No matter how much colouring I add to my buttercream or fondant, I can never get beyond pastel. How can I get a bright red without it being pink?

what type of coloring are you using? I used Wiltons paste and the colors seem pretty vibrant, even in fondant.

Are you using paste coloring? What shade are you using? Try "no-taste Red" and use a lot of it. I do not know about fondant, but buttercream will darken overnight, so try making it a day ahead and then check it for the coloring before applying.

Best regards,
~AngelWendy

You'll have to use more of whatever brand you're using. It's really hard to go from white to red. You may even use a whole jar/bottle or more of the red coloring. I use americolor's red red and it takes less to get a really red icing than the Wilton's no taste red.

I'm just using regular jell colour. Once I tried so hard to get to red, but it still ended up pink, and it tasted so terrible I had to throw it out.

Yeah, the Wilton gel/paste coloring, right? The red is known to taste pretty badly, which is why they have made one called "No Taste Red".

ok, so I just have to buy a special colour? easy enough

To use the Wilton no taste red, I color my buttercream pink first, then start adding the no taste red, it seems to help. The easiest way is to use Americolor. The red is red in just a couple of drops of color.

Personally, I don't use any of the Wilton coloring products. lthere are many better brands available. Janice

well, would you mind naming a few of the better brands?

I didn't mean to sound like such an authority, because I'm not, I just don't care for the Wilton.

I'm using both Americolor and CK products right now (I ordered some from Sugarcraft.com and have since discovered a cake supply store not too far away that carries both also). I understand that Magic Line makes good colors, although I have not used them (I have some of their cake pans that I really do like!)

My Americolors are soft gel paste in a bottle with a flip open cap that makes it easy to add to whatever you are coloring. The CK powders are good, but do seem to take a lot, especially if you want darker colors and a little more difficult to blend in.

Janice

Your colors will be more intense if you use milk instead of water...you might already be doing that, but others may not be aware!


Lisa...I just wanted to let you know that I deleted that post...didn't want you to think you were losing your noodles!!

veejaytx, i didn't mean to come across snotty, sorry if i did. i just figuered that if you knew of a better product, it would be nice of you to share the info.

missyb, I didn't think you sounded snotty!When I went back and reread the post I thought I sounded snotty, and that wasn't my intention. Sometimes what we write and what we are thinking don't come out the same. Janice

Colouring is something that I am also learning about, often the hard way. Getting a good red or black is difficult however there are ways to do it, starting with the type of buttercream.

I have noticed that my 'good' buttercream recipe (Dawn's recipe) is high in butter therefore it is not a true white. Any colours that I add turn out a little more on the muted side. When I start with a very white buttercream the colours are more intense. I like the 'good' recipe better and so far so does everyone else.

To get a good red I have started by going to orange and then adding the red, seems to be working and I don't have to use as much colour. Similar to what nashsmom said about starting pink and going from there.

The actual colouring brand may also make a difference. I only had access to Wilton until recently when I broke down and ordered some Americolor bottles online. What a difference! I made a cake 2 nites ago to test out the colours and I could not believe how much nicer they were and how easy to use. Plus, I used Wilton purple to colour some of the roses and those roses were the ones that recieved complaints about tasting a little bitter. In addition to this I noticed a HUGE difference in how the buttercream took the colour. I used the House Buttercream recipe from The Whimsical Bakehouse (very cool buttercream that is sooo light!). It took the Americolor perfectly however the Wilton didn't blend as easily and made the icing look uneven, almost like an oil vs water effect.

Anyways, that's just my long-winded 2 cents worth. I definitely will be ordering more Americolor and once my Wilton is gone, that will be it.

When using Wilton coloring it doesn't get darker over night it gets brighter neon looking.

I use 2 different type Wilton Reds. No Taste Red & any other color red to get red. BUT I do have to use 2 bottles. But the No Taste Red still tastes bad! That's why I switched to using Americolor. It only takes a few drops. It goes a long, long way!! I still have some Wilton colors, when they are gone I will NOT buy them again. There not worth it. Now when doing black & use chocolate BC icing then add black to it. For white icing it takes 2 whole bottles to get it black! I also have Americolor black. LOVE AMERICOLOR!!

I have heard americolor is best, even on here I see raves about it...havent used it though...dont have it here in Germany, but I will once back in the states!
I have been known to start with strawberry frosting and go from there. I have never had to use alot of red so it works, and using a little didnt take from the taste of the BC. If you need a whole layer of red then I would definately use more No taste red and poor it on!

Flavy, you can get both Americolor and CK products from Sugarcraft.com, and their prices are pretty good as well as their shipping fees, I have ordered a few things from them and thought they were reasonable...well, as reasonable as shipping can be! They sell a nice kit of mixed colors, I got that at the beginning, to see how I liked it.

Has anyone found a place to order boxes that don't charge a fortune to ship? That is one thing I'd love to order and have sent to me! Janice

Here's a a cake I made (the subject matter is a long story; I know it's cheesy!) using the two most difficult colors--red and black. The black started out being dark, dark gray and the red started out being dark pink. Once they hit the air and dried, the end result is what you see. I think they are pretty vivid and right on the money. I used the AmeriColor gels in the flip-top bottle and a half Crisco/half butter recipe.

Side note--the cake is covered in rolled fondant and then decorated with a bct and buttercream piping. Not one person (six people altogether) complained about the fondant--some went back for seconds and all enjoyed it! I asked what they thought of the fondant, and two of my friends who are very picky eaters loved it! The others found it to just blend in with the rest of the cake. So the fondant debate goes on....

cookieman...really nice cake! The red and black look perfect. Also, it doesn't look cheesy to me. What kind of fondant do you use?

Thanks! I use the Pettinice brand. It still has an odd, European taste to it, but it is edible, and once you get used to it, actually pretty good. Like I said, once you decorate with the buttercream, it just blends in. It tastes NOTHING like the Wilton brand. I refuse to eat that stuff!

I swore off ready-made fondant after tasting the Wilton brand. It's totally awful and that's being nice about it . But if your vote goes to Pettinice, then I'm going to give it a try. Thanks!

Cookieman..your cake looks great and the colors are very vivid! I too like Pettinice, but my all time favorite is Satin Ice!

Cookieman, your cake looks terrific! The colors sure came out beautiful. Bet your friend really liked it! Good work! Janice

How bad does the no taste red taste?????? Hopefully not as bad as the other reds .

Well crap!!!!!! does the pink taste bad too????? Maybe if i get it really really pink i wont need as much red. what do you guys think????