Kool-Aid For Red Coloring Works!
Decorating By cakesbykitty Updated 28 Jul 2006 , 11:47am by LittleLinda
this week there has been a thread on how to make red icing.... someone suggested using red kool-aid. well, i tried it and man am i sold! for a 3 cup icing batch i added almost half a jar of wiltons no taste red (going to buy americolor next time) and then 2 packages of red CHERRY KOOL-AID. wow! it really made a huge difference! and, i have to say the cherry flavored frosting was yummy! tart, but i love that! I made my frosting the night before and let it "develop" overnight. here is a pic of the cake did with the icing
KOOL, im going to have to try this, how did it mis with the rest of the icing colors(the taste)?? Great find
yep, you'll get strawberry flavor if you use that one. you get the taste of whatever flavor the kool-aid is. i am so hooked on it now, i will do this every time! and i happened to hit a sale for 10/$3!!! (amazing for alaska where kool-aid is 60 cents a packet).
Way to go Alaskamom....It was an amazing tip when the person gave it to me. Happy to pass it on to everyone on here. I have only used the cherry flavor, but i'm thinking I should experiment with some different flavors. Wonder how it would work in fondant!! Hmmmm??!! Time to go find out..
Patrice
Love the idea!! Sure beats dumping a whole container of color into your icing!! always makes me feel bad when I have to use so much 
lol Im definately going to have to try this out!
I just read in another thread that you should use a little coloring first then add the kool-aid. Idk though - ive never done it.
yes! it was pdrinkard that posted the original Kool-Aid idea! Kudos to you!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!! 
Thanks alaskamom.....just passing on some good ideas given to me. That's what this site is all about...sharing ideas. I have always used a little bit of color first then added the kool-aid. It works great!!!
If you have a Dollar general store nearby ,then their Kool-aid packs are 10 for $1.00. Super price.
And I second or third it, that it really work.
I used it last night for my 4th. of July cake, and it really is an awesome find, much better than using a whole bottle of coloring.
Plus you get the great taste, so thats a 2 for 1.
Anything that is easy and cheaper for us is a Good thing(is Martha Stewart here) 
Oh well, thanks again for the tip.
Rhondie, are you in Portland? i used to live there, my mom is in West Linn. I just moved to Alaska from Bend, OR last summer... still in shock at prices up here. cake making is very spendy! you think Kool-aid is a rip off.... here's some examples (and why i'm having such a hard time trying to figure out what to charge for my cakes!)... milk (local, not flown in cause it goes bad before you can use a gallon) $4.98 a gallon, eggs $2.50 a dozen, powdered sugar 2lbs for $2 ON SALE (have started buying at costco big time), Wiltons meringue powder is $5 for 4 ounces (not sure, might be that way in the lower 48 too)... not mention non cake stuff like tomatoes ON SALE $3.99, Zucchini $2.99 a pound. EVERYTHING up here has to be shipped in. It's crazy expensive. I love Alaska but miss cheap groceries!!!!!!!!!!!!!
oh, and in Alaska we don't have "dollar stores"... i did hear there is a $1.49 store up here somewhere! LOL LOL LOL
I used to live in Fairbanks. Lived there for four years. I can relate to the higher prices...not to mention not many stores to by cake supplies. That is where online comes in handy...if they ship to Alaska. How do you find your supplies alaskamom??
Patrice
Wonder how it would work in fondant!! Hmmmm??!! Time to go find out..
Well?!?? I'm dying to know the answer (because I want to make a red ribbon for my July 4 cake this evening and strawberry ribbon on a carrot cake doesn't sound half bad).
Did you have any trouble with it being grainy? I put some "invisible" raspberry koolaid into some icing I made today, and it was kind of grainy. I thought maybe I should dissolve it in the milk before I add it next time.
My kids loved it, though. It tasted great, and it didn't change the color at all.
For 10 cents, it's a pretty cheap flavoring.
Mixing it with some milk would be ok...i'm sure it would take away the graininess. Glad it worked for you.
oh, and in Alaska we don't have "dollar stores"... i did hear there is a $1.49 store up here somewhere! LOL LOL LOL
We don't even have 1.49 stores anymore!! They're like 2.50 stores. There used to be one near Costco. But yes, I buy the huge bags of powdered sugar at Costco, it's really cheap! I live on base, so the stuff is a little cheaper. But I hate that our Dollar Menu at McieD's is the 1.50 Menu!
LOL..and that's exactly why I buy WalMart brand milk (2.99), cuz the Matanuska Maid is so expensive! And it comes in a yellow container, so that scares me that I can't see it until I pour it out LOL..I know I'm weird, but picky.
When did you move to Anchorage? We got here in March, and are here till 2010!
WOW! we will have to get together! i have only been here a year. i was buying cheap milk but it kept going bad before i used it! bought some at costco last week and poured some into my coffee the next morning only to watch it curdle!!!!!!!!!!! so i do matanuska.. the $5 is cheaper than throwing it out all the time.. and my hubby is really picky weird aoubt out dates on products. LOL about mcdonalds! too funny! hey, i play bunco at the air base all winter! PM me if you want to get together some time!
Wow. I'm going to use the red for my Elmo cake! Yeah, I was kind of sad about the thought of dumping so much coloring into the frosting, too. It's expensive. Plus, I heard (haven't done it yet) that it can be bitter. Although, I didn't buy the Wilton red. I bought some other one. From a cake decorating store. Not sure the brand... I will try using some food coloring mixed with Kool Aid. Thanks so much for the suggestion!!!!
Amber
Wow. I'm going to use the red for my Elmo cake! Yeah, I was kind of sad about the thought of dumping so much coloring into the frosting, too. It's expensive. Plus, I heard (haven't done it yet) that it can be bitter. Although, I didn't buy the Wilton red. I bought some other one. From a cake decorating store. Not sure the brand... I will try using some food coloring mixed with Kool Aid. Thanks so much for the suggestion!!!!
Amber
I'm not sure that I would use the kool aid for that much red. I used it for my July 4th cake, and it was tart! It wasn't bad for the little amount that I used, but I'm not sure that a kool aid elmo would be very good!
You can also do this with fondant.......works great! The Spiderman picture in my gallery was done using Kool-Aid. Made it taste like Taffy! YUM!
WOW! I have really enjoyed reading about all your attempts to make red! Now I really want to try the KoolAid idea. I live in Montreal, & I buy plastic containers of 517 grams (that's a little over 1 lb) of KoolAid for just over $C3.00. I have several containers available so everyone can just stir which ever they like into their own water glasses (or make strange combinations).
So now I'm thinking... for the next basketball cake: I would try orange KookAid with maybe a touch of rust or terra cotta gel color... that should work...?
be sure and use the kool aid that DOESN'T have the sugar pre added!
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