Follow my easy mirror glaze recipe to glaze any cake. You will need a cake covered in buttercream with a smooth finish that has been frozen for at least two hours or overnight.
Makes enough to cover a 20cm/9in layer cake or frozen cheesecake
2tbsppowdered gelatine (15g)
80ml| ⅓ cup cold waterto bloom the gelatine
200g| 1 cup granulated sugar
200g| 7oz corn syrup / glucose
100ml| 1/3 cup + 1 tbsp water
150g| 5.3oz sweetened condensed milk
200g| 7oz white chocolate chipsor a bar chopped into small pieces
selection of soft gel paste food colours
lustre powderoptional
selection of sprinklesoptional
1 cake covered in buttercreamfrozen for at least 2 hours
Instructions
Put the powdered gelatine in a small bowl and add the cold water. Allow it to 'bloom' - it will swell and become almost solid. Set aside.
Put the sugar, corn syrup and water into a saucepan and heat until sugar dissolves. Do not allow it to boil.
Take off the heat and stir in the gelatine until it melts.
Add the condensed milk and stir until smooth.
Put the chopped chocolate into a bowl and pour the hot mixture over it. Allow it to sit for a couple of minutes then stir slowly using a balloon whisk. Start from the centre and increase your stirring motion outwards until the glaze is completely smooth.
Strain the glaze using a fine sieve and discard any solids.
Add a small amount of your base colour into the glaze and stir until smooth. Adjust until you are happy with the colour.
Pour a small amount of the glaze into three smaller bowls and tint each bowl a complementary colour (I used blue, black and purple).
Check your glaze has reached 30C/89F before using with a digital thermometer. It can be a couple of degrees either side of this temperature.
Remove the cake from the freezer. Place on tin set over a rimmed tray to catch the excess glaze.
Smooth the top of the cake with a palette knife so it is as even and smooth as possible.
Pour the base colour glaze over the entire cheesecake, starting at the edges and filling in the centre.
Drizzle the contrasting colours over the top to create and interesting pattern – work quickly before the glaze has a chance to set.
Add a dusting of lustre powder or other decorations if you like. Leave the glaze to set and cake to come to room temperature before serving.
If you are not serving immediately, keep in the fridge until ready to slice.
Video
Notes
Mirror Glaze Equipment & Ingredients
This is the type of recipe that demands a certain set of tools and ingredients (contains affiliate links)
Sprinkles and decorations (optional - work with your colour theme)
You will also need a frozen cake that’s covered in a smooth coating of buttercream – ideally Swiss Meringue buttercream
Thermapen – temperature is absolutely key in making mirror glaze, do not attempt the recipe without it. If the glaze is too hot it will simply drip off the cake.
Digital scales – I use a scale for all my bakes but it is especially useful for mastering tricky skills like macarons or mirror cakes