I have been having trouble with black buttercream bleeding onto my buttercream iced cakes. After the cake is finished and sits awhile it bleeds pink around the edges. I use the gel black coloring. I would appreciate any help with this as I have a cake for a wedding shower that has a black design over the white icing.
Thank you,
Tonya

I dont' have much experience with bleeding colors, but is the cake icing crusted well before you add the black color? It would seem that if the icing is "hard", then it wouldn't absorb the black color like it would if the icing was still "damp". I've no idea if this is a factor, just throwing it out.

I don't have much experience either with black on white so I'll be watching this. Does anyone know if this problem could be corrected by using RI instead of black BC? It dries quicker, wonder if that would help.

I use Americolor Super Black for my black icing and it works great - never bleeds. I do use it with a crusting BC recipe. But I've also used it for a FBCT which isn't crusted as you do the outline and fill and it still doesn't bleed.

Have you tried using chocolate icing and adding black to that? That way you don't have to add as much coloring.

Tonya,

Do you keep the black icing bag in the fridge and keep using it again and again without washing it out after each use?? This is when I found that my black bled also! I use to just keep icing bags in the fridge with multiple colors and used them when needed but I found that the icing broke down inside and sometimes the colors went liquidy from the heat of my hands.When I stopped doing this and made fresh bags and washed them out everytime...This went away!!Hope this helps!!

Do you use meringue powder in your icing? That may help. Of course, not if it's a gel color. Does it have to be gel?

When ever I need black....I cheat. I buy a can of Pillsbury (or whatever brand) of Fudge or Chocolate icing. Then I put the whole can in a bowl and I had about 1/2 bag of powdered sugar and black coloring paste (I use Wilton's color) and I mix it until it gets the the consistency of medium buttercream. It is was too soft to use right out of the can. I also make sure my buttercream has crusted.

HTH