Urgent Cake Icing/Colourings Question

[SarzWix]

I'm just in the middle of decorating a Golden Wedding cake for my in-laws, and I've made a big boo-boo...

I've covered it with IVORY icing, but the royal icing I've got to make up is WHITE How on earth do you colour white to turn it into ivory?!!

(The rest of the decorations are sugar flowers in a lemony/ivory colour)

[Rhona]

Do you have vanilla essence/extract? Some types of that will work. I'll think on in case it doesn't, but give a small piece a go to test?

[SarzWix]

I have, but. I've got some Mexican stuff that you can only use 2 drops per kilo of mixture, or, I've got some Supercook stuff that is really pale.. I was wondering about a drop or 2 of black coffee, but will that just make it brown and coffee-ish rather than ivory? I've got yellow and orange food colouring...? What actually constitutes 'ivory'?! I have no idea, never was much of an artist...

[Rhona]

For ivory, brown and yellow would be ideal colours (in teensy amounts). Could you try a tiny, 1/4 drop of yellow, and an even tinier bit of vanilla? You can always add more to it, I think you'll be able to achieve ivory with what you've got, but you'll have to go slowly with it. Were you in a hurry...?

When is it needed for?

[SarzWix]

Err... Tomorrow

Because they wanted sponge rather fruit cake, it's all had to be very last minute

I'll try that, I'm pretty sure I've got enough to try again if it goes wrong! Thanks Rhona, much appreciated

[di]

If the vanilla doesn't work how about a tiny bit of watered down cocoa powder.....again tiny being the key word!

Good Luck and don't forget the pics.

[Rhona]

Ah, I was going to offer to post my edible gold leaf (Golden Wedding an all) which I bought and never used, but too late for that!

Good luck and as Di says, photos would be nice.

[di]

You've probably got it all in hand now but whilst washing up I thought of tea!
How's it going

[SarzWix]

Well, I managed to get it to 'off-white' and it looks fine (I think) - I used a couple of drops of the very dark vanilla, a tiny bit of custard powder, and some edible gold powder that I had already (great minds Rhona )

[janeyo]

That looks AMAZING!
If I ever get married again, can I hire you to make my cake

[Glutton4...]

Sarz that is STUNNING!

Not much of an artist, she said!

[SarzWix]

Thanks It's a bit cheaty though - I didn't make the flowers, just assembled them

[Flummery]

By heck lass, that looks good enough to eat!

[pipscariad]

That looks fantastic, I'm seriously impressed! I think you can say that the colour match was a success, can't you . Well done lass!

[Creemteez]

Sorry I've only just seen this thread and I'm too late to help. - Not that you haven't managed to produce a really stunning result with your ingenuity!
The colouring I find best for turning white icing to ivory is the "Cream" paste colouring.
I add it in minute amounts (using a toothpick!) until I've got the colour I want.
It looks very yellow in the jar, but it does work - believe me.