Making Sugar Cubes in the Oven
Pour a cup of sugar into a bowl. You can use any type of sugar except powdered sugar. Choose raw sugar, brown sugar, or plain granulated sugar.
Add three teaspoons of water to the bowl of sugar. Pour it over the sugar evenly and let it sit for a few seconds.
Mix the water and sugar with a fork. Try to remove the clumps of sugar and make a smooth mixture. If clumps of sugar remain, continue mixing to remove them. The sugar is ready when it retains it shape when lightly pressed.
Line a baking pan with parchment paper. You can use a bread pan, a loaf pan, or any type of glass or metal pan that is oven safe.
Pour the sugar onto the parchment paper. Pack the sugar into the base of the pan very tightly with a spatula or another tool that is stiff and flat. The height should be similar to a commercial sugar cube, around 1.27cm/1/2 an inch. If you want sugar pieces that aren't shaped like cubes, pour the sugar into oven-safe candy molds or muffin tins. If you have candy molds that aren't oven safe, you can still use them. Pour the sugar into the molds and use a spatula to flatten the tops. Instead of putting the molds in the oven, cover them loosely with parchment paper and leave them on the counter overnight. They'll be hard by morning.
Score the sugar. Using a knife, cut the sugar sheet into cubes of the size you want. Try to cut neat, even squares. Do not forget this step; if you do, you will end up with a sugar block, rather than sugar cubes.
Put the pan in an oven preheated to 120°C or 250°F. Set a timer for 1 hour.
Remove the pan of sugar from the oven. After one 1 hour, take the pan out and let the sugar cubes cool for at least 10 minutes.
Break up the cubes. Pull the sugar cubes out of the pan and break them apart with your hands or something smooth like a knife. If cut properly, they will break fairly easy.
Store the cubes. Put the sugar cubes into an airtight container for future use. Or, pop them into your coffee or tea right now and enjoy.
Ice Cube Tray Version
Get silicone ice cube trays. This method works best if you choose silicon ice cube trays with cute shapes, such as hearts, stars, animals or something quirkier than the same old cube. Silicon trays are the best because you'll be able to remove the sugar cubes much more easily, with less likelihood of damaging them.
Pour the sugar into the mixing bowl. You can make more than 1/2 a cup's worth but this is a good amount for a beginner to play with.
Add a teaspoon of water into the sugar and mix. Continue adding water a teaspoonful at a time until you have mixed together a paste of sugar and water. Don't make it too gooey or wet, or the sugar will dissolve. At this stage you can mix in a few drops of food coloring to make colored cubes. Consider adding a few drops of vanilla, almond, or lemon extract to make flavored sugar.
Spoon the sugar paste into each mold of the ice cube tray. Fill the molds about halfway only.
Pack the sugar. Press down into the molds with the back of a spoon to make an even surface and to pack the sugar down so that it sticks together.
Dry the sugar. Set the tray aside in a dry spot to let the water evaporate. If it's humid in your kitchen, the cubes might not set.
Remove the sugar shapes. Remove each piece of sugar by carefully pushing from the base of the ice cube tray and tapping gently into the palm of your hand. Store in an airtight container or use straight away.
Finished.
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