You can find black food coloring at specialty stores, but it's not as popular as other shades. You can prepare it at home by mixing the different colors together or try it with natural ingredients and thus color the glazes, baked goods and savory dishes.
Steps
Method 1 of 2: Mix the Food Colors
Step 1. Purchase some red, blue and green food coloring
You can mix these three shades to get a dark gray, the best result you can achieve without buying the black product directly.
If you are making a glaze, use dye paste or gel because the liquid one has a less intense hue and may dilute it too much
Step 2. Add cocoa powder (only for the white ice)
The end result is best when you start with a dark preparation, so if you are using a white icing, you can change the color by adding cocoa, one spoonful at a time.
- Bitter cocoa allows for better results, but normal cocoa is fine for this method as well.
- If you skip this step, you will be forced to use a lot more food coloring, with the risk of altering the consistency of the glaze.
Step 3. Now add the red, blue and green dye (in equal quantities) to the recipe
Start with a few drops of each color and mix carefully. Repeat this process several times, until you get the shade you want.
You can replace green with yellow, but light colors make the process more complex
Step 4. Change the color
If you notice other shades in the gray blend make these corrections:
- If there is a lot of green, add more red.
- If it tends to purple, add some green.
- Always add one drop at a time, mixing thoroughly after each correction.
Step 5. Wait for the final color to develop
Most food dyes get more intense with buttercream and fade with royal or baked icing. If you are trying to prepare the second type of decoration, you need to add the dye half an hour before serving the dish, in order to minimize the discoloration effect.
- In some regions, chemicals that are added to tap water can alter the color. Butter cream usually guarantees certain results, as long as milk is used in its preparation.
- Protect the preparation from direct sunlight and heat, as they both alter the color.
Method 2 of 2: Using Natural Ingredients
Step 1. Stir the cocoa into the cake batter
You can use a special cocoa, the one that says "extra-dark" or "Dutch bitter cocoa", because it has a darker color and a more delicate flavor than normal. When replacing regular cocoa with specialty cocoa, follow these guidelines:
- Add a little more fat (oil or butter).
- Use 5g of baking powder to replace 1.2g of baking soda.
Step 2. Add squid ink to savory dishes
This ingredient has a tangy taste and is not suitable for sweets and desserts. In most cases it is used to color pasta, rice or savory sauces. If you want to get an intense color, mix the squid ink with the homemade pasta (eliminating the salt and reducing the other liquid ingredients). If you want to use a faster but less reliable method, pour the ink into the cooking water of the pasta or rice. Stir the squid ink into the sauce to give it an intense color.
- Sometimes you can find squid ink in a fish shop but, perhaps, you will have to try to look for it in different shops.
- Use only small amounts of sepia ink. This is a rather salty liquid and may release an iodine aftertaste if you overdo the quantities.
Advice
- Stores that specialize in bakery supplies may sell black food coloring.
- You can boil the black walnut shells to create a black or dark brown dye to decorate the eggs with. This dye is toxic, so don't use it as a food coloring; in addition, the juice of the shells of black walnuts could stain the skin, clothes and everything with which it comes into contact.
