As you may know I have a soft spot for soft pastel colors. So I have decided to show you some of my favourite food colors that I have in my tool box. Although I have a lot of different colors I always end up using colors from the same box.
I’m not sure why, but I have really difficulties working with strong powerful colors. So when I have to use more strong colors (often for boy themes) I still keep the colors soft.
There are a lot of different food color brands on the market, maybe more than the ones that I know of. So far I have three favourite brands: AmeriColor, Sugar Flair and Squires Kitchen. I have used the ones I love the most for color samples. I have also made some color samples of the green colors that I use for gumpaste leaves and royal icing piped wines. It is often two green colors mixed into a new color.
Lets start, from left to right.
1. Pink: My most used pink color are Pink/Sugar Flair. Here shown in three color tones, from light to dark.
2. Yellow: Cream/Sugar Flair, Melon/Sugar Flair, Cream & Melon mixed together, Orange/AmeriColor.
3. Green: Party Green/Sugar Flair, Mint Green/Sugar Flair, Avocado/AmeriColor, Spruce Green/Sugar Flair.
4. Green mixed: Party Green and a small dot of Spruce Green, Spruce Green and a dot of Party Green, Avocado and a dot of Party Green (Leaf green from AmeriColor could be used instead).
5. Blue: Ice Blue/Sugar Flair. Shown in two tones, Hydrangea/Squires Kitchen, Wisteria/Squires Kitchen.
6. Purple:
7. Ivory and Brown: Caramel/ivory/Sugar Flair, Dark Brown/Sugar Flair.
I hope that you can find inspiration to maybe try out some new colors?
Happy Caking!
Louise
Hello. We need to make our homemade fondant a pale pink/blush color for an upcoming wedding cake. The problem we seem to have is that our homemade fondant always comes out a very pale ivory/off white due to marshmallows not being totally white and the addition of real vanilla. We hate imitation vanilla and do not want to use it. When we add the tiniest bit of pink coloring to this ivory/off white fondant it turns a very pale peach. We absolutely need it pink NOT peach. Is there any way to avoid this? Like possibly adding some other color too? Any help would be appreciated. Thank you. Donna
I like Americolor, but getting it out of the bottle is difficult.. anyone have a suggestion? (I do not want to dilute it in the bottle)
I remove the lid and then I use a toothpick. But your are right that the bottles are difficult to get the color out.
ok this http://www.mysweetandsaucy.com/page/15/ the fuschia rose on this page is what im hoping to achieve… could you please please pleaseeeee tell me how i could attain this colour? would americolour fuschia and electric pink do the trick? or wilton pink kneaded with a lil sugarflair fuschia petal dust?
I am pretty sure that the rose have been dusted with petal dusts also. So if you use the fuschia from americolor and brush it with petal dust. Remember that the fuschia petal dust from SF is non edible. So you need to remove the decoration from the cake.
I’m having difficulty getting a hot pink/ fuschia color for my gumpaste. I have tried all the pinks by Americolor, including the “electric pink”, and “claret” by Sugar flair,and none has given me my color.
I’ve heard Sugar flair makes a powered food color called “Fuschia”. Would this work? How is powered food color to work with, compared to gels?
Another problem I’m having with pinks is the fading of color within days! My fondant and gumpaste decorations I make(using Pink Americolor) fades to a pale, pale pink. I understand the chemistry behind the pinks and purples fading due to the reds used, but are there any brands of colors in the market where this wouldn’t exist? thanks
Have you tried the Pink from Sugar Flair? I think that this really makes a great hot pink. I have not tried SF Fuschia powder color but I have used with great results a mix of both powdered and gels when coloring my fondant or gum paste. Crystal Colors are great to use for the powder part when mixing together with gels. http://www.globalsugarart.com/cat.php?cid=995&s=&name=CRYSTAL%20COLORS
I have not seen colors that won’t fade… it would be great if there were.
I saw this page and book marked it a while back but just wanted to say thank you so much, Louise. This is my go-to page for colours!
I am just starting out my little colour collection haha, but its so difficult to choose a colour out of all the different ones available. Many sites don’t actually show you what they look like in fondant!
One question though, which purple did you use? I finally found a UK site that stocks Americolor and they have Electric Purple (out of stock), Violet and Regal Purple. I love the tone of the one you’ve used!
Regal Purple, Just forgot to write “Regal” in the post 😉
Thanks so much, Louise 🙂
could you help me out,can’t get a “true red ” royal icing, What if any can I add to my plain red to get a true red ? like a Christmas or Valentine Red ? thank you
Jeannie
Try and use the Poinsetta red powder from Crystal Colors together with the super red from Americolor. I used this combination with some rolled fondant and it gave a really pretty red. You can read more about the Crystal Colors here: http://www.cakejournal.com/archives/crystal-colors-review Remember that with royal icing let it rest a day or two. This will help the color to mature and getting more “dark”
Alessia, I would recommend you to buy Sugar Flair. Sugar flair also have 3 extra strength colors: black, red and green. Squires Kitchen: Wisteria color is a “must have” because it is such a pretty blue color The Valentine cake that I made last year is Wisteria http://www.cakejournal.com/archives/valentines-cake-with-roses. I have written in the post both color and brand. Even though I have all the colors from SF I often only use those listed in the post.
I absolutely loooove the colours you use!! I still have a lot to learn when it comes to mixing colours and pairing them up…
I will have to find out and come back to you. Because I just can’t remember it 😉
Beautiful way of looking a food coloring. Just those colored balls are a art work!!!
