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The Americolor Nifty Fifty Kit Giveaway!

September 10, 2018 · In: Featured, Lifestyle

In all my years of caking, Americolor has been my favorite when it comes to food color gels. They make them in just about every color you can think of, and are constantly rolling out new additions to their soft gel paste offering. Whenever I’ve needed a super specific color and don’t want to spend a bunch of time custom mixing a shade of buttercream, I’d scroll through Americolor’s shop and order the perfect hue. And the soft gel pastes help color more than just buttercream – you can use them to tint fondant, royal icing, macarons, cookie dough, cake batter, gum paste, and so much more!

A few weeks ago, Americolor held a food photography contest where the lucky winners received the entire Nifty Fifty Kit. This handy collection has fifty different colors of soft gel paste. I about died when I was selected as one of the lucky winners and I will be swooning over my Nifty Fifty Kit for ages to come. This stuff lasts forever, and I never have to custom mix colors ever again (unless I want to get crazy!). I made a buttercream swatch of each color just to show you how amazing they are:

americolor nifty fifty color gels labeled

The best thing about Americolor soft gel pastes is they leave absolutely no aftertaste. I used the Super Black the other day to create some black buttercream, and even after achieving a dark black color, the gel paste didn’t affect the flavor at all. Not even a tiny bit! Since the soft gel pastes are so concentrated, you don’t have to use a ton, which is also helpful for maintaining the right consistency of whatever you’re coloring. Here are a few cakes I’ve created since I’ve gotten the kit, all created without mixing any colors together: 

colorful cakes by sugar and sparrow

I wrote Americolor to tell them how much I love my Nifty Fifty Kit and guess what? They’re partnering with me to give YOU the chance to win one yourself! I can’t tell you how life changing it is to have all fifty colors in your cake toolbox, so may the odds be ever in your favor. Here’s how to enter the giveaway:

Head to my Instagram page and enter on the giveaway post by Saturday, September 15th at 12:00am. The rules are simple: 1) follow @sugarandsparrowco and @americolor on Instagram, 2) like the giveaway post, and 3) tag two friends who would love to win. Piece of cake. Oh, and did I mention that the giveaway is worldwide? That means wherever you are in the world, you can win this!

rainbow buttercream cake by sugar and sparrow

The lucky winner will be announced on my Instagram page on Monday, September 17th, so stay tuned and good luck to all! 

By: Whitney · In: Featured, Lifestyle · Tagged: americolor, americolor nifty fifty kit, buttercream, cake, cake decorating, colorful cakes, food color gels, food coloring, giveaway, nifty fifty kit, rainbow cake, royal icing

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Comments

  1. Brian Shea says

    February 5, 2019 at 10:56 am

    Hi,
    I’ve been looking into Americolor colors and I’ve been looking for illustrations of what the colors look like when used. I came across your illustration linking to this page. I saw your examples of buttercream(?) using the colors above, but I’m wondering is there a key as to which sample is which color?
    Those are beautiful and impressive cakes by the way. Well done!

    Reply
    • Whitney says

      February 5, 2019 at 5:39 pm

      Hi Brian! I do have a labeled version of that photo and I totally meant to swap it in to this post. I’ll find it and send it to you!

      Reply

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  1. Gradient Rainbow Buttercream Cake Tutorial - Sugar & Sparrow says:
    September 17, 2018 at 8:02 am

    […] can see a few of the cakes I’ve created, real life color swatches, and read more about the kit in this post, but today I want to talk about this gradient rainbow cake. Can you believe it features 20 […]

    Reply

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LEMON CUPCAKES 🍋 after about a dozen recipe tes LEMON CUPCAKES 🍋 after about a dozen recipe tests, this one is everything I could want in a lemon cupcake! Fluffy-yet-moist, bursting with natural lemon flavor, and absolutely irresistible topped with lemon cream cheese buttercream. 

