Coloring Buttercream Dark Colors (A Comparison)

I’ve colored buttercream dark colors for a long time now, but always just used whatever coloring I had on hand. I’d try out different ones now and then, but never really did a side by side comparison with some of the more popular food coloring methods. Well, that’s what today’s post is all about…coloring buttercream dark colors (A Comparison).

First I want to thank a blog reader/cake-friend (I’ll just call her ‘D’) for her email and for this post idea. This is kind of an age-old issue: How do we get our buttercream a dark color without watering it down too much and without it tasting disgusting.

For this post, I decided to compare three different food color methods. Now, I know there are tons more, and you’re welcome to try others out, but for simplicity’s sake, I decided to just use three here.

So, we’re going to compare these three popular food colorings to find out which one gives the best color, the best texture and the least amount of food color taste.

I also decided to compare the two hardest colors to achieve: Red and Black

Be sure to check out the video close to the end of this post!

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If you’re more of a video person, there’s one close to the end of this post. 

The Comparison:

For this post, I compared:

• Wilton: Red No-Taste Gel Color & Black Gel Color
• Americolor: Super Red Soft Gel Color & Super Black Soft Gel Color
• Crystal Colors (Powder Color): Red Velvet & Charcoal

The Method:

• For each type of food coloring, I colored one cup of buttercream red and another cup black.
• I used all butter, buttercream. You can find that recipe here: Vanilla Bean Buttercream
• I like to add a couple of teaspoons of cocoa powder into my buttercream to pre-darken it and it helps with any bitter taste that might occur from the food coloring.

The Results:

Wilton Gel Color:

No-Taste Red Gel Color:

I mixed together:

• 1 cup of buttercream
• 2 tsp. cocoa powder
• 1 1/2 tsp gel color

The result:

My comments:

The Wilton no-taste red makes a good tomato red color. I didn’t have to add an insane amount of it and it didn’t seem to dilute the buttercream. I also didn’t detect a bitter taste to it either.

Black Gel Color:

I mixed together:

• 1 cup of buttercream
• 2 tsp. cocoa powder
• 1 1/2 tsp gel color

The result:

My comments:

The Wilton black worked well without having to use a ton of it. I also didn’t detect a bitter taste to this one either, however the cocoa that was added to pre-darken it, could have masked any bitterness.

Wilton Red & Black Side by Side Results:

Americolor Soft Gel Color:

Super Red Soft Gel Color:

I mixed together:

• 1 cup of buttercream
• 2 tsp. cocoa powder
• 1 tsp gel color

The result:

My comments:

I loved how this red came out. It seems deeper and more of a blue-red, than the Wilton red. This coloring is a little softer than the Wilton gel coloring, so you may want to start with a thicker buttercream. I didn’t detect any bitter taste, but the added cocoa powder could have masked that.

Super Black Soft Gel Color:

I mixed together:

• 1 cup of buttercream
• 2 tsp. cocoa powder
• 1 1/2 tsp gel color

The result:

My comments:

This gel color worked really well. I couldn’t see a difference though between this one and the Wilton black gel coloring, so this one is your call. I didn’t taste a bitter taste to this one, but as with the others, the cocoa powder could have disguised that.

Americolor Red & Black Side by Side Results:

Crystal Colors Powder Color:

Red Velvet:

I mixed together:

• 1 cup of buttercream
• 2 tsp. cocoa powder
• 3-4 tsp powder color

The result:

My comments:

So the red velvet powder was the closest I could find to red. That doesn’t mean they don’t have something more red, I just couldn’t find it. Technically, it did come out a red velvet color, but only after I added a ton of it and also cocoa powder. Since powder coloring is more expensive and I ended up having to use more of it than the gel coloring, it just didn’t seem very economical to me. I LOVE this powder color for my gumpaste flowers and fondant toppers etc., but for coloring buttercream, I just wasn’t impressed.

Charcoal:

I mixed together:

• 1 cup of buttercream
• 2 tsp. cocoa powder
• 2-3 tsp powder color

The result:

My comments:

The charcoal color was the closest I came to black and like my comment above for the red color, although it did technically end up a charcoal color, I ended up having to use a lot of it, plus adding in the cocoa powder. It just isn’t economical, but I’m still loving the powder color for other uses like gumpaste and fondant decor.

Crystal Colors Powder Coloring Side by Side Results:

Overall Comparison:

My pick:

Final Thoughts:

I really liked the Americolor better, especially the red. It was less orange than the Wilton color. You may need to make sure your buttercream is a little thicker, since the Americolor is a soft gel and adding a lot might make your buttercream a little softer. I didn’t find this to be too much of a deal breaker though.

Obviously the powder colors just did not work for me. I’ve heard others that love using them and perhaps they’ve used a different brand than I did. Technically, the colors did come out as red velvet and charcoal, but I had to use SO much powder to get there and the fact that the powder is more expensive, plus having to use more, just didn’t seem worth it to me.

In tasting all of these, I did not taste a bitter taste in any of them. I will say though that cocoa powder would probably mask a bitter taste and your taste buds might be more sensitive than mine. I would definitely do a test run if you don’t plan on adding any cocoa powder to your buttercream. And just know that you may need to add a bit more coloring, since you aren’t pre-darkening your buttercream with the cocoa powder.

One more tip: Once you’ve mixed up your colors, make sure to let it sit on your counter for a while…maybe an hour or two, or even over night and then check it again. It seems to darken as it sits.

Ok, I hope all this helps! And if you’ve got any tips to share, or want to share your favorite way to color buttercream dark colors, leave me a comment below…I’d love to know your tips!

And here’s the video:

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