Cakes

Muffins, Cupcakes, Pancakes and Waffles

Multicolored cakes and baked sweet goods have become mainstream thanks to recent trends for rainbow colors and all things unicorn. Coloring Foods can be used to deliver color in a truly natural way using fruits and vegetables to provide exciting and appetizing shades. The pH is a key consideration for certain shades.

Formulation

  • If using liquid colors, add color to any water in the formulation. If using powder colors, disperse into the dry blend.
  • The color hue will be greatly affected by the pH of the batter. The addition of acidic ingredients such as buttermilk, lemon juice, and citric acid will yield the brightest red, purple, and pink hues. When adding acid, it’s important to consider how this may affect the rise of the cake.
  • For yellow, orange, and brown hues, color performance is not affected by pH.
  • Consider the color of the batter base. Bases containing chocolate or cocoa will require significantly higher dosages to color them.
  • Use a starting color dosage of 0.1 – 0.5% w/w.

Manufacturing process

  • Consider the baking process. A lower baking temperature for a longer period of time may optimize color retention and avoid excessive browning.

Shelf-life

  • Overall stability in color retention is very good.