Initially, I thought about making birthday cake truffles from scratch like this but after looking at the ingredients list I just wanted to keep things simple and use what I already had. Since these sprinkle cake truffles are made from baked funfetti cake and vanilla funfetti buttercream, they were already downright delicious. They taste like a little bite-sized truffle version of the double funfetti cake! 

These sprinkle cake truffles are super versatile in the sense that you can literally use whatever flavor of cake scraps and buttercream you’re already working with. The toppings can be rainbow sprinkles or any sprinkle color palette. You could sub the sprinkles for other toppings like graham cracker crumbs, cookie crumbs, or whatever would best accent your cake design. The possibilities are totally endless!

If you need some inspiration for your next cake flavor, here are all my cake and buttercream recipes to browse. Just use the cake scraps and buttercream from any of these:

• Cake Recipes
• Buttercream Recipes

And here is the double funfetti cake recipe pictured in this post!

Print

Sprinkle Cake Truffles

Bite sized cake truffles made from a mixture of cake and frosting, rolled in rainbow sprinkles to make perfect edible cake toppers!

Prep Time 15 minutes

Servings 12 truffles

Ingredients

• 1 Cup crumbled cake scraps*
• 1/4 Cup buttercream frosting
• 1/4 Cup rainbow sprinkles

Instructions

• Place the crumbled cake and buttercream frosting into a medium sized bowl and combine them with a rubber spatula until the mixture sticks together. It should be tacky enough to form balls when you roll it between your hands. If it's not quite that tacky yet, add more buttercream a Tablespoon at a time until it reaches the proper consistency.
• Use a Tablespoon to scoop the cake/buttercream mixture and then roll it between your hands to form a 1 inch ball. Place it on a lined baking sheet and continue forming balls until you have used all of the cake/buttercream mixture.
• Pour the rainbow sprinkles (or topping of your choice) onto a small plate or into a small bowl. Roll each ball through the sprinkles until the surface is covered and place back onto the lined baking sheet. Refrigerate the sprinkle cake truffles for at least 20 minutes, after which they should be firm and ready to place on your cake (or enjoy as-is!)

Notes

*For the cake scraps, I used the leftover cake from leveling my layers and simply crumbled it up with my hands. You can feel free to use extra cupcakes or any kind of cake trimmings for this part of the recipe. 

Make ahead tips: these sprinkle cake truffles can be made ahead and stored in an airtight container in the refrigerator for up to 5 days. 

Did you make these sprinkle cake balls? I want to know how it went! Let me know in the comments and feel free to tag @sugarandsparrowco on Instagram to show me. I love to see what you create with my recipes!

The post Sprinkle Cake Truffles appeared first on Sugar & Sparrow.

This technique you’ll be using for these sprinkle letters also works for shapes and number cake toppers, so feel free to let your imagination run wild! The main things you’ll need are Candy Melts (tempered chocolate works just as well), some pretty sprinkles, and toothpicks to turn the letters into cake toppers. I used a template that I printed out to make sure each letter was the same size and font. You could print out a template with any font you want or wing it when you pipe out your letters – the sprinkles tend to cover up any imperfections, making this technique pretty fail proof regardless. 

Here’s a quick video to show you how to make these sprinkle letters before I walk you through the steps below. 

If you love creative cake tutorials like this one, be sure to check out my YouTube channel! I’ve got a growing collection of recipes, decorating tutorials, and Cake Basics over there. Hit the subscribe button on my page so you never miss a new video.

You Will Need:

• Printed letter template (I used this one)
• Wax paper
• Scissors
• ½ Cup Wilton Candy Melts or tempered white chocolate
• 2 piping bags
• Wilton Tip 3
• Sprinkles of your choice (I used Sprinkle Pop “Treasure Hunt”)
• Toothpicks

Step 1: Print the Letter Template

To create my template, I simply typed out the word “YAY” in a word document and experimented with fonts until I found one I loved (it’s called Bebas Neue). It took a few prints to figure out what size I wanted the letters to be, and that will vary depending on how long your word is or how tall you want the letters to end up. Once you get them the size and font you want, print the template and cut out the individual. 

If you want to replicate these exact YAY sprinkle letter toppers, here’s the template I created.

