Suzy Homefaker: EDIBLE SUGAR DIAMONDS

Okay, you want a little bling or sparkle for a cake, and don't know where to begin?...You've come to the right place!

*The diamonds are manufactured from Isomalt Sugar, a natural sugar substitute.

*Edible sugar diamonds are the latest in cake couture.

*They add instant sparkle and glamour to any cake whether cup cakes, a wedding or a Christmas cake.

*There are special molds made just for that - molds for creating edible candy jewels for pastry.You can get the very reasonable at amazon.com(see on bottom of this page for the link! )

Depending on the material of the mold, they can be made with just about anything. If they are high temperature molds you can use them with a boiled sugar or isomalt mixture for hard candy-style diamonds and jewels.

I choose to use Isomalt:
Isomalt is a chemically-produced sugar substitute perfect for candy-making as it creates a more humidity and moisture-resistant product. When it is being boiled, it doesn't need any anti-crystallizing ingredients as it does a great job of resisting crystallization on its own. Isomalt is sugar-free and lower in calories than regular sugar, but is made from sucralose.

Here's how to do it...

Measure 3 lbs. of isomalt into a heavy duty pot. Add about 6 oz. of bottled or filtered water. Mix the water in thoroughly. You will know when you have enough water when the isomalt looks like wet sand.

Place the pan on the stove and turn the heat on high. Stir the mixture to help it melt more quickly.

Wash down the crystals from the side of the pot using a silicone brush. Wet the brush in the melted isomalt, then brush down the sides of the pot

Place a candy thermometer on the side of the pan as soon as the mixture begins to boil.

Remove the pot from the burner when the thermometer reads 333 degrees Fahrenheit. Set the pot onto a damp towel.

Ladle melted isomalt into silicone molds shaped like diamond halves. Wait one minute until the isomalt begins to set. Pick up one half of the mold and set it on top of the other half to stick the two halves of the gem together. Fit the notch in the top and bottom half together to get the mold halves in the right place.

Wait 10 minutes until the gem has hardened. Open the mold and pop out the edible diamond.

I brush some glitter dust on lightly with soft brush to give it some extra pizzazz!