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Sunday, April 1, 2012

Steps for Panoramic Sugar Easter Egg






I attempted my first panoramic sugar eggs. After lookin up recipes I decided to try and just use plastic eggs I had home.

Heating the oven to 200 degrees and pushing them into the sides leaving one opening seemed to work the best after several tries.
I heated the sugar dough into the plastic shell on a pan for 20 to 30 min. Then I let sit in the fridge to cool for another 30 min. The sugar stayed in shape when I tapped on the kitchen counter to pop out of the mold.

One plastic egg had a little rim the sugar would get caught on and would break when I tried to remove.

This egg was made by miss Emma in her class. I wonder how the teacher did this with so many kids.!

 I made a royal icing. Using Merigue powder works much better and dries nice and hard.
My recipe had too much Crisco it was easy for piping but too soft to dry .
One Egg white whipped until stiff peaks form  ( use merigue powder its better)
One cup crisco ( I will reduce next time)
 Whip lard until fluffy
stop mixer and add three cups or more as needed of powdered sugar
4 to 6 tbl spoons of water
I keep adding powder or water until I get a nice fluffy frosting I know I can pipe.

Gradually add the water and keep mixing if too runny add more powdered sugar.
Make a window by leaving a section without the sugar. press firmly to pack it tight.
Janelle had a cute purple bunny. She came up with a great idea for a base  to attach the egg to. It kept the egg from falling over while we decorate it I am definately making more of these supports next time. Scissors work well for scraping the sugar flat.
 I tried piping bunnies but they wouldnt dry hard.
 I made little mm fondant chicks and eggs and a bunny its much easier. Then pipe flours around the back and of course green grass in the bottom.

Sugar dough 
  • egg white
  • Optional food coloring
  • 3.5 cups granulated sugar
  • 1/2 cup powdered sugar
  • keep in sealed container when not using it dries out.




 I tried sealing the seam with frosting this was a challenge keeping it together it kept falling apart. I am thinking about if I boil sugar and water with a thermometer until it gets to the hard ball stage and them spoon some around the seam it would make a good stronger glue. It would be dangerous to handle hot sugar of course a base could help it from needing to hold it in your hand.

200 degrees oven for 30 or more min to help dry it faster.
taps right out of the mold
we practice piping on foil I'm sure parchment paper is best. Having all the colors of frosting ahead of time in piping bags is the best to plan ahead.
Hope you can try this and it works for you. I read using the big empty resses container in halves works as a great mold too.

steps I found

  • Optional toys or pictures to display inside the egg
  • Coconut tinted green or easter grass to put inside in the egg
Make the sugar egg mixture:

1. Whisk the egg white until it is frothy. If you would like to color your egg, add the food coloring to the egg white and mix well. It is much easier to evenly distribute the color when it is first added to liquid. Note that you will be adding a lot of sugar to the egg white, so it’s a good idea to dye the white a darker color than your desired final product.

2. In a large bowl, whisk together the granulated and powdered sugars so they’re evenly mixed.

3. Pour the egg white into the sugars and begin stirring. At first it will seem like there’s not enough liquid, but keep stirring! Gradually thesugar will become more moist.

4. Eventually the sugar will have the consistency of damp sand. You want the sugar to clump together if you squeeze it in your hand, but avoid adding additional liquid and making it too wet—that will just increase the drying time.
Once your sugar mixture is ready, start filling your egg mold. Scoop the sugar into the hollows of the mold and pat firmly down, packing it in. You want the egg to be smooth, so press down on the sugar to prevent any small gaps or cracks from forming. If you have excesssugar and want to make more eggs, keep it in a bowl and place a damp paper towel directly over the sugar to prevent it from drying out. If you are using an egg base mold, fill it at this time.
Use a bench scraper, metal spatula, or the top of a large knife to carefully scrape across the top of the mold, removing any excesssugar. Your eggs should have a smooth, even top that is the same level as the mold when you are finished. Do the same for your eggbase, if you are using one.









