How to make a sweet tree

Sweet trees are a great gift or table top treat for parties and weddings. They can be colour coordinated to match any theme and can literally use any sweet treat you like making them very versatile.

What you will need:
Wooden dowel (7/8″ x 36″)
Small saw (for cutting dowel)
Small flower pot or vase
6 cm Styrofoam ball
Pastry brush
Glue gun (not pictured) or glue
Selection of sweets (your own choice).  Marshmallows, Flying Saucers, Liquorice Allsorts, Toffifee all work well
Wilton Candy Melts
SK Modelling Chocolate Cocoform
Modelling paste
Small piping bags
Selection of ribbons

Step 1:
Begin by selecting a pot. Small pots such as these can be purchased at Hobbycraft in the UK, or garden centers and cost very little.

Step 2:
Carefully cut your dowel to (approx) 10″ long.

Step 3:
Taking a piece of ribbon (in the colour of your choice), wrap it around the dowel horizontally, securing both the ends of the ribbon with a dab of glue to prevent it unraveling. I then used a thinner ribbon in a contrasting colour to wrap in between the first ribbon, securing the ends with glue in the same manner.

Step 4:
Using the undecorated (remaining dowel), create an indent of about 1.5 cm deep into the Styrofoam ball by pushing firmly in the middle. (Make sure that it is central as otherwise your tree will not stand straight).

Step 5:
Using your glue gun (or melted chocolate), stick your decorated dowel into the indent of the styrofoam ball, holding firmly in place for a minute to secure.

Step 6:
Take your cocoform and fill half the pot with it and push the dowel firmly into the pot. The cocoa form sets harder than regular fondant and secures the dowel. (I then used a little modelling paste (tinted pink) and put a thin layer on top and pushed around the dowel to hide the cocoa form and make it pretty, but this step is not necessary as the cocoa form adequately secures the dowel). Leave to set overnight.

Step 7:
Place candy melts into a heatproof bowl (you can use any colour melts to suit your theme) and melt in your microwave as per the manufacturing instructions on the pack. Once melted, take your pastry brush and paint the Styrofoam ball in candy melts until completely covered.

Step 8:
Fill a piping bag with a little chocolate and pipe a dot into the top centre and add your first sweet (in my case a marshmallow, but the same principal applies whichever sweet you are using). Press gently for a moment until the sweet sticks without sliding off.

*TIP. If you have difficulty making paper piping bags you may prefer to use plastic ones as the chocolate hardens quickly, and so you may need to use two or more bags to complete one sweet tree. Plastic bags can be warmed on a defrost heat in the microwave for a few seconds until softened.
Carry on adding sweets in a circular motion in layers until you reach the very bottom of the Styrofoam ball.  Make sure you get right underneath and to the dowel.

Step 9:
Finish off your sweet tree as you like, by adding bows, embellishments etc.

I hope you have enjoyed this tutorial. Have fun creating your own trees!

Happy Caking!

Gillian