Cabbage Blue Food Dye

Name: Cabbage Blue Food Dye
Yield: 4 servings
Ingredients: 1 1/2 small head of red cabbage, coarsely chopped; 1 1/2 cup sugar; 1 1/2 teaspoon baking soda

From the kitchen of Carly

Red cabbage transforms into vivid blue dye through a simple chemistry trick: sugar deepens the purple liquid, while baking soda shifts it to blue. Swirl into frosting or icing for naturally colored, food-safe decorating without artificial additives.

Prep: n/a
Cook: n/a
Total: n/a
Servings: 4
Difficulty: medium

Ingredients

4 servings

11/2 small head of red cabbage, coarsely chopped
11/2 cup sugar
11/2 teaspoon baking soda

Instructions

Bring cabbage and 3 cups water to a simmer in a medium saucepan over medium-low heat and cook until cabbage is soft and liquid is reduced by about a third, 20, 25 minutes.
Remove cabbage with a spider or slotted spoon; discard. Add sugar to cabbage liquid and simmer, swirling pan occasionally, until liquid is a very deep purple and has reduced to about 1 cup, 10, 15 minutes. Let dye cool, then stir in baking soda. Mix into frosting or royal icing to make desired color.