Full recipe (with frosting) linked in my bio + at https://sugarandsparrow.com/homemade-lemon-cupcakes/

INGREDIENTS:
1 Cup (132g) all-purpose flour
1 tsp baking powder
1/4 tsp salt
1/4 Cup (60ml) whole milk, room temperature
3 Tbsp (45ml) lemon juice from 1 medium lemon
3/4 Cup (150g) granulated sugar
3 Tbsp (42g) unsalted butter, room temperature
2 Tbsp (30ml) vegetable oil
2 large eggs, room temperature
1 tsp pure vanilla extract

INSTRUCTIONS:
1. Preheat the oven to 350ºF (177ºF) and line a standard cupcake pan with 12 paper liners.
2. In a large bowl, whisk together the flour, baking powder, and salt. Set aside. 
3. In the bowl of a stand mixer fitted with the paddle attachment (or with a hand mixer and large bowl), add the lemon zest to the sugar and mix on low speed until fragrant and well combined, about 1 minute. Meanwhile, combine the lemon juice with the milk and set aside. 
4. Add the butter to the lemon-sugar mixture and cream on medium speed until and combined, about 2 minutes. Add the vegetable oil and beat until light and creamy, about 3 minutes. Scrape down the bowl and paddle as needed.
5. Mix in the eggs one at a time on low speed, then add the vanilla and turn the mixer to medium speed for one minute.
6. Turn the mixer off and add the flour mixture all at once. Mix on low speed until just combined, then slowly pour in the lemon-milk mixture. Mix until just combined, about 30 seconds.
7. Divide the batter equally between the liners and bake for 14-18 min. Cool, then top with frosting of your choice (link in bio for lemon cream cheese frosting)�
#lemoncupcakes #creamcheesefrosting #lemon #cupcakes #cupcakedecorating
April in my kitchen 🌸 I published 5 NEW recipes April in my kitchen 🌸 I published 5 NEW recipes on my site, baked my Oreo cupcake recipe for a fundraiser and found it was just as delicious as I remember, and filmed/photographed 3 recipes that will be on my blog in May (Lemon Cupcakes, Lemon Cream Cheese Buttercream, and No-Bake Marbled Strawberry Cheesecake) 🥰 

Comment “APRIL” to get all the available recipes and stay tuned for more! 

#bakersofinstagram #springbaking #cakedecorating #cupcakes #bakinglove
SHEET PAN COOKIE CAKE 🍪 slice it warm for a fud SHEET PAN COOKIE CAKE 🍪 slice it warm for a fudgy chocolate chip cookie OR let it settle into a moist and chewy cookie cake that’s perfect for decorating! My fave vanilla buttercream + sprinkles turn this giant chocolate chip cookie into the perfect birthday cake alternative at the end 🥳
⁣
Full recipe + decorating ideas at https://sugarandsparrow.com/sheet-pan-chocolate-chip-cookie-cake/
⁣
INGREDIENTS⁣
1 Cup (226g) unsalted butter, melted⁣
1 1/3 Cups (267g) packed light or dark brown sugar⁣
1/2 Cup (100g) granulated sugar⁣
3 large eggs⁣
1 Tbsp pure vanilla extract⁣
1 tsp baking soda⁣
1 tsp cornstarch⁣
1/2 tsp salt⁣
3 Cups (398g) all purpose flour⁣
2 Cups (350g) semi-sweet chocolate chips⁣
⁣
INSTRUCTIONS⁣
1. Preheat the oven to 350ºF (177ºC). Grease and line a 13×18 inch sheet pan.⁣
2. In a large bowl, add the brown sugar and granulated sugar. Melt the butter in the microwave and pour it over the top of the sugars. Whisk together until uniform. Add the eggs and vanilla, then continue whisking until uniform. Whisk in the baking soda, cornstarch, and salt.⁣
3. Add the flour and use a silicone spatula to fold it in until smooth cookie dough forms. Reserve 1/2 Cup of the chocolate chips and set them aside, then fold the remaining 1 1/2 Cups of chocolate chips into the cookie dough.⁣
4. Place the chocolate chip cookie dough onto the prepared sheet pan and use an offset spatula to spread it all the way to the edges in an even layer.⁣
5. Bake the cookie cake for 14-16 minutes, until it looks golden brown on the edges and set. 
6. Enjoy warm or let it cool and decorate with vanilla buttercream and sprinkles! ⁣
⁣
#cookiecake #chocolatechipcookies #sheetcake #birthdaycake #cakedecorating
STRAWBERRY CUPCAKES 🍓based on my beloved strawb STRAWBERRY CUPCAKES 🍓based on my beloved strawberry layer cake recipe, this cupcake version is just as moist yet fluffy and bursting with natural strawberry flavor! Between the mix of fresh strawberries in the cupcakes + freeze-dried strawberries in the frosting, the flavor is out of this world 🚀

