Baking Hacks: How to make your own sprinkles

Whether you’re simply wanting to avoid store-bought sprinkles made with questionable ingredients or you’re looking for something a little more special to go on top of your cakes, DIY sprinkles are perfect and make for a fun baking project. Best of all? You’ve probably made the recipe for them before!

The secret? Royal icing. If you’ve made a batch of royal icing to decorate cookies before, you’ll know just how easy it is to make. Egg white and icing sugar are mixed together to form a stiff paste and… that’s it. The hardest part is deciding which colours and shapes to make!

TIP: Make extra sprinkles and pack them in little jars for a cute homemade gift!

HOMEMADE SPRINKLE MIX

Makes 2 cups of sprinkles

1 egg white, beaten

2 cups icing sugar, sifted

A squeeze of lemon juice

Gel or powder food colourings of your choice

To make the royal icing, whisk the egg white gently then add the icing sugar until a stiff paste forms. Divide the icing between small bowls and tint each icing a different colour using the food colouring. Add the lemon juice and stir.

1. HOW TO MAKE LONG SPRINKLES

To make your own long sprinkles, fill a piping bag fitted with small plain nozzle with coloured royal icing and pipe long strips of royal icing onto a piece of baking paper and allow to dry overnight or in a low oven (60 degrees). Once dry, cut the long strips into short pieces and mix the colours together. Store in an airtight jar.

2. HOW TO MAKE SPRINKLE SHAPES

Place a stencil (with hearts, flowers etc.) on a sheet of baking paper and thickly spread the coloured frosting over. Remove the stencil carefully then allow to dry overnight or in a low oven (60 degrees). Gently remove the paper and store in an airtight jar. You can also make your own stencil by cutting shapes out of plastic/acetate sheets, or buy them from baking shops (they’re usually used for cake decorating).

ALSO SEE… Baking Hacks: 6 tips to avoid a dry, crumbly cake.

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