how can i color buttercream frosting black?!
Answers:
To make a real black icing, take 2 cups of Wilton’s ready-to-use butter cream, add 1/2 cup good quality cocoa (sift if it seems lumpy), 2 teaspoons of water, and 1 oz. Wilton black icing color.
You will achieve a true, deep rich black color which is so popular for wedding cakes today, such as details for string work or embroidery work. For example, the Black Tie Affair Cake is topped with black butter cream Cornell lace.
If you have added too much black color in the beginning and your butter cream seems to have somewhat of a bitter taste, I suggest adding either 2 tablespoons of cocoa or a flavoring such as cherry or orange, about 1 teaspoon, to 2 cups of icing.
Black coloring will not stain a glass or stainless bowl. It is possible it will stain a plastic bowl.
Other examples of fun projects using black butter cream include the Mickey Mouse Clubhouse Cake or Ice Skate Cake. Both of these projects are decorated using the popular and easy star technique.
good luck!
of black food coloring
Getting a true black by dye is difficult as you said. You either have to get professional foodgrade dye paste or use an airbrush system with foodgrade liquid dye.
If you plan to do this regularly Amazon sells good quality airbrushes cheap, otherwise try looking up your local restaurant supply store. Also, our local safeway bakery sells its own cake, pastry, and frosting supplies if you ask. I've bought their spice mix they use on breads, piping bags, large and small, etc. So, check with your local bakery, large or small, and see if they can't offer you some of their professional stock, without a huge investment on your part. Good luck!
According to this website, buy red, blue, and green food coloring, and mix them. You would use 3 parts red, 3 parts blue, and 2 parts green:
http://www.ehow.com/how_2001897_mix-food…
Another site says this:
"For black: Because it takes such a strong concentration of color to produce black, it is easier to buy black color. Mixing black color IS possible, but you need to use very strong paste colors and a LOT of it which makes the recipe bitter. A pinch of salt will help with the bitterness, but the only way to get a good strong black is with a LOT of color, especially when using gel color. Be careful with black. It will stain just about anything it touches.
To make black: ... I usually keep about 2 cups of already mixed black icing in the freezer and remove what I need. I only use a small amount. I also do this with strong red color.
Use white icing with a combination of royal blue, red, orange and lemon. Or, start with a dark brown color or chocolate icing (made with melted chocolate and/or black or Dutch process cocoa) and add black. I Just keep adding more black color SLOWLY until you reach your desired color. Remember colors darken as they sit.
For small amounts of black icing (for piping buttons, dots, etc) you can just add enough black food coloring to your white icing to create black."
This website has a lot of detailed info about mixing and using food coloring:
http://www.baking911.com/decorating/tint…
I found 5 black food colouring products on Amazon, other than Wilton. There are gels, powders and liquids. A couple are listed as super black. Unfortunately almost none of them was reviewed, which is what I usually go off to decide between options. With butter-cream icing I would think that a gel or liquid would be best, although a liquid would still change the consistency, perhaps you could adjust for this with meringue powder or icing sugar? Reviews for the last colour listed were all good, said that very little was needed, and that it worked well for royal icing where texture and consistency matter a lot, so that is how I'd go.
Hope that helps!
Chef Master powdered food colour - 3g $1.95
http://www.amazon.com/Chefmaster-Powder-…
Americolor Super Black liquid - 13.5 oz $8.52
http://www.amazon.com/Americolor-Food-Co…
Lorann Gourmet liquid food colour - 1 oz $2
http://www.amazon.com/Liquid-Color-Ounce…
Chefmaster Liqua-gel - 2.3 oz $3.49
http://www.amazon.com/Chefmaster-Liqua-G…
Americolor Super Black Soft Gel Paste - .75 oz $1.49
http://www.amazon.com/Americolor-Super-B…
During a Wilton class the instructor told us to start with a dark purple. Add black to the purple buttercream to achieve the dark color needed.
food coloring.?