Full recipe link in my bio (with strawberry buttercream) + at https://sugarandsparrow.com/strawberry-cupcakes/

STRAWBERRY CUPCAKES
Yield: 14 cupcakes

INGREDIENTS:
5 oz (143g) fresh or frozen strawberries
1/3 Cup (80ml) whole milk, room temp
1 1/2 Cups (158g) sifted cake flour
1 tsp baking powder
1/4 tsp baking soda
1/2 tsp salt
6 Tbsp (85g) unsalted butter, room temp
1 Cup (200g) granulated sugar
2 large eggs, room temp
3 Tbsp (45g) sour cream, room temp
1 tsp vanilla extract
1 drop pink food coloring (optional)

INSTRUCTIONS: 
1. Puree the strawberries using a food processor (you’ll have about 1/2 cup of puree), then place into a saucepan over medium-low heat. Bring to a simmer, then cook for 10-15 min, stirring occasionally, until you have 1/4 cup. Refrigerate until room temp.
2. Preheat oven to 350ºF (177ºC) and line a standard cupcake pan with liners.
3. Whisk together the sifted cake flour, baking powder, baking soda, and salt and set aside.
4. In a stand mixer w/ paddle attachment (or hand mixer + large bowl), whip the butter on high for 2 min. Add sugar and beat for 2 min, until light and fluffy. Turn the mixer to low and add the eggs one at a time, then add the vanilla and sour cream, turn the mixer to high and beat for 1 min. Meanwhile, whisk together the strawberry puree, whole milk, and food coloring (if using).
5. Turn the mixer off and add all of the dry ingredients at once. Mix on low until just combined, then add the strawberry milk mixture until just combined, about 30 seconds.
6. Fill the cupcake liners 2/3 full and bake for 14-18 minutes. Cool completely before topping with strawberry buttercream (full recipe linked above). 

#strawberrycupcakes #strawberrycake #pinkcupcakes #strawberry #cupcakes
COFFEE BUTTERCREAM (recipe below)☕️ this frost COFFEE BUTTERCREAM (recipe below)☕️ this frosting has AMAZING coffee flavor, is so easy to decorate cakes with, and pairs beautifully with so many flavors (chocolate, vanilla, or any cake flavor you’d want to turn into a latte). 

All my cake pairing suggestions are linked in my bio or at https://sugarandsparrow.com/coffee-buttercream-recipe/ 

COFFEE BUTTERCREAM⁣
Yield: 2.5 Cups⁣

INGREDIENTS⁣
1 1/2 tsp instant coffee or espresso powder⁣
1 1/2 Tbsp whole milk, room temperature⁣
1 Cup (226g) unsalted butter, room temperature⁣
3 1/2 Cups (420g) powdered sugar⁣
2 tsp pure vanilla extract⁣
Pinch of salt⁣

INSTRUCTIONS⁣
1. Combine the instant espresso/coffee with the whole milk and set aside. In the bowl of a stand mixer, beat the butter on high until creamy and smooth (about 5 minutes), scraping down the bowl and paddle a few times in between.⁣
2. Turn the mixer to low and add the powdered sugar a few cups at a time, scraping down the bowl and paddle between intervals. Add the vanilla, the coffee/espresso milk mixture, and salt. Mix on low until fully incorporated, about one minute.⁣

#coffeebuttercream #buttercream #frosting #coffeecake

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