How to Make Sugar Easter Eggs
Decide on how you wish to decorate the egg., Prepare the workspace., To make a simple fondant egg, take the fondant and roll it out to 5mm (0.19") thick., If you wish to color the fondant, either buy it colored or knead food coloring into the...
Step-by-Step Guide
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Step 1: Decide on how you wish to decorate the egg.
Some decorative styles will require additional sculpting tools.
If so, these tools are very similar to clay sculpting tools, but are made of food-safe plastic.
They can be purchased from the cake decorating supplier as well.
Read up on the decorating with fondant, as the tools will often have simple instructions that give you an idea of the different effects you can make with the tool on the sugar egg. -
Step 2: Prepare the workspace.
Your tools, hands and surfaces should be spotless to prevent dust from contaminating the fondant, as any marks will make it appear dirty., This thickness should be consistent across the fondant that will be used for the Easter egg. , For rich colors, look for color pastes rather than liquid types, as too much liquid will make the fondant too soft to form the egg shape.
Read "How to Color Fondant" for more information.
Note that by kneading it so it is not consistent, you can achieve a marble effect, but be aware that this takes a lot of practice and technique to make it look attractive rather than just messy. , Clean and thoroughly dry the egg mold and gently dust it with a tiny amount of cornflour to prevent sticking. , Trim the edges so they are as neat and flat as possible.
In practice, this is just like lining a pie tray with pastry.
Repeat for each Easter egg being made –- two halves for each whole sugar egg; the amount will depend on your mold size. , Tap the sides gently and listen to the sound it makes
-- if it sounds hollow or like ceramic then it is sufficiently dried.
Once dried, the egg half should tip out easily.
If it sticks, it's not fully dried yet, so give it a little more time.
Humidity should be avoided. , Hold the halves together and look for any large gaps or rough areas.
Don't worry too much about the smaller gaps, as most can be filled with royal icing, but large gaps over 5mm (0.19") will be much harder to disguise (see tips section).
If you're making more than one, try different halves together to get the optimal fit between all halves. , Place the royal icing into a piping bag.
Pipe right around the edge of each egg half, removing anything the dribbles off the edge.
Then, press the egg halves together gently and remove excess icing that oozes out.
Remember, the smoother the fit, the better the end result.
Allow the eggs to rest and dry; you can put the egg back into one side of the molds to act as a support.
If you wanted to hang the sugar eggs, insert a suitable small stainless steel hook or a loop of ribbon into the icing seal at the top of the egg while the icing is still wet.
Larger eggs require hooks with internal supports to share the weight, so only use ribbon for very small sugar eggs.
If you wanted to include a toy or a surprise inside the egg, add it at this stage, and then seal it up. , When dry, pipe small decorative shells or small balls evenly across the seal to disguise it.
Doing this will act as a frame to any decorative additions that you may want to use.
It will also strengthen the hook or ribbon loop. , If you wish to decorate them further, allow them to fully dry for another 24 hours, then try some of the following suggestions:
Pipe words or a picture onto the eggs.
Using a very clean small drill, carve a "window" hole or pattern into the dried fondant.
Paint using food coloring.
Liquids resemble watercolors and pastes resemble oil/acrylic paints.
Using a glue made of icing thinned with a little water or pasteurized egg white (it should reach a thin, paste-like consistency), decoupage a photo or paper on.
Small paper cake decorations featuring chicks, bunnies, spring themes, etc., are all ideal.
As this can add to the drying time it's better to make these eggs well in advance.
Use ribbons or other decorative add-ons. , Your completed eggs can be used as a table centerpiece, as a gift, decoration or as a symbolic gift at baby showers.
They can last for decades if stored well! -
Step 3: To make a simple fondant egg
-
Step 4: take the fondant and roll it out to 5mm (0.19") thick.
-
Step 5: If you wish to color the fondant
-
Step 6: either buy it colored or knead food coloring into the fondant until the color is consistent throughout it.
