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poured sugar color woes

cakemuse

By cakemuse
in Pastry & Baking

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cakemuse

cakemuse

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I decided to venture into the world of poured sugar to make tiles for a cake. (I could not find any thread related to this - if there is, please let me know).

The heating went well - added a few drops of color, which was visible throughout cooking.

Once I took the sugar off the heat at 312 degrees (per 'Michel Roux's Finest Desserts') and poured the sugar into my molds, the color changed to amber!

I immediately thought the sugar had burned, that my thermometer was off, etc.

Or, did I simply not put enough color (liquid) and once the heat was gone it evaporated as well?

Or?

If anyone has any suggestions, please let me know. I don't want to start another batch and have the same result. Amber is fine but not when I want another color result.

Any book suggestions? Yes, would love to take a class..funds are low :hmmm:

"But you have no chocolate? My dear, how will you ever manage?"

-- Marquise d Sévigné

"If I knew you were comin' I'd've baked a cake, hired a band, goodness sake..."

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alanamoana

alanamoana

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i would use powdered color specifically for sugar. the colors tend to be nice and intense.

don't know what happened with yours. it's possible that the residual heat caused the sugar to continue to cook past the desired temperature. if that's the case, you can shock your hot pan of sugar in an ice bath to help stop the cooking. if you're doing a large volume though, this doesn't always help as the heat gets trapped in the large amount of sugar.

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cakemuse

cakemuse

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i would use powdered color specifically for sugar.  the colors tend to be nice and intense.

don't know what happened with yours.  it's possible that the residual heat caused the sugar to continue to cook past the desired temperature.  if that's the case, you can shock your hot pan of sugar in an ice bath to help stop the cooking.  if you're doing a large volume though, this doesn't always help as the heat gets trapped in the large amount of sugar.

Ah, I did not use a water bath - I could see how that would lock in the color. I'll try powder as well - thanks alanamoana!

"But you have no chocolate? My dear, how will you ever manage?"

-- Marquise d Sévigné

"If I knew you were comin' I'd've baked a cake, hired a band, goodness sake..."

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Lisa Shock

Lisa Shock

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An ice-water bath is essential to be accurate about the temperature and to have on hand in case of an emergency. Boiled sugar can cause serious injuries very quickly.

You can also add liquid color to the sugar as it cools. The water will burn off quickly.

Have you read eGullet's Kitchen Scale manifesto?

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cakemuse

cakemuse

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An ice-water bath is essential to be accurate about the temperature and to have on hand in case of an emergency. Boiled sugar can cause serious injuries very quickly.

You can also add liquid color to the sugar as it cools. The water will burn off quickly.

Thanks! I will add color at the end ... hopefully, my next try will prove successful!

"But you have no chocolate? My dear, how will you ever manage?"

-- Marquise d Sévigné

"If I knew you were comin' I'd've baked a cake, hired a band, goodness sake..."

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