Hi,
I'm from germany and there is no chance to get black food color (powder/liquid/gel).
I'm planning to do a frozen buttercream transfer of dora for my little girl's birthday... and i need a dark brown coloring for the borders or outlines.

The brown food coloring is not dark enough, and too much changes the texture of the icing. And i tried adding cocoa powder and it was not dark either.

Then i tried with dark chocolate. But it sets inside the icing cone before i am done with the full outline.

Could you pls help me out with ur ideas. I did read a lot of articles/ topics on this, but it was of scope for me as i cannot get the black food coloring or gel.

Thanks in advance !

Yeah, that is a good idea too ! Thanks.
Could you pls give me a good ratio of chocolate to butter to have the right consistency for drawing the ouline , without running?

Or any other ingredients i would have to add other than chocolate and butter?

And is it a good idea to try royal icing for the outlines?

Thanks !

would it get dark enough if you used chocolate buttercream and added more brown? I wonder if adding blue and red would make it almost black. ????

Hi Kimmy,
I did try mixing the dark blue and deep red.. but it was more of dark purple !!

Could you give me a good chocolate buttercream recipe? I havent tried it yet and not sure if i can start experimenting now !! Would be good if i can get a tried and tested recipe !!... thanks!

I use the one on the wilton.com website. It's yummy. Here it is:

1/2 cup solid vegetable shortening
1/2 cup (1 stick) butter or margarine, softened
3/4 cup cocoa or three 1 oz. unsweetened chocolate squares, melted
1 teaspoon clear vanilla extract
4 cups sifted confectioners' sugar (approximately 1 lb.)
3-4 tablespoons milk
Makes: About 3 cups of icing.

instructions
Stiff Consistency: In large bowl, cream shortening and butter with electric mixer. Add cocoa and vanilla. Gradually add sugar, one cup at a time, beating well on medium speed. Scrape sides and bottom of bowl often. When all sugar has been mixed in, icing will appear dry. Add milk and beat at medium speed until light and fluffy. Keep bowl covered with a damp cloth until ready to use. For best results, keep icing bowl in refrigerator when not in use. Refrigerated in an airtight container