How Do You Make Stemware/drinking Glasses From Sugar?

Sugar Work By Sugar_Plum_Fairy Updated 24 Jul 2014 , 7:53am by bubs1stbirthday

Sugar_Plum_Fairy Cake Central Cake Decorator Profile
Sugar_Plum_Fairy Posted 29 Nov 2006 , 9:43am
post #1 of 18

I recently came across a site/gallery of someone's beautiful cakes. I can't remember the name though. Anyway, one of her cakes had a "glass" of wine on top. It was simply beautiful. I was wondering if anyone here would know how to make either stemware or a regular drinking glass (glass bottle, etc) out of sugar. I'm mostly interested in the formation of the stemware though. icon_smile.gif

17 replies
moydear77 Cake Central Cake Decorator Profile
moydear77 Posted 29 Nov 2006 , 9:33pm
post #2 of 18

What is the site??

dogluvr Cake Central Cake Decorator Profile
dogluvr Posted 30 Nov 2006 , 1:58am
post #3 of 18

I too have seen this kind of design, but the ones I saw that I thought were really cool were made from gelatin. I remember reading a string about a month ago about how to make gelatin flowers, etc.

Sugar_Plum_Fairy Cake Central Cake Decorator Profile
Sugar_Plum_Fairy Posted 30 Nov 2006 , 5:48pm
post #4 of 18

I've been searching all the stuff I have in my "History" folder on the computer and finally found it. Here's the link: http://www.sugar-couture.com/photo.php?category_id=22&cake_id=33&photo_id=88

Now that I'm more awake and looking at it again, I'm wondering if it isn't gelatin - at least the cone part and filling. But the stand and stem just wouldn't stand up then, so I'm still leaning towards sugar.

Again, any help on how to make these would be great. Thanks in advance.

hellie0h Cake Central Cake Decorator Profile
hellie0h Posted 30 Nov 2006 , 10:34pm
post #5 of 18

I did a very quick, and I stress quick experiment (babysitting my 2 1/2 yr. old twin grandsons) I used the thin aluminum foil, mistake...use heavy duty...free form a wine glass shape with the bowl of the glass and stem...make this foil inside your form as smooth as possible, use a clear type non stick spray or veggie oil to grease inside of your form. make sure at the bottom of the foil stem is closed off with foil. make another couple of layers of foil on top of glass form, adding a flange at the bottom of the stem so form will stand upright. When I made the hard candy syrup, I tried a different recipe and added cream of tarter, suppose to keep sugar from re-crystalizing...anyhow, I don't know if that is the reason or because I jacked up the flame when cooking sugar cuz like I said I was in an extreme hurry....the sugar turned amber in color before hitting 300 degrees, so my protoype is amber...would make a good beer bottle I guess. The stem was thick but it will be shaped and pulled thinner when you can handle the formed sugar after it has sit up a bit. It is very humid here today, totaly out of character for Ohio this time of year. so it took this quite a while to sit up enough to make a disk for the bottom of the stem..it still has not sit up right. snapped a couple of pics before the stem started to droop. I am interested in trying this again, after all the family is out of my hair. If it is successful will post pics as I go along to show forming, pouring, and pealing off foil and shaping stem and glass. Whew..sorry this is so long...and really ashamed to post these pics now as they are not a good example because of the color...
LL
LL

SugarCreations Cake Central Cake Decorator Profile
SugarCreations Posted 30 Nov 2006 , 10:43pm
post #6 of 18

Sugar is taking to long to get to heat. You should check your candy thermometer its most likely off a bit. Once you place your stem take a hair dryer with a cool air setting and blow air on it while holding it straight this will cool the sugar down quicker and it will harden better.

Cream of Tartar is not mean't to reduce crystallization its added as a moisture inhibitor to reduce moistures effect on it. Anytime you add an acid to a sugar mixture you break it down into its 2 most basic compounds glucose and fructose. Its the fructose in sugar that attracts and holds the moisture.

Rgds

Sugar_Plum_Fairy Cake Central Cake Decorator Profile
Sugar_Plum_Fairy Posted 1 Dec 2006 , 12:31am
post #7 of 18

Thanks so much HellieOh and SugarCreations. I meant to buy heavy duty aluminum foil last time I went shopping and somehow on my way to get it in the supermarket, I forgot. Anyway as soon as I pick it up I'm going to give this a try.

Thanks again. Can't wait to see your next photo, HellieOh.

P.S. What kind of "filling" medium could you use to make the glass look full? Obviously there are certain things that would "eat" away at the sugar and I'd want to avoid those or do you just use a barrier of plastic cling wrap?

moydear77 Cake Central Cake Decorator Profile
moydear77 Posted 1 Dec 2006 , 1:03am
post #8 of 18

I would use Isomalt melted. It is more expensive but will keep a clear look for quite sometime.

hellie0h Cake Central Cake Decorator Profile
hellie0h Posted 1 Dec 2006 , 11:50am
post #9 of 18

Thanks for the advice Sugar Creations and moydear, as soon as this weather clears, going to give the sugar another try. We have tornado watches this am....in december of all things. that amber colored glass I made...it was so funny watching that thing droop so slowly until it finally keeled over...and sticky..I have made hard candy before and never had anything like this happen...going to use my regular recipe or try the isomalt if I can find it. Thanks again for advice...Sugar Plum, I hope your glass turns out a heck of lot better than mine.

