Last Updated on April 9, 2024
Wanting to decorate with an elegantly neutral color? Looking for the perfect shade of gray? This post will tell you everything you need to know on how to make gray icing.
Though gray is not a common color seen in icing, when done right it can be an elegant color, making for some beautiful desserts. It is a versatile color, that can be used as the main color or alongside other colors.
How to Make Gray Icing: Why Go For Gray?
Though some people may not like the color gray when used in desserts, however, it can be sophisticated and beautiful. Gray icing can be used to decorate cakes for special occasions and also works as a great base when adding different colors.
Gray can look beautiful for icing desserts for weddings, anniversaries, graduations, and even birthdays. Some people will even ice cupcakes gray for gender reveals and have either blue or pink on the inside to reveal if the baby is a boy or a girl. Whatever the occasion is, gray can be a great choice of color for icing.
How to Make Gray Icing: What You Will Need To Follow
Ingredients
To make gray icing, you will need:
Or if you prefer not to use black food coloring:
- Two complementary colors of food coloring
- Or the three primary colors of food coloring
Using black and blue food coloring is a popular choice amongst food experts for making gray food coloring. Add the blue to the black with white icing gives you more control over the shade of gray.
If you don’t have black food coloring or want to avoid using black, you can use complementary colors, such as red and green, yellow and purple, or blue and orange. Adding more red, yellow or orange will give it more of a “warm” gray tone, whereas adding more blue, green, or purple will give it a more “cool” gray tone.
Using the primary colors, blue, red, and yellow will produce a flat gray. Adding more of one color will change the shade of gray.
How to Make Gray Icing: Step-By-Step Instructions
Step One: Empty Icing into a Bowl
Using a spatula, empty white icing into a large bowl.
Step Two: Add Food Coloring
Add one part of blue food coloring and one part of black food coloring. Based on two cups of icing, this would be approximately three drops of blue food coloring and three drops of black food coloring.
When using complementary colors or primary colors, also use equal parts of each color. Start following the rule of three drops of each color for two cups of icing and adjust as needed.
Step Three: Mix Icing
Mix the icing and food coloring. Make sure that it is thoroughly mixed to avoid any streaks. It may take a couple of minutes to fully mix the colors and the icing.
Though many people may not think of gray as a color for weddings, it can look beautiful as icing for a cake or cupcakes. It gives off an elegant look that everyone will admire.
Tips and Tricks
Run A Test
It may take some practice to achieve the shade of gray you want, as it can vary largely. It is not a bad idea to do a test run first to be able to find the shade of gray you are looking for, before using it to decorate your desserts.
When coloring icing, it is always easiest to start with less food coloring and then add more if needed. If you do make your icing too dark on accident, you can easily lighten it by adding more white icing and mixing it in until you get the correct shade you want.
Let The Color Settle
One thing to keep in mind when working with food coloring is that it can darken over time. If you are unsure of the shade of gray, let the icing rest for ten to fifteen minutes. After letting it sit, check to see if the color darkened at all, then add more food coloring if you wish.
How To Stor Your Icing
Frosted desserts can generally be kept at room temperature for two to three days and refrigerated afterward. Unused icing should be stored in the fridge for up to a week and in the freezer for up to six months.
Leftover icing may separate after being stored in the fridge or freezer. Allow the icing to reach room temperature and mix it back together before using it.
Food Coloring
When using food coloring, you can use liquid gel, liquid, gel paste, powder, or natural. Liquid and liquid gel are the most commonly used as they are the most readily available and the easiest to work with.
Also, liquid food coloring is a popular choice because it is available in a lot of colors and works great at providing a lighter tint. Liquid gel food coloring is thicker and more concentrated, so a little bit can go a long way. Liquid gel food coloring is great for creating vibrant colors.
Be sure to use white icing when making gray icing. Off-white or yellow icing will make it hard to get a proper shade of gray.
If you are wanting to decorate your baked goods with another color in addition to gray, certain colors work better than others. Blue, pink, yellow, and red is some of the most popular colors that work beautifully when paired together with gray.
How to Make Gray Icing
Ingredients
Instructions
- Empty Icing into a Bowl - Using a spatula, empty white icing into a large bowl.
- Add Food Coloring - Add one part of blue food coloring and one part black food coloring. Based off of two cups of icing, this would be approximately three drops of blue food coloring and three drops of black food coloring.
- When using complementary colors or primary colors, also use equal parts of each color. Start off following the rule of three drops of each color for two cups of icing and adjust as needed.
- Mix Icing - Mix the icing and food coloring together. Make sure that it is thoroughly mixed to avoid any streaks. It may take a couple of minutes to fully mix the colors and the icing together.
- Though many people may not think of gray as a color for weddings, it can look beautiful as an icing for a cake or cupcakes. It gives off an elegant look that everyone will admire.
