Chuck it out and go to Waitrose?

Jings you could go into the cake decorating business.

jings that is a smashing cake! Any going spare?

Thanks wot. And thank you Co-op for the decs.

Jings, the cake looks beautiful!

(I won't serve it on the tin lid)

I thank the Lord for the fantastic cake d formations you can get these days.

Looks quite pretty anyway. (I am no great cake decorator)

Very interesting! Thanks for the link. I wonder how they make all the other colours?

Yes, it was a cochineal beetle 'farm' !

www.uniquelanzarotevillas.co.uk/blog/2012/07/dye-another-day-lanzarote%C2%B4s-cochineal-industry/

Not advertising the villas, we did not stay in one so cannot make a recommendation one way or the other, but it gives a good idea of the cochineal industry there!

Jailma, do you think the cacti were planted to attract the beetles? So they could harvest them (the beetles)

Yes, why is that? We are happy to eat prawns and shrimps but not insects!

wot when we visited Lanzarote we saw a field? full of cacti on which were cochineal beetles, used to make the red colouring for foods.
It did put me off baking pink cakes I must admit!!

I was going to say 'sling some brown sherry into it and turn it into a trifle' jings, but you seem to have sorted it now. Bet it will taste really good anyway.

The cakes seem to have turned out ok. Done and iced now. And I resisted the temptation to add an extra one to my Ocado order. (Shop ones always look so delicious)

Oh right! Sounds ok. Thank you.

Paste colours blend well jingl. You add a tiny bit on the end of a cocktail stick (I put it onto the mixer blade or spoon)and mix in. There is also the advantage of not altering the consistency as a liquid would, especially when colouring fondant.

True.

Jingles.....as long as I didn't know or remember about beetles being in Cochineal, it wouldn't bother me either. I mean when you think about eating prawns, that could seem equally Grosse. Excuse my spelling.

Thanks Shysal. They sound good. I did wonder though, if paste blends in OK with the cake mixture.

I have always used paste food colouring. It states in the blurb that it can be used in cake mixture, and I have never had any problems, apart from the violet always being a bit grey.
www.ebay.co.uk/itm/ANY-6-SUGARFLAIR-PASTE-FOOD-COLOURING-ICING-COLOUR-/280578366608?hash=item4153c61c90:g:sdcAAOxyrYFR1Wdm
A quick way of adding interest is to add coloured sugar strands or 100s and 1000s to the mixture, known as a 'Funfetti' cake. Endless colour possibilities, single colour, chocolate or mixed. Having made at least 6 birthday cakes a year for 16 odd years, I am running out of original ideas!

Becca if you do come back to this thread, that info might be useful to you.

wot having done some (belated ) research on the net, I see Lakeland have brought out a range of natural food colourings that are 'bake safe', and in the reviews someone has complained that the red one has cochineal in it! So what? I don't mind eating the odd insect or two if it does the job.

Cochineal I wrote.

My mum used to use contnual which I think was made from beetles. Is there anything were allowed to do or buy anymore?

Ooh Elred I love those little cakes!

I did put some dried strawberry in the cake so it will be - interesting!