I forget exactly what tumeric tastes like, but wouldn't it be kinda nasty in frosting?
Same for the Avacado.

I'd be scared to add more than a pinch of turmeric to frosting... it's kind of earthy-tasting. Avocado, however, is frequently used in South Asian ices and smoothies, and I wouldn't be afraid to use that in frosting... and you know, it's got that high-antioxidant fat in it, adding richness that's good for you... my worry is that it would brown.

Bring on the beet juice, though.

Seems like a few drops of lemon juice in the avocado version would be a must to prevent browning... I sampled an avocado gelato the other day and while I didn't love it, it wasn't icky either.

Avocado flavor is very mild and would definitely be overpowered by the sugar in the frosting. In fact, Alton Brown makes an avocado frosting using the avocado as the fat. I saw him do it in a demo and a 6 year old kid from the audience gave it a thumbs up for taste.

The turmeric seems like it would be problematic to me too, though. Has anybody tried this?

i'd use saffron instead of turmeric.

crush a tiny amount of saffron and let it brew in about two tablespoons of hot water.

you'll have bright yellow, almost orange food coloring!

much better tasting than turmeric too!

Thanks for this! I've never tried the blueberries or avocado. I often use tumeric, as it does make a nice yellow shade that deepens as it sits. The trick is to not ice a WHOLE cake with it.

my father-in-law (filipino) eats avocados with sugar. i've never tasted it before, but i think it would be light and tasty in frosting. i do worry about browning, too.

another option for getting green would be to use matcha green tea powder. it's available in most japanese or other asian markets. i've made matcha cupcakes and it's very good!

i haven't tried the other ideas in cupcake frosting, but i've used beet juice to make a pink potato salad. i'm very curious to try them all out! thanks for the ideas! ;)

I've used several of these many times. Turmeric is a great yellow but a teaspoon is a ridiculous amount! I use a few pinches for a whole batch of frosting. It makes it a lovely yellow and it's not noticeable at all. It's the same with beet juice -- add a little and it's completely hidden. I've also used fruit juice concentrates like grape and cherry. You can reduce them on the stove to make them more concentrated or just add less liquid. Obviously, chocolate makes a great brown too.

As for the avocado, I've heard of it being used in ice cream and other sweets a lot and I think it might be really good (and super healthy). I'd try it ahead of time to be sure though. :)

BTW, it can be easier IME to use fruits to add color instead of trying to make a whole lot of colored frosting colors. For instance, use slices of strawberries and kiwis to make patterns, blueberries for dots and so on.

Turmeric is great for yellow, but I find the taste is least noticeable if you flavour the frosting with lemon. I used to use powdered alfalfa for green, but have purchased some awesome natural blue and green food colouring made from spirulina in the UK.

Hey, forget the tumeric - it's what gives American hot dog flavor a different color and flavor than French mustard . Instead, try annato or achiote, you can find the seeds in any store that has a Latin American food section. It's the stuff that colors margarine yellow, and can also be used to make an intense orange. For a deep red, boil down pomegranate juice to a syrup. If you look online, you'll find any natural color, including black from black walnut hulls.