Cake
Decorator’s Color Wheel
Primary
Colors:
Red, yellow and blue
In traditional color theory (used in paint and pigments), primary colors are
the 3 pigment colors that cannot be mixed or formed by any combination of other
colors. All other colors are derived from these 3 hues.
Secondary
Colors:
Green, orange and purple
These are the colors formed by mixing the primary colors.
Tertiary Colors: Yellow-orange, red-orange, red-purple, blue-purple,
blue-green & yellow-green
These are the colors formed by mixing a primary and a secondary color. That's
why the hue is a two word name, such as blue-green, red-violet, and
yellow-orange.
Mixing Color In Icing
Begin
with white icing and use concentrated icing color which will not affect your
icing consistency. Using standard food colors can thin down your icing and
affect your ability to pipe certain decorations. If you are tinting icing dark
brown or black, begin with chocolate icing – your icing will not have the
aftertaste that large amounts of these icing colors may produce. If you are
tinting a large area red, use No-Taste Red.
Dip
a toothpick into the color, then swirl it into the icing. Add color a little at
a time until you achieve the shade you desire. Always use a new toothpick each
time you add color; you want to avoid getting icing into your jar of color to
make it last longer. Blend the icing well with a spatula.
Consider
the type of icing you are using when mixing color. Icing colors intensify or
darken in buttercream icing about 1-2 hours after mixing. Royal icing requires
more color than buttercream icing to achieve the same color intensity.
Always
mix enough of any one icing color for your entire cake. For example, if you are
going to decorate a cake with pink flowers and borders, color enough icing for
both. It is difficult to duplicate an exact shade of any color, an important
fact if you want to keep color consistent on the cake.
Wilton Color
Chart
When mixing color always mix
a small amount of color to experiment. Start with base color and then add very
small amounts of secondary color. Be sure to mix enough color for the cakes to
be decorated as it is difficult to match an exact color ANTIQUE GOLD
Add just an extremely small touch of Leaf Green to Golden Yellow
Aqua
|
Sky
Blue and Leaf Green
|
Avocado
|
Use Moss Green
Color
|
Black
|
Our paste color or
Royal Blue,Christmas Red, Orange and Lemon
|
Chartreuse
|
9 parts Lemon
Yellow, 1 art Leaf Green
|
Coral
|
Creamy peach and a
touch of pink or orange and a touch of pink
|
Flesh
|
Add just an
extremely small touch of Copper to white icing. Ivory can also be used. Light pink with a small amount of brown.
|
Gray
|
Add just a touch of
Black to white Icing.
|
Hunter Green
|
Kelly Green and a
touch of Black
|
Jade
|
Leaf green, Royal
Blue and a touch of Black
|
Lavender
|
Pink and Violet
|
Marigold
|
Lemon Yellow and
Orange
|
Maroon
|
Burgundy and Red
Red
|
Mauve
|
Touch of Burgundy
with very little Black
|
Misty Green
|
Leaf Green, Royal
Blue and a touch of Black
|
Moss Green
|
Our paste color or
Violet and Lemon Yellow
|
Mulberry
|
Mix Rose with a
touch of Royal Blue
|
Navy Blue
|
Royal Blue and
Black
|
Periwinkle
|
Royal Blue and
Violet
|
Plum
|
Use Violet with a
touch of Christmas Red.
|
Raspberry
|
Pink and Red Red
|
Rust
|
Orange, Red Red and
Brown
|
Silver
|
We do not advise
attempting to simulate silver color in icing.
Instead, add silver leaves or other silver accessories to the cake.
|
Teal
|
Use teal paste
color or Lemon Yellow and Sky Blue
|
Turquoise
|
Sky Blue and Lemon
Yellow
|
Warm Gold
|
Use Golden Yellow
with just a touch of brown
|
Tips on Colors
Color Tips
Wilton paste food color is
concentrated, giving vivid or deep colors without changing consistency. Add
paste color to icing, in small amounts with a clean toothpick or spatula.
Deep colors: When making deep colors, such as
black, brown, or red use Wilton paste food colors in larger amounts than
normal. It can take as much as 1 oz. paste food color per one cup to obtain
deep colors. Deep colors are recommended for accent colors only.
