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Building a sugar cube igloo is a fun holiday activity for the whole family.

Here’s what you’ll need:

• 1 box Imperial Sugar® Confectioners Powdered Sugar
• 1 lemon
• 2 egg whites
• 2 packages Imperial Sugar® Cubes
• 1 bag Imperial Sugar® Extra Fine Granulated Sugar
• Wax paper
• Decorative tray
• Half a Styrofoam ball (optional)

Step 1
Using a hand or stand electric mixer, combine powdered sugar, egg whites and half of lemon until mixture is smooth. This frosting, known as Royal Icing, will be mortar for your igloo.

Step 2
Lay a sheet of wax paper flat on a decorative tray. Building your igloo on a decorative tray will allow you to create a winter wonderland around your igloo once it is finished.

Step 3
For younger kids, use half of the Styrofoam ball as a support to build the igloo around. This will make the building process easier and prevent unwanted collapses. Arrange 25 to 30 sugar cubes in a circle on the wax paper or as many as will fit around the base of the Styrofoam, dipping the bottom of each cube in the frosting before you add it to the circle. Press each cube down to make sure it is secure. Be sure to leave a hole in your circle about 4 cubes wide for the igloo entrance.

Step 4
Dip the bottom of each new cube into your frosting and add it to the second layer. Make sure you make this circle a little bit smaller than the base so that it will eventually form a dome. Also be sure to place the cubes like bricklayers do so that the first cube of the second layer is placed in between the first and second cube of the first layer.

Step 5
Repeat step 4 for each new layer until about half of your igloo is built and then allow it to dry. While waiting for the first half of your igloo to dry, you can begin to assemble the entrance.

Step 6
Line 2 to 3 sugar cubes on either side of the hole you left in your igloo so that it creates two perpendicular lines protruding from the dome. Use the frosting to stick together the cubes the same way you did your base layer. Add a few more layers, again placing the cubes slightly closer to the center for each layer, until you have a domed entrance.

Step 7
Now you can return to the main dome of your igloo. Complete the igloo layer by layer, allowing each layer to become slightly smaller than the last, and letting each layer dry before the next so that the igloo doesn’t collapse. Add layers until you eventually close off the igloo.

Step 8
Once your igloo has dried, you can go back and fill in the gaps between the cubes to create a rounder shape. Add the other half of the lemon to your frosting to thin it and fill in cracks. You can also let it drip from the top of the entrance to form icicles.

Step 9
Cover the area around the igloo with Imperial Sugar as snow and drizzle left over the igloo to look like snow. Add toys or snow village accessories to complete your winter wonderland.

Caution: igloo is for decoration only. It should not be consumed because of the raw eggs in the frosting.