How do you make black icing that is not bitter?

You can start with dark chocolate buttercream and go from there but you will still need alot of color especially if you are using wilton pastes,to get a deep true black.I keep a tube of wiltons ready made icing on hand for eyes etc...The amount of black I use is minimal but if I get a cake order that has alot of black I make my own.You could also try Chefmaster or Americolor gel pastes that come in a pop top little squeezable bottle...I hear the gels darken the colors like red,blue and black really well.I just bought Americolor Red and black for that same reason.I can't wait to try them!!!

P.S. Americolor,Chefmaster available at Sugarcraft.com and Countrykitchensa.com

Well, I've never made BTC, only black fondant, but basically if you mix the three primary colors, one at a time, you'll make it to black...You may use two different but similar primaries also...ie ..lemon yellow and egg yellow...

Start with dark chocolate bc. Then add gel color. Let it sit in an airtight bowl overnight, and it will darken more.

if you want, you can use bc and store bought chocolate frosting. when i do that i don't have to add as much black. after it sits overnight you should see a big difference in the color.

I pretty much gave up on getting a good black or a good red...so I buy the Wilton tubes for those 2 colours. They're never used in large quantities anyways.

Thanks to Cali4dawn's frozen buttercream tutorial, a few months ago I started using store-brand fudge icing and it just takes a little Wilton black coloring. It works great!

STAY AWAY FROM WILTON COLORING- ESPECIALLY BLACK AND RED!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

Try ChefMaster or Americolor. I start out with WHITE icing, I add 1-2 drop per cup of icing and I have a deep black or red.

For BCTs, it's best to use fudge icing (at least in my opinion) for the lines... so southerncake's suggestion was a very good one. I've done that, too.

Calli4dawn, why are you so ADAMANT about not using Wilton Black or red? They're not the best I've used, but they are effective and readily available.

- Kim

you wouldn't need to purchase that stuff if you just start out with store bought chocolate frosting and add a little black to it. i've tried that wilton frosting, so generic, i think. i guess it depends personal taste.