We know white cupcakes and frosting can be radically turned into masterpieces of violet, teal and green with the help of food coloring.
But what is food coloring, what is it made of, and how can we replicate it naturally in our own kitchens? Read on to learn more about this versatile baking product with our complete guide.
From food coloring gel and food coloring powder to natural colorants like raspberries and blue spirulina, lets take a closer (and more colorful) look into all things food coloring.
Food Coloring Gel
Food coloring gel is often sold in little pots from Wilton in a variety of colors (from Sky Blue to Lemon Yellow). Its made of synthetic coloring with a mix of water, glycerine and corn syrup. Its a concentrated form of coloring and is typically applied to frostings with a toothpick for saturated colors. It can be found online and in stores like Michaels, and is sold both individually and in variety packs.
Food Coloring Liquid
Liquid food coloring tends to be the traditional way to go when it comes to coloring icings, frosting and so on. Its sold in plastic squeeze bottles and comes in colors like red, green and blue. Its made of synthetic colors and a water base and can be found in grocery stores. Its added by the drop (the more drops you use, the deeper the color becomes). If you want a super deep color, youd have to use more of the liquid than you would if you were using powder or gel (as its the most diluted of the three varieties). Aside from frosting, its often mixed with vinegar to dye eggs during the Easter holiday.
Note: If youre looking for that perfect mix of colors to get shades of turquoise, apricot or dusty rose, check out this food coloring chart from McCormick. It will guide you by showing the exact amount of green, blue, yellow and red dots you need to achieve those beautiful colors.
Food Coloring Powder
Food coloring powder tends to be sold in jars filled with dry powder. Its synthetic coloring that contains no water, glycerine or corn syrup (as liquids and gels do). Powdered dye is popular for recipes like macarons, where liquid can offset the texture of the end result. Its not as popular in stores as gel and liquid, but can often be found in specialty shops or online.
Recipes for Natural Food Coloring
Natural food dyes are made of natural and plant sources and offer real colors free of synthetics. Alternatively, foods like berries and citrus can have brilliant colors when integrated into recipes. Since weve covered the simple basics of the synthetic food dyes and how to use them above, check out these 10 recipes below for natural food coloring inspiration. Theyll prove how easy it actually is if youre wondering how to make food coloring in your own kitchen (or garden).
Winter Citrus Bars
These Winter Citrus Bars are a twist on lemon bars, with a rich, buttery crust and bright citrus taste from the lemons and blood oranges. The not-so-secret food coloring in this recipe is the blood oranges, which gives the bars a subtle and beautiful orange hue. The bars will keep for two days in the fridge and can also be created with any type of citrus you choose (like lemon, grapefruit or lime). If youd like them to be gluten free, simply replace the flour with our Gluten Free 1-to-1 Baking Flour. Dust with powdered sugar and serve alongside tea with lemon.
Matcha Cupcakes with Irish Cream Frosting
The matcha in these Matcha Cupcakes with Irish Cream Frosting gives the cupcakes a brilliant and natural green color. Make these for St. Patricks Day or anytime youre in the mood for a fun green treat. For the cupcakes, try using our Super-Fine Cake Flour, making sure to place your flour into your measuring cup by spooning it from the bag into the cup, then leveling the flour with the back of a knife or other straight edge. Lightly sprinkle your frosting with matcha powder for an added boost of color. Though these treats are especially fun during the March festivities, matcha (which is premium green tea powder) can be incorporated into baked goods, frostings and smoothies whenever youre feeling green!
Rolled Strawberry Cream Sponge Cake
This light and airy cake is wrapped around a filling of strawberry cream, which makes it taste (and look) delicious. For the filling, strawberry preserves are mixed with cream cheese, butter, powdered sugar and lemon zest for a flavorful and pink center. Serve slices of this Rolled Strawberry Cream Sponge Cake alongside fresh strawberries and mugs of tea for a late afternoon treat with friends.
