Ask Nancy
My son wants a Spider-Man™ cake, but the red icing color has such a bitter taste (even the "No Taste" red). Do you have a suggestion on how to get rid of the bitterness? Also, when I put red icing color in white icing, it comes out pink. What can I do?
Cindy - from Joliet, IL
To tint icing red requires a lot of red coloring (up to 1 oz. color for small amount of buttercream icing). This can cause a bitter taste. "No Taste" red color is less bitter, so we recommend using this for brilliant red cakes – like Spiderman! To cover any bitter flavor, we suggest adding flavor extracts (almond, lemon, cherry) to the icing. These are available in the supermarket baking ingredients aisle – choose a favorite flavor to add!
The Public Television cake decorating show providing easy projects for special celebrations. Not intended to replace instructional classes.