How to make grass-green buttercream?

[HalfATankini]

Hi, it's ds2's birthday soon and he's football crazy so I fancied doing a football pitch cake. I've bought a grass tip nozzle and practiced with plain buttercream - all ok.

The problems that I can't seem to get anything close to a grass-green colour with the buttercream. It's too pale and obv the more colouring I add the runnier it gets so I won't get the right effect...

Do I need a gel paste colouring? And which shade? Looking on amazon I can find mint green, sea green and spruce green but I'm not sure which I want?!

I'm in West London if anyone happens to know where I could go to pick some up? Or can recommend the perfect grass shade online.

Thanks!

Ooh nannycook yes please. I've made hundreds of fairy cakes so know what I'm doing with a basic sponge recipe. I usually weigh the eggs and then match the flour, sugar and butter. So how many eggs would you reckon for that tin? (I realised that I added in the "rim" around the edge so it's probably closer to 30x20 if that makes any difference?!

Thank you so much.

30 x 20 should be easy if you have a recipe which is for a 20 x 20 square (8 inch square) - just multiply by 1.5 as it's just a 20 x 20 plus a 10 x 20 - so if it's 4 eggs then use 6 etc.

I wouldn't increase cooking time by that much though - would check when the original recipe time is up and judge an extra 5, 10, 20 as you see fit.

Also when you check, you may want to put a sheet of greaseproof with a hole cut in the centre over it if it starts to look brown but hasn't cooked in the centre yet.

Its a really big tin, and as this is only a practise and if it turns out OK you could always freeze it than just eat it, I think I used 450grms of everything and 8 eggs, I put everything in and beat for 2mins but its up to you, cook for 1HR 30, but check as it was very long time since I made it sweetpea, And gas 2,3.

Its a really big tin, and as this is only a practise and if it turns out OK you could always freeze it than just eat it, I think I used 450grms of everything and 8 eggs, I put everything in and beat for 2mins but its up to you, cook for 1HR 30, but check as it was very long time since I made it sweetpea, And gas 2,3.

Thank you both so much. My first ever Madeira cake (a concoction of 4 different recipes) is in the oven. It's a 6 egg mixture. I forgot to tap the tin before it went in and now I'm tortured by the bubbles rising to the surface

I use the wiltons paste food colouring, they are great I did grass recently for an Easter cake and also used the grass nozzle to do Oscar the grouch.

I did a football pitch cake for ds2 a few years ago, I bought a set with goals and players etc and just did rectangle cake and did green buttercream and iced on the white lines.

Its a simple and effective cake but you need paste or gel colours to colour your icing.

Here's the finished cake! Thank you all so much, it was a great practise and has nearly all been eaten

Brilliant! That's the same goal and player set I have :)

Well done tankini, next one will be a breeze.