How To Make Black Frosting | Our Baking Blog

How to Make Black Frosting

Posted by Wilton | Dec 28, 2021

Jump to Instructions Print Instructions

We’ve put our black frosting colors to the test to determine just how much color is needed to achieve your desired shade of black. Whether you’re using Color Right base colors or traditional frosting colors, you’ll be able to get rich, deep black frosting in no time.

this …

Black frosting has the potential to make any dessert stand out, but getting true black frosting can be a bit of a challenge. Most of the time we continue to add frosting color only to discover our frosting is just dark gray – not black.

Well all of that is about to change! We’ve put our black frosting colors to the test to determine just how much color is needed to achieve your desired shade of black. Whether you’re using Color Right base colors or traditional frosting colors, you’ll be able to get rich, deep black frosting in no time.

For Coloring Large Amounts of Frosting (1 Cup or More)

Color Right Food Coloring System

Featuring ultra-concentrated colors in squeezable bottles, the Color Right system will give you a rich dark shade of black without compromising consistency. The Black base color is included in the full Color Right collection but can also be purchased individually.

• Light Gray: 1 cup white buttercream frosting + 5 drops of color
• Medium Gray: 1 cup white buttercream frosting + 10 drops of color
• Dark Gray: 1 cup white buttercream frosting + 20 drops of color
• Black: 1 cup white buttercream frosting + 100 drops of color

For a quicker and easier solution, use our chocolate buttercream recipe as your base, rather than white buttercream.

• 2 cups chocolate buttercream + 30 drops of color

Icing Colors

Icing colors are a great way to tint your buttercream. Be sure to use a clean teaspoon or toothpick to add color to your frosting.

• Light Gray: 1 cup white buttercream frosting + 1/8 teaspoon of color
• Medium Gray: 1 cup white buttercream frosting + ¼ teaspoon of color
• Dark Gray: 1 cup white buttercream frosting + 1 teaspoon of color

To get black frosting using icing colors, we suggest using our chocolate buttercream recipe as your base, rather than white buttercream. Simply add Black icing color to the chocolate icing using a toothpick or knife. Continue adding until you achieve your desired shade.

For Small Amounts of Frosting (Less Than 1 Cup)

If you need less than 1 cup of black frosting for your project, we suggest using one of our pre-colored black icing pouches or tubes. We have several varieties to best suit your needs.

Black Icing Pouch with Tips

This icing pouch also includes two decorating tips (round and star tip) for easy and convenient decorating.

Black Ready-to-Use-Icing Tube

This tube is like having a decorating bag filled with icing ready to go! Simply use a coupler to attach any standard-sized Wilton decorating tip to the end of this tube and you’re ready to decorate.

Black Cookie Icing

This quick-setting icing is great for decorating sugar cookies or gingerbread cookies. The cap of this bottle also acts as a small round tip to help you pipe messages, borders, dots and more.

Black Sparkle Gel

Need to write a quick message on your cake or add a few sparkly black decorations? This gel tube will get the job done in no time. Try it on cookies, cupcakes, brownies and more!

How to Use Cocoa Powder to Make Black Frosting

You can decrease the amount of food coloring you need to make black frosting by using black cocoa powder to help tint your buttercream.

What is Black Cocoa Powder?

Black cocoa powder is a cocoa powder that has been heavily dutched, or alkalized. It can have a slightly bitter taste, so adding it to your frosting may adjust the flavor; therefore, we suggest using a combination of both black cocoa powder and a little black food coloring to achieve your desired shade of black.

How to Use Black Cocoa Powder

Begin by preparing our traditional Chocolate Buttercream Frosting, swapping black cocoa for the traditional cocoa powder. This will help darken your buttercream, so you won’t need to add as much black food coloring to get a richer, deeper color.

If possible, make your buttercream a day or so before you need it. The dark cocoa will deepen as it sets, so your buttercream will be even darker a day after it’s prepared.

Where Can I Find Black Cocoa Powder?

At this time, black cocoa powder is not widely available in stores and generally must be ordered online. If you’re having trouble finding it, you can use a special dark cocoa powder, which might be easier to find. However, keep in mind that you may need more food coloring to get a richer black than you would with black cocoa.

Helpful Hints

• For deeper blacks, try making your buttercream from scratch. Our buttercream frosting recipe is easy to color and tastes delicious!
• If possible, make your black frosting a day or two ahead of time. The color will deepen as it sets.
• While you can tint white buttercream, using chocolate buttercream as a base will make it much easier to get dark blacks without having to add a lot of color.
• For a unique effect, try spraying your decorated treats with Black Color Mist food coloring spray

How did your black frosting turn out? Share your creations on Instagram and tag us @wiltoncakes so we can see!

Having trouble getting red frosting, too? Check out our post on How to Make Red Frosting.

How to Make Black Frosting

We’ve put our black frosting colors to the test to determine just how much color is needed to achieve your desired shade of black. Whether you’re using Color Right base colors or traditional frosting colors, you’ll be able to get rich, deep black frosting in no time. 4 from 1 vote Pin Instructions Print Instructions Prep Time 15 minutes minsTotal Time 15 minutes mins Course Dessert Servings 1 cup

Ingredients

• 1 cup White Buttercream Frosting
• 100 drops Black Color Right Food Coloring

Instructions

• Combine 1 cup white buttercream frosting and 100 drops of Color Right food coloring in a small bowl. Mix well.

Notes

For a quicker and easier solution, use our chocolate buttercream recipe as your base, rather than white buttercream.

• 2 cups chocolate buttercream + 30 drops of color

If possible, make your black frosting a day or two ahead of time. The color will deepen as it sets. Tried this how-to?Take a picture and tag us @WiltonCakes on Instagram!

Share:

Previous26 Cute Gingerbread Houses Next25 Winter Themed Cakes for Birthdays

About The Author

Wilton

Since 1929, the Wilton Team of bakers has been inspiring the joy of creativity in everyone, everywhere, every day. From big milestone celebrations to simply baking in the kitchen with your loved ones, the Wilton team is here to be your trusted guide, your secret ingredient, ready to help you shine with tips, tricks and solutions that enable you to be your most creative self. No matter where you are on your baking journey, Wilton is here to help you bake your world happy.

Related Posts

How to Make White Buttercream Frosting

December 6, 2019

Our 7 Favorite Types of Buttercream Frosting

December 1, 2023

What is Shortening?

May 22, 2018

3 Ways to Use Tip 81

March 15, 2019

Leave a reply Cancel reply

Your email address will not be published. Required fields are marked *

Rating Rating

COMMENT

Name *

Email *

Website

The reCAPTCHA verification period has expired. Please reload the page.

Pin It on Pinterest

Shares

• 3k