What Is The Drying Time For Food Coloring Painted On Fondant
Decorating By My_Little_Cake_Shop Updated 6 Jun 2011 , 6:54am by My_Little_Cake_Shop
Hi,
How long does it take for food coloring to dry on fondant? I mean if I did a stencil or a stamp dipped in food coloring or drawn with a brush, how long would it be DRY not sticky or tacky? I want to do this on some cupcakes or cookies and cover them with cello bags so they have to be totally dry!
Thanks in advance!
Mix your color with some vodka or lemon extract. That way it goes on thin and even, and dries *very* fast. By the time you're finished painting the last cupcake, the first ones will be ready to bag.
If you dilute the color with water instead of something alcohol based, drying time depends on local humidity & temperature as well as how thickly the color is applied, but it can easily be many hours.
Holly
i agree with Holly, Use vodka, Not water, as this will help it dry quicker, it also allows you to do more thinner, even coats, i prefer to give several light coats, to build up colour and definition, rather than trying to do it all at once, takes longer but i think it gives a better result
thanks for your replies!
will it work the same way if I use something like vanilla extract? or maybe lemon juice or butter flavoring?
The reason lemon extract works better than water is because of the high alcohol content -- alcohol evaporates much faster than water. So lemon juice won't have the same effect, but other extracts could. Lemon is a good choice, however, because it is clear and has a very high alcohol level, even higher than most other extracts. For example, my lemon extract is 87% alcohol, but some of my other extracts are only 30-40% alcohol.
so nothing that does NOT have alchohol would work?
I would recommend you use Rose Spirits, which is available from a lot of good cake decorating suppliers. It's about 95% alcohol, and dries very fast. Its much faster than vodka - I find vodka leaves things 'tacky' (sticky) for days...but if you do use it, be sure to buy the highest alcohol content you can find.
i agree with Holly, Use vodka, Not water, as this will help it dry quicker, it also allows you to do more thinner, even coats, i prefer to give several light coats, to build up colour and definition, rather than trying to do it all at once, takes longer but i think it gives a better result
I wish I had read this before doing my zebra cake yesterday. I used vodka with my gel color and practiced on a piece of fondant first with one light coat and it did dry fast. However, when I did it on the cake I went heavier because it wasn't as dark as I'd like. Consequently, it's taking a long time to dry. It doesn't help matters that the humidity here is high right now! 
Plus I've refrigerated the cake. Chalk it up to another lesson learned! 
Well where I live no alchohol is allowed in the country at all! 
That's why I am asking if I can use something else that would dry faster?
Well where I live no alchohol is allowed in the country at all!
That's why I am asking if I can use something else that would dry faster?
Oh, well that's tricky then. Could you use airbrush colours? I believe airbrush colours can be used for hand painting/stamping on cakes - they would already be the right consistency without dilluting with alcohol. I'm not sure if they dry fast though, perhaps someone with an airbrush might have some idea -?
I tried diluting with vanilla extract last night (since I only need black, the color of the vanilla wasnt a problem). I also lightly dipped a sponge in the diluted liquid and THEN brushed the stamp on that (minimizing the amount of color deposited on the stamp). It dried faster than it did with just color alone!
I never thought of trying airbrush colors (DUH!!!) ya they are more liquid and they do dry quite fast when they are airbrushed on fondant cakes! Simple solution!!! Thanks
I tried diluting with vanilla extract last night (since I only need black, the color of the vanilla wasnt a problem). I also lightly dipped a sponge in the diluted liquid and THEN brushed the stamp on that (minimizing the amount of color deposited on the stamp). It dried faster than it did with just color alone!
I never thought of trying airbrush colors (DUH!!!) ya they are more liquid and they do dry quite fast when they are airbrushed on fondant cakes! Simple solution!!! Thanks
Cool 
Let us know how they work!
Well, vanilla extract is largely alcohol. So if you have vanilla extract then it's not quite literally true that no alcohol is allowed into your country! You might be able to find lemon or orange extract, or clear vanilla, if sometime you need to do the same thing with a color other than black.
I've heard that airbrush colors work well too, but have never tried it. I don't own an airbrush and actually have no idea where I'd buy the colors! So I tend to forget about that option.
No I'm 100% sure it doesnt have alchohol This is a local type of extract. Even when I order extracts online that do have a even a tiny percentage of alchohol they are not allowed in
As for air brush colors, they worked ok. But the extract + color combo was the best especially when I don't put too much on the stamp! And it dried in less than a day
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