Sugar Eggs I found on the web and kept for you.

Confectionery Artists Guild of Orlando Presents Panoramic Sugar Eggs & More

Our cake club just celebrated its first birthday in January 2001.  Before we collectively came together, our current President, Elaine Jenkins, had recently relocated here from England.  She and Grace Jones, our Vice President, discussed the possibility of forming a cake organization.  Subsequent discussions with other friends brought about a group of interested individuals who decided to meet.  We brainstromed about our purpose, our goals and the structure of a club.  We emerged from that organizational meeting as the "Confectionery Artists Guild of Orlando" and "CAGO" was born.  Our objective is to promote confectionery as both a profession and as an art form, providing both a professional and an educational setting for the growth of decorators of all levels.  Our goals include encouraging talents, sharing knowledge, improving standards and developing professionalism in our field.  Our members include those who are relatively new to decorating as well as those with more than twenty-five years of experience.  Our year has been an exciting one filled with demonstrations and workshops.  Group projects have included the design and preparation of a display for the 2000 ICES Convention held in Detroit, Michigan, Noah's Ark Gingerbread Exhibit for the Festival of Trees and the coordination and hosting of a Day of Sharing in Orlando.  At the request of "The Orlando Sentinel", we designed a 3-D Snowflake Cookie Tree that was photographed and featured in an article in early December 2000.  Several members are committed to attending the Biritish Sugarcraft Guild's cake show this summer in Telford, England, an event we are really looking forward to.

Our latest project involved working closely with the Central Florida Fair to promote its Confectionery Arts Competition scheduled for March 1 - 11, 2001.  CAGO also coordinated the volunteer manpower for the cake show as well as sugar-related demonstrations throughout the eleven days of the Fair.  We have a fantastic group of ladies who offer inspiration to many.  At this time, please let me introduce you to some of the CAGO team and its Officers:
 

Since Central Florida is a vacation spot for many that visit the various attractions and theme parks, we cordially invite you to attend any meeting.  CAGO meetings are held on the second Monday night of each month at 7:00 pm, at "Frosting on the Cake", located at 1227 25th Street, Orlando, Florida (telephone 407-422-3619).  We'd love to have you.

What was your reaction when you saw your first sugar egg?       If you were in awe at its ethereal semblance, wouldn't it be a thrill to be able to say, "I made that"?  This article is written to tell you everything you wanted to know about sugar eggs..... and more.  If you're ready, then let's get started.

Special Notation:  The eggs photographed are in a vertical position.  Our directions are written for vertical eggs.  Simply interchange the terms "front" or "back," with "top" or "bottom" if you are prearing eggs that lie horizontally.

Recipe:  2 tsp. of water per cup of superfine sugar.  (Cost saver tip:  Regular sugar may be run through a food processor to achieve a finer grain.)
 
 

*Trees can be made using a #14 or #18 star tip.  To add support to a tree, lay a pretzel on wax paper and pipe in a zigzag fashion over pretzel.  Pipe back and forth in adjoining rows that get wider towards the tree base.  To make a circular tree (as opposed to the one above, which is flat on the back side), use the star tip to pipe a circle ranging from the size of a nickel to a quarter, depending on the size tree needed.  Continue in a circle spiraling upwards and smaller as you approach the top of the tree.
 
 
 

**Tree stumps--an appropriate-sized marshmallow is helpful to use as a base.  Pipe lines of brown with a star tip up the sides of the marshmallow.  Piping a tight circular motion with a small round tip in a lighter brown to resemble tree rings is effective for the top of the stump.  With cornstarch-coated finger, press lightly to flatten the top.  The stump looks nice exposed or a chick can be added once dry.  A log can be accomplished in the same manner.
 

Mixing up the sugar and making the mold:  Carefully, measure ingredients and blend in a food processor; and then, by hand or all by hand in a bowl.  Evenly-mixed sugar is important.  Firmly, pack the sugar into mold and level off with a spatula.  Place cake board over the top of the mold, hold the two together firmly and turn the mold over onto the cake board.  Tap mold lightly and life off.  (Tip:  If you are new at making sugar eggs, to better help you determine how much sugar to cut away for the viewing hold for a horizontal egg, trace the egg pattern onto a cake board.  Draw a line about 3/4" from the narrow end of the egg, with the straight line extending past the outline of the egg.  This will enable you to see the line once the egg is unmolded onto the pattern.  Cut away the excess sugar along the straight line.
 

For the vertical egg, look at the egg and calculate what is approximately 2/3s the height of the egg.  Use that measurement to cut as the viewing hole from the rounded side of the egg.  Slide a spatula under the cut to remove excess sugar.  Cover the cut away area of the egg with a small piece of moistened paper toweling that has been folded in several layers.  Alternatively, a sponge can be cut and placed against the viewing hole surface.  Either of these methods will keep the cut-away-area moist until the scraping process begins.  Remoisten toweling as necessary.
 

Egg Drying Time:  The time necessary for the outer shell of the egg to dry will vary depending on warmth and humidity.  Check the egg after one to two hours to see if it is ready to begin scraping by inverting the egg into your hand and test outer edge with slight touch of a toothpick.  When 1/8" to 1/4" thick of the outer shell is hard, the egg is ready.

