I did this flowerpot cake recently and used the airbrush to color the pots.
They were buttercream, not fondant, because it was for a 90th birthday, so I assumed that fondant wouldn’t go over very well.
The reason that I did applied color instead of just mixing the color is that the terracotta has tones to it, and I didn’t want a flat color for them.
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Tips to remember.
To color buttercream, you need to keep a few things in mind.
Don’t overspray the color.
First, use thin coats of color and keep them light. It’s better to do a few thin coats and wait in between than it is to try to get a dark color all at once.
The buttercream will resist the color if it’s too heavy, and it can pool up and drip, so use a light hand.
Fondant will absorb the color better, so you can be more aggressive about it if you’re using fondant.
For these, I started with a coat of orange, then a coat of red, then ended with a coat of brown.
By applying some sections more heavily than others, I got the variation in tones that I wanted.
Temperature is important.
When you spray the cake, it’s best to do it when the icing is at room temperature but crusted over.
If the cake was refrigerated and you take it out to spray it, it can form condensation and the surface will be damp and won’t take the color the right way.
By spraying it at room temp you’ll avoid adding any additional moisture to the icing.
Refrigerate the cake correctly after spraying.
When you’re done spraying buttercream, keep in mind that you should refrigerate the cake because the color is just on the surface of the icing and will rub off easily if you touch it when it’s soft.
If the icing is cold it will be less likely to develop dents if it’s just touched softly.
Once the buttercream hardens up in the cold it will hold up better if someone happens to knock into it.
BUT…make sure to refrigerate it in a box so that when it’s taken out of the fridge, you’ll be able to control the condensation ont he surface of the cake.
If the cake is in a box any condensation that forms will be on the box, not on the cake, and that will reduce the possibility of the color smearing on the cake.
Think about the color you’re using.
Some food coloring has a bitter flavor, especially if it’s a shade of red.
If you’re using a lot of red, or if the color is really dark, spraying the cake might be a nice idea, but it could be better to use a colored fondant.
Sometimes buttercream isn’t the best option, and needing a dark color on the cake might be one of those times.
If you don’t want to spray the cake, or use this method of a thin layer of colored buttercream, fondant might be a better choice.
Fondant will prevent the cake having a bitter flavor that you can’t remove, and it will also keep your guests from ending up with black tongues!
