Q.  How can I make icing that's really red (or black or blue)?

A.  Deep red tones come from iodine, which has a somewhat bitter taste in large quantities.  Some folks are more sensitive to the taste of iodine than others, and some manufacturers encapsulate iodine differently in their formulas.  The more coloring you use, the more taste you will get.  We have heard several different strategies for achieving strongly colored icing: 

For black icing, start with chocolate icing.

      For red icing, start by mixing Wilton's ready-made red icing into your own icing, then add red coloring.

For red icing, use both super red and Christmas red or tulip red coloring.

Use powered food coloring instead of paste or gel coloring. 

Make the icing up to a week in advance and let it darken in the fridge.

Q.  How can I put a “Happy Birthday” message on the top of a German chocolate (or carrot or Italian cream cake?

A.  Cakes with yummy but somewhat multicolored and lumpy icings can be hard to decorate using traditional piped messages.  Instead, pipe the greeting on parchment paper using chocolate or colored confectionary coating; when dry, peel off the paper and stand or lay it on the cake.  Be generous with the chocolate so that your finished piece is sturdy.  You could also overpipe the message with a contrasting color of chocolate. 

Q.  How can I make gold (or silver) icing?

A.  There is no coloring agent yet available that can be mixed into icing to create the metallic colors.  The only way to achieve a true metallic gold (or silver) is to use some form of non-toxic dust.   There are several types of metallic dusts and application methods:

Brush the dust onto fresh icing using an artist's paintbrush. 

      Mix the dust with vodka, gin, Everclear, or clear vanilla extract to make a paste, and paint it on.

      Mix the dust with melted cocoa butter or Everclear and paint it onto compound coating or chocolate.

Cover the surface with clear piping gel then sprinkle on the dust.

Apply the dust using an airbrush.