Red Frosting Help. Stupid Elmo Cake! :(

Decorating By laneybug Updated 24 Apr 2014 , 11:49pm by katrussell

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laneybug Posted 24 Apr 2014 , 1:54pm
post #1 of 18

OK. So I tried the powder food coloring that people on here say works. Not so much. I still have pink! I used the ENTIRE canister that I bought on Amazon for $10. I couldn't find it anywhere locally, so I bought it there. I used the entire thing, and now I'm Out Out Out. I have no idea what to do now. I tried the Wilton Gel before and it just made it taste funny. However, I have a pretty dark pink color. What should I do in addition to what I've already done? Add gel (I have some stuff in a tube), add liquid? I'm pretty sure that I at least need to add red, right? I'm so upset right now. My daughter is going to have a PINK Elmo cake for her second birthday. PELMO. :(

17 replies
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KASCARLETT Posted 24 Apr 2014 , 3:10pm
post #2 of 18

Oh no!  I'm so sorry!  When is her party?  Sometimes when you let colors sit, they will darken (don't put it in sunlight though). The pink won't darken to a red, though.   I really wish I knew what to tell you.  Have you tried the no taste red gel from Wilton? 

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laneybug Posted 24 Apr 2014 , 3:26pm
post #3 of 18

AI actually added the no taste gel to the frosting. I ran out of that. So then I added some liquid food coloring. I basically added all of the food coloring that I had in the house that was red. It is still a dark shade of pink. I'm afraid it's going to end up tasting really bad. I think I'm just going to leave it the shade of dark pink and use that. I don't know what else to do. Her party is on Saturday. Maybe it will turn darker over time. I know it's not going to turn red from pink though.

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laneybug Posted 24 Apr 2014 , 3:35pm
post #4 of 18

ACan I let it sit for a little bit and then go back and add more food coloring?

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FioreCakes Posted 24 Apr 2014 , 5:06pm
post #5 of 18

Laneybug-- how much frosting are we talking about here? 5 cups? You really need to let it sit…I would bet money that if you added as much as you say you did, you will wake up in the morning to red icing! I've done this several times!

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LizzieAylett Posted 24 Apr 2014 , 5:46pm
post #6 of 18

Could you try mixing in some cocoa powder to darken it a little?

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laneybug Posted 24 Apr 2014 , 5:48pm
post #7 of 18

AWell, my recipe calls for 2 pounds of powdered sugar. So, quite a lot. I went to the store and purchased some more food coloring. I'm going to see if adding more help. My husband just tasted it. He said that it still tastes good. Thank goodness. It has darkened a little bit, but not as much as I would like. So, hopefully after adding some more color it will darken to my liking.

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vgomez9 Posted 24 Apr 2014 , 6:16pm
post #8 of 18

Recientemente use un poco de frosting rojo, lo que hice fue mezclar mi frosting blanco con extracto de fresa, se torno color rosa. luego utilice 2 gotas de Amarillo y algunas 20 gotas de rojo hasta que logre un rojo intenso para hacer el logo de la NBA.

 

 

 

 

Recently use some red frosting, thing I did was mix my white frosting with strawberry extract, it became pink. then use 2 drops of Yellow and about 20 drops of red until I get a deep red for the logo of the NBA.

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laneybug Posted 24 Apr 2014 , 6:19pm
post #9 of 18

ATwenty drops wouldn't have gotten me anywhere. I used an entire bottle of liquid and an entire bottle of powder food coloring. I think I just have too much frosting to color ratio.

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FioreCakes Posted 24 Apr 2014 , 6:45pm
post #10 of 18

My advice would be to honestly let it sit overnight  --- if you add the coloring to make it the red you would like it then overnight it will darken to a red that you may feel is too dark. You could post a picture of it now and we can tell you if we think it will darken. I seriously have made red several times and it did not take as much coloring as you are suggesting for just as much icing. 

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laneybug Posted 24 Apr 2014 , 6:54pm
post #11 of 18

A[IMG]http://cakecentral.com/content/type/61/id/3225495/width/200/height/400[/IMG]

It looks a little darker in the picture than it actually is.

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FioreCakes Posted 24 Apr 2014 , 6:59pm
post #12 of 18

I think that looks pretty good! I would never call that pink! Let it sit overnight and I think it will turn into the color you want! Maybe someone else can chime in or you can search other threads for advice as I know this question has been asked before. 

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Mimimakescakes Posted 24 Apr 2014 , 9:36pm
post #13 of 18

Next time you need to whiten it first before you add the red, or you can add a little violet to correct it. 

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laneybug Posted 24 Apr 2014 , 9:47pm
post #14 of 18

A[IMG]http://cakecentral.com/content/type/61/id/3225576/width/200/height/400[/IMG]

I added more coloring. It finally looks red!!!

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feuerrader24 Posted 24 Apr 2014 , 10:25pm
post #15 of 18

AI added a drop or two of maroon before to help darken up my red. Red will also deepen overnight a long as you keep it out of the sun.

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cakegrandma Posted 24 Apr 2014 , 10:25pm
post #16 of 18

In my opinion Americolor brand is the only coloring I use anymore.  When trying to get a red start off using a pink and then add red however, you need to be sure you have a red, red or a no taste red.  The more color you add the worse the taste of the icing can get and maybe some will not like the flavor at all.  I always make my icing a couple of days before I need to use it and color it, leaving it sit will allow you to see how dark of a color you will get.  Good luck on your Elmo!

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bakernoob Posted 24 Apr 2014 , 11:43pm
post #17 of 18

Add a small amount of orange gel if you have it. It will make the pink more vibrant red like Elmo. Make sure you only add a little at a time though. 

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katrussell Posted 24 Apr 2014 , 11:49pm
post #18 of 18

AI add cocoa powder then add red gel

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