Comments on: A Guide to Coloring Buttercream Frosting

By: Whitney

Whitney — Sun, 23 Apr 2023 03:00:57 +0000

In reply to Melissa.

Hi Melissa! I’ve never had that happen before but I did find this thread online that it might have to do with direct sunlight and/or the brand of color gel. Take a look and see if anything jumps out! https://www.cakecentral.com/forum/t/603447/lavendar-butter-cream-keeps-turning-blue-help

By: Melissa

Melissa — Sat, 22 Apr 2023 11:05:22 +0000

I have an odd question – I made 100 cookies for a friend yesterday for her child’s birthday. Half were buttercream and half were royal icing. 3 colors were used, all straight from the gel color containers, none mixed to make other colors. The colors were pink, teal, and lavender. They looked great annd tasted even better! And then we set them outside for the party… We noticed after a few minutes that the lavender buttercream ones had turned baby blue once they were set outside. The lavender royal icing stayed lavender. None of the other colors did this. Any ideas why?

By: Whitney

Whitney — Fri, 23 Dec 2022 17:34:30 +0000

In reply to Amy. Hi Amy! It doesn't matter a whole lot, but I will say that if you color it before refrigerating the color will deepen to its true color in the refrigerator, vs. if you color it after thawing it will take about 30 min or so to reach it's true color. Hope that helps!

By: Amy

Amy — Thu, 22 Dec 2022 18:25:06 +0000

Hey! If I’m going to make my vanilla buttercream a few days ahead, is it better to colour it before refrigerating or after thawing? Thanks!

By: Whitney

Whitney — Mon, 25 Jul 2022 19:26:01 +0000

In reply to Emily. Hi Emily! What kind of frosting were you using with the icing whitener? I use American Buttercream for everything I do, which tends to take color easily, but some frostings don't take color as easily and end up looking freckled. Let me know and I can see how to help troubleshoot for next time!

By: Emily

Emily — Mon, 18 Jul 2022 02:30:22 +0000

Amateur here! I used the bright white as above to help lighten my icing prior to color. The white never really mixed in, it looked grainy but wasn’t. I wish I could post a pic! It’s such a weird explanation. Any tips or suggestions to what went wrong??

By: Whitney

Whitney — Mon, 23 May 2022 03:35:39 +0000

In reply to Clare. Hi Clare! It depends on the color you're making. If it's a pastel color, it should only take a few minutes. If it's a more saturated color (like red or forest green) it could take up to 30 minutes. If it's a super dark color like black it can take up to 24 hours. Hope that helps!

By: Clare

Clare — Fri, 20 May 2022 13:23:32 +0000

Thank you for the tips. How long would you say it takes for the colour to stop deepening so I know that I have the correct and final colour please?

By: Whitney

Whitney — Tue, 17 May 2022 04:46:45 +0000

In reply to Maddie. Hi Maddie! If the buttercream starts getting soft as you add coloring, you can thicken it back up by adding more powdered sugar or cornstarch (1-2 Tablespoons at a time) until the desired consistency is reached. Hope that helps!

By: Maddie

Maddie — Mon, 16 May 2022 18:01:42 +0000

Hi!

I add my gel food coloring after the buttercream is done and notice that as I mix in the color, the frosting starts getting way too soft (especially if I need to add a few more rounds of coloring). Is there a way to fix the problem (i.e throw it back in the fridge to firm up) or should I add my coloring earlier on in the process?