Gel or Oil-based Icing Colors?

For years I've been a gel icing color person. However, this past year I've increasingly begun to experiment with the soft and subtle hues of oil-based icing colors.

Using both gel and oil-based colors in my projects really opened up my eyes to the full color spectrum you can achieve with your cake design.

Here's some of my thoughts on these color types. Scroll to the end to find a cheat sheet of how I choose between colors.

Gel Icing colors:

I love these for when I am going for bright, vibrant, deep, or dark colors. For this Motocross cake above, I used Super Red and Coal Black by Chefmaster. These are my go-to for red, black, navy, and any bright colors. I used these mostly to color American buttercream and fondant. I have also used them in royal icing as well as cake batter.

While these are very versitle colors, I have noticed that it is difficult to achieve a pastel, soft, more muted tone. Also, I've learned the hard way that if you use this with chocolate, it will sieze on you! 

A big pro about these gel colors are that they are inexpensive and a little goes a long way. Also, the tones deepen in color over time. This happens to me with red... I get it just where I want it and then it gets deeper LOL. 

Also, one thing to look out for is when trying to create very light colors with gel colors, you might experience some fading. This is because certain ambient lights can have a "fading" effect on gel colors and since there is so little added, it can begin to fade. Covering the cake or keeping it out of the light helps with this. Also, if you add a dab or red to pink or purple, you can avoid this as well.

Oil-based Icing Colors: 

I love using these for achieving soft, subtle, and pastel hues. These colors create a look that is so beautiful and romantic. These are now my go-to for baby pinks, soft greens, and neutrals. I use these to color American buttercream, fondant, ganache, and chocolate. For this Winnie the Pooh cake I used Baby Pink by Colour Mill for the pink ganche (this is not not buttercream) and for the painted roses.

Because these colors are oil-based they mix into all of these mediums very smoothly and beautifully. Also, similar to gel icing colors, oil-based colors develop over time, achieving a deeper hue the following day. 

However, despite the deepening, and adding copious amounts of color, I've noticed that achieving deep and vibrant colors is much more challenging. This can take quite a bit of color and considering oil-based colors are more expensive, sometimes that is less effective than using gel-based.

In the end, I like using both!

Depending on the design or feel of the cake that I am going for, I've turned to both color types to get the right look. For example, for this orange ombre cake, I used Orange by Colour Mill with hints of Orange by Chefmaster for the cake tiers and Navy Blue by Chefmaster for the sash. 

Happy cake decorating, and have a great week!

Christie