Michael Graydon and Nikole Herriott
Natural dyes work best in royal icing (pictured here) or buttercream frosting, not cake batter. Here's how to make yellow food dye and blue food dye.
Recipe information
Yield
Makes about 1 cup
Ingredients
3
medium red beets, peeled, quartered
½
cup sugar
Need to make a substitution?
Preparation
Step 1
Bring beets and 3 cups water to a simmer in a small saucepan over medium-low heat; cook until beets have lost their vibrant red color and liquid is reduced by about one-third, 25–30 minutes.
Step 2
Remove beets with a slotted spoon. Add sugar to beet liquid and simmer, swirling pan occasionally, until very deep red and reduced to about 1 cup, 10–15 minutes. Let dye cool before using.