I bake a lot. Cakes, cookies, the whole mess. And you know what? White is hard. Butter is yellow. White chocolate is cream. Even powdered sugar has a slight tint. So last month, I tested “food whitening” stuff for a wedding cake, school cookies, and a photo shoot I did for a local café. I used real products, made real food, and took notes with sticky fingers.
Here’s what I learned, the fun parts and the fussy parts.
I also pulled together a step-by-step diary of the whole whitening experiment—colors, ratios, and every sticky-fingered photo—in I Tried Food Whitening So You Don’t Panic Over Yellow Buttercream if you want an at-a-glance cheat sheet to bookmark for later.
What I used (and where it worked)
- Wilton White-White Icing Color (bottle)
- AmeriColor Bright White Soft Gel Paste
- Colour Mill White (oil-based)
- Wilton Candy Colors White (the oil one for candy/chocolate)
- A plain trick: clear vanilla, extra whipping, and time
- Sugarflair Colours Icing & Butter Cream Whitener (liquid, great for scaling up big bakery batches)
I bought Wilton and AmeriColor at Michaels. Colour Mill came from a cake shop near me that also sells Callebaut. Nothing fancy—just normal baker errands.
When I'm hunting beyond the usual craft aisle, I open MyFoodTrip for a quick map of baker-friendly markets and candy supply stores near me.
Buttercream: the cousin’s wedding cake test
I made a three-tier vanilla cake with Swiss meringue buttercream. The buttercream was tasty, but yellow. Pretty, but not bridal.
- First pass: Wilton White-White. I added a teaspoon to a big bowl (about 1.5 pounds of buttercream). It turned from pale yellow to soft white. Not chalky yet, but I could taste a tiny something if I looked for it. Guests didn’t notice, but I did.
- Second pass: AmeriColor Bright White. A little stronger hit. Two small squirts made it brighter than the Wilton, but if I added more, it started to feel dry on the tongue. So I kept it light.
- Little trick that helped: I used clear vanilla instead of pure vanilla. That kept the mix from turning tan. I also beat the buttercream longer on low speed to push more air in. More air = lighter look.
Was it pure snow white? Almost. In photos, it looked perfect. In sunlight, still a whisper of cream. But I felt proud. And my aunt cried happy tears, so that helped.
Royal icing: PTA cookie duty
I iced 50 sugar cookies shaped like stars. Kids can be picky, and bright white helps those sprinkles pop.
- I used AmeriColor Bright White right in the royal icing. Only a tiny squeeze. It turned the icing crisp white without changing the texture. It also dried smooth. No weird shine, no grainy finish.
- One note: if you pipe super thin lines, too much whitening can make it break easier. I kept the ratio low, and it held up fine in lunchboxes.
If you prefer a dry formula that you can whisk straight into powdered sugar, the Wickedly White Powder Whitener 5.9 oz. – Evil Cake Genius keeps colors vivid without thinning your icing.
White chocolate: the café photo shoot
White chocolate is… not white. My Callebaut W2 has a warm, buttery tone. Pretty for eating. Not great for a clean, white drip.
- Water-based whiteners don’t work here. They seize chocolate. Ask me how I know. (I cried a little, then started over.)
- Colour Mill White (oil-based) saved the day. I heated my ganache, stirred in a few drops, and the drip turned bright and glossy. It set smooth on chilled cake and didn’t taste off.
- I also tried Wilton Candy Colors White. It worked, but I needed more than Colour Mill to get the same shade. Still solid if that’s what you can find.
The café owner wanted that “clean white latte cake” look. We got it. The photos looked like a magazine. My kitchen looked like a snowstorm.
Sauces and little side notes
- Alfredo sauce: A splash more cream and a pinch of grated Parmesan can brighten the color without any whiteners. Gentle heat helps too. Don’t brown the butter.
- Mashed potatoes: Use Yukon Golds for taste, but if you want a whiter bowl, mix half russet, half Yukon. Warm milk keeps the color soft and pale. No browning in the pot.
- Meringue kisses: Super white if you use superfine sugar and a drop of AmeriColor Bright White. Bake low and slow so they don’t tan.
Cooking for someone on a limited diet—say, day three after wisdom-tooth removal? You can keep the palette light and soothing with pale mashed potatoes, yogurt, or vanilla pudding. I leaned hard on those dishes and rounded up the ones that actually tasted good in Soft Foods After Surgery: What I Actually Ate and Liked if you need extra ideas.
Taste and texture: let’s be real
- Mild taste change can happen if you add a lot of gel whiteners. I noticed it more in plain vanilla than in lemon or almond.
- Most white gel colors use titanium dioxide. It’s common in whitening products. I live in the U.S., so these are easy to find. In the EU, rules are stricter for food use, so labels matter. If you’re avoiding it, check the bottle and try the simple tricks first (clear vanilla, more whipping, bright light in photos).
- Oil-based white color is the only type that behaved well in chocolate for me. Everything else clumped.
Funny enough, the opposite color challenge popped up when I was eating out in South Dakota: the lo mein I loved had a gorgeous caramel-soy hue that photographed beautifully without any tweaks. You can see what I mean in my honest take on Chinese food in Rapid City.
Baking long after midnight can get lonely—there are only so many playlists you can blast while that last sheet cake cools. If you ever crave a quick social break (the grown-up kind) before diving back into frosting, the swipe-style hookup platform Instabang pairs nearby adults for no-strings chats and meetups in minutes. It’s fast, discreet, and you can be back at your mixer well before the buttercream loses its chill.
On nights when my forearms beg for mercy and I’d rather trade swipe fatigue for straight-up muscle relief, I flip through the local spa listings on Rubmaps Morristown —the page compiles customer reviews, service menus, and etiquette tips so you can tell at a glance whether a spot offers a legit deep-tissue fix or something a bit more adventurous before you pony up for the table time.
Little wins, little fails
Wins:
- AmeriColor Bright White in royal icing. Fast and clean.
- Colour Mill White in white chocolate drip. Chef’s kiss.
- Clear vanilla + long whip for buttercream. Subtle, but helpful.
Fails:
- Adding water-based white to chocolate. It seized into a sad paste.
- Using too much whitener in buttercream. Dry mouthfeel and a dull taste.
Who should use what?
- Cookie folks and cake hobby bakers: AmeriColor Bright White or Wilton White-White. Start small.
- Chocolate people: Colour Mill White or another oil-based white made for candy.
- Photo-first bakers: Try lighting and camera first. A bright window, a white board, and a slight overexpose can “whiten” without extra stuff. I do this a lot.
Quick tips that saved me
- Chill your cake before a white chocolate drip. The drip sets fast and looks cleaner.
- Use clear extracts for “white-white” goals.
- Work in daylight if you can. Under warm kitchen bulbs, everything looks yellow. Don’t blame the butter too fast.
- If kids will eat it, go lighter on any whitener. They won’t care if it’s ivory. They will notice if it tastes odd.
Final take
Food whitening can help, but it’s not magic. It’s a tool, like a sifter or a bench scraper. For buttercream and royal icing, a dash of bright white did the job. For chocolate, oil-based color was the hero. And honestly? Many times, good light and a gentle hand did more than any bottle.
Would I buy these again? Yes—AmeriColor for icing, Colour Mill for chocolate, and Wilton as a backup. But I still start with clear vanilla, extra whipping, and patience. Because sometimes cream-colored is lovely. And sometimes you need that bright white wedding vibe. I get it. I’ve been there, frosting bag in hand, praying the yellow would chill out.
If you try one thing first, make it this: add a tiny bit,