I made this cake topper using a silicone mold I found on Amazon, some ready-made gum paste, and this edible gold paint. It’s about 10 minutes of actual work plus a few days of drying time, so you’ll want to plan ahead for this one. The best part about this crown cake topper is seeing the look on a kid’s face when you tell them they can eat it. Sure, it might not taste as great as the cake itself, but an edible cake topper is a hot commodity at a kid party. 

Fondant vs. Gum Paste

You might be wondering why I used gum paste instead of fondant for this. Let me start by saying I’ve had a few bad experiences with fondant cake toppers – they just don’t dry as firmly as gum paste. Fondant will work with this tutorial, but know that you might have to let it dry for a full week and even then, it might still be a little fragile. I chose gum paste because it dries super firm in a fairly short amount of time (48 hours), plus it’s extremely easy to work with. This is the gum paste I used. 

Here’s a quick video of the whole process before you read all about it below:

If you want to see more videos like this one, check out my YouTube Channel. I’ve got a growing collection of recipe videos, cake decorating tutorials, and my Cake Basics series in video format. Click subscribe while you’re there so you never miss a new video! 

You Will Need

• 3 inch ball of gum paste 
• 1-2 drops yellow food color gel
• 1 Tbsp vegetable shortening 
• Small rolling pin 
• X-Acto knife
• Paring knife 
• Silicone crown mold
• Wax paper
• Round can or tin that’s about 4 inches in diameter
• Edible Art Paint in Glamorous Gold 
• Food Grade Paint Brush

Step 1: Tint the Gum Paste

Coat your hands (even if they’re gloved) in a little bit of the vegetable shortening, then add 1-2 drops of yellow food color gel to the ball of gumpaste. Knead the food color gel into the gum paste until it’s uniform in color.

The reason I like to tint the gum paste yellow is because it will hide any imperfections in the painting process better than if you were to use white gum paste. It will look uniformly gold and not patchy in any way. 

Step 2: Fill the Crown Mold

Coat your work surface in more vegetable shortening to prevent the gum paste from sticking, then use the small rolling pin to roll out the gum paste until it’s as long and wide as the crown mold. 

When it reaches this size, place the rolled out gum paste on top of the silicone crown mold and press it into the crevices. Feel free to fold the edges of the gum paste over and press them inside to fill the crown mold until it’s just about overflowing with gum paste. 

Hold a paring knife parallel to the crown mold and carefully trim away the excess gum paste. 

Step 3: Release the Crown

Carefully bend the silicone mold to release the gum paste crown, then use an X-Acto knife to trim away any excess gum paste around all the detailed edges.

Step 4: Shape and Dry the Crown

Tape a piece of wax paper around a round can or tin that’s at least 4 inches in diameter (or whatever diameter you want the crown to end up). Wrap the gum paste crown around the wax paper and gently press it down to adhere it. 

Allow the gum paste crown to dry like this for 24 hours, after which you can slide the crown off of the wax paper lined can and allow it to dry for an additional 24 hours. The first 24 hours will dry the outside while the second will dry the inside. 

Step 5: Paint it Gold

Add several drops of the Edible Art Paint to a small dish and use the food grade paint brush to add one coat of paint onto the dry crown. This first coat will look patchy, but don’t worry – the second coat will work some magic! 

Allow the first coat of paint to dry for 30+ minutes, after which you can add the second coat. Let the crown air dry some more, until it’s dry to the touch, then top your cake with it and be amazed! 

This crown cake topper is sure to impress party goers of all ages. There are other styles of crown silicone molds on Amazon, so head there if you want to see other options and feel free to use whatever you find with this tutorial! 

Did you make this crown cake topper? I want to know how it went! Leave me a comment below and feel free to tag @sugarandsparrowco on Instagram to show me. I love to see what you create!

The post Edible Gold Crown Cake Topper Tutorial appeared first on Sugar & Sparrow.

The best things about using Candy Melts for creating sails is there’s no tempering necessary and the colors are already so vibrant. While they have the look and consistency of chocolate, Candy Melts aren’t a true chocolate and are designed in such a way that they can be melted down without having to worry about tempering. And with such a wide range of colors, you never have to worry about adding food coloring. In the past, I’ve had problems with white chocolate seizing when adding food color gel, but it’s so nice to not have to add a drop of that to Candy Melts.

It was so hard to decide what colors to choose for my sail, but in the end I decided on Royal Blue, Turquoise, and Bright White. I wanted to create a marbled effect, and these three colors paired so well together. I’m sure this chocolate sail technique will work with so many color combinations, but you could also just use one color if you don’t want the marbled look. Either way, here’s a quick video of the technique so you can see how it works before you read all about it below:

You Will Need:

• 8 oz of Candy Melts (I used a combination of Royal Blue, Turquoise, and Bright White)
• Bowls for and spoons for melting and mixing
• A microwave (a double boiler will work as an alternative)
• Parchment paper
• Binder clips or clothespins

Step 1: Melt The Candy Melts

Divide the Candy Melts into separate bowls and microwave one at a time according to the instructions on the package: one minute on high, stir, microwave for 30-second intervals and stir after each round until fully melted. In my experience, it took two 30-second intervals (after the one minute) to fully melt the Candy Melts.

Alternatively, there are instructions on the Candy Melts package for melting them in a double boiler if you don’t have a microwave.

Step 2: Spoon Onto Parchment Paper

Spread out a sheet of parchment paper on a moveable flat surface (like a baking sheet). Then, spoon a little bit of each Candy Melt color onto the parchment paper.

The more you add, the larger your sail will end up being, so it’s best to just eyeball how much you’re adding.

Step 3: Create The Marbled Effect

Once the Candy Melts have been added, grab the edges of the parchment paper and gently rotate it around at different angles to help it spread and marble.

You’ll want it to be about ¼ inch thick before shaping, but you might end up with thicker areas once you shape it and that’s ok!

You can also tap the baking sheet on a hard surface to flatten out the Candy Melts on top.

Step 4: Shape The Sail

When you’re happy with the marbled effect, use some binder clips or clothespins to crinkle and pin the parchment paper together, shaping your sail as you go. There’s no right or wrong here, and you can feel free to use things like small rolling pins and bowls to place underneath your sail to shape it.

I didn’t really have an end shape in mind when I set out to create this Candy Melt sail, I just kindof went with the flow and kept shaping until I liked what I saw.

Step 5: Refrigerate and Remove The Parchment

Once your Candy Melt sail is looking perfectly shaped, place it in the refrigerator for about 20 minutes, or until it’s really firm to the touch. After your sail has set in the refrigerator, carefully remove the parchment paper backing and marvel at your creation.

I ended up breaking the sail apart to create some added dimension before placing the sails on top of my cake, so feel free to get creative with that part. You can leave it as one sail or create a series of smaller ones. Either way, adding them to your cake is as simple and carefully placing them into the buttercream on top.

And there you have it! A beautiful cake topper made with marbled Candy Melt sails.

If you’ve got a JOANN store in your area, be sure to pop in and check out their cake decorating supply selection! I was blown away at the color variety of Candy Melts (in addition to their incredible selection of cake pans and decorating tools), and even if you don’t have a local JOANN store, you can always find what you need on their website. Best of all, they always have great coupons if you download their mobile app. That way you can get what you need and save money while you’re at it!

Disclaimer: I was compensated by JOANN 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 Marbled Candy Melt Chocolate Sail Tutorial appeared first on Sugar & Sparrow.