Scraping Process:  When the egg is ready, place your hand over the egg and then carefully invert the cake board, cradling the egg in your palm.  It is important not to apply any pressure to the egg.  Hollow out the center of the egg with a toothpick by making a small circle and then making it larger as you go, removing the loosened sugar with a small spoon as you work.  Continue scraping out the egg until it ranges from 1/8" to a scant 1/" in thickness.  Top edges can be scraped thin, with lower edges left a little thicker.  The thinness is what allows the light to shine through the shell and the thicker edger on the lower portion of the egg also provide balance.

Viewing hole area:  Use the toothpick to loosen the sugar and pull it towards the inside of the egg to protect this area from releasing a bigger chunk than you desire.  The shell border added later will hide any flaws as well as by adding a small flower or leaf.  Dry thoroughly.

The sugar removed from the center of the egg may be stored in an airtight container and remolded.  (Tip:  If you are making an egg that is in a horizontal position, then take notice if you are scraping out the top half or the bottom half of the sugar egg (many molds have a flat surface on the bottom half).  When scraping out the bottom half of the sugar egg, leave it slightly thicker than its top and sides.  Why?  (1)  The green royal icing piped in the bottom will not bleed ghrough the shell; and (2) If you are producing a large number of eggs, it is a cost saver to leave the bottom thicker as sugar is less expensive than having to fill in the bottom with royal icing.
 
 
 

Let the Decorating Begin!  Let your imagination be your guide for the scene you want to create.  The fillers can be commerically made ones or figure pipe in advance a variety of little rabbits, baby chicks, roosters and ducks.  Nice touches to also consider adding are trees, tree stumps for the chicks to sit atop, a just hatched baby chick sitting in its shell, and royal icing flowers of all kinds.  Decorating the inside as well as the outside of the egg will make a pretty presentation.  (Tip:  The newer designed Tupperware spoons are round in shape (not to mention graduated in size) and are ideal for making half an egg shell for a small baby chick to sit inside.  Remember to chip the edges away to resemble a cracked egg.

Back Half: With a leaf tip, pipe royal icing to cover the bottom and a little grass slightly up the sides.  If desired, decorate the back wall of the egg as well, including flowers or even the sun with rays.  (Keep in mind, dark colors will show through the thinkly scraped shell; so keep things on the light side.)  Arrange animals, fillers and flowers in the wet toyal icing.  Even tiny jellybeans can be inserted into the royal to add color.  Large fillers, such as trees, may need propping up from behind with a sugar cube or small marshmallow.  Check the scene by looking through the viewing hole of the egg to see if adjustments are necessary.  It is easier to do that now, before the front half of the shell is secured in place.  Allow to dry.

Front Half: Pipe a #14 bead of white royal icing along the seam edge.  Join the front and back together and press gently to seal the two together.  Clean away the edge of icing that has pushed out from the seam.  Check the front section of egg as well as where the two halves meet, adding grass if necessary.

Decorating the Exterior:  Pipe a #18 reverse shell border around viewing hole and seam edge.   Or, pipe a string of beads to resemble pearls.  Pipe green leaves (see pictures of finished eggs, above, for ideas) over the top of the egg (a few vines (#3) or fern fronds (#67) are optional).  Next, pipe a mound of icing in the center of the leaves.  Arrange flowers and the leaves that were made in advance in upright or angled positions (see pictures of finished eggs, above, as well as pictures, below of flowers, for ideas) by placing them in the mound of icing.
 
 

Alternatively, if you wish to add a bow of ribbon atop the egg, insert the bow's center into the mound of icing, using a toothpick to assist in pressing the ribbon firmly into the icing.  Add various sizes and colors of flowers, leaves, small chick, etc., to fill in around the bow.  The exterior of the shell can be enhanced in further detail with tiny royal icing dots, dragees or cornelli lace.
 
 

Use your imagine to create a variety of decorating designs to the area around the hole opening.

Base for Vertical Egg:  Optional:  Make a base or attach a piece of felt on the bottom.  Looking at the bottom size of your egg, check your house to see what you may already have on hand to use as a mold to make a base for the egg to sit on.  Mold, leaving solid with the exception of scraping out a small amount on the top so the egg can be attached with royal icing.

Miscellaneous Tips:

The sugar scraped from the inside of the eggs can be reused, but mix well with your fingers before using again.  Wet sugar and dry sugar do not mix well.

If sugar sticks to the mold, wash and dry the mold and proceed again.

Candy molds are great, but sugar will scratch them.  Use your candy molds just for candy molding; sugar molds, just for sugar molding.

Some recipes vary in the amount of water called for and may list merigue powder.  Those who live in humid climates should not use meringue powder as it will turn brown over time.

Other decorative tops:  Add roses, cameos, leaves or grapes, which have been made from fondant pressed into molds for a different look.  Enhance with dusting powders.

Molds to look for:  Leggs eggs; Life Savers (This big egg takes 4 cups of sugar to fill; found at discount stores during Easter); Let this large mold dry 2 hours.

Different brands of sugar may vary in color, texture and also hold water differently.

Wilton has a 3-piece egg kit.  Wal-Mart (and possibly K-Mart) have a plastic Easter egg that will fit nicely between the 2nd and 3rd egg of the Wilton kit, making a nice 4-piece graduated set.

When considering a mold, make sure it doesn't have lines inside the mold.

Shop after Easter to pick up extra molds or your favorite colored bags of paper shred or grass to nicely package your treasures in boxes or clear bags.
 
 

Photography courtesy of Jim Greenwell with assistance by Scott Ewing.