Making black icing can be frustrating. I used to think adding lots of black food coloring could get me the black shade I wanted, but that wasn’t the best way. Over the years, I found a few better ways to create deep black shades, and here’s how.
Method 1 (The best option) – Using black cocoa powder
Ingredients
- 3 tablespoons unsweetened black cocoa powder, 22g
- 1 heaping cup powdered sugar, 125g
- 2 – 3 tablespoons hot water, 30 – 45ml
- 1 teaspoon vanilla extract, 5ml
Instructions
- Whisk the unsweetened black cocoa powder, powdered sugar, hot water, and vanilla.
- If needed, add 1/8 teaspoon (0.6ml) of water at a time to get to the consistency you want. I recommend medium consistency. Check out consistency information from here.
Method 2 (Great option) – How to make black icing with food coloring + unsweetened cocoa powder
Ingredients
- 3 tablespoons unsweetened cocoa powder, 22g
- 1 heaping cup powdered sugar, 125g
- 2 – 3 tablespoons hot water, 30 – 45ml
- 1 teaspoon vanilla extract, 5ml
- 2-3 dashes of black food coloring
Instructions
- Whisk the unsweetened cocoa powder, powdered sugar, hot water, and vanilla.
- If needed, add 1/8 teaspoon (0.6ml) of water at a time to get to the consistency you want. I recommend medium consistency. Check out consistency information from here.
- Add some black gel food coloring with a toothpick and mix until well combined.
Method 3 (OK for a small portion) – How to make black icing only from food coloring
Ingredients
- ¾ tablespoon meringue powder, 6.75g
- 1 ½ tablespoons warm water (NOT hot), 14ml
- ¼ tablespoon light corn syrup, 3.5ml
- 1 cup powdered sugar, 125g
- ½ teaspoon vanilla extract, 2.5ml
- Red food coloring
- Green food coloring
- Blue food coloring
Instructions
- In a deep bowl, add meringue powder and warm water.
- Beat this for about 1 minute until you have a white and frothy mixture.
- Add powdered sugar, corn syrup, and vanilla extract and start mixing at medium to medium-high speed.
- Continue mixing until your icing becomes thick and peaks start forming.
- Add ¼ teaspoon of water at a time to get to the consistency you need. My icing was between “Medium consistency” and “flood consistency.” More detailed explanations of icing consistency can be found here.
- Add equal amounts of red, blue, and green to your recipe. Start with just a couple drops of each color, stirring them in well. Repeat until the mixture darkens to a deep gray, always adding equal amounts of the color.
Point:
- If it looks green, add more red.
- If it looks purple, add more green.
- Make all adjustments one drop at a time, stirring thoroughly between each drop.
