Hi, need some help please!  I have been asked to provide cupcakes for a Christmas wedding and the bride wants to decorate with white and burgundy/red fondant cascading snowflakes  I have the white ones down but I can't achieve a good deep red or burgundy.  I'm using Wilton color gels- burgundy creates a plum color and I tried red-red and added some burgundy, even a little violet, but it ended up a dark brown/terra cotta looking color.  Anybody have any ideas?  I also don't want to have to keep guessing at what colors to add because the more I knead it, the gummies it gets!  I've read online everything from brown & green, to hot pink and blue as colors needed to make a deep red. I don't want to keep purchasing blocks of fondant and dyes for yucky results.  I did read Progel makes a claret dye that people seem pleased with- anyone familiar with that?  Any ideas welcome!!

Thanks for any help!

Hi! I've been able to get nice deep reds with both Americolor and Wilton pastes.

With the Wilton, I first use the Rose colour to get it to a very deep pink, and then I add Red - Red till I get the colour I want. The Rose seems to be a stronger colour than Red, if you know what I mean, so it feels like I use much less colour overall than just dumping in loads of red.

I use Americolor Super Red straight and it works. It took me about 2 teaspoons of Super Red to dye about 2 pounds of white fondant red. But I added it when I was making the fondant rather than kneading it in later.

For burgundy, I use Americolor burgundy straight.

The most important part is to let the fondant rest and develop the colour. You'd be surprised at how much deeper the colours get if you rest them overnight. I add enough colour to make it look red if I squint at it, then leave it. And in the morning, voila!

Also, if you're kneading in the colour later, knead in some powdered sugar every once in a while to keep it from getting too gummy. It won't lighten your colour in any significant way.

Hope this helps!

Thank you so much!  I didn't realize it may deepen after letting it sit   I will try the Americolors  and maybe I am just adding in too little at a time, causing me to have to handle it more   Do you feel like super red is better than Wilton Red-Red?  I did not find the red-red to be as strong a color as I expected but will experiment with it and rose on a small piece and see what happens  

Yes the super red is definitely stronger than the red - Red. I've never been able to achieve a deep red with just red red. I'm sure you could if you dumped the whole jar in, but then your fondant will turn into slime.

Colouring fondant black or red requires much more colouring than any other colour. Yes try it on a small piece first, and that'll give you an idea of how to scale it up.

Good luck!

Oh and also, make sure to keep your fondant away from direct light of any kind, natural or artificial.  It fades the colour. Keep it in a cupboard or box.

Have you thought about buying red fondant as a starting point??

Court706

Don't know where your located, but agree with Jeannem.  I purchase my red fondant. Wait for a sale and get a couple of buckets/packages. Much easier to colour an already red fondant to burgundy. I use Wilton burgundy. As bakemeenchanted stated, let your fondant sit for at least 24 hrs to let the colour bloom. 

A tip. Once you have achieved the colour your satisfied with, knead in a tsp or two of baking soda into the fondant. This will "set" your colour. Prevent fading. Baking soda is inert, won't add any taste or flavour to your fondant. Do this all the time with darker colours, especially the Reds and navy's.