The sugar glass looks the same as the real one, but it is edible. It is not only a delicious dessert, but also an excellent decoration for cakes and cupcakes. This article will show you how to make two different types of sugar glass. You will also find some ideas on how to use it.
Ingrediants
Simple Sugar Glass
- 800 g of granulated white sugar
- 500 ml of water
- 250 ml of light corn syrup
- A quarter of a teaspoon of cream of tartar
Glass of Marine Sugar
- 800 g of granulated white sugar
- 250 ml of water
- 120 ml of light corn syrup
- 1 teaspoon of flavorings for cakes
- Green or blue food coloring (liquid or gel)
- Powdered sugar
Steps
Method 1 of 3: Prepare the Plain Sugar Glass
Step 1. Grease a baking sheet with cooking spray
The sides of the pan need to be a few inches high or the melted sugar will drain away. If you don't have cooking spray, line the inside of the pan with aluminum foil or parchment paper.
Step 2. Pour the sugar, water, corn syrup, and cream of tartar into a saucepan, then place it on a stove
You have to use light corn syrup or the glass will get too dark.
Step 3. Simmer the ingredients over medium heat while mixing them
Don't turn the heat too high. If you did, the sugar would boil too fast and start to caramelize. Stir the solution often so as not to burn the bottom of the pot. The liquid will become opaque to transparent as it heats up. When it comes to a boil, bubbles will begin to form on the surface.
A silicone spatula is much easier to clean than a plastic, wooden or metal one
Step 4. Hook a cake thermometer inside the pot
You can find it in kitchen supply stores, DIY stores, and the bakery section of the grocery store. You will need it to measure the temperature of the mixture.
If the thermometer you have on hand cannot be hooked, tie it to the handle of the pot with string
Step 5. Heat the mixture to 150 ° C, then remove it from the heat
This cooking phase is known as "gran cassè". If you don't heat the sugar enough, it won't solidify properly; it would be sticky, no matter how long you decide to let it cool. It will take about an hour for the sugar to reach the right temperature.
- The temperature will stop rising between 99 and 115 ° C - this is because the water is evaporating. When there is no more water in the mixture, the temperature will begin to rise again.
- Keep the temperature between 149 and 155 ° C. Do not let them reach 160 ° C or the glass of sugar will caramelize and turn brown.
- If you don't have a cake thermometer, measure the temperature of the mixture by pouring a small amount of syrup into a glass of cold water. The sugar has reached the stage of "gran cassè" if it solidifies into threads.
Step 6. Slowly pour the mixture into the baking sheet
Don't be in a hurry, so as not to produce too many bubbles. The syrup will be thick and will gradually spread throughout the pan.
Step 7. Place the pan on a flat surface and let the syrup solidify
This will allow the sugar to spread evenly and produce a smooth glass with no lumps. Let the mixture cool for about an hour.
Do not move the pan for an hour. It will be cold to the touch after 45 minutes, but the mixture has not solidified yet
Step 8. Remove the solidified sugar from the pan
If you used cooking spray, turn the baking sheet upside down on a table. The solid syrup should simply peel off on its own. If you used aluminum foil or parchment paper, lift it to remove the syrup from the pan, then pull the paper off the sugar paper. If you can't easily separate the sugar from the pan, try this method:
- Take a knife and heat it under hot water.
- Make a cut where the glass meets the edge of the pan.
- Use the knife to carefully pry the glass off the pan.
- Turn the pan over, then slowly lift it up, holding the sugar in your hands.
Method 2 of 3: Make Glass of Sea Sugar
Step 1. Grease a baking sheet with cooking spray
The sides of the pan must be a few inches high, or the melted sugar will slide off. If you don't have cooking spray, line the inside of the pan with aluminum foil or parchment paper.
Sea glass is different from normal glass. It is colored and frosted, just like real sea glass
Step 2. Combine the sugar, water, and light corn syrup in a saucepan
Put the pot on the stove and mix everything together. Use a silicone spatula, as it will be much easier to clean.
Step 3. Stir the ingredients together over medium heat until the sugar dissolves
Make sure you stir often or the bottom of the pot may burn. The solution will be opaque at first, but will become transparent over time.
Step 4. Boil the syrup over medium heat
Don't turn the heat too high or the sugar will boil too quickly and turn caramel. When it comes to a boil, the syrup will produce bubbles similar to a foam.
Step 5. Hook a cake thermometer inside the pot
You will need it to measure the temperature of the mixture. You can buy one at a kitchenware, DIY store, or bakery department in better-stocked supermarkets.
If your cake thermometer cannot be hooked to the pot, tie it with string to the handle. That way, it won't fall into the syrup
Step 6. Continue heating and stirring the syrup until it reaches 150 ° C
Is very important! If the temperature isn't high enough, the sugar won't solidify properly. Instead, it will remain soft and sticky, even if you let it cool for a very long time. It will take about an hour to reach this stage.
- Do not allow the syrup to reach 160 ° C or the sugar will caramelize and turn brown.
- If you don't have a cake thermometer, pour a small amount of syrup into a glass of cold water. If it solidifies into threads, it has reached the "gran cassè" stage.