Place a stiff piece of cardboard directly on the top of the mold. Bracing one hand on the cardboard and the other underneath the mold, quickly flip it upside-down so that the egg halves are now resting on the cardboard. Quickly remove the mold—you now have two beautiful sugar egg halves. Do the same with another piece of cardboard and your egg base, if you are using one.
At this point, the egg halves need to dry out a little before you can use them. You can let them sit at room temperature for about an hour, or you can put them in a very low oven. I recommend setting your oven to 200 degrees and leaving them in for about 25 minutes
Once the eggs have started to set, they need to be hollowed out. It is important to do this when the outside is set enough to hold up, but the insides are still soft. Once the egg has fully set, it cannot be reshaped!

1. Pick up the egg half without the flat panoramic panel. Hold it in the palm of one hand and use a spoon to scrape out the moist sugar. If you are saving your sugar to make another egg, you can add this sugar to the bowl and re-use it—just make sure to cover the bowl with a moist paper towel whenever you’re not using it.

2. Continue to scrape the interior of the egg until you have a sugar shell that is about ½-inch thick. You want it to be as thin as possible, while still being sturdy enough to hold together.

3. Scrape out the interior of the other egg half. Assuming you have a “panoramic” egg mold, you will have a flat panel on the front that should be removed entirely. Use a small, sharp knife (a paring knife works well) and carefully poke a hole through the front. Be careful not to apply too much pressure and cause the egg to collapse or be structurally unsound in any way.

4. Continue to gently whittle away to front of the egg until you have removed all of the sugar from the flat portion. You will be left with one egg half that is completely round, and one egg half that has a “window” cut into the side.

Note that if you do not have a panoramic egg mold you can still create this effect by freehandedly carving a window into one of your halves—I recommend drawing a circle onto the egg to guide your knife.
At this point the eggs need to dry out further before they can be completed. You can leave them for another 2-3 hours at room temperature, or place them back in the 200 degree oven for about 45 minutes. Place them on their backs this time to let the inside portion dry.
One of the appeals of panoramic eggs is the beautiful miniature scenes contained within the egg. To make the inside scene:

1. Pipe a small amount of royal icing into the bottom portion of the intact egg half. This is to anchor everything else you add.

2. Add a layer of green-tinted coconut or Easter grass, if desired, and press gently to adhere it to the frosting.

3. Begin to add toys, pictures, small candies, or sugar decorations. It is easiest to add a dab of royal icing to the back or bottom of your decorations to help them stick.

4. Continue to add decorations until your egg is complete
Now it is time to glue the two halves of the egg together:

1. Pipe a thin line of royal icing around the lip of the bottom half of the egg.

2. Press the top half down onto the bottom, making sure that they line up evenly. Run your finger around the seam where the eggs meet to remove any excess frosting. You want to do this right away so that it will not begin to harden into unsightly shapes. Allow the egg to sit for about 30 minutes, until the frosting has hardened enough to move the egg without damaging it.
1. Pipe a decorative border around the seams where the two egg halves were joined together. I also like to pipe a border around the opening of the window, to better frame the scene inside and to hide any uneven edges. I usually do not pipe a border on the very bottom of the egg, as this is where it will rest in the egg holder. If you are not using an egg holder or have alternate display plans for your egg, decorate the entire thing.

2. If you have frosting flowers or other decorations, now is the time to put them on the outside. Use a small dab of royal frosting to secure them to theegg. Add leaves, stems, or any other decorative touches you desire.
1. If you are using an egg base, pipe some royal icing into the base to secure the egg.

2. Place the egg in the base and prop it against a wall or other straight object to balance it until the icing is firm enough to hold it.

3.-4. Once the outer icing is set, your egg is complete! Display your sugar egg during the Easter season. To save it, wrap it carefully in paper or plastic and store it in a box in a safe place. Do not refrigerate the egg and do not attempt to eat it! Stored properly, your egg can be saved for many years.

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