Cake decorating is a true art that requires a lot of creativity and patience. Whether you are a professional baker or an enthusiastic home baker, you would agree that the right food coloring can bring a cake to life.
While there are many types of food coloring available in the market, oil-based food coloring has become increasingly popular among cake decorators. In this blog post, we'll explore why you should choose oil-based food coloring over powder or liquid alternatives in cake decorating.
So, if you're looking for ways to take your cake-decorating skills to the next level, keep reading!
Different Types Of Cake Decorating Colors
Before we discuss what makes oil-based food coloring superior, let's quickly review all the types of food coloring. There are four different types of cake decorating colors, each with its own functionality and unique applications. These food dyes help your dessert appear more appetizing and add a flair of distinction.
Aqua Blends
Aqua blends are water-based food dyes. These work well with water-soluble ingredients like jellies and meringues. They tend to mess up the consistency of your dessert, so you need to be wary of how much you put in. They also have a watery consistency of their own, so they are not as pigmented and need to be added in a substantial amount to make a difference. When mixed in fondant, aqua blends tend to stain your hands and bleed into each other.
Powder-Based
Powder-based food coloring is also called dust food colors, as instead of being mixed in, they are dusted on your desserts. You may have come across this type of food coloring when eating cupcakes or cakes dusted with gold or silver powder food coloring.
These are great for adding accents but do tend to clump together while being mixed. Another downside is that these dyes tend to fade out quickly and need to be refreshed with a new coat if they are left out for too long.
Oil Blends
Oil-based food coloring is by far the most versatile food dye. Although used primarily for fat-soluble ingredients, these also work well when mixed with any other type of dessert, like frosting, fondant, macarons, cakes, or chocolate.
These food dyes are highly pigmented and only required in small amounts; therefore, do not mess up the consistency of your desserts. Additionally, oil blends create a smooth texture in your desserts, never fade, and don't need to be refreshed. Oil-based food dyes do not stain when mixed in fondant, unlike aqua blends.
The only con of oil blends is that they take significant effort to mix in properly, but this can easily be solved with an immersion blender. However, this also means that certain oil blends do not bleed into each other when added to a cake or cream.
Gel-Based
Gel-based food dyes are very similar to oil blends in that they are harder to mix in, highly pigmented, and do not mess up the consistency of your dessert. However, since these dyes have preservatives, they may cause allergic reactions in children and sometimes even adults. Gel-based colors, when applied side by side, also tend to bleed into each other like aqua blends.
Why Is Oil-based Food Coloring Superior?
When comparing all the different types of food dyes, the one that reigns superior is oil-based food coloring. Here are all the reasons that make oil blends the one and only champion of the food coloring world:
● They are highly pigmented.
● They give colorful results with high saturation.
● They are only required in small quantities.
● They last longer and give your dessert a smooth texture.
● They work great with all types of desserts, specifically fat-based ingredients in buttercream, icing, cakes, and chocolates.
● These dyes do not fade away even when left out for a long time, maintaining their vibrant color.
● Oil blends also do not bleed into each other, unlike gel-based or water-based food dyes.
● You can choose from a large variety of oil blends.
How Can You Decorate Different Desserts With Oil-Based Food Coloring?
Many bakers find it hard to incorporate color into their desserts. The reason for this is not because they don't want to but that you can easily ruin a perfectly good dessert by making an abhorrent color combination. Luckily for you, Cake Craft UAE has your back as the most reliable supplier of dessert tools and accessories in the UAE. Here is a list of the best dessert decoration ideas using oil-based food coloring:
Add A Little Character To Your Fondant
If you plan on making a colorful fondant cake, all you need to do is grab the oil blend of your choice and then add one drop to the fondant. You can either make the fondant at home or buy it from Cake Craft UAE.
Make sure to fold the fondant with the food dye drop on the inside. Twist and stretch the fondant until you reach uniformity throughout. You can keep adding drops of dye until it reaches the color of your choice. If you wish you can even mix certain colors to make new ones.
Once the fondant is colored, you can roll it with a rolling pin, lay it on top of your cake, and cut it to size. You can also decorate your cake further with colored whipped cream or icing.
Color Your Whipped Cream
To color up your whipped cream, you first would either need to get heavy cream and whip it or buy pre-whipped cream. For making whipped cream, beat your heavy cream until soft peaks form. Add the oil-based food coloring of your choice and gently fold the whipped cream until you reach uniformity in color.
While whipping, add gelatin, powdered sugar, and vanilla extract in small quantities. Set it in the fridge for later use.
Make Your Macaroons Sweeter With Colorful Decor
To create macarons, one of the best decoration ideas is to use colorful filling and cream for an added flair or whimsy. Traditional macarons have been known to have a pastel-colored shell; however, there are no rules against making a pattern or scenery on your macaron using some colorful cream.
However, keep in mind that you do use oil blends to dye your macaroon shells, as they may not mix well and end up cracking.
Conclusion
Oil-based food coloring is the superior choice when it comes to cake decorating. It offers highly pigmented, long-lasting, and smooth-textured results that work well with all types of desserts. You can select your fav from a wide variety of oil blends to add a pop of color to your baked goods. With the help of Cake Craft UAE, you can even experiment with different colors and techniques to create stunning desserts that will leave your guests in awe. So, what are you waiting for? Let's get baking and add a little color to your life!