Choosing and Using

CHOCOLATE CRAFT COLORS Liquids, Paste or Water & Oil Powders

These natural food colorings are made from beets, annatto, spinach, carrots, cabbage, turmeric, plant glycerine, maltodextrine and natural caramel color from plants. They are vegan, dairy and wheat free and do not contain soy or any artificial ingredients. All have their own particular personalities and slightly different tones.

Natural colorants are affected by heat - hot temperatures like baking and boiling will cause them to fade and brown - they are, after all, made from natural vegetables. For example, to achieve the brightest red tone for a red velvet cake make the product in a shape that will bake at the lowest temperature and for the shortest time. Sometimes combining types or colors will provide the desired intensity or stability. Combine colors to get different shades just as you would with paint. When using liquid colora or water based powders add them to water first, if possible, or to the most neutral water based product in the mix. Powders may take a minute or two to fully disperse and bloom to maximum color.

Natural Liquid Colors

• are concentrates and provide the most intensity for the lowest price; work well in icings and most products except chocolate.

• will add only a small amount of liquid to your product

• should be refrigerated and used within six months or carefully (glass bottles) frozen to maintain freshness.

• will not blend with oil based products (like straight butter or pure chocolate and coatings

Natural Paste Colors

• provide the most intensity with the very least additional moisture

• work well in icings, macaroons and most products except chocolate.

• will not blend with oil based products (like straight butter or pure chocolate and coatings

• should be refrigerated and used within six months.

Natural Water Based Powder Colors

• are weakest - most have a starch base, so they are less potent per ounce

• have a long shelf life and may be stored at cool room temperature for 3 months or up to a year in a refrigeration.

• may be added to oil based products but will not fully dissolve, some colors adding more speckling than others

• they also can cause thickening in oil based products and add some stickiness to pastes and doughs when a large amount is used to create deep colors

Natural Oil Based Powder Colors

• are most expensive per ounce and also have good intensity, similar to liquids

• are finer than the water powders and do not have a starch base

• blend well with oil based products like chocolate and butter without speckling.

• do not blend well with water only products like juices.

• have a long shelf life and may be stored at cool room temperature for 3 months or up to a year in a refrigeration

Using Natural Coloring

Natural colors react to PH, temperature, exposure to light and other natural conditions. Changes depend on what the particular color is made from and how it is processed.

How are Natural Colors Affected by PH?

PH is explained as a measure of the acidity or alkalinity of a solution. ON the PH scale 7 is the middle, or neutral, and as the numbers get higher the PH gets more acid. Numbers less than 7 indicate base products - as the numbers get lower the alkalinity is greater (more base).

Some basic decorating ingredients and materials are listed here with their PH values. The least acid, or most alkaline ingredient is egg white and the most acid ingredients are butter and corn syrup.

The chart Liquid Color Reactions shows six basic liquid colors added to cake decorating staples: modeling chocolate, simple buttercream and royal icing with and without acid (tartaric acid or lemon juice). The blue and green colorants are made from cabbage, yellow from turmeric, red from beets, orange from annatto and purple from red cabbage. (Spinach green is not represented in the picture as it is more stable).

When combined with the least acidic and most alkaline product, royal icing without cream of tartar or other acid (just egg whites and powdered sugar), the blue has a greenish, almost teal tone, the yellow becomes almost orange, the green is emerald and the purple maintains the blue tone.

When combined with the most acidic product, simple buttercream (butter and powdered sugar) the blue has a lighter and slightly grey tone, the yellow becomes more intensely yellow, the green is a brown tinge and the purple turns pink.

This is good information to use when adding color to a mix. The final PH of the mix may change the tone of the color. Hot cooking temperatures can turn color brown and light can cause them to change and fade.