Champagne Cupcakes
What could be a better natural food dye than pink champagne? This recipe for Champagne Cupcakes calls for ros champagne in both the batter and the buttercream, which means each bite is a celebration in itself. These cupcakes are perfect for intimate weddings, birthdays, Mothers Day, Valentines Day or just about any special day where you feel like celebrating. Theyre easy to throw together (and even easier to eat).
Key Lime Bundt Cake
The color of the glaze on this elegant Key Lime Bundt Cake comes from the citrus (rather than a synthetic light green-hued dye). Jessica Toothman of A Million Moments uses just key lime juice, powdered sugar and milk to create this subtle and sweet frosting for her beautiful Bundt cake. We love how she tops the cake with sliced key limes for an added touch of decor. If you cant find key limes at your local store, you can substitute regular limes without too much of a difference in flavor.
Blackberry Lime Cake
[caption id="attachment_1173152" align="aligncenter" width="770"]

Photo credit:Carrie Sellman from The Cake Blog[/caption]
This Blackberry Lime Cake is such a gorgeous shade, you might at first think gel, liquid or powdered dye is used to create the frosting. Instead, Carrie Sellman of The Cake Blog uses egg whites, sugar, unsalted butter, vanilla extract and a blackberry reduction to create a brilliant blackberry buttercream. The cake is assembled in layers so that you and your guests will enjoy bites bursting with seasonal tastes of blackberries. Carrie decorates the cake with additional blackberries and edible flowers for an added touch of whimsy.
Springtime Lemon Cake with Raspberry Frosting
Similar to the Blackberry Lime Cake above, this Springtime Lemon Cake with Raspberry Frosting uses fresh berries in the buttercream for a beautifully saturated and delicious end result. The lemony bursts of sunny-weather flavors and the bright color of the raspberry is a vibrant and fun twist. Thanks to Maria Long from Staying Close to Home for sharing such a simple but wonderful idea.
Unicorn Smoothie
At first glance, it might seem like this wildly colored Unicorn Smoothie uses gel or powdered dye to achieve such a saturated color. But actually, the deep blue color comes from blue spirulina powder! Purple and blue smoothies are layered to give this beverage a fun feel. As we like to think, everypony loves smoothies, especially when its multicolored and served with pink, teal and purple sprinkles.
White Cake with Cranberry Buttercream Frosting
If you find yourself baking during the holidays and tired of using traditional dyes, consider using cranberries! This White Cake with Cranberry Buttercream Frosting is so festive and makes for a lovely centerpiece on your Christmas table. The cranberry buttercream frosting calls for water, orange juice, orange zest, sugar, fresh or frozen cranberries, butter and powdered sugar, and tastes like a holiday dream. To add an extra bit of decoration, sprinkle some simple sugared cranberries on top.
Blackberry Vanilla Protein Pops
Crazy colored food isnt just for frostings and cakes, after all. These Blackberry Vanilla Protein Pops from Elisha Joyce of Relish Division are not only beautiful, theyre nutritious, too. Theyre made with just five ingredients: lemon zest, hemp milk, Vanilla Protein Powder Nutritional Booster, agave nectar and fresh blueberries, for that quintessential deep blue meets deep purple color. Make a big batch of these and keep them in the freezer for times when you just need a refreshing treat!
Whether youre sticking with the traditional liquid food coloring to dye your treats or youre getting a bit more experimental with ingredients like blackberry reduction and ros champagne, we hope this guide has answered your questions and left you feeling excited to create!
Have any favorite ways to give your baked goods, frostings or Easter eggs a splash of vibrant color? Feel free to share them with us in the comments below! Wed love to hear what you use in your kitchen or your garden to get things looking colorful and fun.
From all of us at Bobs Red Mill, thanks for reading!
Sources:
https://www.thekitchn.com/heres-a-guide-to-food-coloring-types-and-how-to-use-them-buying-guides-from-the-kitchn-213409