Step 2: Pipe the Letters 

Melt the Candy Melts according to the package instructions. Alternatively, you can use tempered white chocolate or Ghirardelli Melting Wafers that don’t require tempering (but taste amazing!). 

Once melted, place the Candy Melts into a piping bag fitted with Wilton Tip 3. Cut out some pieces of wax paper and place them over each individual letter, then pipe each letter onto the wax paper pieces using the template beneath as your guide. 

Step 3: Sprinkle the Letters

Working quickly so that the Candy Melts don’t set before this step, drop pinches of sprinkles onto the letters, then press them in gently so that the entire surface of each letter is covered with sprinkles. It’s important to use a light touch with this part because you don’t want the Candy Melts to spread and warp your letters. 

Let the sprinkled letters set up for about 20 minutes at room temperature or 10 minutes in the refrigerator. Afterwards, shake the excess sprinkles off of the letters to reveal the pretty toppers beneath. 

Step 4: Add the Toothpicks

Place the remaining Candy Melts (you may need to re-melt them by now) into a piping bag and snip off about ⅛ to ¼ inch opening on the end. Turn the sprinkle letters face down so that the backs are facing upward, then pipe a line of Candy Melts onto the back of each one. Add a toothpick onto the line and cover it with more melted Candy Melts. 

Let the toothpicks set firm for another 20 minutes at room temperature or 10 minutes in the refrigerator. Once your sprinkle letters are beautifully set and functional, you can place them on top of the cake.  

Just imagine what you can create now that you know this quick and easy cake topper technique! I’d love to know if you give it a go. Be sure to comment below to tell me about your sprinkle letter toppers or tag @sugarandsparrowco on Instagram to show me. I love to see what you make with my tutorials! 

The post DIY Sprinkle Letter Cake Toppers appeared first on Sugar & Sparrow.

I get questions quite often about adding sprinkles to cake. Mainly: how do you get them to stick to the frosting? And how do you add them without indenting the buttercream? It’s about time I dedicated an entire post to my go-to methods for decorating cakes with sprinkles, and while I already have this post on how to cover an entire cake in sprinkles, this one will share all the little things I do to get the look pictured above. Here’s a quick video to show you the techniques before I get into all the details below:

Want to see more Cake Basics videos like this one? Head to my YouTube Channel to see the growing collection. You’ll also find tons of cake recipes and decorating videos to inspire you and broaden your skill set – be sure to hit the subscribe button so you never miss a new one!

What Kinds of Sprinkles Work with These Techniques? 

The cool thing about these techniques is that any sprinkles will work! Keep in mind that the smaller the sprinkles you’re using, the more tedious it will be to add them if you’re placing them one-by-one (like in Step 3). While it’s not impossible to work with teeny tiny sprinkles, it’s just much easier to place the sprinkles when they’re jimmy-size or bigger. 

The sprinkles I’m using in my video (and throughout this post) are the Hey Sugar mix by Sprinkle Pop, simply because I love the color scheme and think they go well with my turquoise + fuchsia buttercream. I also love using Fancy Sprinkles and have found plenty of pretty sprinkle mixes at my local JOANN store. They’re everywhere these days, so take a look around on Google, Instagram, or even try your local craft store or specialty baking aisle to find a sprinkle mix you love. 

How Many Sprinkles Do I Need? 

Sprinkles typically come in a few different jar sizes: 2oz (sample size), 4oz, 8oz, and beyond. The cake I’m working with throughout this post is a triple layer 6-inch cake that is about 5 inches tall. To get the look pictured (a thicker band of sprinkles around the base of the cake + individually placed sprinkles around the top) with this size of cake, you’ll need a 4oz bottle of sprinkles. In reality, you’ll only use about 2-3oz of sprinkles, but in my opinion, it’s always best to have more than enough than to have just barely enough. 

The good thing about this approach (buying a little more than you need) is that sprinkles keep for a long time, so you can always use the extra in future cake and cupcake projects. 

When to Add Sprinkles to Your Cake

I always add sprinkles right after I add the final layer of frosting to my cake, while the frosting is still wet to the touch. Beneath that final frosting layer is a crumb coated cake that’s been chilled, which gives the entire cake a sturdy foundation and makes the final layer of frosting semi-set (because of the cold sublayers), yet still fresh enough for sprinkles to adhere easily. 

