As buttercream sits and/or thaws, it usually gets tons of tiny air bubbles in it! While we’re on the topic, I have one important piece of advice around making frosting in advance. Give Your Frosting a Good Stir Once It Thaws Once it’s thawed, it always is a darker color than when I initially made it. I take the frosting out a few hours before I need it, to allow it to come to room temperature. This buttercream can be made weeks in advance and stored in the fridge until you’re ready to use it. I actually added a lot more red gel food coloring to the frosting made the day of, and it still wasn’t really a deep shade of red. You can see below that the bowl of frosting that was made 3 days in advance is a much deeper and brighter shade of red than the frosting made the day of. Allowing the buttercream to sit out at room temperature (usually as it thaws) is what really deepens the color. If you make the frosting a few days (or more) in advance, the color of the frosting will deepen over time. Yes, time is another secret!! I cannot stress this tip enough. My second trick to making red frosting is to make it in advance. If your frosting is somewhat yellow, this can make it harder to make brightly colored frosting.

My frosting is naturally pretty white, which makes it a great base to be colored! Most of my cakes are frosted with an American style buttercream frosting. Surprisingly it doesn’t really change the taste of the frosting! I’ve also tried out beetroot powder, which doesn’t give as vibrant of a color, but is a great alternative to gel food coloring. If you’re looking for a natural way to make red buttercream, I suggest going this route. There also are some wonderful natural red powdered food colorings. The only downside is you need a ton of it to make red frosting. The biggest benefit to using it is that it has NO bitter aftertaste. This red powdered food coloring isn’t expensive, and you can order it on Amazon. Powdered food coloring is less commonly used but is another wonderful way to get a bright red frosting. I always use the Americolor brand (not sponsored, just my very favorite food coloring)! I like to use the super red shade when making red buttercream. The brand you use can affect the color too, as some are more true to color than others. Gel food coloring is much more concentrated, so you can add less and still get a deep color. Liquid food coloring can throw off the consistency of your icing, especially if you have to add a ton to achieve the color that you’re after. When it comes to coloring your frosting, these are an absolute must. The first is to use gel food coloring! Photo of a cake made with bright red frosting, colored with Americolor red gel food coloring. I have quite a few tips to make frosting that is a deep, true red color. This has led to tons of comments and messages asking how I make such red frosting! I’ve experimented with different techniques, types of food coloring, and even natural food coloring!īelow are the most important tips I learned while testing out what ingredients and methods work best for making bright red frosting. I’ve started sharing my Valentine’s Day cakes across social media, and a few of them are decorated with super vibrant, red frosting.

Red frost tee