Helen

kincaellan Cake Central Cake Decorator Profile
kincaellan Posted 5 Dec 2006 , 1:12am
post #10 of 18

The potassium salt of tartaric acid (potassium bitartrate or potassium hydrogen tartrate) is weakly acidic, and is known as "cream of tartar".
It prevents crystalization.

Glucose and Fructose are BOTH hygroscopic.

oh and this was interesting too:
Important derivatives of tartaric acid include its salts, Cream of tartar (potassium bitartrate), Rochelle salt (potassium sodium tartrate, a mild laxative) and tartar emetic (antimony potassium tartrate).

Tartaric acid is a muscle toxin, which works by inhibiting the production of malic acid, and in high doses causes paralysis and death. The minimum recorded fatal dose for a human is about 12 grams. In spite of that, it is included in many foods, especially sour-tasting sweets. As a food additive, tartaric acid is used as an antioxidant with E number E334, tartrates are other additives serving as antioxidants or emulsifiers.

When cream of tartar is added to water, a suspension results which serves to clean copper coins very well. This is due to the fact that the tartrate solution can dissolve the layer of copper(II) oxide present on the surface of the coin. Copper(II)-tartrate complex that is formed is easily soluble in water.


www.kincaellan.com

SugarCreations Cake Central Cake Decorator Profile
SugarCreations Posted 5 Dec 2006 , 1:23am
post #11 of 18

I don't think they need all that really.

kincaellan Cake Central Cake Decorator Profile
kincaellan Posted 5 Dec 2006 , 7:17am
post #12 of 18

Of course they don't need to know all that it's just interesting.
Although when you write that "Cream of Tartar is not mean't to reduce crystallization its added as a moisture inhibitor to reduce moistures effect on it. Anytime you add an acid to a sugar mixture you break it down into its 2 most basic compounds glucose and fructose. Its the fructose in sugar that attracts and holds the moisture"

It's important to get the facts right.

Cream of Tartar IS meant to reduce crystallization, and it's not JUST the fructose in the sugar that is Hygroscopic.

www.kincaellan.com

hellie0h Cake Central Cake Decorator Profile
hellie0h Posted 5 Dec 2006 , 6:27pm
post #13 of 18

Thanks for the scientific info kincaellan, never a day goes by that there is something interesting to learn.

kincaellan Cake Central Cake Decorator Profile
kincaellan Posted 5 Dec 2006 , 9:55pm
post #14 of 18

I wasn't trying to make you look bad, I just wanted to make sure all the information was there and as I was already on the phone with the manufacturers of Isomalt in Germany doing research on the topic of sugar chemistry ,I thought I'd share.

If you would like to discuss this further please Private Message me so we don't disrupt the rest of this forum with a Debate.

regards
www.kincaellan.com

knoxcop1 Cake Central Cake Decorator Profile
knoxcop1 Posted 5 Dec 2006 , 10:14pm
post #15 of 18

I bought a couple OLD Wilton books a few months ago.

There used to be a very popular method of molding simple table sugar with water. I don't remember what it was called though.

It was basically just mixing table sugar with a very small amount of water, by hand (because it was so heavy and thick) until it was the consistency of wet beach sand.

You could do a glass like that, but it would end up being solid white. I'm thinking probably like a silicone mold to shape the glasses with.

Here's a link to what I'm talking about. Your glasses don't have to be solid. You could make them so they'd hold something to look like "liquid."

http://members.nuvox.net/~zt.proicer/cakepict/sugarmld.htm

--Knox--

moydear77 Cake Central Cake Decorator Profile
moydear77 Posted 6 Dec 2006 , 3:09pm
post #16 of 18

kincaellan
The work that I have seen on your site is jaw dropping. I have never seen anyone with that caliber of work here and trust that you know your stuff.
You have never steered me wrong and all the advice I have received is but always correct.
Thanks for your help!

SimplySix Cake Central Cake Decorator Profile
SimplySix Posted 24 Jul 2014 , 7:11am
post #17 of 18

I think all the "how-to's" and "why's" are important. I'm always trying to figure out as I go and if I don't know why something does what it does then I'm rather limited in what I do. I think your added information is a great help- maybe not to this directly- but to have and understand that is - well, thank you- it's incredible. Every time I learn something like that it opens doors no one else thinks to open. I am quite famous for setting my kitchens on fire but since having an understanding that I can use- even if no one else gets it... you should see my work now! So anyway- I just meant to say thank you! I use info like that and process it well! It's those little things in my informal education that make life easier.

bubs1stbirthday Cake Central Cake Decorator Profile
bubs1stbirthday Posted 24 Jul 2014 , 7:53am
post #18 of 18

There is a molding set that you can buy - from memory the first stage of it is for you to make a mold of the glass you want to replicate then pour isomalt/sugar etc into the mold and let it set before unmolding.

 

I think I found that info in a youtube video for making a sugar wineglass. The company that sold the mold sets made the video I think. It has been a while since I saw it though so I can't remember the exact details.

Quote by @%username% on %date%

%body%