In my experience, this timing is essential to decrease the chances of indenting the frosting finish while you’re placing the sprinkles. If you add the sprinkles without crumb coating and chilling your cake before applying that final layer of frosting, you have an increased risk of the foundation (cake layers and filling) shifting around on you as you decorate. On the other hand, if the final frosting layer is too chilled (aka you placed your cake in the refrigerator after the final layer of frosting was added) before adding the sprinkles, they may not adhere as easily. 

While it’s not impossible to place sprinkles on a cake that’s not set enough and a cake that’s too chilled/set, I recommend following the timeline laid out in this Cake Basics series and adding the sprinkles right after that final layer of frosting.

Here’s how: 

Step 1: Prepare Your Cake & Workspace

Once your cake has been frosted with the final layer of buttercream, you’re ready to prepare your workspace and start adding sprinkles. To make cleanup super easy and ensure that you don’t waste a ton of sprinkles in the process, I recommend placing a large sheet pan underneath your cake, which should still be on its turntable.  

I also recommend pouring the sprinkles out into a bowl and mixing them up, just so you don’t end up with all of the larger sprinkles in only one area of the cake. 

Step 2: Add the Concentrated Sprinkles

To add a concentrated amount of sprinkles around the bottom of the cake, I find it easiest to pour some sprinkles into the palm of my hand, then gently press them by the palmful onto the side of the cake. 

Continue this process around the entire base of the cake until you’re happy with the way it looks. I prefer an imperfect boundary line when it comes to this technique so I like to add a lot of highs and lows instead of trying to create a perfectly straight line here.

Feel free to add in larger sprinkles and fill in gaps as you see them. Once you feel satisfied with the sprinkle placement around the base, it’s helpful to clean up the stray sprinkles on the turntable so you can ensure that you’ve covered all the spaces you want to before moving on.

The easiest way to do this is with a pastry brush, and since you’ve got your sheet pan underneath the turntable, all of those extras will get swept away without covering your kitchen floor. 

Step 3: Add the Individual Sprinkles

Once I’ve got the base of the cake covered with a more concentrated sprinkle placement, it’s time to add individual sprinkles in what I like to call a “floating” pattern. I don’t really know what else to call it, but the only way to get the look is to add each sprinkle one-by-one. To get started, I press a sprinkle onto the pad of my pointer finger, then quickly (and gently) press that sprinkle to the side of the cake. 

In my opinion, pressing the sprinkles on with the pad of your finger is the best way to prevent indents, since your fingernails won’t get in the way. Adding sprinkles with tweezers, your fingertip, or by pinching the sprinkle between two fingers is totally possible, but you have to be way more careful in regards to the sharp points of the tweezers or your nails indenting the cake finish. 

You will drop a lot of sprinkles along the way whichever method you choose, but as a tip for getting the sprinkles to stick to your finger easier, it’s helpful to keep a damp paper towel handy. This way you can press your finger onto the paper towel before placing it onto a sprinkle – that little bit of moisture helps keep it stuck on for longer. 

I like to place the individual sprinkles about an inch or so apart, always ensuring that no two colors or shapes are placed right next to one another. This process in total can take upwards of 15 minutes, so throw on some music and settle in for a tedious sprinkle sesh. Taking your time will be worth it in the end! 

Step 4: Continue Decorating 

For this particular design, I move on to decorating the top of the cake once I’ve got the sides sprinkled just the way I want them. Side note worth mentioning: If I’m adding sprinkles to a cake that will have a ganache drip, I tend to do Steps 1 and 2, add the drip, then complete Steps 3 and 4. Just thought I’d mention that in case anyone is wondering where a drip comes into play. 

For this cake, I fitted a piping bag with Wilton Tip 4B and filled it with some buttercream frosting that I tinted with Americolor Fuchsia color gel. Then, I piped a series of swirls around the top edge.

To finish the look, I added more sprinkles onto each of the fuchsia swirls. It’s important to do this immediately after swirling, while the buttercream is still fresh. If the buttercream has set, the sprinkles will just bounce off. 

When you’re happy with your beautiful smooth and sprinkled buttercream cake, step back and marvel at your masterpiece! You did it! 

