It’s that time of year where you might find yourself with extra candy on hand, so why not incorporate it in your next cake design? Candy can make for a fun and easy addition to your cake, whether you use it in its original form, melt and reshape it, or use it as material for sculpting. Try out these sweet suggestions for decorating with candy, featured in the Inspiration Bites section of Volume 4, Issue 10 of Cake Central Magazine!

Tootsie Rolls® – Use these chocolatey sweets to sculpt figures that taste as good as they look. They’re a popular choice for leathery looking top hats on steampunk-inspired cupcakes, too.

Rock Candy – These old-fashioned candies add shine and texture to a cake. If you’re extra adventurous, you can even grow your own and customize the flavors.

Sour Belts – Swap out your fondant ribbons for this tangy treat. The sour crystals coating these belts add a pleasant sparkle.

Starburst® fruit chews – This taffy-style candy is surprisingly malleable and comes in a variety of bright colors. You can use them to sculpt tasty bouquets of tiny roses and other flowers.

Jolly Rancher® candies – Colorful hard candies can be melted and reshaped. Make traditional stained glass cookies, or put crushed candies in heatsafe molds and melt in the oven to create a variety of shapes like gems or flowers.