The Americolor 8 Color Junior Set has a good assortment of colors that are similar to the basic six set. This one has a different red and blue, and it switches out brown for the black that’s in the basic six.
This is what’s included, plus a look at the kinds of colors each one makes.
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Mixing method for coloring buttercream icing.
The Americolor food colorings come in little dropper bottles. I used about 1/4 cup icing for each test and did 1 drop of color for light, 2 drops for medium, and 3 drops for dark.
The icing was a practice buttercream that was made from shortening and confectioner’s sugar, so it was totally white to begin with. If you’re using butter your icing is going to have a slightly off-white tint, so the colors will be a little different and you might have to adjust them a little.
If you’re using a larger amount of icing, start with a little color and add more as you go. Some of the colors are really strong, so start with less than you think you’ll need and work your way up.
These colors are a lot more concentrated than liquid food coloring, and they give you better colors. Click here to check the difference between these, regular McCormick colors, and natural food colorings.
Red Red
The Red Red color is a more orangey red than other colors, so it’s not as blue as other red colors. Adding more made a difference between the medium and the dark, butit wasn’t a huge difference.
I’d say that if you want a more blue-toned red, you’ll need to add some blue to it, or some purple. But if you’re okay with a dark coral type of red this will be fine.
You can also let it sit to deepen overnight, since colors like red and black tend to get darker over time.
Deep Pink
Americolor Deep Pink made a nice bubblegum pink without using too much, and closer to a hot pink with more.
If you started with more icing than I did, this would make a pretty soft pink for a girl’s baby shower cake, or for a ballerina cake.
For another article about pink food coloring comparisions, click here.
Violet
This violet color had nice blue undertones and was a good purple color. It gave me a good difference between the lighter and darker versions, and it’s another one that would be good to let sit overnight to darken.
Sky Blue
Americolor Sky blue is a really pretty blue color, and it didn’t take much to make a saturated sky blue color. If you started with more icing you could easily make a pretty shade of light blue for a baby shower cake or cupcakes.
To see an article comparing a bunch of blue food colorings, click here.
Lemon Yellow
The Americolor Lemon Yellow is a nice bright color that’s a true vivid yellow. You don’t need a lot to get a bright color, this goes a long way.
For an article comparing a bunch of different yellow food colorings, click here.
Leaf Green
Americolor Leaf Green is a nice true green that doesn’t veer too much into the blue category. This would be a good color for piped grass or for leaves on piped buttercream flowers.
It didn’t take much to make a saturated green, so you’ll get a good shade without having to use too much of the food coloring.
Orange
Americolor orange is a saturated, pretty color that would be perfect for Halloween cakes or piped flowers on a Springtime birthday cake.
The shades ranged from a dark peachy orange to a true bright pumpkin orange.
Chocolate Brown
Americolor Chocolate Brown food coloring is a nice brown color that can range from a milk chocolate color to a darker brown that looks like a brown leather color. If you wanted to start with a larger amount of icing you could make a soft beige or tan to use for beach sand on a summer-themed cake.
