Things You'll Need
Stiff cardboard, 15 x 15 inches or large enough for the desired castle
Foil
Sugar cubes
Decorator’s frosting or powdered sugar and water
Ruler or straight edge
Optional
Craft sticks
Fondant
Printouts of castle details
Candy for decorating or battlement blocks
Paint
Girls and boys alike will love creating a sugary home for princesses and knights. Miniature medieval castles can easily be created with such simple supplies as sugar cubes and frosting. Medieval castles were vital to protecting the people from invaders. The defensive details -- such as moats, drawbridges and battlements -- can be added to a sugar-cube castle with candy, fondant, craft sticks or even paint.
Prepare Base and Mortar
Step 1
Cover the cardboard with foil. This will serve as the base for the castle.
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Step 2
Mark the lines for the walls lightly with the ruler. This will help keep the walls of the castle straight.
Step 3
Mix 1 cup of powdered sugar with 1 teaspoon of water until a thick paste forms. Use this as powdered sugar mortar. Alternatively, you can use frosting.
Begin Building
Step 1
Spread one side of a sugar cube with frosting or powdered sugar paste and place it frosting-side down on the base. The frosting will anchor the castle to the base.
Step 2
Spread frosting on each cube and, working with one sugar cube at a time, place them in a line to create the bottom layer of the wall. Remember to leave spaces for doors.
Step 3
Continue to place the frosting side down to create the second layer of the wall, moving up as each layer is completed. Leave spaces for windows or arrow slits according the design of the castle.
Step 4
Create smaller "stones" for the battlements by cutting sugar cubes in half. Small rectangular candies or fondant can also be used.
Step 5
Create castle details. Glue craft sticks together and cut to fit doors and windows to create a drawbridge and shutters. Or cut shapes from fondant and glue to the castle with frosting. Build a moat with rock candy or broken sugar cubes. Fill the moat with blue frosting or fondant "water."
Step 6
Allow frosting to dry completely before moving the castle.
Tip
Frosting large numbers of sugar cubes at once will let the frosting dry and keep it from sticking.
Fondant has a similar texture to cookie dough and can easily be cut with cookie cutters or a butter knife to create custom details, such as doors or shutters. It can be glued to the castle with frosting. Fondant can be found with cake decorating supplies at craft stores and can be dyed with food coloring.
By cutting sugar cubes in half and using them at the edges of walls, you can alternate the cracks between sugar cubes, creating a stronger wall.
White glue is sometimes used for sugar cube castles, but the water in the glue can dissolve the sugar.
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