Food coloring and its differences

Colorful food colorings give cakes, cupcakes, and cookies that special something. But which colors not only look beautiful but are also edible? This article will explore that question. So read on to learn more about the different types of food coloring.

What are food colorings?

Food coloring can be used during baking for various purposes, including coloring, decorating, and writing. Colors give cookies, cakes, and other baked goods more individuality and also showcase the creative side of this diverse craft. The following selection shows you which products you can use.

Oil-based food colorings

Oil-based food colorings are ideal for coloring buttercream or other doughs with a higher fat content. They blend easily, and the slightly higher oil content doesn't affect the taste. Besides fillings and creams, you can also use these colors to color chocolate. If you'd like to see a rainbow after cutting a cake, oil-based food colorings provide a great foundation for creative baking.

Also available in liquid form are food colorings specifically designed for airbrushing. With a little practice, you can quickly work freehand with airbrushes for larger areas, while for small decorations you can also use our cookie stencils.

Gel colors

Do you love working with royal icing (a glaze made from egg whites and powdered sugar) and are looking for the perfect food coloring? Gel colors offer the most vibrant results. They're easy to measure, so you can consistently achieve the same shades every time. Besides intense colors like blue, red, or green, pastel and metallic shades are also popular with home bakers. This wide selection offers a wealth of creative possibilities.

Color pastes

Color pastes can have a consistency quite similar to color gels. The color pigments are also highly concentrated in the pastes, so even small amounts are sufficient for coloring marzipan, fondant, or dough. Therefore, when trying a new product, you should start with a small amount to avoid overly intense color. Pastes are also available in numerous shades that are excellent for modeling lifelike marzipan flowers or fondant petals.

Powder colors

Powdered food coloring is used to create shading or decorative accents with a brush. The powder can also be mixed with alcohol and then applied to baked goods like watercolors. As always, using it sparingly is key. Powdered food coloring is also perfect for working with cookie stencils. To do this, apply a thin layer of edible glue to your baked goods, place the stencil on top, and then dab the colored powder onto the stencil with a brush. Make sure you only dab at first, not paint, otherwise the color will bleed under the stencil.

Cake Paint food coloring by SweetStick

You can also find SweetStick Cake Paint colors in the shop. Simply shake the Cake Paint bottles well and then you can start painting your baked goods. The colors are suitable for painting on fondant, royal icing, cookies, chocolate, macarons, and much more.

Food coloring pens

If you'd like to ease into using food coloring, food coloring pens are the perfect choice. The colors don't need to be mixed, and the pens are always ready to use. You can use them to write on dried royal icing, for example.

Are you now curious and would like to try for yourself how well cookies, cakes and the like work as a canvas? Then simply choose your personal favorite colors and start experimenting.