This delicate, translucent edible sugar glass is decorated with a variety of colorful and fragrant dried flowers, creating a beautiful and vivid spring theme.
It’s so easy to recreate this unique and delicious recipe at home using only four simple ingredients: sugar, water, light corn syrup, and lemon juice.
If you are in the mood of making your sugar glass even more aesthetic and visually stunning, simply scatter a handful of dried flowers or herbs over the sugar syrup.
Once the edible glass is cool and hard, you can use it as a striking dessert serving plate, or break it into pieces, and use the edible glass pieces to decorate cakes, cupcakes, and cocktails.
Tips for making flower sugar glass
1. Choice of edible flowers
Not all flowers are edible, so make sure you select flowers that are safe to eat. Some common edible flowers include roses, lavender, violets, pansies, marigolds, and nasturtiums. It’s important to use only pesticide-free flowers that are intended for culinary use.
If you are using salt-pickled flowers, such as salted sakura flowers, in this recipe for sugar glass, it is important to rinse them with cold water and then pat them dry with a kitchen towel. Failure to remove the excess salt and water from the flowers may cause the sugar glass to melt or crack when the flowers release moisture.
If using dried flowers, such as dried rose buds, select smaller ones so that they can be entirely coated with the sugar syrup.
You can also decorate the sugar glass with dried or fresh herbs, such as rosemary, thyme, and mint. But avoid using large fresh herbs or flowers, such as fresh basil or fresh roses, as the sugar syrup is extremely hot, and the fresh leaves and petals may contract and splash water as soon as they come into contact with the hot syrup.
You can also add a few drops of food coloring into the sugar mixture while it’s still hot, or use some edible glitters to the make a shiny sugar glass.
Be creative, be careful, and have fun!
2. Add a few drops of lemon juice to the syrup
Lemon juice contains citric acid, which acts as an acidifier and helps to break down the sucrose molecules in the sugar syrup, preventing them from binding together and forming crystals.
Therefore, when making sugar glass, you can add a few drops of lemon juice to the sugar syrup to ensure that the final product is clear and glass-like in appearance rather than gritty or cloudy.
Also, the lemon juice also adds a subtle fruity flavor to the sugar glass, which can be a nice contrast to the sweetness of the sugar.
Optionally, you can use ¼ tsp of cream of tartar, which is also an acidic ingredient, to substitute 1 tsp of lemon juice.
3. Optimize your time
The sugar syrup will take approximately 45 minutes to boil over medium-low heat to reach 300F.
To optimize your time, start by simmering the sugar syrup on the stovetop and set a timer for 40 minutes. While the syrup simmers, you can prepare other equipment and ingredients such as lining the baking sheet with parchment paper, getting the dried flowers ready in a plate, and setting a heat trivet on the table to place the hot saucepan later.
After the syrup has been simmered for 40 minutes, carefully monitor its temperature with a candy thermometer. Remove the saucepan from the heat source right away once the syrup has reached 300F.
You will have to work really quickly once the sugar syrup is removed from the stovetop. The syrup will harden quickly, so you need to place the flowers or decorations on it as soon as possible.
4. How to store flower sugar glass?
You can make flower sugar glass ahead of time and store it until needed for cake decoration.
To store flower sugar glass, wrap it in parchment paper or plastic wrap, then place it in an airtight container in the fridge. If you use dried flowers only, the flower sugar glass can last in the fridge for up a month.
It is not recommended to freeze sugar glass as it may cause the sugar glass to become sticky when thawed.
INGREDIENTS for making flower sugar glass:
- 2 cups granulated sugar
- ¾ cup water
- ½ cup light corn syrup
- 1 tsp lemon juice (optional)
- edible flowers (optional; I used salted sakura flowers, dried roses, dried osmanthus, and fresh rosemary.)
EQUIPMENT for making sugar glass:
- Measuring cups and spoons
- saucepan (medium size)
- spatula
- candy thermometer
- Baking sheet
- Parchment paper
Step-by-step INSTRUCTIONS:
1. Add the sugar, water, light corn syrup, and lemon juice into a saucepan.
2. Add the pot to the stovetop. Stir with a spatula and bring the mixture to a boil over medium-high heat. Stop stirring and reduce heat to medium low once all the sugar has melted.
