Tips for Making Dark Buttercream: Black, Red, or Navy

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Dark buttercream can make cakes and cupcakes look so stylish and sophisticated, but it can be so tricky to achieve. Colors like black, red, and navy can be very difficult to make with buttercream, but with a few tips and tricks, you’ll find it’s not actually as hard as you thought.

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Hybrid Buttercream

Hybrid buttercream is a cross between a mock Swiss meringue buttercream and a classic American buttercream, but all made in one bowl! I’m a big fan because it’s less sweet than ABC, but not quite as buttery as SMBC.

While these techniques should work with most types of frosting, it may not produce exactly the same result. More buttery varieties, like Italian or Swiss meringue buttercream, can struggle with color. However, American and mock Swiss meringue buttercream tend to take color fairly easily.

Use the buttercream that you enjoy the most! If these tips and tricks for making dark buttercream don’t give you the exact result you’re looking for, make small tweaks and I’m sure you’ll find the right combination that works with your own frosting.

Tips for Making Dark Buttercream

Depending on the color and saturation you are shooting for, you may need all or some of these tips for making dark buttercream. It’s important to take your time and evaluate after every step to see where your color is at and what you should try next. These tips can be applied to any color, but in this post, I’ll be specifically discussing black, red, and navy blue.

Time

The number one tidbit to keep in mind is time. Color, whether you are using gel or powder, needs time to fully develop. If I need to make dark buttercream, especially black, red, or navy, I make it in advance so that it has 3- 5 days to develop in the fridge.

If you ever feel like the color is almost there, cover your bowl and wait 30 minutes. Come back, give it a stir, then see where the color saturation is. You can always add more color, but you can’t remove it.

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Heat

Using heat helps the butter and coloring agents emulsify which produces a more saturated color. Butter (fat) and color (typically contains water) do not want to mix, but heat helps the process.

You can heat a small amount (about a cup) of the buttercream in the microwave in 5- 10 second bursts until it is melty, but not super hot. Then mix this back into the batch. Using a hot bench scraper when you frost a cake has a similar effect, though it can create a patchy finish. And similarly, the heat of your hand on a piping bag will deepen the color as you pipe.

Blend

Another way to help the color emulsify with the butter is to use an immersion blender or a food processor. It helps to do this with soft buttercream, so I like to use the previous tip of mixing warmed up buttercream into the batch before blending.

I prefer using the immersion blender over the food processor. Similar to heat, it blends the fats and water together which deepens the color. I will elaborate on this process later.

Related Reading: FREE Buttercream Course for Beginners

Color Choices

For making dark buttercream, you can use gel color (Chefmaster and Americolor are my faves), powdered color (Master Elites rock), or both! Gel color is easily accessible, simple to use, and it makes adjusting and tweaking your color very simple. However, it tends to be less saturated than powdered color, and adding too much can affect the flavor and consistency of your buttercream.

Powdered color must be mixed with a liquid to activate it. With my hybrid buttercream, it’s easy to just add this color in with the egg whites. It is very pigmented, but it is not as easy to adjust the color later on. Similarly to gel, you can end up with a bitter taste if you add too much, though I’ve not encountered this yet.

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Let’s Make Some Dark Buttercream

Now I’d like to show you how I made these specific batches of black, red, and navy blue buttercream. Watch the step by step video tutorial and then peep the deets on each color down below.

How to Make Black Buttercream

Black Cocoa Powder + Powdered Color + Gel Color + Immersion Blender

To make pitch black buttercream, I used a combination of black cocoa powder, Master Elite black powder, and black gel. Black cocoa powder is what gives Oreos their distinctive flavor, and was perfect for frosting an Oreo cake. If you don’t want this flavor, you will need to increase the powder and gel colors, though I don’t know by how much.

To deepen the buttercream, I used an immersion blender. After warming up some of the frosting, I mixed it back into the batch and went to town with the stick blender. Make sure to move the blender around, and frequently scrape the bowl to get it all combined.

How to Make Red Buttercream

Gel Color + Immersion Blender

With red, it helps to start with a pink base. I added just a few drops of deep pink to start with. Then I added my red gel color, about 5 drops at a time. Red can very easily become bitter, so you do not want to add any more color than necessary.

Again, I used the immersion blender to deepen my color, in conjunction with the microwave method. If you look at the bottom of your immersion blender, you’ll notice the color is deeper, even if you can’t quite tell in the entire batch yet. 

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How to Make Navy Buttercream

Powdered Color + Food Processor

For my navy buttercream, I used just powdered color, Blueberry Master Elite. I did not know how much I would need, so I didn’t add the full amount at the start of the recipe. I ended up having to mix more color with a splash of water and add that later. This was difficult, but if you add the full amount to begin with, it’s not a problem.

After the microwave method, I transferred my entire batch of buttercream to my food processor and ran it for several minutes. This did noticeably deepen the color of my buttercream. However, I found the consistency to be a bit softer, even after chilling. But it worked and I was able to pipe my cupcakes just fine. 

Tips to Avoid Bitter Buttercream

Whenever you are making dark buttercream, the greatest worry is ending up with a bitter taste. First and foremost, take your time with the process and don’t add too much color at once. Taste the buttercream as you go so that you don’t add too much.

