Project by Diane Honaker from Phoenix, Ariz.
Diane loves baking--the smells, the tastes, and even the mess that it makes. She decided it would be fun to experiment and make dessert candles. She's mastered it so well, her family has to make sure not to eat them because they look so tasty.
Materials:
hard wax (143 F degree)
micro wax
soft wax (125 F degree)
sterine
UV inhibitor
scent
baking cups
confectioner's sprinkles
colored dye
birthday candles
muffin tins
100% silicone bathroom caulking
caulking gun
cardboard
glue
plastic wrap
real cupcake
drill
white glue
Steps:
1. Make a batch of real cupcakes and frost them. Let the frosting sit until it gets hard.
2. Cut off the frosted top of the cupcake and glue it to a piece of cardboard covered with plastic wrap.
3. With bathroom caulking, carefully cover the whole frosted area, sealing it to the board. Make sure there are no air bubbles. Let it dry approximately 2 or 3 days.
4. When dry, peel it off the cardboard and wash it carefully and dry completely. Now you have the mold for the frosted part of the candle, which can be used over and over again.
5. Mix up the waxes to make the "frosting" in an empty gallon jug. Mix together 12 oz. of soft wax and 4 oz. of micro, 1 Tbs. sterine, 1/4 tsp. UV inhibitor, 1 Tbs. vanilla cake scent and just a bit of yellow powdered dye.
6. Let this mixture cool a bit and then whip it using a hand mixer until it has the consistency of a thick milk shake.
7. Immediately pour it into the mold and let it cool until it is hard. It takes about an hour--a little less in the refrigerator.
8. Prepare the "cake" part. Line an old muffin tin with muffin cups. In another modified water jug, beat plain hard wax until it has the consistency of runny mashed potatoes.
9. Fill the lined muffin tins to the top and carefully set the "frosting" onto it, making sure they are sealed together. Let them cool totally.
10. Time to decorate. With a drill, bore a hole into the top of the "cupcake" to hold the birthday candle. Apply a swirl of white glue on top of the high points of the "frosting" and sprinkle with the confectioner's decorations. Add the birthday candle.
Website: www.comfortfoodcandle.com
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