3. Insert a candy thermometer into the mixture and let it boil until it reaches 300°F (150°C). This will take about 45 minutes.
4. As the syrup is boiling, line a baking sheet with parchment paper, and get your edible flowers ready beside the baking sheet.
5. Once the mixture reaches 300°F (150°C), remove it from the heat. Pour half of the syrup onto the prepared baking sheet, gently tilt the baking sheet to spread the syrup into an even layer.
6. Quickly place the prepared flowers onto the syrup layer. You can scatter them randomly over the syrup layer, or place them in a specific design or pattern. Just make sure to work quickly before the syrup hardens.
7. Pour the second half of the syrup onto the first half, making sure that all the flowers are fully coated with the sugar syrup.
8. Let the syrup cool and harden for at least 1 hour in a cool environment or until it has hardened. If the temperature of the surroundings is high, you may choose to place the baking sheet in the refrigerator.
9. Once the edible sugar glass is hard, peel off the parchment paper and enjoy. You can use this piece of edible sugar glass as a dessert serving plate, or use a knife or hammer to break it into pieces, and use the edible glass pieces to decorate cakes.
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Edible Sugar Glass (decorated with flowers)
Equipment
- Measuring cups and spoons
- saucepan (medium size)
- spatula
- candy thermometer
- Baking sheet
- Parchment paper
Ingredients
- 2 cups granulated sugar
- ¾ cup water
- ½ cup light corn syrup
- 1 tsp lemon juice (optional)
- edible flowers (optional; I used salted sakura flowers, dried roses, dried osmanthus, and fresh rosemary.)
Instructions
- Add the sugar, water, light corn syrup, and lemon juice into a saucepan.
- Add the pot to the stovetop. Stir with a spatula and bring the mixture to a boil over medium-high heat. Stop stirring and reduce heat to medium low once all the sugar has melted.
- Insert a candy thermometer into the mixture and let it boil until it reaches 300°F (150°C). This will take about 45 minutes.
- As the syrup is boiling, line a baking sheet with parchment paper, and get your edible flowers (see note 1) ready beside the baking sheet.
- Once the mixture reaches 300°F (150°C), remove it from the heat. Pour half of the syrup onto the prepared baking sheet, gently tilt the baking sheet to spread the syrup into an even layer.
- Quickly place the prepared flowers onto the syrup layer. You can scatter them randomly over the syrup layer, or place them in a specific design or pattern. Just make sure to work quickly before the syrup hardens.
- Pour the second half of the syrup onto the first half, making sure that all the flowers are fully coated with the sugar syrup.
- Let the syrup cool and harden for at least 1 hour in a cool environment or until it has hardened. If the temperature of the surroundings is high, you may choose to place the baking sheet in the refrigerator.
- Once the edible sugar glass is hard, peel off the parchment paper and enjoy. You can use this piece of edible sugar glass as a dessert serving plate, or use a knife or hammer to break it into pieces, and use the edible glass pieces to decorate cakes.
Video
Notes
1. Choice of edible flowers
Not all flowers are edible, so make sure you select flowers that are safe to eat. Some common edible flowers include roses, lavender, violets, pansies, marigolds, and nasturtiums. It’s important to use only pesticide-free flowers that are intended for culinary use. If you are using salt-pickled flowers, such as salted sakura flowers, in this recipe for sugar glass, it is important to rinse them with cold water and then pat them dry with a kitchen towel. Failure to remove the excess salt and water from the flowers may cause the sugar glass to melt or crack when the flowers release moisture. If using dried flowers, such as dried rose buds, select smaller ones so that they can be entirely coated with the sugar syrup. You can also decorate the sugar glass with dried or fresh herbs, such as rosemary, thyme, and mint. Or you can add a few drops of food coloring into the sugar mixture while it’s still hot, or use some edible glitters to the make a shiny sugar glass. Be creative, be careful, and have fun!
Soooo beautiful🥲 If only I had the money and time I could replace every window in my house with this🙃🌸
same
it taste so so so so so so so good definitely recommend it