-
Step 7: Prepare the Easter egg molds.
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Step 8: Press the fondant gently into the Easter egg molds.
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Step 9: Allow the eggs to dry until completely set.
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Step 10: Place the two halves together to check for a good fit.
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Step 11: Glue the two sides using royal icing.
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Step 12: Decorate the sugar eggs.
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Step 13: At this stage
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Step 14: the eggs are finished as a simple decoration.
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Step 15: Use the sugar eggs as a decoration and/or gifts.
Detailed Guide
Some decorative styles will require additional sculpting tools.
If so, these tools are very similar to clay sculpting tools, but are made of food-safe plastic.
They can be purchased from the cake decorating supplier as well.
Read up on the decorating with fondant, as the tools will often have simple instructions that give you an idea of the different effects you can make with the tool on the sugar egg.
Your tools, hands and surfaces should be spotless to prevent dust from contaminating the fondant, as any marks will make it appear dirty., This thickness should be consistent across the fondant that will be used for the Easter egg. , For rich colors, look for color pastes rather than liquid types, as too much liquid will make the fondant too soft to form the egg shape.
Read "How to Color Fondant" for more information.
Note that by kneading it so it is not consistent, you can achieve a marble effect, but be aware that this takes a lot of practice and technique to make it look attractive rather than just messy. , Clean and thoroughly dry the egg mold and gently dust it with a tiny amount of cornflour to prevent sticking. , Trim the edges so they are as neat and flat as possible.
In practice, this is just like lining a pie tray with pastry.
Repeat for each Easter egg being made –- two halves for each whole sugar egg; the amount will depend on your mold size. , Tap the sides gently and listen to the sound it makes
-- if it sounds hollow or like ceramic then it is sufficiently dried.
Once dried, the egg half should tip out easily.
If it sticks, it's not fully dried yet, so give it a little more time.
Humidity should be avoided. , Hold the halves together and look for any large gaps or rough areas.
Don't worry too much about the smaller gaps, as most can be filled with royal icing, but large gaps over 5mm (0.19") will be much harder to disguise (see tips section).
If you're making more than one, try different halves together to get the optimal fit between all halves. , Place the royal icing into a piping bag.
Pipe right around the edge of each egg half, removing anything the dribbles off the edge.
Then, press the egg halves together gently and remove excess icing that oozes out.
Remember, the smoother the fit, the better the end result.
Allow the eggs to rest and dry; you can put the egg back into one side of the molds to act as a support.
If you wanted to hang the sugar eggs, insert a suitable small stainless steel hook or a loop of ribbon into the icing seal at the top of the egg while the icing is still wet.
Larger eggs require hooks with internal supports to share the weight, so only use ribbon for very small sugar eggs.
If you wanted to include a toy or a surprise inside the egg, add it at this stage, and then seal it up. , When dry, pipe small decorative shells or small balls evenly across the seal to disguise it.
Doing this will act as a frame to any decorative additions that you may want to use.
It will also strengthen the hook or ribbon loop. , If you wish to decorate them further, allow them to fully dry for another 24 hours, then try some of the following suggestions:
Pipe words or a picture onto the eggs.
Using a very clean small drill, carve a "window" hole or pattern into the dried fondant.
Paint using food coloring.
Liquids resemble watercolors and pastes resemble oil/acrylic paints.
Using a glue made of icing thinned with a little water or pasteurized egg white (it should reach a thin, paste-like consistency), decoupage a photo or paper on.
Small paper cake decorations featuring chicks, bunnies, spring themes, etc., are all ideal.
As this can add to the drying time it's better to make these eggs well in advance.
Use ribbons or other decorative add-ons. , Your completed eggs can be used as a table centerpiece, as a gift, decoration or as a symbolic gift at baby showers.
They can last for decades if stored well!
About the Author
Peter Ramirez
Enthusiastic about teaching cooking techniques through clear, step-by-step guides.
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