How to Colour Icing

Who loves rainbows as much as I do? All the beautiful colours are Simply Amazing! Well, the sky is the limit when colouring your icing. There are so many beautiful icing colours. If you can’t find the right colour, you can always get creative and mix it. You will be colouring your icing in no time with this easy-to-follow, step-by-step tutorial!

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What is the Best Icing Colour to use?

I always use Wilton Icing Colour. It is a concentrated gel. So, a little goes a long way. The key to colouring your icing is to add small amounts of colour at a time. That is unless you use a very dark colour, such as red or black, which will require quite a bit. If you need red, I always use no-taste red icing colour.

Icing for Cakes and Cupcakes

Betty Crocker Creamy Deluxe French Vanilla is my go-to for icing. What? I know, not what you expected me to say. Right? You probably figured I would give you my famous recipe for buttercream icing. Well, that is not the case. I use this store-bought icing for all of my cakes and cupcakes. It is yummy; it works well; it is consistent; it saves lots of time (both making and cleaning up). The best part is that it removes any guesswork about the stiffness of the icing because it is always the same. A true winner in my books!

Creating beautiful colour

What you will need:

icing
your desired icing colour
toothpicks
spoon
a bowl (I recommend a bowl that will not scratch easily – I ruined a few of my pure white glass bowls over time from stirring)

1. Put your icing in a bowl. Make sure you have more than enough icing needed for your cake or cupcakes. If you run out of icing, it is difficult to match your colour after the fact. Better to have leftover icing than not enough.

2. Insert a toothpick about halfway into your desired icing colour and then insert it into your icing and remove. Remember, a little at a time. I find it helpful to have something at hand, like a folded paper towel to put the used toothpicks on.

3. Stir the icing. Make sure to blend it entirely, especially the icing at the bottom of the bowl and on the spoon. All the icing should be the same colour. Note: White icing usually remains in the curve of the spoon. Please use another spoon to scrape the inside of the original spoon to blend entirely.

4. Repeat Steps #2 and #3 until your desired colour is achieved. Make sure to use a new toothpick each time you dip. NOTE: The icing colour will darken a few shades after sitting for a while.

5. You will notice that the icing has softened quite a bit from all the stirring. If you are piping, I recommend putting the icing in the refrigerator for about 30 minutes. This will make your shapes come out more crisp.

Mama's Helpful Tips

The key to colouring your icing is to add small amounts of colour at a time.
Colour Correction – if the frosting becomes too dark, add a bit of the original white frosting to lighten it.
Make sure you colour more than enough icing needed for your cake or cupcakes. If you need more icing, it can be difficult to get an exact colour match to your original colour.
When opening a new Icing Colour, put a pair of disposable food-grade gloves on to prevent getting dye on your fingertips.
Chill icing for 30 minutes before piping