How to Pack Mixture in Molds for Sugar Skulls

Packing a sugar skull mold tightly is what gives the skull it's defined features and shape. Unlike a cake pan that only gives you the general outline of a design, sugar skulls should unmold with the teeth, eyes and nose clearly visible. The head of a double sided mold should clearly show the dome of the skull and where the skull meets the base of the neck.

Difficulty: Easy

Instructions

Things You'll Need:

• Sugar
• Sugar skull mold
• Spoon
• Spatula

1. Pick up a heaping mound of sugar on a tablespoon or wooden spoon. Pour it into the sugar skull mold, and pack it down firmly. Use the back and sides of the spoon to push the sugar into all the areas very firmly, paying extra attention to the mouth and chin areas.

2. Add another heaping spoonful of sugar on top of the first packed down layer. Repeat the process of firmly packing the sugar into the mold, using the back and sides of your spoon.

3. Take a spatula and scrape off excess sugar. If the back of the mold has spots where the sugar isn't level, pack in more sugar and scrape off the excess until you have a solid, flat mold in the back.

4. Repeat the sugar packing process mentioned in Steps 1 through 3 for a two-sided sugar skull mold, which makes a large sugar skull you connect with icing. Pay special attention to the curve in the skull for the head mold, making sure the sugar is packed firmly in the dome part of the skull.