Did you make this cake? I want to see how it turned out! Be sure to let me know in the comments or tag @Sugarandsparrowco on Instagram to show me. And if you want more Cake Basics, head here to see all of the posts and learn the methods of caking I’ve come to love over the years. I’m cheering you on every step of the way!

The post How to Decorate a Cake with Sprinkles appeared first on Sugar & Sparrow.

This cake is so easy to make with a heart shaped cookie cutter, a few piping tips, pretty sprinkles, and a fun Valentine’s Day color scheme. I went with various shades of Americolor Dusty Rose for the color scheme, which perfectly matched these Vintage Rose Gold sprinkles from Sprinkle Pop that I love. You’ll find the full tutorial for this cake and all my best tips over on The Cake Blog, so head there for all the details! Here are some photos to inspire you in the meantime: 

So pretty, right? It’ll make the perfect centerpiece for your Valentine’s Day party or a fun treat to whip up and impress your date. If you do end up making it, be sure to tag @sugarandsparrowco and @thecakeblog to show us! We love to see your creations. Happy Valentine’s Day, everyone!

The post Heart Covered Valentine Cake Tutorial appeared first on Sugar & Sparrow.

I used Wilton Candy Melts as the foundation for these colorful number cake toppers, but you could also use any tempered chocolate as a base and the process would be the same. The best part is that you can use this tutorial to create numbers (or letters) in any font you want! Just print out your favorite numerical look onto printer paper, lay a piece of wax paper over the top, and pipe the Candy Melts or chocolate on top. Cover with your favorite sprinkles and you’re good to go!

Here’s a quick video I whipped up to show you how to make these sprinkled-covered numbers in just a few easy steps. Give it a watch before you read all about how to make them below:

If you have yet to check out my YouTube Channel, go give it a look! There are tons of video tutorials to help you learn, and I’m working on adding more recipes to the mix. Be sure to subscribe so you don’t miss a thing!

You Will Need:

• Printed number templates
• Wax paper
• Piping bag
• Wilton Candy Melts 
• Bamboo Skewers
• Your favorite sprinkles (I used these “Hey Sugar” sprinkles by Sprinkle Pop)

Step 1: Pipe the Number with Candy Melts

Melt the Wilton Candy Melts according to the package instructions, then place them into a piping bag and snip off a small (about ⅛ inch) opening. 

Place your printed number template (face up) onto a flat surface and cover it with a sheet of wax paper. Then, pipe the outline of your number with the melted Candy Melts and fill in the center. 

Step 2: Cover with Your Favorite Sprinkles

While the Candy Melts are still wet, generously add the sprinkles to cover the entire surface, gently pressing them into the number without spreading the Candy Melts outside of the lines. 

When the surface is perfectly sprinkled, place the number into the refrigerator and let it set up for about 10 minutes. 

Step 3: Turn it Into a Cake Topper

After the sprinkled number is set, remove it from the wax paper backing and place it face down. Place a bamboo skewer onto the back and cover it with more melted Candy Melts. 

Return the sprinkle number (with the bamboo skewer attached) to the refrigerator and allow it to set up for 10 more minutes.

And there you have it, a fun and festive sprinkled number topper: 

These sprinkled number cake toppers are so perfect for topping cakes and totally edible (minus the skewer, of course). And you can even use these same steps to create letter cake toppers in any font you want! Definitely a skill you’re gonna want to have in your back pocket for any cake that needs a custom cake topper like these. Happy cake topper making, people!

Did you make these number cake toppers? I want to know how it went! Let me know in the comments below or feel free to tag @sugarandsparrowco on Instagram to show me. I love to see what you’re up to in the kitchen! 

The post DIY Sprinkled Number Cake Toppers Tutorial appeared first on Sugar & Sparrow.

There are drip cakes, and then there are sprinkle drip cakes. And let me tell you, while both are pretty to look at, the sprinkle version is so much more fun! The sprinkle drip cake trend was popularized by one of my favorite cakers to follow on Instagram, @brittanymaycakes. To my knowledge, she’s the little genius behind putting sprinkles on top of a ganache drip, and I just had to give it a go because it looks so stunning – especially with this Bewitched sprinkle mix by SprinklePop.