Notes
- It may take some practice to achieve the shade of gray you want, as it can vary largely. It is not a bad idea to do a test run first to be able to find the shade of gray you are looking for, before using it to decorate your desserts.
- One thing to keep in mind when working with food coloring is that it can darken over time. If you are unsure of the shade of gray, let the icing sit for ten to fifteen minutes. After letting it sit, check to see if the colored darkened at all, then add more food coloring if you wish.
- Frosted desserts can generally be kept at room temperature for two to three days and refrigerated after that. Unused icing should be stored in the fridge for up to a week and in the freezer for up to six months.
- Leftover icing may separate after being stored in the fridge or freezer. Allow the icing to reach room temperature and mix it back together before using it.
- When coloring icing, it is always easiest to start with less food coloring and then adding more if needed. If you do make your icing too dark on accident, you can easily lighten it by adding more white icing and mixing it in until you get the correct shade you want.
- When using food coloring, you can use liquid gel, liquid, gel paste, powder or natural. Liquid and liquid gel are the most commonly used as they are the most readily available and the easiest to work with.
- Liquid food coloring is a popular choice because it is available in a lot of colors and works great at providing a lighter tint. Liquid gel food coloring is thicker and more concentrated, so a little bit can go a long way. Liquid gel food coloring is great for creating vibrant colors.
- Be sure to use white icing when making gray icing. Off white or yellow icing will make it hard to get a proper shade of gray.
- If you are wanting to decorate your baked goods with another color in addition to gray, there are certain colors that work better than others. Blue, pink, yellow and red are some of the most popular colors that work beautifully when paired together with gray.
How Do You Make Grey Icing Naturally?
Though not a traditional color of icing, grey can make a beautiful neutral color to add to your cake. It can be used as a base or you can use it to create beautiful borders and decorations. There are several shades of grey you can make for decorating, from light grey to dark shades of grey.
While black food coloring is commonly used to make the grey frosting, it often contains artificial ingredients and dyes. Though traditional food coloring is safe, some people prefer a more natural option. Black food coloring can stain and be messy to work with.
Fortunately, natural alternatives to traditional black food coloring are used for making grey icing. If you are still wanting to use food coloring, you can opt for natural food coloring. Natural food coloring does not use artificial ingredients or artificial dyes but instead uses vegetable juices and spices for coloring.
There is also the option to use activated charcoal to dye your frosting. You can also use natural food powders of different fruits and vegetables to make grey. Though not exactly natural, you can use Oreos to make gray frosting to avoid artificial dyes from food colorings.
Natural Food Coloring
Natural food coloring is a great alternative to traditional food coloring. It typically combines juices from various fruits and vegetables with spices to make natural colors. It does not use artificial ingredients such as artificial dyes.
Natural food coloring comes in a variety of colors including blue, red, green, and yellow. While they do make natural black food coloring, it can be hard to find. However, you can use yellow, blue, and red food coloring with your frosting to create grey.
Activated Charcoal
Activated charcoal is safe to consume and is a natural product that is great for making grey icing. Add a small amount of activated charcoal to your frosting to make grey. You can add more if you are looking to create a darker grey, but it is best to start with a small amount and add more if need be.
Blueberry Powder, Beet Powder, and Tumeric
As stated earlier, you can combine yellow, blue, and red to make grey icing. A way to do this naturally is to mix blueberry powder, beet powder, and turmeric until you create your desired shade of grey. These ingredients are all-natural and can create a grey frosting.
Oreo
While Oreos may not be a natural food, they are an easier alternative than messing with messy food colorings which may spill or stain. In addition, they do not use artificial dyes like traditional food coloring. Oreos will also make your frosting taste delicious as well.
To do so, crush up your Oreos in a food processor until they become a fine powder. Alternatively, you can add them to a bag and use a rolling pin to crush them. Then, add your finely crushed Oreos to your frosting and mix until thoroughly combined.
An Elegant Gray Icing
People may be surprised by how elegant gray icing can look on desserts. Using food coloring with white icing can create several beautiful shades of gray. Gray icing can be a great color on desserts for many different occasions.
Knowing how to make gray icing is a helpful skill to have if you enjoy baking. It is simple to do and allows you to create the shade of gray you want. If you found this article helpful and interesting, please share it.
Please comment if you enjoyed this article, or have any remarks regarding how to make gray icing!
Karen is a passionate pastry chef who loves to create delicious baked goods. She has been in the culinary arts for over 10 years, honing her skills and perfecting her craft. Karen is known for her creativity and attention to detail, creating unique desserts that bring a smile to everyone’s face. She is always looking for ways to challenge herself and come up with new recipes that are both tasty and visually appealing. Karen loves to experiment with different flavors and textures, and she is committed to providing the highest quality of products to her customers.
