[postimage id="3818" thumb="900"]I am making a graduation cake. I want to incorporate the high school colors of course. The bottom tier will have a damask stencil in royal icing. It needs to be this maroon color, but I'm getting this orangy red tint! Any suggestions? 

It started out white, of course. I read to use red, and a tiny black. It turned this ugly dark rose pinkish shade. Then I added more red, more black, etc..then I read to use cocoa so I added a little cocoa powder mixed in a little water..it's now this color! [postimage id="3819" thumb="900"]

I'm pretty sure when I've made maroon, I mixed in a tiny bit of brown with the red.  Just take a little bit of icing and try a dab of brown and see if that works.  Just a dab.

sooo. That didn't work. I basically started all over with the fresh white royal icing..added LOTS of wilton burgundy gEl dye...STILL wasn't the right shade...added more red...then a hint of brown. ..I swear it's still that same color in the picture above. ..any other suggestions? Certainly there has to be a way to make this the right color! It's frustrating!