Calaveras de azúcar
Sugar skulls
Calaveras de azúcar: moulded sugar skulls iced in bright colours for Día de Muertos ofrendas
In the markets of Toluca, Mexico City and Oaxaca, the alfeñique stalls of late October are piled with gleaming white sugar skulls, and families buy them to write a loved one's name across the forehead and set them on the home altar. They are mainly decorative: made right they set rock hard and keep for a year, and children may nibble a little, but they are not really a sweet for eating. Pressing damp sugar into a skull mould is easy, and the fun is the decorating with royal icing, sequins and coloured foil. Chef's tip: let the skulls dry for a full day before icing, or the damp sugar weeps into the colours.
- Total time
- 90 min
- Difficulty
- medium
- Serves
- 6
Ingredients
For the skulls
- 2 ¼ lb granulated sugar
- 2 tbsp meringue powder
- 4 tbsp water
For the royal icing
- 10 ½ oz icing sugarsifted
- 2 tbsp meringue powder
- ¼ cup warm water
- 4 gel food coloursassorted
- coloured foil, sequins or edible glitter (optional)to decorate
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Method
0/6 doneStep 1: Mix 2 ¼ lb granulated sugar and 2 tbsp meringue powder in a big bowl, sprinkle in the 4 tbsp water and rub it through with your fingers until it feels like damp beach sand and holds a print when squeezed. Too dry and it crumbles; too wet and it slumps.
5 minStep 2: Pack the sugar firmly into a clean skull mould, scrape the back level, then turn it out onto a board lined with card. Make a front and a back for each skull.
20 minStep 3: Leave the halves for 8 hours or overnight in a dry room. Scoop out the soft centre of each half with a teaspoon, leaving a 1 cm shell, to lighten them.
10 minStep 4: Beat 10 ½ oz icing sugar, 2 tbsp meringue powder and ¼ cup warm water for 5–7 minutes until thick and glossy and a peak stands up straight. Use a little to glue the front and back halves together and leave for another 12 hours.
10 minStep 5: Divide the remaining icing, tint each bowl with 4 gel food colours and spoon into piping bags. Pipe flowers around the eyes, scallops on the chin and a name across the forehead; press on coloured foil, sequins or edible glitter while the icing is wet. A common mistake is piping too thinly runny icing, which drips down the face, so add icing sugar until it holds a line.
30 minStep 6: Let the decoration dry for a day. Keep skulls in a dry place away from humidity; they last for months on the ofrenda.
0 min
Nutrition per serving
- Calories
- 330 kcal
- Protein
- 1 g
- Carbs
- 85 g
- Fat
- 0 g
- Fibre
- 0 g
Nutrition values are estimates.
KrazyBadal
Good to know
- How long does calaveras de azúcar take?
- About 90 minutes in total: 60 minutes to prepare and 30 minutes to cook.
- How many people does it serve?
- 6 as written. Change the servings above the ingredients and every amount scales to match.
- Is it vegetarian?
- Yes. It has no meat or fish.
- Is it gluten free?
- Yes, as written. Check the labels on stock, sauces and spice mixes, which sometimes contain gluten.
- Can I make it ahead?
- Yes. It keeps well, so you can cook it earlier in the day or the day before and reheat it.
- What can I use instead of granulated sugar?
- Caster sugar, same amount.
- What can I use instead of icing sugar?
- Caster sugar, same amount.
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