Spun sugar

Ahhh, spun sugar, toffee, caramel, however it is described where you come from its just irresistable. The recipe below is intended to make enough spun sugar to decorate 24 cupcakes, but to decorate a cake or a croquembouche with spun sugar you would need about three times this amount.

ingredients

50 g caster sugar

mixing

Place sugar in a heavy bottomed saucepan. Heat sugar over high heat, shaking the pan to help the sugar melt. When the sugar starts to bubble at the edges, remove pan from heat and allow some of the sugar to be absorbed into the melted mass. Return to the heat for a few seconds and repeat the process. The sugar should turn a golden caramel colour, but the key is to prevent it from burning, which can happen very fast. When all the sugar is melted into caramel, remove from the heat completely and let the mixture cool for a minute or so. While you are waiting, take a wooden spoon with a long, straight round handle, and oil it lightly with sunflower oil. Prepare your work area so there is a heat proof mat for your saucepan, a big sheet of non stick baking paper to spin the sugar over, and remember that the sugar is HOT!

Test whether the caramel is ready to spin by dipping a fork or teaspoon in the caramel and lifting it up. If the caramel makes a thin thread between the fork and the pan, it is ready to go. The caramel cools fast, so you will need to keep returning the pan to a gentle heat to regain the optimum temperature.

Using a teaspoon, take a small amount of caramel and lift it above the pan. Holding the spoon by its cupped part in your other hand, start to wind the caramel strand around the oiled handle. This take practice and patience and learning the exact consistency that the caramel needs to be to give you time to wind the strand.

When the strand is wound, let the caramel set for a moment and gently ease the spiral off the handle. Let it sit on the baking paper. Try to keep your hands as dry as possible during this process.

If you are just starting out with working with caramel, I suggest you not try to get too creative with making spirals. Just use a fork to drip and wind the caramel threads around themselves in a mass on a piece of waxed paper, then pull the webs apart and place them on top of your cakes- they will look like fireworks exploding! You can also simply pour the caramel into a baking paper lined sandwich pan, let it set then crack it into shards for topping your cupcakes, or dribble straight or zigzag strips then break them to suit.

You can store caramel shapes in an airtight container for a few days, but beware, it is very humidity sensitive and will start to melt in humid conditions – including the fridge! If you live in a place which is humid – leave spun sugar alone unless you are in an air conditioned kitchen. It’s not worth the disappointment of having your beautiful creations melt in front of your eyes.

Use spun sugar to decorate Champagne Cupcakes or your favourite dessert!