Use Freeze-Dried Fruit to Color the Frosting
While I’m not the biggest fan of unicorn food, there’s no denying the beauty of the brightly colored confection. I don’t have much of a problem with small bottles of artificial food colors, but thanks to Stella Parks , I recently became a big fan of coloring chopped, freeze-dried sweets.
When stirred, whipped or added to dip, unbaked curd cakes , whipped cream or icing, freeze-dried fruits impart a bright color and aroma without the addition of water. In fact, as Parks explains in his fruity whipped cream recipe , powdered fruit acts as a kind of desiccant, absorbing water and preventing oozing.
Since you don’t have to worry about freeze-dried fruit affecting the texture or sweetness of what you add them to, this is a pretty simple combination. I love the creamy fruit sauce , but you can also add it to your icing – homemade or store bought – for a stunning color. Throw your favorite fruit into a food processor and let it turn into a fine powder with the blades before adding it to your recipe. (A tablespoon added to eight ounces of cream cheese will give you the beautiful blue sauce you see above, so add a little.) You can find freeze-dried fruit at most grocery stores or specialty grocery stores; Trader Joe’s has a very good collection.