The choice of how to color fondant hinges on what type of food coloring is being used, how much fondant needs to be colored, and what the end product should look like. Understanding the methods can help a cake decorator find and apply the best method for the job.
Types of Food Coloring
Food coloring comes in paste, gel, and powder form. Paste and gel food coloring are more common, easier to find, and are generally used to color fondant and gumpaste.
Coloring Large Batches of Fondant
If large quantities of the same color of fondant are needed (to color multiple tiers of a large cake, for example), it is easiest to add the coloring to the liquid ingredients of homemade fondant. Gel food coloring works best for this method. Simply add drops of the gel food coloring to the water in the homemade fondant recipe, and stir until dissolved. Proceed with the recipe as normal. Gel works better than paste in this case because it's easier to add an exact amount, so the same color can be duplicated from batch to batch, and it's easier to dissolve.
Food coloring, either gel or paste, can be kneaded into white fondant that has been purchased or made. The effect is equally good, but is more labor intensive. It is the preferred method, however, if one is trying to create a marbleized effect. In that case, simply stop kneading before the color is evenly distributed.
Small Quantities
If multiple colors are needed, especially for small quantities of fondant or gumpaste, it is best to knead in the food coloring after the fondant has been made. The fastest way to incorporate the color is to add the coloring and knead it in a bit. Then pull the fondant into a rope and twist it, fold it in half, and knead back into a lump. Repeat until the color is completely incorporated.
How to Make Dark Colors of Fondant
The simple answer: don't do it. It is extremely difficult to mix enough food coloring into white fondant to achieve a truly rich, dark color. More often, when an intense color like black is desired, food coloring is painted on. The best way to get an even, smooth appearance is to use an airbrush system designed for use with cakes. Most airbrushes use too much air pressure, and can blow unsightly holes into the icing, so it's important to use either a system designed for cake decorating or one with variable and low air pressure settings.
White fondant can be airbrushed any color imaginable, from the palest pastels to the deepest midnight blue. While light and even bright colors can be mixed directly into the fondant, intense, highly saturated colors like black or red are best added with an airbrush.
If an airbrush isn't available, one can still use airbrush food coloring (a thin and liquid but intense color) and a paintbrush to paint the color on the cake. Using specially formulated airbrush food coloring is much less expensive and better looking than trying to thin out paste or gel food coloring with vodka. Brush strokes will be visible in the coating, but the effect is reasonable, and the color is more intense than if one were to try to mix it into the white fondant.
For more cake decorating information, check other tutorials like How to Make a Fondant Rose and How to Decorate a Baby Shower Cupcake.
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