Make Your Own Flavored Sugar Cubes

A few month ago my daughter sent me a fabulous gift box with all sorts of luxurious goodies. Among the treats was a cylinder of these beautiful london fog sugar cubes. My daughter knows I LOVE London Fogs; basically a latte made with Earl Grey tea rather than coffee. It didn’t take me long to fire up the kettle and put these pretty little cubes of sweetness to the test.

They were so lovely – both in taste and appearance. Little bits of blue cornflower floating amongst flecks of vanilla. The tea was warm and delicious and made me feel special. . . $17 (plus shipping) special! Yes, while these gorgeous sugar cubes are a wonderful splurge, at almost $2 a cube I could not maintain my London Fog habit – and that would be tragic!. So I thought, “how hard could it be to make your own sugar cubes?”

“Why sometimes I’ve believed as many as six impossible things before breakfast.”

Lewis Carroll, Alice in Wonderland

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Making Sugar Cubes: The Supplies

After a little research, I learned making your own flavored sugar cubes is not hard at all – REALLY easy in fact! There are only four ingredients needed to make the London Fog sugar cubes. Sugar, vanilla, culinary lavender and blue cornflower petals. Not including the sugar, which you probably already have, these three ingredients run a little over $30. For that, you can make literally hundreds of sugar cubes. That’s endless days of London Fog love for mere pennies a cup! (Insert angels singing.)

The only other special tool/supply you need is a shaped silicone mold to make the ‘cubes’ in. I tried two different sizes and they work equally well. Just keep in mind, you want to use about 1 to 1.5 tsps of sugar per cube (or whatever shape you choose).

This size makes the cutest mini heart-shaped sugar cubes!

This mold makes larger cubes in a variety of shapes

Other household items you need are:

• a small juice glass with warm water (3-4oz)
• a small spoon
• a tablespoon and a 1/4 teaspoon
• a tea infuser spoon or a fine mesh sieve or a piece of cheese cloth
• a sharp knife and cutting mat
• a pastry brush (optional)
• a small bowl – or more preferably, a small food processor

That’s it. Are you ready to get started?

“Would you like an adventure now or shall we have tea first?

Lewis Carroll, Alice in Wonderland

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It’s All About Subtle Flavor

When you make flavored sugar cubes you want your flavors to be detectable but not overpowering. To create these subtle flavors we infuse both the water and the sugar.

Infusing the sugar with vanilla

• Place one cup of sugar in a bowl or mini food processor
• Place a vanilla pod on a cutting board and use a sharp knife to cut the long edge of the pod
• Open the pod and gently scrape the vanilla caviar out of the pod and into the sugar – set the pod aside. (Use 1 to 2 pods per cup of sugar)
• Stir or blend (pulse) the sugar with the vanilla
• Bury the empty vanilla pods in the sugar and cover the bowl
• Let the sugar sit while steeping the lavender

Infusing the water with lavender

• Place about 3 oz of warm water in a small glass
• Fill a tea infuser with one tsp of lavender buds. If you don’t have a tea infuser, make a pouch with cheese cloth and a string or simply place the lavender buds in the water and have a sieve ready for draining.
• Place the infuser in the cup of warm water for 30 minutes

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Something Blue

The addition of the blue cornflower petals doesn’t really add flavor; it’s more of a visual bonus. The purple-blue looks so pretty against the bright white of the sugar There are always some stems within the cornflower mixture so be sure to spread a tablespoon of the mix out on a paper towel and throw the yellow/brown bits out.

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Time To Mix It Up

Remove the vanilla pods from the sugar mixture and the lavender-filled tea infuser from the water.

• Add the one tablespoon of blue cornflower petals to the sugar mixture and stir or pulse
• Add a tablespoon of the lavender water to the sugar mixture and stir or pulse
• If you need more water – add it in 1/4 tsp increments until the sugar mixture resembles damp sand and sticks together when you squeeze it.

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Shaping the Sugar Cubes

This part of the process is very easy but takes a bit of patience. For the larger molds (1″), use a teaspoon to scoop the mixture into the molds. Press down firmly as you go. Use the end of a spoon handle or the back of a 1/4 tsp to compact the sugar into the mold.

I found the best way to get the sugar into the smaller mold was to dump a tablespoon full of sugar mixture over a section of the mold and use a pastry brush to sweep the sugar into the holes. Use the end of the spoon or the back of a 1/4 tsp to press the sugar firmly into the mold.

Leave the sugar in the mold overnight. As the moisture evaporates, the sugar cubes will harden. IF YOU LIVE IN A HUMID CLIMATE, place the sugar filled mold in the microwave for 25 seconds on 60% power. Don’t let the sugar bubble or boil. This process will help evaporate some of the moisture. Let the sugar cubes air dry for a few hours after you remove them from the molds.

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Voila! Flavored Sugar Cubes

Of course there are other flavor combinations that would be delish; lime zest and mint, grapefruit zest and marigolds, mandarin orange and basil, lemon and vanilla with rose petals are just a few ideas. Get creative and don’t forget, these sugar cubes can be used for cocktails or refreshing iced drinks like iced tea or lavender lemonade.

but now, in the words of the Mad Hatter

“Yes that’s it. It’s always tea time.”

Wait! There’s more . . . check out the 5-Minute Mini Gift Bag for a sweet way to gift these sugary gems.

Until then, stay healthy and craft happy.

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