Coloring that isn't full of artificial gunk?

[Mon-Jes]

Does anyone know of sources for natural coloring for icing that won't add flavor? I know I could use juice or concentrate, but that would add some flavor. That's not so bad if you want strawberry-flavored frosting, but if you want good ol' buttercream flavor, what would you use that doesn't contain artificial flavors?

 

[Josephine]

Hmmm, it's a difficult one isn't it? I don't tend to use coloured icing for that very reason, so my icing is either chocolate brown or vanilla and white! I did once make fondant fancies using a little beetroot juice to make it pink, and the sugar really over-powered any beetroot flavour. I cooked the beetroot, chopped a couple of slices off and put some hot water on them, that took enough pink colour for the icing.

I believe there are some natural food colourings to buy, and things like spinach can be used for green, and you can even use edible flower petals. All of them would be more pastel in colour rather than bright though. I'm not sure if you can get anything natural but really bright.

 

[Jameela280]

That is a very difficult one. When I bake, I do not really use food coloring but I did make frosting for a birthday cake for my husband, using the purple food coloring and it was good, I just don't like the fact that it has a tendency to stain.

 

[Dorothy]

I have used food coloring for making different colors of icing for my cakes, but I don't like the taste if gives when mixed int he icings so I have just starting using only the icing like chocolate, strawberry,white, vanilla etc... Although I wish they would sell some food coloring that would be tasteless so that when you add it to the icing the taste of the icing doesn't change.

 

[sking]

I really don't know. I would recommend whip cream but that might have flavor even if it is non fat. Just about everything has flavor from butter to sugar. I don't use artificial flavoring either. So I usually use frozen fruit for a topping.

 

[Suplex790]

There are some brands out there that claim they do not use anything artificial, however it is a little more expensive. I would tend to use as little colouring as possible in anything I was going to bake, and if you have a dig around online you can find good trusted and reputable brands that provide healthier alternatives.

 

[limcid]

Maybe you could make white icing, then use that as a "canvas" for adding confectionery elements for color.

I wonder why the coloring has to have a flavor? Could it be that what's used for color has a bad taste and the flavors are added to mask it?

 

[Mommiesbiz1]

I have used different color rose petals chopped real fine to add color to my frosting for a baby shower cake. Rose petals are edible, and most people enjoy the idea of eating a delicate flower. Be sure to use fresh petals though.

 

[limcid]

Hey, I was just reading somewhere about how edible some plants are. There was mention of using Lilacs in recipes. I can imagine a beautiful cake decorated with Lilacs. Supposedly, they have a lemony flavor to them?

 

[ACSAPA]

On Amazon they have India Tree food coloring that is completely made from vegetables and has nothing synthetic. But it's expensive.
For two sets of coloring bottles, it's like $30. That's $15 a set.
You could try Whole Foods and see if they sell these India Tree food coloring bottles in the stores.

http://www.amazon.com/India-Tree-Na...8457501&sr=8-3&keywords=healthy+food+coloring

 

[Dorothy]

In some cases when wanting to add some color to the frosting without that bad after taste you get from the food coloring, I have used fresh fruits like for instance for a pink color i would add strawberries that gave the frosting a nice pink color and taste of strawberry, and for a blue color make some blueberries. I have only tried these two for adding color so far, but it is a nice change from using food coloring that gives a bad after taste. I don't use the food coloring anymore.

 

[limcid]

In some cases when wanting to add some color to the frosting without that bad after taste you get from the food coloring, I have used fresh fruits like for instance for a pink color i would add strawberries that gave the frosting a nice pink color and taste of strawberry, and for a blue color make some blueberries. I have only tried these two for adding color so far, but it is a nice change from using food coloring that gives a bad after taste. I don't use the food coloring anymore.

That's a good idea with the fruit! If you don't want the texture of the fruit, you can run it through a juicer (or strain it after putting it in a food processor).

 

[Dorothy]

That's a good idea with the fruit! If you don't want the texture of the fruit, you can run it through a juicer (or strain it after putting it in a food processor).

Thanks,,and that is true you can run it through a juicer or strain whichever if you like as well, and you don't have to deal with that ugly taste of food coloring. I really liked using the fruit instead of the food coloring,

 

[limcid]

Here's an interesting article I found on ways to make organic food coloring. They mentioned using fruits and some vegetables.
http://www.care2.com/greenliving/8-ways-to-make-organic-diy-food-coloring.html

Here's some info on homemade food colorings. It's a site for baby foods so it should be pretty safe.
http://www.homemade-baby-food-recipes.com/homemade-food-coloring.html

 

[DancingLady]

Try looking at a health food store or a grocery store that specializes in organic and all natural foods. I don't know if you can find anything that won't add some flavor though, but you can probably find something that isn't full of nasty chemicals. I can taste all food colorings, even the ones that say they have no flavor, so I don't think you can get around having some taste from an ingredient that isn't water.

 

[Trellum]

Bugs! LOL, just kidding! But actually they use bugs for creating some dyes in the food industry. Not sure which ones though, but been knoing this for a while. Anyways, I'm sure you can find all organic food dyes...

 

[cookiesfromhome]

Always buy food product specially bakery product from the shop which deals in fresh food.For bakery food items try to choose home based bakeries.The artificial coloring used in cakes,pastries makes it unhygienic to eat.

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