Hi everyone i'm here on vacation with my family and I brought very minimal supplies with me i'm trying to make cake with poinsetta's and the only coloring i have is regular food coloring and my black gel i've gotten a good deep pink but need to know any homemade quick ways to get a richer red. and i want to make some candy melt snowflakes with no parchment paper what can I do please help and thanks in advance. and by the way all of you who are posting your christmas pics your cakes look great. 
Try a little (very little) black gel in with the red food colouring it should deepen the red somewhat. You may have to add more red after you add a tiny drop of black to get the colour you want. Don't forget that it does darken when it has sat awhile.
Cover it for awhile before you ice the cake.
Also you could use saran wrap, or if your desperate waxed paper although I prefer saran it leaves the RI much easier than the waxed paper.
Hope this helps you out and Merry Christmas
Kathy
Thanks for all your help guys I had actually used the black gel before I asked and it did work and did deepen as it sat I was just makeing this cake for fun showing my little sister some tricks but it was a disater from the start 
I had no supplies at all the cake stuck to the pan I lost half of it trying to get it out all the red I added made the icing runny I had nothing to smooth the cake with I was trying to do it with my license 
but in the end it was a tasty pretty cake nothing I would take pictures of and nothing I would ever sell but hey proof even those of us that have been doing this forever mess up from time to time I never really knew how dependent I was on the creature comforts of my own well stocked kitchen I guess you learn something new everyone day.
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