While any sprinkle mix will do for creating a sprinkle drip cake, I was really drawn to the vibrant color scheme of Bewitched. It’s a magical blend of pink, purple, teal, and yellow jimmies and spheres, plus gold and silver dragees to give it some extra bling. I decided to color the buttercream backdrop a deep fuschia (with Americolor soft gel past in Fuschia) to really compliment all of the sprinkle colors, but they’d look pretty on all sorts of buttercream hues. Just look at how pretty they are:

The essentials you’ll need for this look are a good pair of tweezers, the perfect sprinkle mix, and a great chocolate ganache recipe. I’ve got the perfect chocolate ganache recipe and white chocolate ganache recipe at the links below, with all the tips you need for successful drips. The tweezers make it easier to perfectly place the sprinkles (as opposed to using your fingers). And it’ll look incredible with any of SprinklePop’s gorgeous sprinkle mixes! Just pick your favorite and follow along the tutorial below:

You Will Need:

• A chilled buttercream cake
• 1 batch of chocolate ganache or white chocolate ganache
• 8 oz bottle of Bewitched sprinkles (or other favorite sprinkle mix)
• Tweezers

Step 1: Do A Test Drip

Before you get too crazy dripping your ganache, I always think it’s a great idea to do a test drip on your chilled buttercream cake. Make sure your ganache is room temperature and good drip consistency first, create one drip on the side of your cake, and wait until it stops traveling.

If your ganache is too runny or warm, it will travel all the way to the bottom of the cake quickly. If it’s too cold and thick, it won’t travel much at all. Adjust the consistency and temperature of your ganache if need be, and only continue the process of dripping your cake once you’re satisfied with the look of the drips.

Step 2: Drip The Sides Of The Cake

Once your ganache has passed the first drip test, continue dripping your ganache down the sides using either a squeeze bottle or the spoon method.

It’s best to start by dripping every side before moving on to the top of the cake. This way you can better control the look of the drips from the side view and only fill what’s necessary on the top.

Step 3: Fill In The Top Of The Cake

When all the sides have been dripped, pour a small amount of ganache on the top of the cake and smooth it with an icing spatula or the back of your spoon.

Be sure to only fill in the space that’s not yet covered with ganache, because adding too much might make your drips travel farther than you’d like. I always spread the ganache on top until it just reaches where the drips have started to cover on the top of the cake.

Step 4: Place The Sprinkles

Let the ganache rest in the refrigerator for about five minutes while you pour the sprinkles into a small bowl. After refrigerating for just those few minutes, the ganache drips should be sticky, but set enough to ensure that adding sprinkles won’t drag them down.

Using your tweezers, place the sprinkles onto the ganache one by one until you achieve the look you’re going for. This could take anywhere from 20-30 minutes, depending on how precise you want to be, but trust me. It’s so worth it!

Step 5: Keep On Decorating

While you can stop after you’ve created your sprinkle drip, I believe that when it comes to SprinklePop sprinkles, more is more!

Before I dripped the cake, I added a border of Bewitched sprinkles to the bottom edge, and after creating the sprinkle drip I added a buttercream border to the top of this cake using Wilton Tip 6B, then filled in the entire top of the cake with even more sprinkles. So fun!

Ready to create your very own sprinkle drip cake? Just grab a bottle of your favorite sprinkles and let the fun begin!  

The post Sprinkle Drip Cake Tutorial appeared first on Sugar & Sparrow.

Whether you’re celebrating Valentine’s Day with your s/o or Galentine’s Day with your best gals, it’s the perfect reason to whip up something sweet, pretty, and made with love. If you’re looking for a dessert that’s quick and easy (but looks like you spent lots of time and effort!), this cupcake project is for you! All it takes is your favorite vanilla buttercream recipe, pink food color gel of your choice, and this stunning Romance sprinkle mix by SprinklePop. And if you’re looking for a great cupcake recipe for underneath all that magic, I’ve got some tasty suggestions below!

First, let’s talk sprinkles. This year I am so delighted to see that SprinklePop has such an amazing lineup of Valentine’s Day sprinkles that will make any dessert look spectacular! I was really drawn to the dreamy vintage color palette of the Romance sprinkle mix, because just look at it! The blend of burgundy, mauve, pale pink, and silver is such an eye-catching alternative to the traditional Valentine’s Day color palette. So classy!

