How Did This Happen?! Color In Fondant Faded Overnight...
Decorating By mom2spunkynbug Updated 8 Apr 2008 , 11:45am by wgoat5
I made a cake dummy for a small bridal show last Friday night. I got my inspiration from Bride magazine (the top 20 cakes they had last issue). I did the one that looked like grass coming up from the cake. Anyway - I colored the fondant using the Wilton mauve from the Garden 4-pack of colors. By the time I came back home from the show (about 1:30 on Saturday) the flowers were white!!!
Now since I made each flower individually, is there any way to "save" the cake? I was thinking maybe I could "paint" them - ? Would I use powdered color? How would I go about doing that?
I have another show next weekend & wanted to use this one 
Thanks for any advice.
I wont' be able to offer any help in saving the color, but just to share about why it fades.
I knew when I saw the subject line that you were dealing with a red based color.
When they took Red DYe #2 off the market over 20 years ago, cake decorators have had to deal with this. All reds are unstable now. SO if you make purple (which is made from red and blue), the red fades and you are left with blue flowers.
I had this same problem with a cake that I took to an event. I made a pink dummy with purple and pink flowers. By the time I was ready to leave for the event, it had already faded a ton and looked nothing like I had first created. I wonder if the florescent lights cause it to fade faster. I don't know how to fix it but I'm going to be much more careful next time I have to use reds or pinks on a dummy cake about keeping it covered and out of the light.
WOW Indydebi!!! 
Well that's good to know now! I was thinking geesh! what if I had done this for a wedding?!
Is this unstable in fondant? or in all types of icings? I've never had this happen before. I've used red in my buttercream & it's never faded.
Well...like I said....good to know. At least I found out on a dummy!
It's not an always thing. The last time it happened to me was when my sister got married over 20 years ago. She was having a rainbow wedding and I transported the cake in the back of my station wagon, with the sun beating in thru the windows. The reds faded from the sunlight. SHe had some nice 2-toned blue/purple/pink ones. Everyone thought I was a genius and I didn't want to spoil it by telling them it was an accident due to color fading!! 
Pink is the worst when it comes to fading. I've had a pink fondant bow fade to almost while just by driving an hour. The sun coming in the car (and I had tinted windows) made it fade that fast.
Anyway, what you can do is get luster or petal dust and use that to brighton your color back to where you want it.
I wont' be able to offer any help in saving the color, but just to share about why it fades.
I knew when I saw the subject line that you were dealing with a red based color.
When they took Red DYe #2 off the market over 20 years ago, cake decorators have had to deal with this. All reds are unstable now. SO if you make purple (which is made from red and blue), the red fades and you are left with blue flowers.
OMG, I am totally freaking out now, please please please dont tell me that this will be a problem when airbrushing a cake as well......
Will this happen for Red Airbrush Colors. I am planning on airbrushing a tier with Lucks Red Shimmer......Do you think i will have this problem? I will probalby be making the cake a day in advance. Or at least start working on it two days in advance.
fondantfrenzy, don't panic yet! 
See my above post ... the last time I had fading was my sister's wedding cake 20 years ago. It has to do with light and light exposure. When I make red roses or other flowers, I always make them a day or two ahead of time and let them air dry ... if there is any fading, I've got time to work it out. It doesn't happen EVERY time you use a red ... but if you have a fading problem, it's practically always going to be a red.
My two cents...
In my experience, the Wilton colors fade faster than any other color on the market. I recently switched to Americolor after hearing to much about it on CC. I did a wedding cake with Americolor in red fondant, made my red roses a week in advance, and NO FADING. It was awesome. I'll never go back to Wilton colors.
And no, I don't work for Americolor. 
I wish I could buy here.
I found an online supplier but at $9 shipping I would have to buy a LOT to make it worth my money...
Have you tried creative cutters? www.creativecutters.com They sell Sugar Flair. They are made up differently than the wilton colours. I haven't used them much but my teacher introduced us to them.
At least you won't have to pay duty.
Sorry, but I've had americolor fade too. Both times were from ambient sunlight (not even direct light) - once was pink BC the other time fuschia fondant. The fuschia faded to grey!!
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