How to make sprinkles, sugar pearls and edible glitter

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Sprinkles, sugar pearls and edible glitter are popular decorations for cupcakes, cakes, pies and cookies. I’ll show you how to make them at home from natural and exclusively plant-based ingredients. These edible cake decorations not only look colorful, but also taste fruity sweet. You can find detailed recipes with the exact quantities and step-by-step instructions below.

For cupcakes, pies, cakes

The sprinkles, sugar pearls and edible glitter are perfect for decorating cupcakes, layer cakes, pies, Easter pastry and cookies.

For example, I sprinkled the vanilla cupcakes with my homemade sprinkles. My Rainbow Cake was decorated with the sugar pearls. Cake pops, cheesecake on a stick, the heart cookies, the Russian Easter bread kulich or the poppy seed wreath with spices can also be embellished with them.

I also used the homemade edible glitter to make my sugar pearls.

Do it yourself instead of buying

The list of ingredients in edible cake decorations from the supermarket is usually questionable. They also often contain animal products and are therefore not vegan.

If you make the sprinkles, sugar pearls or edible glitter yourself, you know exactly what’s in them. And you only need a few natural ingredients for my recipes.

What’s more, you can, for example, make the sprinkles in the color combination of your choice. They can also be made in all kinds of mini shapes, even unusual ones.

Which food colors

The edible cake decorations I made were colored with the homemade fruit powders and vegetable powders. It therefore contains no artificial colors.

These sprinkles are ideal for decorating pastry for kids’ birthday parties. This is because the little ones can eat them without hesitation.

Of course, you can also use ordinary food coloring. In this case, I recommend using gel colors.

Utensils

You don’t need any unusual utensils or kitchen appliances to make your own edible cake decorations. All you need are

• small bowls and a non-stick frying pan,
• baking trays, serving trays or large chopping boards,
• acetate foil, cling film or thick freezer bags,
• piping bag with a very small hole,
• stand mixer.

How to make sprinkles

These sprinkles are made from the same ingredients as vegan royal icing. However, I didn’t whip the mixture, I just stirred it vigorously. Alternatively, you can also mix it with a hand mixer.

The sprinkles can be made in any shape and in different colors. Let your imagination run wild. I have made stripes, dots and hearts. Mini flowers, stars, little rainbows, droplets and mini donuts are also possible.

Ingredients

• 130 g powdered sugar,
• 1 tbsp cornstarch,
• approx. 3 tbsp aquafaba – chickpea water,
• fruit powders (or unflavored vegetable powders).

The ingredients make about 130 g of sprinkles.

Preparation

1. Line several baking trays or serving trays with baking paper.
2. Mix powdered sugar and cornstarch in a bowl.
3. Gradually add aquafaba and mix well until you have a thick, creamy, white mixture (similar to a sugar icing). If your sugar mixture is too runny, you can add a little more powdered sugar. The mixture should have such a consistency that it is easy to pipe and hardly runs after piping.
4. Divide the sugar mixture between several small bowls, add any fruit powder to each portion depending on the desired color and mix. If the sugar mixture is too dry, add aquafaba drop by drop. The amount of fruit powder depends on the desired color intensity.
5. Transfer each portion of colored sugar mixture into a piping bag with a very small hole. Cover the sugar mixture that you are not using immediately with an airtight lid, as it dries very quickly.
6. Pipe thin, long strips, dots and mini hearts from the sugar mixture in different colors onto the baking trays or serving trays lined with baking paper and leave to dry at room temperature for about 24 hours.
7. Remove the sprinkles from the baking paper and break the long strips into small pieces with your hands.
8. Wrap the colorful sprinkles airtight and store them in a dark, cool and dry place.

How to make edible glitter

Edible glitter looks very elegant on cupcakes and cakes. You can also use it to make your own sugar pearls.

Ingredients

• 480 ml water,
• 40 g cornstarch,
• fruit powders (or unflavored vegetable powders).

