Build an Ice Castle Out of Sugar Cubes

I love to build gingerbread houses but they take a lot of prep. Several years ago I took a gingerbread baking workshop from a well known pastry chef who made incredible gingerbread villages for a local club. The number one tip she shared was to bake your gingerbread pieces well in advance of building day (like months!) and let the pieces get really stale. Then they can withstand the weight of the icing, candy, roofing, or whatever else you stack on top.

I usually get the urge to build around the beginning of December, which is much too late for the "let the gingerbread get stale" technique. The alternative? Make a castle (or house) out of sugar cubes.

Building with sugar cubes is just like building with blocks. The only limit is your imagination and it's a fun project for the family to do together.

Supplies:
Sturdy cardboard, foam board or wood for your base
Sugar cubes
Assorted candy for decoration
Royal icing (recipes below)
Pastry bag or plastic zip lock bag
Decorating tips
Optional LED candle to put inside


Royal Icing Recipe #1
3 Tablespoons of Wilton's Meringue Powder
4 cups of confectioners sugar (about 1#)
5 Tablespoons of warm water
Beat all ingredients in a stand mixer on low for 12 minutes

Royal Icing Recipe #2 (Martha Stewart)
2 large egg whites
4 cups of confectioners sugar (about 1#)
Juice of 1 lemon
3 drops of glycerin
Beat the egg whites until stiff. Add rest of ingredients and beat for an additional minute.

First up, make your royal icing. I use the meringue powder recipe.

Figure out where you want to place your structure and trace the outline of your walls. You can do a square or circle. For kids it helps to use an oatmeal canister if using a circle so that the structure stays straight and you can remove it when finished.

Fill your pastry bag with the icing and draw a line on top of your traced line with the icing. Start stacking your sugar cubes, one layer at a time, using the icing as mortar. Add windows along the way or any details you can think of. Jolly Rancher candies make great "stained glass".

Some of our favorite items to use are: Jolly Rancher candies, Hershey Kisses, gumdrops, licorice, starlight peppermints, pretzels, graham crackers and if you can find them, chocolates that are shaped and coated to look like rocks. They make great side walks. You can also color your royal icing and make ponds with skaters, trees, and other details.




Here is a link to our Pinterest board for inspiration.

Here's the video segment from WTAJ Central Pa Live.

Have fun and share pictures on our Facebook page of your creations!