Royal Icing color bleed

[HotStrawberry]

I've always used gel food coloring in my Royal Icing. But, no matter how long I allow base icing to dry (I've let it set over night, used a fan, done both) if I'm using black or other dark color, it always bleeds into my lighter colors. Will powdered food coloring prevent this, or is there something else I can do? I want to do black base icing with white piping on top and I don't want to end up with gray. Thanks.

 

[Norcalbaker59]

I've always used gel food coloring in my Royal Icing. But, no matter how long I allow base icing to dry (I've let it set over night, used a fan, done both) if I'm using black or other dark color, it always bleeds into my lighter colors. Will powdered food coloring prevent this, or is there something else I can do? I want to do black base icing with white piping on top and I don't want to end up with gray. Thanks.

Cookies are not my best subject. I did a class with a cookie master. The most important thing she taught was there’s 5 consistencies for royal icing. The consistency that you use for outlining, flooding, filling small and large spaces, and light and dark are all different.

Use very thick icing when using light and dark colors next to each other. The trick is they have to dry fast. If the light color is loose/wet next to the dark, it will pull the dark color even if the dark icing is already dry. So the thicker the icing, the faster it will dry, giving it less chance of pulling out the dark color.

 

[HotStrawberry]

Cookies are not my best subject. I did a class with a cookie master. The most important thing she taught was there’s 5 consistencies for royal icing. The consistency that you use for outlining, flooding, filling small and large spaces, and light and dark are all different.

Use very thick icing when using light and dark colors next to each other. The trick is they have to dry fast. If the light color is loose/wet next to the dark, it will pull the dark color even if the dark icing is already dry. So the thicker the icing, the faster it will dry, giving it less chance of pulling out the dark color.

That's all I found in my searches, too, the consistency. The only issue is that it can't be too thick or it won't flood to the edges and it won't be smooth. I'll have to play around with it. I did these Nightmare Before Halloween cookies last year, and you can see on the bottom left yellow one the bleed, and I used R.I. transfers for the black swirl.

 

[Norcalbaker59]

That's all I found in my searches, too, the consistency. The only issue is that it can't be too thick or it won't flood to the edges and it won't be smooth. I'll have to play around with it. I did these Nightmare Before Halloween cookies last year, and you can see on the bottom left yellow one the bleed, and I used R.I. transfers for the black swirl.

View attachment 4211View attachment 4212

overall those are not bad at.

try a thicker icing to outline. And outline everything. Then flood the larger sections with a slightly looser icing. The smaller finer details should be done in a still looser icing. Do you want the icings to drop down into the outline. The more outline you have the better your cookie is going to look. I know it’s tedious work but the outline will make your design really pop.

The best tips are PME. You cannot skimp on tips when it comes to cookie decorating. This all about detail work, and the tips really matter.

 

[Mona]

To prevent black royal icing from bleeding into lighter colors, ensure the base icing is completely dry, which may take more than 24 hours. Use a thinner consistency for your piping icing and apply it gently. If bleeding persists, consider using a thin layer of clear piping gel as a barrier between layers, and try experimenting with different brands of food coloring to find one that works better.


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