Ok....I know this subject has been done to death, but I want to make sure I'm doing this right. I'm trying to make red icing for a FBCT for this weekend. I read alot of threads concerning this subject and here's what I've done so far.....Made the buttercream and added pink color to get a hot pink for a base. Let that sit a couple of hours, then added some Super Red Americolor coloring. Let that sit 2-3 hours to deepen. Still dark pink, add more super red, and it's been sitting again another 2-3 hours. It's a much darker pink, but not quite red. Should I keep adding more red??? Will it ruin the icing? Any suggestions would be welcome! Thanks!
The only way I ever knew (self taught sorry) to make the red icing was to use the No-Taste Red from Wilton.... I had a piece of bday cake last week that was made at a grocery store and they had put a bright red border around it and it tasted awful!!!! The red stained fingers, lips, teeth everything it came in contact with including clothes! Be very careful with red lol. But my suggestion would be to start over and don't make it pink first just go straight red I may be wrong with that though.
yep-add more red. If that doesn't do it, chuck it and buy some ready made red in a tube! 
Seriously, if your icing gets a little runny if it's for a FBCT it's really okay. It will probably be a thinner than medium and that's okay. Add the red. Isn't that fun?! AAARRRGGGHHH!
I make mine a light pink and then add red. It does take a lot of red.
Hi,
I recently did a cake with a dark red shade, and my suggestion would be to take a small amount of the icing you have made and spread it on a piece of wax paper. Then let it dry so you can see the actual color. Just like paint, when the surface of the icing dries, the color will darken.
When I painted a wall in my house red, it looked majorly fuschia until it dried completely. A few minor heart palpitations later, I had a glamorous red wall.
Hope this helps!
Hmmm...maybe you overdid with the pink? I've used Americolor Super Red with just plain white icing and it turned out red (check it out in my pics). Not sure but it should work just fine. I had to use a generous squirt or two but I didn't have to use an overly large amount of coloring to get it red red either. Good luck!
you should try the powdered red food coloring. It works so much better than the gel when making red. I used it on this Lightning McQueen cake and was very pleased!
years and years ago my grandfather worked for wyler's and brought home a tiny vial of some powdered red color that they used for their drink mixes. to make something REALLY RED, i just used a few grains of it. however, what went in one end red, came out the other end red if you get my drift. that caused a few people i cooked for to become alarmed. but most thought it was funny.
unfortunately i ran out of it a couple of years ago. now i'm looking for a true red just like the rest of you.
i've been having some luck with plain old ordinary food color, the liquid stuff in the big bottle in the spice area at the grocery store. i just eliminate the amount of liquid replaced by the color. the other one that works ok, but it takes the entire tube, is the gel put out in a 4 color pack by betty crocker. neither have a bad taste as far as i can tell.
I agree with AlamoSweets, the powdered red works better for me.
Thanks for the replies everyone! I guess I'll add a little more red, and if that doesn't do it, I'll try smbegg's suggestion of 1 drop brown. And if that dosen't work.... 
, I guess I'll go try to buy some pre-made red. 
By the way smbegg---your ladybug cake is too cute! 
Try taking just a little bit aside to test and maybe add cocoa powder. Since it might have a bad taste being red I'm just thinking that the cocoa powder would give it a better tast. Like I said do a taste test on the side to see if it works. I have also tried to get a dark red and added brown to get it dark. I liked the cocoa taste but you might not depending on what your filling and cake are made of. Good Luck
Red icing is not that hard to make. though starting with pink is not the best thing for true red icing. Use wilton no taste red coloring. it takes 1/4 tsp of color per cup of icing you are coloring. Buttercream will color easier than royal be cause of the shortening. if using royal I usually add 1/2 tsp per cup.
Shadowgypsie
Yes, Americolor red powder. It is wonderful. I bought it here at CC.
mvigil,
No, it was another brand-no longer available. I'm sure the Americolor would work too. I also bought some red in a liquid form from Earlene's site that she uses...but I haven't tried it yet??
When I did pink first, I couldn't make my icing red, it just turned darker sort of purple/pink. Then I added the dark color (I can't remember if it was brown or black) then it was more purple. It was a discusting mess...Tossed it! I just bought the superred in the sale, and will try that soon.
Also, didn't I hear something about kool-aid powder? But, then it tastes like kool-aid I would think.
My cake in my pics with the red borders is the first time I have ever made red. My ratio was 2 cups BC to a full 1 oz tub of Wilton's no taste red and a tiny dab of Christmas red. The longer it sat, the redder it got and I was very pleased with the shade of red it turned out to be. While I was reading this thread I was thinking, "What about Kool-Aid?" I think I'll have to try that sometime too. 
I use the no taste red and it truly is red. I use it with wilton's all crisco recipe. I did elmo (and he was red) and I did Thomas red and I have done red roses. Now, I have to use quite a bit, but it doesn't turn anything else red, just the icing.
When I was first trying to get red I was told to put in one drop of black (by my instructor) well, my best friend's sample cake had BROWN roses instead of red because of it, so don't add another color to the red (at least not black! and it was ONE Toothpick teeny weeny bit!!!) Second, I've read that the kool-aid makes it REALLY sour and not edible so I wouldn't do that either.
I haven't tried the powder, but that makes sense, but I'll swear by no taste red by wilton. Look at my photos and you will see red is red and black is black.
Melissa
I haven't read all the other posts but try using (adding) cherry kool aid in your pink icing. you get a brilliant read and a yummy taste to boot! here is one i did with the kool aid added.
well, the pic didn't show... grrr. trying again
alaskanmom
Posted: Thu Nov 02, 2006 3:31 am Post subject:
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I haven't read all the other posts but try using (adding) cherry kool aid in your pink icing. you get a brilliant read and a yummy taste to boot! here is one i did with the kool aid added.
What a great idea for a kids cake! Can't wait to try that one How many cups of icing did that color? BTW, your red is gorgeous on that cake
My girlfriend asked for a cake with red roses. I told her no charge for the cake, but $50/rose for red
. I don't do red and I don't like black. I'm a nurse and the thought of giving someone black poo makes me shudder.
Well....you'll be delighted (?) to know that all the black icing my DS consumed at nursery school (they decorated cookies) made his poo green, not black....yay. 
for that red i had started to tint with a ton of no taste red.. couldn't get it. i made about 3 cups with 2 packs of cherry kool-aid and it was yummy! (3 cups because i also used it on my fourth of july cake the next day.. the pic of it looks orange, but that's just the pic)
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