Non-Synthetic Dyes

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Using all-natural dyes in baking and cake decorating can be a bit tricky but a lot of fun! There are a handful of sustainable companies that produce all-natural liquid and powder food colorings and sprinkles, or you can also use spices, fruits, and vegetables as natural colorings. Fruits and vegetables can be used in liquid (juiced or pureed) or powder (dehydrated and then ground) form. Depending on how much you use, they can also add extra flavor and nutritional value. There are two ways you can use dyes: to dye the cake or icing itself, or to paint or dust directly on the cake or other decorations.

Almost always, if you need to dye cake, icing, fondant, sugar paste, or marzipan, you’ll want to use a liquid dye to get the most concentrated color without having to add too much dye. You can control the depth of the color by using more or less dye.

Natural powder dyes, such as spices or powdered fruit, can be tricky mainly because you need a large quantity to build up a strong color, which can result in a distinct flavor and affect the texture of your product if you use too much. But if you’re trying to achieve a more subtle color, such as in the Icing Domes on page 175, which get their dreamy hues from mulberry and green tea powders, powder dyes can be perfect.

To paint directly on fondant or an iced cake, mix a powder dye with vodka to make a liquid “paint.” For finishing dried sugar paste and marzipan, I always “dry-dust” the decorations with powder dyes to add subtle highlights and shadows. Just like when adding flavoring to desserts, only add a small amount of liquid or powder dye at a time until you achieve the color that is desired.

The thing you must keep in mind when using pure dyes, whether purchased or homemade, is that they aren’t going to match the colors in a Crayola box. Natural pigments often produce earthy tones. But there is a time and place for using artificial dyes in small amounts. When I’m looking to achieve a particular color for decorative accents, I’ll use a small amount of synthetic dyes, but I do my best to stick with all-natural goods whenever possible. For special occasions, I enjoy decorating with metallic colors that are available in gold and silver dust.

Natural Liquid Food Coloring

Color Garden and India Tree (see Resources, page 332) both offer a wide selection of liquid food colorings and all-natural sprinkles.

Spices

Spices come in a variety of natural colors that are great for using as a powder for dry-dusting or mixing with a liquid for painting details on fondant, sugar paste, and marzipan decorations. Because of their distinct flavors, I wouldn’t recommend using them heavily to color cakes or icings. My favorites are turmeric or yellow curry for yellow, and paprika for peach.

Vegetable and Fruit Juices, Purees, and Powders

Vegetables and fruits are not only a great source of flavor in baked goods, but their vibrant colors are useful when you want to achieve elegant shades of unusual colors. Juices and purees can be made with a juicer or food processor, but can also be easily purchased to save time. I tend to use juices to replace milk in cake recipes, and purees in icings. When dying icings, add ¼ cup puree at a time while blending in a stand mixer. Be careful not to add too much liquid, or it will make your icing runny and difficult to work with.

Powders are commonly made with dehydrated fruits and vegetables that are ground into a fine powder with a food processor. If you already have a dehydrator, it’s a fun process, but it does take time. I use these powders for dry-dusting fondant, sugar paste, and marzipan decorations and add them to icing to create subtle colors. See Resources on page 332 for a guide to purchasing vegetable and fruit juices, purees, and powders. My favorites are beets for red, strawberries or raspberries for pink, carrots for orange, spinach or kale for green, blueberries for pale blue, blackberries for lavender, and cocoa powder for brown.

Metallics

Metallic materials come in forms of leaf, petals, flakes, and dust. I recommend only using small amounts of metallic as accents on your cake décor.

Artificial Dyes

There is a time and place for accents of artificial powder and liquid dyes. For example, black, true red, and iridescent shades are close to impossible to achieve with natural ingredients.

Lemon Extract, Vinegar, and Vodka

Mix these with powder dyes, natural or synthetic, to make a paintable liquid.