Step 7. Remove the pot from the heat, add the food coloring and a teaspoon of flavoring
You just need a few drops of dye. The more you use, the darker the glass will be. You can choose whichever color you like, but sea glass is almost always green or blue. You can also decide to leave the glass clear, as it will turn whiter when you add the icing sugar. Use only one flavor and one color for each preparation.
- Consider matching the color and aroma. For example, you can use blueberry flavoring for blue sea glass, mint flavoring for green glass, and vanilla flavoring for white or clear glass.
- You can buy the dye and flavorings in the sweets sections of stores that sell DIY items. You can also find them in stores that sell bakery products.
Step 8. Stir the solution for about two minutes, until all ingredients are well combined
The color should be uniform and there should be no streaks or swirls. The syrup will be clear and this is normal. You will make it opaque in the following steps.
Step 9. Pour the syrup onto the pan and let it cool
Try covering the entire surface of the pan with the thick, sticky mixture. It will take about an hour for it to cool down.
Step 10. Break the syrup into pieces
Cover it with a towel or kitchen cloth, then use a hammer to break it into smaller pieces.
Step 11. Pour or rub icing sugar over the solidified syrup
This will give the glass that opaque appearance characteristic of sea glass. You can also fill a plastic zip lock bag with powdered sugar, insert glass pieces of sugar inside and shake everything.
Method 3 of 3: Use the Sugar Glass
Step 1. Use blue and clear glass for a winter themed party
Make some sea glass of sugar, but don't coat the splinters with powdered sugar. Leave them colored and transparent.
Step 2. Use red, orange and yellow glass shards to create flames on cupcakes and cakes
Make some sea glass of sugar, but don't coat the splinters with powdered sugar. Leave them transparent. Try making the yellow ones bigger and the red ones smaller. Decorate a cake or cupcake with buttercream icing and stick the splinters into the icing.
You will need to prepare a different glass pan for each color
Step 3. Serve sea glass of sugar over brown sugar and crumbled cookies to recreate a beach
Crumble the cookies into a fine powder and mix it with brown sugar. Spread the mixture on a flat plate and garnish with sea glass of sugar. You can also add white chocolate shells.
All thin cinnamon, honey or ginger biscuits are fine for this purpose
Step 4. Use clear sugar glass and red jelly frosting to make some scary cupcakes
Garnish some cupcakes with a white butter-based frosting. Slide clear sugar glass shards into the icing, then drip some liquid red icing over the top edges of the sugar glass.
These sweets are perfect for a scary Halloween party
Step 5. Use the sugar glass to make the windows of a gingerbread house
Place the walls of the house on a baking sheet of parchment paper. Pour the still liquid syrup into the holes for the windows. Wait about an hour for the sugar to solidify. Gently remove the walls from the parchment paper. The sugar glass will have solidified inside the window holes.
- Use icing to draw a frame around the window. You can also use it to draw a "#" or a "+" and form a lattice.
- To create colored glass, use frosting to glue splinters of different colors to the clear sugar glass of the windows.
- If your gingerbread house doesn't have any window spaces, place square cookie cutters on a sheet of parchment paper and fill them with the still-liquid sugar glass. Wait an hour for the syrup to solidify, then remove the glass from the molds. Use the icing to glue the squares to the walls of the house.
Step 6. Create a stained glass-like effect on a cake
Prepare several glass pans of sugar, all of a different color, then break them into splinters with a hammer. Cover the cake with some buttercream icing, then stick the splinters on the sides of the cake.
Step 7. Gift the splinters at a party as treats
Choose clear plastic bags to match the party theme. Fill them with some sugar glass shards, then tie them with matching ribbon.
- The clear blue and white sugar glass are perfect for a winter themed party. You can also put some tiny sugar snowflakes in the bag.
- Sugar sea glass is perfect for a summer themed party. Try putting some chocolate shells in the bags as well.
Advice
- If you can't find flavorings for cakes, use regular extracts, such as vanilla, mint, or lemon. You may need to use more than a teaspoon, though, because the extracts have less intense flavors.
- Store the glass of sugar in a container that won't let any air through or will become sticky.
- If you want thicker glass, use a smaller baking sheet. If you want it thinner, use a wider pan.
- Use brown sugar to get brown glass.
- If you have trouble removing the remaining mixture in the pot, add some water and boil it to dilute the syrup. Pour it out of the pot carefully.
- Don't be discouraged if your glass of sugar turns brown or golden. It may take a few tries before you can remove the syrup from the heat at the right temperature to obtain transparent but rigid glass.
- After the glass has solidified, use a toothpick to break up any bubbles.
- Consider sanding the sharp edges with a cloth. The glass will have sharp edges, which can even cut you if you aren't careful. If you will be serving the glass to very young children, use extra caution.
- The larger the baking sheet you decide to use, the thinner your glass will be.
Warnings
- Do not let the glass stand in a humid area or in direct sunlight. It would melt or become sticky.
- Sugar glass can have quite sharp edges. It is not recommended for very young children.
- Be careful while pouring the mixture. It is very hot and can cause burns. Consider wearing oven mitts or pot holders.
- Do not let the sugar temperature reach 160 ° C. Keep it between 149 and 155 ° C. If the syrup gets too hot, the sugar glass will caramelize and turn brown.
- Do not put the cake thermometer in the pot before the syrup starts to boil. If you do this too early, the sugar will create crystals on the thermometer, which are quite difficult to clean.
