It's not easy to make black icing; eventually you may end up with a bad and bitter tasting product or a gray color instead of black. Continue reading this tutorial to learn all the secrets of black icing and to understand how to solve the problems you will encounter in the process.
Ingrediants
- Cocoa powder (optional)
- Commercial or homemade glaze
- Liquid black food coloring or, preferably, gel
Steps
Method 1 of 2: Using food coloring
Step 1. Buy or make the icing
Unless you're a vanilla lover, go for a chocolate glaze. If the base is brown in color, less dye will be required to achieve a deep black shade.
- You can also use a white frosting, but you'll need to add flavorings later to hide the bitter taste of the dye.
- You can dye most icings black, even buttercream, cheese or royal icing, just follow the instructions in this article. Since the royal icing is white, you need to incorporate some flavorings or cocoa powder to hide that of the dye.
Step 2. Choose a black food coloring
You probably won't have a large selection of products of this shade in the supermarket; however, if you are lucky enough to be able to evaluate multiple options, go for a gel dye. This formulation allows you to use smaller quantities of product.
If black is not available, then mix equal amounts of red, blue, and green together. You will not get a "real" black, like the commercial one, but you will be able to create a very dark gray that can be confused with black
Step 3. Thicken the icing if needed
The addition of the dye (especially if liquid) makes the ice more fluid, which could eventually flow from the cake. If you have decided on a commercial glaze, you shouldn't have this problem, as the ones on the market are often very dense and compact.
- If you want to thicken it, just add a little sifted powdered sugar.
- If you don't want to add any sweetener, but the icing is too runny, then try a powdered meringue mix.
- If you're using royal icing, drag a butter knife across its surface and count how long it takes for it to come back compact. If 5-10 seconds is enough, then the ice is quite thick. If it takes less time, then you need to mix it a little more or add a little sifted powdered sugar or meringue product.
Step 4. Transfer the icing to a large glass or stainless steel bowl
The black dye stains the plastic.
It is worth wearing an apron to protect yourself and not to dirty your clothes
Step 5. Add the dye a little at a time, until you get the shade you want
You will probably need a lot of dye, about 30ml or one teaspoon for every 240ml of frosting. In any case, you must always add it gradually so as not to risk overdoing it by mistake and end up with a liquid or stained glaze.
Step 6. Mix the color thoroughly so that no lumps or streaks remain
Step 7. Taste the icing
The black dye could make it bitter and unappetizing. If this happens, read the next section - Solve Common Problems - to learn how to fix it.
Step 8. Cover the icing and let it rest
If the hue is very close to black, but still looks dark gray, then you need to wait a few hours for the full color to develop. In fact, it takes some time and, within an hour, your gray ice can turn a nice deep black.
- The color will continue to get darker and darker, even after sprinkling the icing on the cookies or cake. For this reason, if you are really in a hurry, you can move on to the next stage of decorating. However, be aware that this way you will not be able to solve any problems if the glaze does not reach the shade you want.
- While resting, protect the ice from direct sunlight as it may cause the color to fade.
Step 9. Decorate your culinary artwork
Method 2 of 2: Troubleshoot Common Problems
Step 1. Know that black ice can stain your lips and teeth
Although your goal is to achieve intense color, you can tone down the shade by using less dye and limit this inconvenience. However, you may be able to solve the problem by keeping plenty of water and napkins on hand.
You can also prevent this from happening by using a little black icing, just for the side dishes or a few details
Step 2. If the glaze is bitter, add some flavorings
This is a very common problem with black dye; if you plan to use the icing for just a few decoration details, that may not really matter. However, there are a couple of ways to improve the flavor.
- Cocoa gives it a good chocolate flavor and helps make it darker. Mix 100 g of cocoa with 10 ml of water in a bowl (in this way, no lumps will form). If the ice is still bitter, add another 30 g of cocoa.
- Add a strong aroma like orange or cherry. Calculate about 5ml of extract per 480ml of ice.
- If you don't have cocoa, you can replace it with carob powder.
Step 3. If the frosting isn't the shade you want, let it sit a little longer or add more dye
However, before adding the dye, wait for the ice to rest for several hours. Color changes a lot over time.
- If the black has greenish hues, add some red dye, one drop at a time.
- If it tends to purple, then add green, little by little.
Step 4. Take precautions to prevent the ice from fading
This phenomenon is generally due to condensation. Store the frosting in a cold, dark room rather than in the refrigerator. If you are decorating an iced cake or one that has just been taken out of the fridge, wait for it to thaw and come to room temperature before starting to cover it with the icing.
- Do not store the cake or cookies in the refrigerator, nor in an airtight container at room temperature, as condensation will form and cause the icing to lose its color.
- Try to use as little dye as possible. If you overdo it, the frosting becomes more liquid and the color can disperse. If you have found that you have incorporated too much, then try to thicken the mixture with a little powdered sugar. You will also need to mask the bitter taste due to the excess black dye.
