From our easy DIY "day after" brunch, here's the How To for a donut hole "croquembouche" tower. Thanks to Rebecca Pfiffner from Be Hitched for this fun project!
Credits: DIY donut hole croquembouche tower
DIY DONUT HOLE TOWER "CROQUEMBOUCHE"Supply list1. foam cones (we purchased ours from Michael's)Directions- - Start by covering the entire Styrofoam cone with toothpicks. Start at the base and work your way up, pressing the donut holes into the toothpicks (each donut hole will be held in place by more than one toothpick). Tips- Be sure to buy more toothpicks than you think you need. For the large foam tower (about 24" high) we used 800 toothpicks! For the medium tower (18" high) we used about 600 toothpicks. - We found that smaller, evenly round cake donut holes work a bit better than the larger traditional glazed donut holes, which often come in varying sizes and shapes. But it does mean you'll need more donut holes since they're slightly smaller.- If you need to transport the donut towers after you add the donut holes, wait to add the last bunch of toothpicks and donut holes on the top until after the tower has been put in its final place of display. You'll want to be able to grip the top to stabilize the tower when you move it, and being able to hold on to the foam at the top makes this a lot easier than trying to maneuver around the donut holes.Design ideas- You can opt for simple plain glazed donut holes, or chocolate, powdered sugar, or a variety. You can make a spiral pattern, random assortment, or you can even add sprinkles!- I'm a sucker for all things polka dot, so at first we thought we'd use chocolate donut holes for "dots" but they were so dark that the donut tower started to look a bit ominous - great for Halloween treats, but not the look I was going for! I decided I wanted some real pops of color instead, and couldn't find donut holes with sprinkles anywhere, I decided to make my own. (This is a pretty simple trick, but it definitely adds to the work time for this project.) Using plain glazed donut holes, I dipped them in an extra layer of homemade glaze (powdered sugar mixed with warm water) so they were good and sticky, rolled them in sprinkles, and set them aside to dry. We paired some of the colorful, sprinkled doughnut holes with some powdered sugar ones, and it turned out to be just the kind of polka dot design I was hoping for - fun and festive without being over the top!As simple as the donut towers were to make, it took a bit of trial and error to figure out the best and most efficient ways to put them together. At first, we tried doing a few toothpicks at a time at the base of the tower, adding donuts along the way to work our way up. But we found that once your hands get sticky with glaze, it's much harder to press new toothpicks into the foam. So...2. toothpicks3. donut holes- A simple cake topper is an easy way to add an extra touch of whimsy to your donut tower.
