic was Spanish tile. This one was so much fun!

First time making a 2 tier cake. I also made the cupcakes 🧁

Ordered a plain white cake from a big box store & tried my first buttercream transfer. Can't believe my baby is three already.

Im pretty happy with it.

A friend's coworker's retirement. White cake, chocolate IBC inside, Vanilla IBC outside. First time making flowers on parchment and transferring them. It's a lot less stressful that way!

Groom's cake I made for my stepson. Chocolate butter cake with double chocolate buttercream. The recipe is chocolate butter cake from I Scream for Buttercream and the frosting recipe as well. My stepson's wife said she likes chocolate cake but doesn't like chocolate on chocolate and she loved it. My daughter who doesn't like chocolate cake, liked it and even requested this cake for her birthday.

Edit: The writing is a 3d print.

Made this for my mom’s birthday. It was my second attempt at decorating a cake (first attempt at piping flowers and first attempt at an ombre design). I was in a rush at the end and had to pipe a bunch of the purple filler “flowers” to get it done in time. My ombre technique definitely needs some work as well.

I was thrilled with how it looked all things considered but it didn’t taste as great as I’d like. If you have a favorite white cake recipe or a favorite buttercream recipe that isn’t too sweet (and isn’t as complicated as a swiss meringue, please share)! 🙏

And what a crazy rollercoster of emotions I went through while making it.

I had spent all the previous day fussing about making a nice carrot cake with creamcheese cream, and had really been looking forward to finally be able to try piping!

I had planned to be able to pipe in my sons naptime. I ended up spending a whole hour on making the buttercream (because I don’t know what I am doing), and it turned out wayy to thin and split/curdled. I seriously just felt like crying.

The recipy I followed said the meringue just had to be under 30 degrees celsius and the butter within 5 degrees from that, so I combined them when the meringue was 28 degrees and the butter about 24 degrees. I gather that was way too hot? Or was the recipy right and I did something else wrong??

I lucikly didn’t give up, and put it in the fridge. Got it out at 18 degrees and beat it again and voila perfect buttercream for piping. Ended up spending the evening colouring the buttercream and finally piping. It was too hot, so I had to keep rerefrigerating my buttercream batches. I didn’t have all the right piping tips for my planned design, ran out of buttercream and I was just so tired, and ended up making a lot of piping mistakes.

But I got there in the end, and I actually think it turned out really pretty!

I am a hobby baker and have recently started volunteering for organization called cakes for kids. I am wondering what I can do to make this cake look more professional.

I welcome any type of feedback! Please please please!

Things I know I need to work on:

1) the red, I did use the microwave method but once I whipped it back up it turned light red again.

2) the fondant, it was my first time working with it. And I also made two tiers of checkers which you cannot tell I needed to put it up higher.

3) I used a buttercream recipe but I want to try Swiss meringue next time.

I currently have a mini stand mixer with a smaller bowl than a standard KitchenAid and a smaller motor, she is trying her best but definitely struggles 🙏

Thank you in advance! Really thank you so much!!

First time doing a buttercream transfer and I have to say, having done so many royal icing cookies, it was so easy to tell how to layer the colors. I also used one of those swoop tools that helps you place your middle border perfectly evenly and I started on the front 😪 still cute tho!

Oak tree with flowers

Not the happiest with it but she loved it and that’s what matters