How Do You Paint On Fondant

Decorating By pnut Updated 3 Nov 2010 , 11:09pm by Ladyfish74

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pnut Posted 28 Oct 2010 , 2:57am
post #1 of 7

I'm trying to make a cake that has very dark navy blue and black colors and instead of trying to color the fondant I was thinking of just painting it as I've seen on here many times. How do I go about that? What do I use to mix the color with and how much should I be using? Is it the same thing for painting with luster dust?

6 replies
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cakesbyamber Posted 28 Oct 2010 , 3:23am
post #2 of 7

I mix gel food coloring with vodka in a small bowl. If I want the color more translucent I mix in more vodka; If I want it dark I mix in more coloring. I used to paint with gel food color without the vodka and it never seemed to dry. I have also heard of people using airbrush coloring to paint with.

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Cakegirl313 Posted 28 Oct 2010 , 8:06pm
post #3 of 7

I too use the vodka and gel coloring to paint and it works like a charm. Sometimes when you are trying to do a dark color though it is easier to color that deep if you do atleast tint the fondant a little.

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Ladyfish74 Posted 29 Oct 2010 , 1:55am
post #4 of 7

Pnut,
If you are trying to do the entire cake in a dark color, DO NOT attempt to paint the whole thing with a brush. It will be streaked and messy. Use an airbrush. If you don't have one, order some powdered color to tint your fondant with. Add a small amount of paste to intensify the color and then let it ripen overnight. It will get darker. If you try to use paste or gel color in an amount large enough to make the fondant really dark , it will end up having the consistency of poop....sorry but that's what it reminds me of. It will not roll out evenly, it will split and tear and you won't be able to cover a cake with it. Be sure to add a bit of shortening to the fondant as you knead in the powdered color otherwise it will be too dry. I've already made all of the mistakes you can make with dark colored fondant so I'm hoping to spare you the trouble icon_smile.gif

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pnut Posted 3 Nov 2010 , 6:23pm
post #5 of 7

Thank you all so much for the tips. Does the powder coloring affect the fondant like the gels? Does it get that nice dark color?

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NatalieC923 Posted 3 Nov 2010 , 6:28pm
post #6 of 7

Also, is there a particular brand of powder colors you would recommend to get the darker colors?

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Ladyfish74 Posted 3 Nov 2010 , 11:09pm
post #7 of 7

The powder doesn't affect the fondant like the gels do as far as consistency is concerned and that is the big advantage. Too much gel causes the fondant's consistency to change and makes it useless. I use the powder until I get it a couple of shades less than I want, then use a little gel to intensify it more and then let it sit overnight so it will get darker. The brand I use is CK or Americolor. Both can be bought online.

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