While these sprinkles will look fantastic on a solid-colored buttercream, I thought it would be so fun to create an ombrè effect with white and pink buttercream as I piped these cupcakes. Mixing the colors together into one piping bag is a great way to get a multi-toned rosette without a whole lot of effort. Plus, it really makes these Romance sprinkles shine!

You Will Need

• 12 baked cupcakes (here are some recipe ideas if you need them)
• A batch of your favorite vanilla buttercream recipe
• Pink food color gel
• Bowls and spoons for mixing colors
• A piping bag
• Wilton Tip 1M
• 4 oz. bottle of Romance Sprinkles

Step 1: Mix Up Your Buttercream Colors

For this ombrè look, I divided my batch of buttercream into three bowls. I mixed one of the bowls with Americolor soft gel paste in Fuschia to create dark pink, then mixed a spoonful of the darker pink buttercream with one bowl of white to create a lighter pink. That gives you three colors: white, light pink, and dark pink buttercream.

You can certainly use any pink food color gel to create the color palette that you feel will go best with the sprinkles you’re using on top.

Step 2: Prepare Your Piping Bag

Snip off the end of a piping bag and fit it with Wilton Tip 1M (or any favorite piping tip of yours!). Then, fill one side of the bag with white, another side with light pink, and the final side with dark pink buttercream. It’ll look a little something like this:

You should then have close to equal amounts of buttercream colors being piped at the same time.

Step 3: Pipe The Rosettes

One by one, pipe a swirl starting in the middle of the cupcake and ending on the outer edge.

I think the coolest thing about piping rosettes with multi-colored piping is that no two will look identical. Each one is beautiful in it’s own way!  

Step 4: Sprinkle Some Romance

After piping the rosettes, finish by sprinkling the Romance sprinkles wherever you’d like! I’ve chosen to add a few sprinkles on one half of each cupcake, but you can feel free to be as generous with the sprinkles as you’d like to be.

And voila! Totally romantic cupcakes for any Valentine’s Day celebration!

These cupcakes are perfect for a Valentine’s Day dessert, Galentine’s Day soiree, or really any occasion that calls for some pretty cupcakes. The design is super versatile and would look amazing in all sorts of color combinations! Whatever the occasion, let me know if you create some cupcakes inspired by this design in the comments below or by tagging me on Instagram. I love to see your creations!

The post Sprinkled Ombrè Valentine’s Day Cupcakes appeared first on Sugar & Sparrow.

You can feel free to make just one of these designs, but the variety of textures and colors look so great together that it’s worth making all three designs! The full tutorial is over on The Cake Blog, so be sure to head over there for all the details. In the meantime, here are some pretty shots of these Christmas wreath cupcakes to inspire you:

These Christmas Wreath Cupcakes are guaranteed to add some merriment to your Holiday dessert table. Head over to The Cake Blog to learn how to make them, then be sure to tag @sugarandsparrowco and @thecakeblog to show us your wreath designs. Merry Christmas to you all and hope you’re having so much fun with your Holiday bakes this year!

The post Festive Christmas Wreath Cupcakes Tutorial appeared first on Sugar & Sparrow.

Decorating gingerbread houses is such a fun Holiday tradition and these kits come with everything you need: gingerbread house pieces that are perfectly baked, royal icing mix that you can whip up with just a few tablespoons of water, the ideal holiday sprinkle mixes, and they even include piping bags and tips for flawless decorating. The sprinkles that come inside the kit are the ultra-colorful Fahoo Fores and the super-pretty Winter Wonderland sprinkles. You can use both on your gingerbread house to create the design pictured, mix it up by adding some extra holiday candy, or just be creative and do your own thing. The (Winter) sky’s the limit with these Sprinkle Gingerbread House Kits.

The best part about these kits is that they make gingerbread house assembly incredibly easy. The pieces are held together with the royal icing mix that comes with the kit, and it’s super pipeable and sturdy – aka the perfect glue! You end up with a strong gingerbread house that won’t collapse on you, and the decorating process is a whole lot more fun when you’re not worried about the house falling apart.