Another tip I always use is to add more vanilla than normal. If my normal recipe calls for a teaspoon, I’ll add two when I’m making dark buttercream. If you taste your buttercream and there is a bitter note, you may be able to add another splash of vanilla. Just keep in mind, vanilla extract has a tint that may or may not affect your color.

Related Reading: How to Frost a Cake with Acrylic Discs

Happy Baking

I hope these tips for making dark buttercream have been helpful to you. Black, red, and navy buttercream are three of the most difficult shades to recreate in your frosting, but with these notes up your sleeve, you’ll be able to pull it off.

If you use these techniques to create your own batch of dark buttercream, make sure to tag @bakesandblunders on Facebook or Instagram so that I can see your work!

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Hybrid Buttercream: Black, Red, and Navy Variations

This frosting is a cross between a mock Swiss meringue buttercream and American buttercream. It tastes delicious and takes color easily.

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Course Dessert

Cuisine American

Keyword Birthday, Frosting, Gluten Free

Prep Time 30 minutes minutes

Cook Time 0 minutes minutes

Total Time 30 minutes minutes

Servings 30 servings

Calories 197kcal

Author Colleen

Ingredients

Basic Hybrid Buttercream

• 3 oz pasteurized egg whites
• 24 oz powdered sugar sifted
• 16 oz unsalted butter softened
• 2 tsp vanilla

Black Hybrid Buttercream

• 2 oz black cocoa powder
• 1/4 tsp Master Elite Black powder color
• 4 drops black gel color

Red Hybrid Buttercream

• 5 drops deep pink gel color
• 25 drops super red gel color

Navy Hybrid Buttercream

• 1/8 tsp Master Elite Blueberry powder color

Instructions

Basic Hybrid Buttercream

• Using a stand mixer fitted with a whisk attachment, add the pasteurized egg whites, and 16 ounces of the sifted powdered sugar and whip for 4- 5 minutes. If powdered sugar gets stuck above the egg whites, scrape it back down.
• With the mixer on a medium speed, whip in the butter one tablespoon at a time. It will look a bit curdled. Once all of the butter has been combined, whip on a medium- high speed for 2- 4 minutes.
• Switch to a paddle attachment and scrape the bowl down. Beat the mixture on a medium speed for another 2 minutes. Scrape the bowl down and add half of the remaining powdered sugar. Beat on low to combine, then on a medium- low speed for a minute.
• Scrape the bowl down and add the remaining powdered sugar and the vanilla. Beat on low to combine, then on a medium- low speed for 1- 2 minutes. Taste and adjust flavors as necessary.

Black Hybrid Buttercream

• For black, use only 22 oz of powdered sugar. Add about 14 oz powdered sugar, the 2 oz of black cocoa powder, and black powder color to the egg whites. Proceed with the Basic Hybrid Buttercream steps. Add the black gel color at any point, but I like to wait and see how the color is developing first.
• After the buttercream is finished, remove roughly a cup of it and microwave in 5- 10 second bursts until it is melty, but not very hot. Add this back into the bowl and mix on a low speed until well combined.
• Transfer the buttercream to a mixing bowl. Use an immersion blender to deepen the color by blending the frosting.
• Cover the bowl and allow the buttercream to sit at room temperature for up to an hour. Then chill in the fridge for at least 24 hours, but up to a week, before using.

Red Hybrid Buttercream

• Add the pink gel with the egg whites in the first step of the Basic Hybrid Buttercream. After whisking the egg whites, pink gel, and powdered sugar, add about 10- 15 drops of red gel and whisk just until combined. Proceed with the rest of the steps of the Basic Hybrid Buttercream. At any point, add red gel color 3- 5 drops at a time. I prefer to add it slowly to prevent adding too much color.
• After the buttercream is finished, remove roughly a cup of it and microwave in 5- 10 second bursts until it is melty, but not very hot. Add this back into the bowl and mix on a low speed until well combined.
• Transfer the buttercream to a mixing bowl. Use an immersion blender to deepen the color by blending the frosting.
• Cover the bowl and allow the buttercream to sit at room temperature for up to an hour. Then chill in the fridge for at least 24 hours, but up to a week, before using.

Navy Hybrid Buttercream

• Add all of the Blueberry powder color with the egg whites in the first step of the Basic Hybrid Buttercream. Proceed with that recipe as normal.
• After the buttercream is finished, remove roughly a cup of it and microwave in 5- 10 second bursts until it is melty, but not very hot. Add this back into the bowl and mix on a low speed until well combined.
• Transfer the buttercream to a mixing bowl. Use an immersion blender to deepen the color by blending the frosting.
• Cover the bowl and allow the buttercream to sit at room temperature for up to an hour. Then chill in the fridge for at least 24 hours, but up to a week, before using.

Notes

• One batch makes enough to frost 30 cupcakes, or a three layer 6 inch cake.
• Instead of an immersion blender, you can use a food processor, though that is not my preference.
• Please read the blog post for more information about achieving dark buttercream.
• Calorie count is for the Basic Hybrid Buttercream only.