Thanks for posting this. Very informative.
I love these colors!
Holy Cow, how long did it take you to make all these fondant colors? If I need to use dark colors on a large area, I find it’s much easier to airbrush it. Have you tried the airbrush yet??? I think if you did, you would have a brand new addiction 🙂
Backy: Haha… I thought that it was done in no time, But it took me almost a whole day to make all those colors, because I had to wash hands in between. I do have an airbrush but never sat down and tried it. I’m pretty sure that I would LOVE it when I finally try it. I must set it up in the garage because from what I heard its messy to use.
You’re right, Louise! The airbrush is SO easy and SO MUCH FUN, but you don’t realize how fine the paint is when it comes out of the airbrusher. My cabinets are white, and after I airbrushed a cake navy blue, I wiped down the kitchen. The cabinets still looked white, but when I ran a wet cloth over them, they were covered in blue that I couldn’t even see! Unless you can block out an airbrush area in your kitchen, it’s wise to do this outdoors or in a garage 🙂
I figured it took you a long time to make all those colors of fondant…thank you for your hard work!!!!
This is a wonderful way of showing off your favourite colours. I use pretty much all Sugarflair mainly because it’s the most accessible for me here in the UK. I’m intrigued by Americolor as I’ve never tried it but reluctant to pay over the odds to try it. I find Sugarflair paste colours cover pretty much all my needs. I’m currently trying to complete a lengthy blog post about all the baking equipment, tools & favourites for decorating that I have in my kitchen. It’s taking me forever, I don’t think even I realised how long it would take & just how much I have.
Cakesandbakes: I too, prefer SF above SK. But I just so love the Wisteria color from SK. I must say though that when it comes to black and red I love the Americolor Super red & black. I do have the extra strength from SF but I do find AC just a swirl better. Yes, I can imagine that the list is long…:-)
I have the americolor colors and the crystal colors, but I’ve never heard of SugarFlair. Where do you get those?
Nutmeg: Sugar Flair is a UK brand. You can get it from here: http://www.cakescookiesandcraftsshop.co.uk/acatalog/Sugarflair_Food_Colourings.html
Nutmeg: Sugar Flair is a UK brand. You can get it from here: http://www.cakescookiesandcraftsshop.co.uk/acatalog/Sugarflair_Food_Colourings.html
I’d like to purchase some of the crystal color powders to try. Are there any colors that you, Nutmeg or Louise, have particularly liked?
I was thinking definitely the Poinsettia red (to try with americolor for a more intense red as Louise suggested). The peach also looks pretty good.
Also amongst the pearlescent colors, which ones have you tried and liked? and if I may ask, how they compare with other luster dusts, e.g. Wilton’s ?
Thanks for any tips or suggestions you may have with the Crystal Colors! I want to use them for coloring chocolate mainly, and perhaps macarons and other meringue-based items.
Anika, I have around 20 Crystal colors and I like them all. I find them very suited for coloring sugar flowers (gum paste) The Poinsetta is a must have if you want to make a beautiful red with the americolor, you should really try it. I have not tried Wilton’s but they are very “high strength” in the pigment and a little goes a long way for dusting. I have not tried luster dust from CS. You can read more about it here http://www.cakejournal.com/archives/crystal-colors-review
Thank you Louise!
Thank you for the useful and colorful post, Louise! It is really helpful for me!
that is fantastically informative and so PRETTY! I want to decorate my kids’ rooms with these colors. thank you!
ces couleurs sont superbes!! c’est des colorants liquides que tu utilises? bonne journée!
Those are lovely colors.
Fantastic post!!!
Lovely colours! I had problems trying to get a good purple for my wedding cupcakes because I specifically didn’t want lavender but something brighter. In the end went for one called ‘Grape’ by Sugarflair. Nice to see what others are using though!
Ali: I was planning to show the Grape Violet from SF. But I could not find it. I did find after my post was out…… I need to clean up my toolbox.
Ali: I was planning to show the Grape Violet from SF. But I could not find it. I did find after my post was out…… I need to clean up my toolbox.
I LOVE YOUR BLOG! My crazy friend just told me about it at work today and I couldn’t wait to get home to see! Deliciously fabulous!
m ^..^
Hi,
I’m a Sugarflair and Americolor girl too. The only thing I’d add is the Americolor Electric Pink makes the prettiest pale pastel pink. I love Sugarflair Primrose and Navy. For those that make sugarflowers Sugarflair Gooseberry is a must have for buds and some stamens/flower centres. And Americolor Regal Purple is a fave do to it’s fade rsistant properties for a true violet colour as the other non-fades are an aubergine colour. Those Squires colours look interesting, so I’ll check them out. Thanks Louise.
Gabrielle: I dont think that I have tried Gooseberry yet, I do have it. Navy is great too. Its very close to SK Wisteria. I find SF colors more strong than SK.
Gabrielle: I dont think that I have tried Gooseberry yet, I do have it. Navy is great too. Its very close to SK Wisteria. I find SF colors more strong than SK.
Awww! I thought they were adorable! Such a nice layout. I was impressed! I was thinking about getting them when taxes came in in Feb.
This is a very timely post for me. =)
Robynn: Unfortunately, the interest for the pdf was very low, so I decided to remove them for now.
What ever happened to the pages you could purchase?
Thank you it’s really interesting….hugs, Flavia