Preparation

1. Pour 100 ml of water into a non-stick frying pan and dissolve cornstarch in it.
2. Pour in the remaining 380 ml of water and stir.
3. Heat the mixture over a low to medium heat, stirring constantly with a silicone spatula, until the mixture thickens slightly and a transparent thin skin forms around the edge of the pan.
4. Remove the mixture from the heat and divide it between several bowls, depending on how many colors you want to make the edible glitter in.
5. Add some of the fruit powder to each portion of cornstarch mixture for the desired color and mix. Note that the glitter will become more intense in color after drying.
6. Place each colored mixture on a piece of acetate foil and spread it very thinly and evenly with a silicone spatula or kitchen brush. If you don’t have acetate foil to hand, you can cover a large chopping board with several layers of cling film to prevent it from shrinking as it dries. You can also use a thick freezer bag. Do not use baking paper, as you will not achieve a glitter effect on it.
7. Leave the glitter mixture to dry in a warm place, for example on a heater, for about 2 – 3 days until it becomes very firm.
8. Now put the glitter piece, possibly cut into smaller pieces with scissors beforehand, into a blender and grind it into a fine powder or coarse powder.
9. Pack the edible glitter in an airtight container and store it in a dark, cool and dry place.

How to make sugar pearls

These sugar pearls are made from a homemade fondant mixture. You can make normal colored pearls or shiny pearls by rolling them in edible glitter.

Ingredients

• 50 g powdered sugar,
• 1 tsp cornstarch,
• 1/4 tsp coconut oil,
• 1 tbsp agave syrup,
• fruit powders (or unflavored vegetable powders),
• homemade edible glitter (according to the recipe above).

The ingredients make approx. 80 g sugar pearls.

Preparation

1. Gently heat coconut oil with agave syrup, stirring until a homogeneous liquid mass is formed.
2. Mix powdered sugar with cornstarch.
3. Add the agave syrup mixture to the powdered sugar mixture and knead into a firm, malleable mass. If your fondant is sticky, add a little more powdered sugar. If it is too dry, add a few drops of agave syrup.
4. Divide the fondant into several small portions and knead a fruit powder for the desired color into each one. As long as you are working with one portion of fondant, wrap the remaining portions in an airtight container as they will dry out quickly. If you want to roll the sugar pearls in glitter afterwards, only lightly color the fondant mixture with the same fruit powder color or leave it white. If you just want colorful sugar pearls and no shiny ones, you can also make the fondant more colorful.
5. Form mini balls of different sizes from the fondant mixture by rolling very small pieces of the mixture between your palms.
6. For shiny pearls, place the balls in a small bowl, sprinkle them with the homemade edible glitter and move the bowl back and forth in a circular motion until the balls are completely coated with the glitter, using your fingers to help if necessary.
7. Spread your colored sugar pearls and the shiny sugar pearls on a serving tray or baking sheet so that they do not touch each other and leave them to dry at room temperature for about 24 hours.
8. Wrap the sugar pearls airtight and store them in a dark, cool and dry place.

How to store homemade sprinkles, sugar pearls and edible glitter

Store your homemade edible cake decorations in airtight packaging, for example in small glass jars. You should store them in a cool, dark and dry place. This way, the sprinkles, sugar pearls and edible glitter will keep for several months.

The homemade edible cake decorations are

• colorful,
• fruity,
• sweet,
• delicious,
• vegan,
• naturally colored with fruit powders,
• without additives,
• easy to make with few ingredients,
• ideal for decorating cupcakes, cakes and pies.

How to make edible cake decorations: tips and tricks

• You can use ordinary food coloring instead of fruit powders. It is best to use gel colors.
• You can give your sprinkles any shape you like.
• Only allow the edible glitter mixture to dry on acetate foil, on a thick freezer bag or on cling film tightly covered in several layers over a chopping board. Do not use baking paper as you will not get a glitter effect.
• Alternatively, you can roll the sugar pearls in an industrially produced edible glitter.
• Allow your homemade edible cake decorations to dry thoroughly before wrapping them airtight.
• You can store the homemade sprinkles, sugar pearls and edible glitter in small glass jars, for example.

Have you made your own sprinkles, sugar pearls and edible glitter using these recipes? I look forward to your results, your star rating and your comment below on how they turned out and what you decorated with them.

Try out these other do-it-yourself recipes:

• Water kefir recipe – how to make probiotic lemonade
• How to make lemonade: the 15 best recipes
• How to make plant-based milk – 9 varied recipes

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