Among Us cake and cupcakes

That deep black frosting on the Among Us cake and cupcakes was definitely a showstopper, and it always sparks a conversation with clients! As I mentioned, I always bring up the potential taste difference due to the amount of food gel needed to get such an intense color. My client for this 21st birthday cake was happy with the result, but I've definitely learned a few tricks over time to minimize that strong aftertaste when going for dark shades, especially black. First, if you're aiming for a black frosting like the one on my Among Us cake, starting with a chocolate or cocoa powder-based frosting can give you a head start. It provides a naturally darker base, so you don't need to add as much black food coloring. Also, I find that gel food coloring works much better than liquid for achieving vibrant, deep colors without adding too much moisture or altering the texture. Another little tip I picked up is letting the colored frosting sit for a few hours, or even overnight. The color tends to deepen and bloom, so you might find you need less coloring than you initially thought! When it comes to Among Us cake ideas, there's so much room for creativity! For this 21st birthday cake for a boy, we incorporated the '21' directly onto the black cake with white speckles, making it super personalized. You could also create an entire spaceship scene, or even a dramatic impostor reveal. For accompanying cupcakes, playing with the 'cupcake aesthetic' is fun. Instead of just black frosting, you could do various crewmate colors, or pipe tiny white speckles on black frosting to mimic the main cake. To make a 'fancy single cupcake,' consider adding a detailed edible Among Us character or a custom fondant 'red button' like the one on my cake to really make it pop. The colorful Among Us characters on the cake really stood out against the deep black, creating a vibrant contrast that looked fantastic. What are your go-to tricks for getting deep, rich colors without compromising on flavor?