Top Your Easter Cake With Delicate Gum Paste Eggs

You don’t need an excuse to build a showstopping cake, but Easter sure is a good one! With the pastel colors and big chocolate rabbits, there’s so much you can do to make the holiday extra sweet — like making 3D gum paste eggs for an elegant finishing touch. These delicate cuties can be made well in advance of the big reveal, so carve out an afternoon and get in the springtime spirit.

Gum Paste Eggs

Level: Easy

What You Need

Instructions

1. Create the Eyelet Pattern

Dust your work surface with cornstarch to prevent sticking. Roll white gum paste until it’s about ⅛” thick.

Use the docking tool, eyelet cutters, small flower cutters or the top of a small piping tip to create a pattern in the paste. This will be the delicate, lacy side of your egg.

Pro Tip: We created a floral pattern based on eyelet lace and ribbon, but you can design anything you want.

2. Press Into the Mold

Carefully lift the gum paste and drape it over the opening of an egg mold. Gently press it into the mold to create the egg shape.

Pro Tip: Move slowly — it may take a little gentle pushing and pulling to get the pattern into the egg cup without a ton of distortion.

3. Trim

Trim away the excess gum paste around the egg mold, using one hand to keep the paste from sliding. (Don’t worry if the edges aren’t totally perfect, it’s fine at this stage!)

Repeat steps 1-3 to create two more eyelet egg patterns.

4. Make the Lace Eggs

Roll white gum paste until it’s about ⅛” thick. Use a lace texture mat or mold to impress a pattern onto the gum paste. Just as before, press the gum paste into an egg mold and trim away the excess. Repeat this process to create two more lace eggs.

5. Mold the Backs

Roll the colored gum pastes until they’re about ⅛” thick. Press them into the egg molds and trim away the excess.

Set aside all egg components and let dry until they’re completely firm. This could take a few hours to overnight, depending on the humidity where you live.

6. Put Them Together

Pop the colored egg pieces out of the molds, then place them back in. (This is to make sure the gum paste hasn’t stuck to the mold.)

Fill a piping bag fitted with a small round tip and spoon in white royal icing. Pipe a thin line of icing along the edge of a colored egg, then place the lace half on top, lining up the edges.

Fill in any gaps between the two halves with more royal icing. Repeat this step with all other eggs. Let the royal icing dry completely before moving on.

7. Add a Ribbon

Roll white gum paste until it’s about ⅛” thick. Cut strips from more gum paste that are a little less than ¼” wide. Use the docking tool to create a stitch pattern up the center of each stitch.

Pipe a thin line of royal icing along the seam of an egg and cover it with a gum paste ribbon.

Pro Tip: Place the edges of the ribbon either at the bottom, so the ribbon seams sit at the base of your egg, or at the top, so you can add a bow and cover the seam.

8. Cover the Seam (Optional)

Fold a strip of gum paste so the ends touch in the center, then wrap the center with a small strip to make a bow. Place a small dot of royal icing on the back and stick it to the seam of the ribbon that wraps around the egg’s center. Add two short strips for the finishing touch.

Good to Know: If you don’t want another gum paste detail, you could also cover the seam by piping simple patterns or a flower.

9. Add Fine Detail

For another layer of design (and texture!), pipe royal icing details like dots or stitches along the eyelets and lace.

Once your eggs are dry, use them to top a cake or serve in decorative egg cups. However you display ’em, they’re sure to be eye-catching.

Pro Tip: Eggs made in advance should be stored in an airtight container to keep them in tip-top shape.

Photos by Erin Gardner