You mix a soft lavender. You come back in the morning and it is a confident purple. Nothing went wrong. This is color development, and once you plan around it your results get far more consistent.
What is happening
When you first mix, the pigment is dispersed but not fully hydrated or evenly distributed at a microscopic level. As the frosting rests, pigment continues to spread through the fat and sugar matrix and settle. The perceived color deepens, often substantially.
Whipped air also plays a part. Freshly beaten frosting is full of tiny bubbles that scatter light and make the color look paler. As it rests and some of that air escapes, the color reads truer and deeper.
How much it moves
It varies by shade, and this is the useful part:
- Reds, blacks and navies: dramatic development, often several shades
- Purples and deep greens: noticeable
- Pastels: slight, but enough to matter on a wedding order
Work with it, not against it
- Mix to slightly lighter than your target shade
- Cover the surface directly to prevent crusting
- Rest for at least a few hours, ideally overnight for deep shades
- Re-beat on low and judge the color then
The over-adding trap
Almost every bitter, over-colored batch comes from the same sequence: mix, decide it is too pale, add more, repeat. By morning it is far darker than intended and tastes of pigment. Building in a rest removes the problem entirely.
Matching colors across batches
If you are color-matching for a client, always compare at the same stage of development. Judge a fresh batch against a fresh batch, or a rested one against a rested one, never one of each. Keep notes of drops per weight of frosting and how long you rested it, and you can reproduce a shade exactly.
Does it ever go the other way?
Yes. Strong light fades color over time, especially in display cases. Store finished pieces away from direct light, and avoid coloring far in advance for items that will sit under bright lighting for days.
Color With Confidence
Yeast Bakers is an Authorized Dealer for Colour Mill, so every bottle you buy from us is genuine stock. Shop the full Colour Mill oil blend range, free shipping on orders over $25.