It happens to clothes from time to time. After a few washes, that black skirt looks, well, gray! When it happens to a newly mixed batch of icing, it is not as simple as getting some dye and recoloring! It is easily remedied, though, and here, we will walk you through some of the most common reasons why your black icing looks odd and how to fix it!
Reasons Why Black Icing Can Look Odd
1. There Was White Added To The Base Icing
Black and white make gray. So, if you want to get a deep black icing and can’t, it may be because you added white gel to the base icing as part of the instructions.
Resolution: To resolve this, you can either eliminate this step or, if the icing is mixed and is gray, just add black food coloring or gel as instructed.
2. Black Bleed
Black food coloring gel tends to be mixed with all of the colors of the rainbow. So, depending on the brand, one or more of those colors may come through with a dominant undertone.
Resolution: Add more black icing, and next time, choose a different brand of coloring gel.
How To Fix Black Icing With Color Theory
1. Color Theory
Color theory is an interesting way to save your black icing. If you are seeing a lot of purple, add a bit of color that is opposite to purple on a color wheel. This yellow addition will neutralize the purple and enhance the black. If you are seeing purple through in the icing, look at the color wheel and find the shade opposite this. In the case of purple, it would be yellow. This will neutralize it.
2. Cocoa Powder
If you don’t have a lot of black gel to add, you can start with a chocolate-based icing. Cocoa powder can help you to get that true black hue much faster than having to start with a white base again. Make sure the cocoa powder is dense and dark!