Food Colours for Baking – 101 Guide

One way or another, we all have ended up with cake batter or icing a few shades too dark, because we added one drop too much or used the wrong style of food colouring. All these colours can be confusing if one is new to this, so let's talk about colours!

There are different types of food colours for baking that are suitable to be used with specific recipes or mixtures, and that will give different colour intensities. Let's discuss some of the commonly used types of food colouring and how/when to use them:

Liquid Colours

Liquid colouring is made using water base and synthetic colouring and as it is watery and as such the colours are not very concentrated. It is a good choice if one wishes to achieve a pastel colour look. Liquid food colours are best used with other liquid mediums such as chocolate, syrup, water, etc.

Powder food colours

Powder food colouring is a completely dry form of food dye without any liquid. It is perfect for foods that are sensitive to the amount of added liquid such as macarons or chocolate. It is important to know that as it is not watery, it must be mixed with a few drops of water and then added to the batter. Powder food colouring can also be used dry to brush directly onto cakes as decoration. If one uses powder food colouring it is always better to allow the mixture to sit 5-10 mins after incorporating the dye in order to let the colour fully develop.

Natural food colours

Various brands such as IFF (one of the leading food colours manufacturers) are introducing natural food colours to satisfy the demand of diet conscious people. Natural food colouring is made using dyes often found in nature, such as chlorophyll which gives plants their green colour, or turmeric, which is a plant commonly found and used for yellow colouring. Moreover, they are most commonly found in powder form. Natural food colours are the best choice for anyone with allergies and health-conscious people.

Some food colouring tips

It is always best to use natural light while colouring. Artificial light, especially yellow, will change the way one sees colours and one might end up with a different result to what they were hoping for.

Once done with all of the processes make sure to put any leftover icing away from natural light, as the contact with it will cause colours to fade over time.

When colouring icing or fondant, it is best to let it rest for some time, as the colour develops with time.

If one doesn't know exactly how much food colouring they will need, start by adding dye one drop at a time, mixing it well, letting it rest and then repeat until one reaches the desired colour. It is advisable to not to rush and add multiple drops at a time.

And always remember that baking is all about patience!