Red??? I tried with royal icing a few weeks ago and I think I added 1/2 a jar of color (3 different reds) to about 1/2-3/4 cup of icing. In the end, my husband said it was red, but i think it was reddish bright pink. Is it possible to get red without buying it???

Thanks

When I made my royal icing poinsettias for my wreath cake, I used an entire jar of Wilton's "no-taste" red icing color for one batch of royal icing. I am pretty new at cake decorating, so I do not know if there are any tricks to getting the frosting red without using an entire jar of coloring.

Thanks. I saw your cake and wondered if you colored the icing yourself. Anyone else have any insight??

This is how I do it. I use a lot less colouring. I have found these tips from class and other sites.

First, add cocoa to your icing to make it brown. It's easier to make red when the base is not white.

Then add Rose colouring until the icing is a deep pink. If you are making a couple cups of icing, this should be less than a quarter of a bottle of rose.

Now add the red(s). I actually add more Rose than red(s).

Trick for buttercream: Colour your icing at least one day in advance. The longer the icing sits the redder it becomes. I had to make the red for a cat-in-the-hat cake. Within one day my colour changed from a hot pink to the perfect shade of red.

Good-luck!

Thanks, Jackie. I was using Wilton, at least two of them were. Can the recipe you suggest be used for making roses and such? Does it harden enough?

Ameena, do you use Wilton color or some other brand?

For red icing, i add Cherry (Maraschino) juice to my icing, it tints the icing pink and adds a hint of flavor- which covers the bitter red "after taste". Then I add my coloring gel. Let it sit for awhile, that should do the trick

I use Chefmaster Christmas Red gel. period. It only takes a little bit and no waiting time. All of their colors are so vibrant and just plain great! I've used their powders also. They are also very good. Oh yeah- no aftertaste!!

Not all cake stores carry it. You may have to order on-line. They also rock when it comes to black.

Here are some examples of my reds and blacks. They were this color immediately and only used a couple of drops per cup of icing.

Dash from "The Incredibles"- using lots of red and black on this cake

Red lettering on cake

Red lettering and clowns, black light wires

Black musical notes, lines and lettering

Thanks everyone. I'll give your suggestions a try. Making red is my biggest fear. Hopefully this will help!

Ameena:

I use Ateco Super Red, but I have heard that Americolor is great too....Good luck!!!

Hi. The last time I made red icing for a cake I had to use about three jars of Wilton's Red Red, and I still wasn't satisfied. I was making it late at night and finally ran out of coloring gel gave up. In the morning the darn stuff was a nice deep red just like I wanted. I could have screamed it frustrated me so. So, I decided that the colors deepen when you allow it to sit a while. I don't understand why it takes a ton of coloring sometimes but I always do get the color I'm wanting, eventually. I'm open to suggestions my friends. And thanks in advance.!

For those of you that mentioned other brands of icing colors, is there a website for them: americolor, ateco and chefmaster? I haven't seen these brands at Michaels or AC Moore crafts. Thanks.

You can't get them at Michael's or A.C. Moore, Go to www.Sugarcraft.com and Dolores will have exactly what you are looking for!!

You can't get them at Michael's or A.C. Moore, Go to www.Sugarcraft.com and Dolores will have exactly what you are looking for!!

Thanks Mari.

I tried using unsweetened Kool aid to color buttercream red. I used 2 packets of cherry to 1 recipe (1/2 c. butter, 1/2 shortening) regular buttercream. The result was not pleasing. The "red" was more of a rose color and I could definately taste the Kool Aid flavor.
Missey, did you try the grape yet? Did you have any luck with that?

Sandi

By the way, I found all the brands mentioned: ateco, chefmaster, americolor, at my local cake and candy specialty store. (well, "local", the closest one is 25 miles from me!....the joys of living in a huge suburb).

Well I made a spiderman cake and could not for the life of me make red icing. I even used the wilton gel coloring. So I learned from painting I guess , I used the hot sort of pink icing that I made and used it for the primer and ran to the store and bought red spray color icing and sprayed it. Worked out for me, this may be a fast thinking last minute idea. But it saved me from serving a pink spiderman..
Happy Baking!