Bee Royal Icing Transfers
I have a love hate relationship with bees. For some reason, every time I go outside, a bee will fly in my face. I don’t like it at all. I do however, love the way bees pollinate everything. I know how important that is and have thought about becoming a beekeeper. I have looked at the supplies it takes to get started and I am almost ready to commit. I am still a little scared of getting stung so I wanted to start with some bees that were friendly and can’t hurt me so I made these bee royal icing transfers. What I like most about these bee royal icing transfers are that they are made with only one color of royal icing. To make them you only need white RI and black and yellow sanding sugar. I wanted to create a design so the colors wouldn’t bleed together or on the cupcake icing. I really like the way they turned out all fuzzy and cute.
Supplies for Bee Royal Icing Transfers:
White 15 Second Icing
Royal Icing Recipe or a Half Batch of Royal Icing
Black Sanding Sugar
Yellow Sanding Sugar
Food Marker or Paintbrush and Black AmeriColor or Wilton Gel
4mm Black Edible Pearls
Small Bee Template
Medium Bee Template
Large Bee Template
Wax Paper
Tape
#2 or #1.5 PME
Cute Baking Cups
Begin by preparing your temples like we did here.
Outline and flood the wings and the antenna areas with the white icing. Let it dry for about 20 minutes.
I want to show you how to paint the antenna and legs but I got my pictures a little out of order so pretend the next picture doesn’t have the fuzzy body yet.
For the antennas and legs, you can use Black AmeriColor Gel and a small paint brush to paint them on or you can use a food safe marker. I did it both ways and liked the food safe marker a little better. I had more control and wish I would have realized how much easier it was before I was almost done them. Oh well, live and learn.
Next, outline the head, tail and middle sections and immediately cover with the black sanding sugar then shake it off on a piece of parchment paper. I used 2 large pieces since we are shaking them off of a large baking sheet. You have to work fast so I suggest you only do 2 or 3 at a time.
Before you add the yellow sanding sugar, you might need to clean up the black sanding sugar a bit. This is reason 101 I love my Boo Boo Stick. All you have to do is use the edge and gently push the sanding sugar in a straight line. It really makes a big difference. You can also use it on the tail.
Once you are happy with the black sections, flood the other 2 sections and add the yellow sanding sugar.
To make the eyes, pipe 2 white dots and add a 4mm edible pearl to each one.
I have been talking about adding royal icing transfers to cupcakes so I wanted to finally show you one. These would be great with some fuzzy bee cookies. I hope you make some soon!
Happy Creating,
How adorable!
Thanks Hani!
Eeeeeeek! They’re so dang cute!
Thanks NikKi!
TOO CUTE!
Thanks Sue! The best part is they don’t sting! LOL
These are so clever!
Thanks Marg!
Congratulations!!! Soooooo cuteeeee!!! Love bees…
I am loving the ones that don’t sting! Hahahah
Simply adorable…once again you have me looking for an excuse to make cupcakes!Sadly, no little ones around to feed them too! Love how you did these, tfs!
Thanks Terri! Maybe you will find a use for them someday:)
Love the use of sanding sugar instead of dying a bunch of different icing colors! Much easier 🙂 Very cute!!
I love easy and the less colors I can mix the better! LOL And no worries about bleeding issues.
Adorable! Putting on my to-do soon list!! I like the cupcake wrappers also – Did you do those or buy them? I need to find or use my cricket one of these days (like my airbrush!!!)
Thanks Kim! I made the cupcake wrappers on my Cricket. I use the wrapper cutter the most. I have made hundreds! LOL
I knew it…gonna make me figure out that cricket!! hehehe Thanks for the info and the inspirations!!
Lisa, you must become a beekeeper so I can live vicariously through you! 😉 These transfers are so super adorable! I don’t mind bees too much and, miraculously, I’ve only been stung a couple times, despite being a wild child who was always outside 🙂 I did get stung on my hand one time after I grabbed a handful of clover that a bee was enjoying 🙁 Yeoch!
If (when) I do become a bee keeper, I will send you some honey.
The getting stung part is what worries me. When I was a kid I stepped in a yellow jackets nest and got stung 26 times. It still creeps me out! :/ I know honey bees are different so I just need to be brave.
How fun it would be to be a bee keeper! (that sentence had more “be’s” than I was expecting.) I hope you pursue it. I love these RI transfer bees. The sugar adds great fuzzy texture and color!
Thanks Mike! I think being a bee keeper would be a blast but, I am a bit intimidated. I will get my nerve up soon (I hope.)
This is so adorable! I am going to make royal icing transfers soon to top the cupcakes.
I hope you share a picture with me Asmita! I can’t wait to see what you do.
Lisa I am dying! These would have been perfect for my baby shower next month. I had the HARDEST time finding bees to top my cupcakes. Eventually I found some cute sugar bees, but if I had the courage to make them myself these would have been so much better!
Oh man Carrie! If I would have known I would have made extra and shipped them to you.
These have got to BEE the cutest BEEs ever. They made me smile the moment the page loaded. I like the thick thin effect the brushstrokes create on the antennae and legs. Can you do butterflies next?
Awe! Thanks so much Gitty! I already have my next one planned but, I will work on butterflies for you! 😉
So, so cute! Love these 🙂
Thanks Nessa!
So cute! I love these! Thank you for sharing!
Thanks Traci!
Super cute Bees – I have a friend in Napa who is a bee keeper and loves it – you must BEE come a BEE Keeper!
I want to chat with your bee keeper friend. I need courage! LOL
Those bees have personality! I love the furry sanding sugar … super cute 🙂
Have you tried a whole image and put it on a buttercream cake? Will it stay hard or will it soften a bit? I’m curious if the colors will bleed when on a buttercream cake. I’m trying to do a super hero cake and do the characters in royal icing transfers
If you are worried about royal icing bleeding, you can make butter cream transfers. There are several on youtube if you want to watch a video on it.