Whether you want to replicate this exact sprinkle gingerbread house design or do your own thing decorating-wise, here’s a quick video to show you how to build and dress up a gingerbread house using the SprinklePop Sprinkle Gingerbread House Kits:

You Will Need

• A SprinklePop Sprinkle Gingerbread House Kit
• A hand mixer or stand mixer 
• 2 Tbsp water 
• Color gels of your choice
• Wilton Tips 4B, 199, and 2 (all tips are optional)

Step 1: Mix Up The Royal Icing

Place the royal icing mix into the bowl of your stand mixer fitted with the whisk attachment (alternatively you can use a hand mixer). Add 2 Tbsp of water, then turn the mixer on high and let it whip up for about 7 minutes, until peaks form.

From here, you can divide the royal icing up into separate bowls for color mixing. I chose to color about 3 Tbsp of the royal icing with Americolor Electric Pink to create the colorful front door for my gingerbread house. Then, I colored a few more Tbsp with Americolor Mint Green to pipe a wreath on top of the front door. For the pink royal icing, I also mixed in a few more drops of water to thin it out just a little bit.

Place your royal icing into the piping bags. The Sprinkle Gingerbread House Kit comes with piping bags and tips, but I used Wilton Tip 2 for my pink icing and some of the white icing, Wilton Tip 199 for my green icing, and Wilton Tip 4B for some more of my white icing. For the rest of the white icing, I placed it into a piping bag with a tiny opening snipped off, just for the assembly process.

Step 2: Decorate The Gingerbread House Pieces

One by one, decorate the gingerbread house pieces with your piping bags and sprinkles. For the front of the house, I created a pink front door, then piped some white dots around it before placing some of the smaller sprinkles from the Fahoo Fores mix. Then, I piped a green wreath with Wilton Tip 199 onto the front door and continued piping and decorating with more of the sprinkles. I used the Winter Wonderland sprinkles toward the bottom of the house to make it look like sparkly snow drifts.

For the roof pieces, I piped some white royal icing in a drip pattern and then filled it all in with Winter Wonderland sprinkles.

And for the side pieces, I continued with the Winter Wonderland snow drifts along the bottom edges, then filled in the windows with piped dots using Wilton Tip 2.

When you’re finished decorating, allow the pieces to dry for a few hours until they’re firm enough to the touch for assembly.

Be sure to store the remaining royal icing in an airtight container so it doesn’t dry up on you. In the meantime, you can pop on a Holiday movie and snuggle up with some cocoa! 

Step 3: Assemble The Base of the Gingerbread House

Once your gingerbread house pieces are dry, it’s time for assembly. Add some royal icing into a piping bag with about ⅛ inch opening snipped off the end, then add a line of royal icing along the edge of the side piece that connects with the front of the house. Add another line of royal icing along the side of the front piece of the house that will connect with the side, then press them together at a 90 degree angle. 

Pipe royal icing along the edges of the other side pieces that connect, then press them all together to form the base of your house.

Let the pieces dry together for about 12 hours before moving on to the next step. In the meantime, be sure to store your extra royal icing in an airtight container.

Step 4: Attach The Roof

Now that the base of your house is nice and sturdy, it’s time to add the roof and make it a home. Pipe royal icing along the top edges of your house, then along the places of your roof that the house will connect with.

Press each piece of the roof onto the house gently. The royal icing should hold it in place perfectly.

Step 5: Decorate Even More

With your gingerbread house assembly complete, all that’s left to do is keep adding those festive touches. I piped some white royal icing with Wilton Tip 4B all along the roof lines, then added the larger sprinkle balls from the Fahoo Fores mix to make it look like Christmas lights.

Next, I decided to create an entire Wintery scene by piping a walkway up to the house and covering it with more Fahoo Fores sprinkles. Then, I used Wilton Tip 4B to pipe little mounds of snow all around the front yard and sprinkled Winter Wonderland all over it. This part is totally optional, but I just couldn’t help myself.

And just like that, you’ve got the best gingerbread house on the block! Be sure to pick up a Sprinkle Gingerbread House this Holiday season for some festive (and sprinkley!) fun. Happy Holidays! 

Disclaimer: I was compensated by SprinklePop for my work of creating this project, styling, filming, photographing, and writing about their products. As always, all opinions are honest and my own. Thank you for supporting brands that support Sugar & Sparrow.

