The Three Biggest Mistakes Bakers Make When Using Natural Color
Whether you're switching to natural dyes or starting out with them on day 1, don't make these mistakes.
I just posted a Youtube video on this topic, The Three Biggest Mistakes Bakers Make When Using Natural Color (and how you can avoid them). I want to give a few more details here!
So from top to bottom, here they are;
Using the wrong product/brand for YOUR specific project.
Starting with base icing that is wrong/bad.
Rushing the color development process.
When someone posts in my Facebook Group that they are having issues, many times depending on the issue, I can tell immediately that they used the wrong product. Splotchy greens/yellow/orange almost always mean a turmeric based color* in royal icing. Color that has baked out always means heat resistant color was not used. And almost always blue they goes grey or purple, is a PH issue.
The reason I feel so many make this mistake is because they use price point as the only motivating factor for how they chose the brand/product.
Not whipping your butter long enough (at least 15 minutes) when making buttercream or using dark colored extracts in RI, can lead to the same issue. A base icing with yellow or brown (warm) undertones. Generally this is fine for some colors that need help to be more warm (hello true red!!!) but it’s going to totally skew other colors. Do yourself a favor if your struggling with these issues and consider making changes.
I actually use regular vanilla or vanilla bean paste in my icing and have no big issue however I also mix my icing to stiff peaks and only thin to consistency after reaching my desired colors - this goes a long way in having good icing structure.
Remember how I’ve spoken about liquid/gel vs powder colors when it comes to development times, I did a 3 part series on my Instagram. If you absolutely cannot wait for colors to develop, use liquid/gel colors. If you want bold, vibrant or deep shades, quit the excuses, mix ahead and allow your powders time to develop. We can’t always have our cake and eat it too ;)
The challenge of longer development times should be seen as a given, accept that it takes longer to get the vibrant shades and you’re already well on your way to mastering natural colors.
What other mistakes are you seeing bakers make? Maybe you are one of those bakers who have made one (or more) of these mistakes. What helped things click for you? I’d love to hear about it in the comments.
Camella
Also how cute is this cookie cake I did on Friday, I used Color Kitchen colors (great for buttercream FYI) and the customer LOVED it so much!
