Hi Everyone!

Maybe one of you could help me out. I am making a cake tomorrow and will need dark brown fondant accents.

What would be the best solution, buy dark brown fondant already? OR, buy brown food coloring for white fondant and try to get the dark brown effect??

Here are my concerns: I don't want to have to buy more fondant if I can achieve the color on my own.

Next, I don't know if on my own I can get the dark brown color I need.

The color I am going for is as dark as tree bark. What would you recommend?

MANY THANKS FOR YOUR SUGGESTIONS AND ADVICE!

Flo

Have you thought about using modeling chocolate? You can make your own and it is very easy. There are some good recipes here on CC.

How much do you need? Just a wee bit for decorations? (Tootsie rolls)

I prefer to use satin ice brown/chocolate fondant. It is very dark brown, almost black but you can add white to it to lighten it up. Tootsie rolls would work for trees too if you have some of those on hand. Good luck.

MMF but sub some of the powdered sugar for Hershey dark chocolate cocoa.

Okay, my interest is peaked. Tootsie Rolls? how do you manipulate them? can you microwave and then roll out? I love thinking outside the box

Modeling chocolate would be perfect for making branches. But like Leah_s said, Tootsie rolls work fabulous too. To make them pliable, I either knead them a bit with my hands until they have softened. Or, I have put them in the microwave for like 3-5 seconds, then check them. You might have to do this a couple of times. Just be very careful, they can get hot in the middle very quickly.

I have also used tootsie rolls and they work very well! I also heated several in a bowl just enough to get them soft and pliable and they were so easy to work with! And yes they do get very hot to the touch! And they harden to keep their shape!

Tootsie rolls can be your best friend in a pinch. Just warm them up (I just use my hands) and model away. Some times you can even find them in pink and white. They're great for making flowers. I actually won a little classroom flower making contest in culinary school with them.

Just an idea when you need a large amount; Kraft makes chocolate/vanilla swirl marshmallows. When you use them to make MMF, it comes out a light brown, and then it is much easier to color dark brown with coloring.

And as a bonus, it tastes just like Tootsie Rolls!

Love a tootsie roll myself! I've used it for roses in two photos in my gallery. I buy the mini tootsie rolls, cut in half and warm in microwave for 6/7 second bursts at a time. They get scary hot (have burnt myself as proof!) but also cool quickly so I like to work in small batches at a time and I like to set up my work station close to the microwave. I don't find they completely harden and I never tried a branch. Mini tootsie rolls are also sold in the multi-flavor bag - with pink, orange, white, green and blue. Good luck!

For my fondant class cake I attempted to color fondant dark brown and it worked ok, but it too a ton of color and it made the fondant really soft and sticky.

Duff's chocolate fondant (sold at Michaels) is actually yummy. It tastes like homemade fudge.

Even the Wilton chocolate isn't too bad (it's much better than their regular flavor) if chocolate flavor works with your cake. Wilton also sells a small packet of skin tone, light brown, dark brown and black, which, to me, is usually worth the purchase because those colors are difficult to make.

Wow! Thanks everyone for the great ideas....totsie rolls! Brilliant!