The post Sprinkle Gingerbread House Kits + Decorating Tutorial appeared first on Sugar & Sparrow.

You can customize the toppings any way you’d like, but here are some of my absolute faves to inspire you (all pictured in that loaded cup of cocoa!): candy cane bits, brownie chunks, Belgian Boy Stroopwafels, mini marshmallows, and Oh Snow Cute sprinkles by SprinklePop for some added flavor and fun. You can use any sprinkles in your hot cocoa bar setup, but I love this Wintery mix. The color scheme is so much fun and the tiny snowmen and snowflakes are perfect for celebrating the Holiday season. Plus, the larger spherical sprinkles are made of chocolate (they’re Sixlets!), so they’re great for adding a little crunch and sweetness. 

After coming up with my ideal list of toppings, I displayed them all in mason jars and added some touches of Holiday decor. I basically borrowed a few sprigs from my Christmas tree and some faux holly, berries, and pine cones. Easy as can be! 

Here’s a little video to show you how I made my ideal cup of hot cocoa, so be sure to give it a watch for inspiration before you read all about how to replicate my hot cocoa bar setup below:

You Will Need

• 6 medium sized Mason jars 
• Brownies cut into ½ inch squares
• Candy Cane bits
• Belgian Boy Stroopwafels, quartered
• 2 8oz bottles of Oh Snow Cute sprinkles
• Mini marshmallows 
• Canned Whipped Cream
• Melted white chocolate in a piping bag (optional)
• Instant hot cocoa mix 
• Boiled milk 
• Cups and mugs for your guests 

Hot Cocoa Bar Setup 

Note that the list above is all suggested. You can tailor this hot cocoa bar to any topping list you want! Once you figure out the number of toppings you’ll have, add each one to a separate mason jar or container of your choice. I went with mason jars because they’re so easy to find and I love being able to see the toppings through the clear glass. 

To create this fun display, I divided my topping-filled mason jars full into two rows and slightly elevated the back row with a couple pieces of white wood I had leftover from a house project. Then, I decorated around the jars with sprigs of holly and pine. So festive and pretty! 

Prior to your guests arriving, all that’s left to do is make sure that you have hot water or milk readily available, or pre-mix the hot cocoa and keep it in a thermos at the hot cocoa bar for an even easier experience. Set out some mugs for your guests and let them go crazy adding all the toppings they want! 

The Tastiest Hot Cocoa Recipe

To inspire you with topping and decorating ideas, here’s how I chose to create my loaded cup of cocoa:

Create a White Chocolate Peppermint Rim (Optional)

First, I melted some white chocolate and waited for it to cool to about 80 degrees before piping it onto the rim of my cup with a piping bag.

I waited about five minutes for the chocolate to set slightly and then dipped it into some candy cane bits. 

You can use any type of chocolate you want for this part and can also create the peppermint rim on all of the guest mugs ahead of time if you’re into the look! The white chocolate peppermint adds such a fun texture and flavor to the whole cocoa experience. 

Add the Hot Cocoa

Next, I added a few tablespoons of instant hot cocoa to the mug, poured boiling hot milk over the top, and stirred it all together. 

Like I mentioned before, if you have a lot of guests it might be worth pre-mixing the hot cocoa and keeping it in a thermos for easy access.

Add the Toppings

After adding the hot cocoa, the fun of getting creative with toppings can begin! I added a layer of mini marshmallows and swirled some whipped cream on top.

Then, I stuck some brownie bits into the whipped cream and added a generous amount of Oh Snow Cute Sprinkles.

Finally, top the cocoa creation with a piece of Belgian Boy Stroopwafel. Boom. Best cocoa ever! 

Your hot cocoa bar can be as customized as you want. Other suggestions for your topping list: caramel sauce, whole candy canes, bite sized cookies, flavored syrups, cinnamon, mini chocolate chips, and any SprinklePop sprinkle mix that you’re drawn to!

What would you top your hot cocoa with? Let me know in the comments!

Disclaimer: I was compensated by SprinklePop for my work of creating this project, styling, filming, photographing, and writing about their products. As always, all opinions are honest and my own. Thank you for supporting brands that support Sugar & Sparrow.

The post My Ideal Hot Cocoa Bar Setup appeared first on Sugar & Sparrow.