Darken and deepen: Colors deepen in buttercream icings
upon setting; color icing 1-2 hours before decorating. Colors fade slightly in
royal, boiled or Color Flow icing as they set.
Fading colors: Sunlight or fluorescent light will
cause some colors to fade. After the cake is decorated, it is best to keep in a
cool room and out of direct light.
Lemon juice: Sometimes lemon juice or cream of
tartar will cause colors to change, i. e. violet will become blue. If the
recipe has one of these ingredients in it, omit it. In addition, some water
(from various geographical areas) tends to cause color changes. If buttercream
icing is made with water, use milk instead.
Bleeding: Usually, "bleeding" colors
on a decorated cake is a result of improper storage. It is not recommended to
ice cakes while they are still frozen, as the cake needs to "breathe"
while it thaws. Allow the cake to defrost before icing to help prevent the
colors from bleeding. An air tight cover on cake stored at room temperature may
encourage condensation to form which can cause colors to bleed.
Stain removal: All deep colors in nature stain, like
blueberries, but none of them are harmful. Paste colors can stain teeth and
skin; however, simply washing skin area with soap and warm water will remove
color. Bleach can be used on counter tops. Lukewarm water should be used first
to spot stained color. Rinse thoroughly, allow to dry. If color is still
visible use a commercial cleaner on garment, carpet, upholstery, etc. In the
case of a color that has Red 3 as an ingredient use an acid such as vinegar or lemon
juice to soak stain first. Proceed with lukewarm water and then allow to dry
before using a commercial cleaner.
Notes
About Wilton Paste Colors
Red
There are three different
reds - Christmas Red, a blue-toned red; Red-Red, an orange toned red; and
Red-No Taste, a blue toned red.
It can take as much as 1 oz.
of red paste color to one cup of icing to get a deep red.
When icing is colored deep
red, a bitter aftertaste may be detected. Red No-Taste should be used when a
large portion of red coloring is used on the cake. Red No-Taste does not
contain red 3 which causes the bitter taste.
Green
Leaf Green is a brighter
green with more yellow than Kelly Green. Both of these greens require very
little color, how much color added depends on the tone of the green you want.
Hot Pink
Rose paste color will obtain
hot pink with good results. Rose Petal is a soft, muted rose color. Pink is a
traditional pastel with a slight yellow tone.
Blue
Royal Blue has a red tone.
Sky Blue has a yellow tone.
Daffodil Yellow
Daffodil Yellow is an all
natural food coloring and does not contain yellow #5. (Many people are allergic
to this). Daffodil Yellow currently contains alcohol which all other colors do
not have present.
Black
When white buttercream is
tinted dark black,
it also can have a bitter taste. Use dark chocolate icing with a small amount
of black color added.
Brown
Brown color occasionally has
a green overtone to it. This usually occurs with the presence of acid in the
icing; lemon juice or cream of tartar. Omit the acid if tinting icing brown.
Also dissolving brown color in 1/4 teaspoon water before adding to icing will
eliminate the green tone.
White-White
White-white is used for
lightening icing that has been colored too dark. Also use it for making white
buttercream made with butter or margarine.
Bag Striping Effects
You can easily pipe two-tone
decorations just by adding a different color inside the bag before you put in
your tinted icing. This way, you can pipe flowers with natural light and dark
tones or a rainbow-colored clown suit to brighten up the party.
Brush Striping
Produces more intense
multiple colors because it is done with straight icing color brushed into the
bag. Apply one or more stripes of icing color with a decorating brush, then
fill the bag with white or pastel-colored icing. As the icing is squeezed past
the color, decorations will come out striped.
Spatula Striping
Produces two-tone and
realistic pastel tones in flowers and figure piping. It is done with pastel-colored
icing, striped inside the decorating bag with a spatula. After striping, fill
the bag with white icing or another shade of the same color as the striping.
Squeeze out decorations with soft contrasts.
Images & Wilton logo
courtesy of Wilton Products, Inc.
SPECIALTY TIPS 
