Mirror glaze – Modern Christmas Cake
In recent years the use of a mirror glaze finish on modern cakes, monoportions, semifreddi and ice cream cakes has spread widely.
Using mirror glaze is not as hard as you may think:
Once you have your mousse or Bavarois cake (made with a steel springform pan or in a silicone mould) you pour the glaze over the perfectly smooth surface of your frozen dessert and cover it with a very thin layer.
With a mirror glaze your cake will look incredibly shiny and aesthetically very beautiful
Mirror glazes can be classified in two main groups:
Chocolate or cocoa mirror glaze:
It is made with glucose syrup, sucrose and water, to which you add condensed milk, gelatine and chocolate. It is not difficult to make however, careful attention should be paid to the cooking temperature, and you must avoid the formation of air bubbles inside the glaze itself.
Fruit mirror glaze:
It contains fruit purees, sugar syrup preventing crystallization and pectin.
To make things easier I have collected here all the mirror glaze recipes you can find on this blog, plus a brand new one.
White and Coloured Mirror Glaze
Ingredients
- 15 g 200 Bloom Gelatin
- 75 g Water (for the Gelatine)
- 140 g Water
- 235 g Granulated Sugar
- 220 g Glucose Syrup
- 155 g condensed milk
- 240 g White Chocolate
- Hydrosoluble food colouring (powder, liquid or gel) of your choice
Instructions
- First place the gelatine in ice-cold water to hydrate and soften it.
- Then, melt the chocolate to 45°C.
- Place water, sugar and glucose in a steel saucepan and boil until they reach 103°C.
- Once they have, take the pan off the heat, add the condensed milk and the perfectly dissolved and hydrated gelatine.
- Pour this mixture over the melted white chocolate and blend with an immersion blender, then add the food colouring.
- Let it chill in the fridge for 10-12 hours.
- The pouring temperature of this mirror glaze is about 35°C and it has to be blended with an open head hand blender (e.g. Bamix). The dessert must be frozen and demoulded just before you glaze it to avoid frost formation on the surface.
- Have a nice dessert!
Recipe:
Milk Chocolate Mirror Glaze
Dark Chocolate Mirror Glaze
Cocoa butter Mirror Glaze
Soft cocoa Mirror Glaze
Classic Cocoa Mirror Glaze
Recipe:
- 18 g 200-Bloom Gelatine
- 90 g Water (for the Gelatine)
- 285 g Water
- 240 g Sugar
- 180 g Glucose Syrup 46 DE
- 115 g Unsweetened Cocoa Powder
- 240 g Single Cream 35%
Bloom the gelatine in cold water (90 g).
Mix water, cream, sugar and cocoa in a saucepan on the stove and stir constantly with a whisk.
Bring to a boil and cook for a few minutes; to test if the glaze quality (or nappage) is right dip a spoon into the glaze coating: if it does not slip away you have the right glaze consistency.
Let cool to 60°C and add the hydrated gelatine, then mix with an immersion blender.
Let it chill in the fridge for a few hours.
Important tip: the perfect pouring temperature for this glaze is 35-38°C.
Shiny Clear Tropical Fruits Mirror Glaze
Recipe:
- 80 g Maracuja Puree
- 70 g Pineapple Puree
- 340 g Mango Puree
- 160 g Water
- 170 g Glucose Syrup 46 DE
- 170 g Sucrose
- 10 g NH Pectin
N.B.: NH is a type of pectin that gels in the presence of acidic substances
Heat the purees and the water with glucose up to 45°C, then add the sugar previously mixed dry with the pectin; bring to a boil stirring constantly.
Cool the mirror glaze and use at 38°C.
Shiny Clear Glaze
Recipe:
- 25g Sugar
- 225 g Sugar
- 150 g Water
- 70 g Glucose Syrup 46 DE
- 6 g NH pectin
- 5 g Lemon Juice
N.B.: NH is a type of pectin that gels in the presence of acidic substances.
Mix 25 g of sugar with pectin, pour into hot water at about 55°C and bring to a boil.
Add the remaining sugar and glucose and heat up to 95°C, then add the lemon juice.
Cool quickly and keep in the fridge.
Strawberry Glaze
Recipe:
- 250 g Shiny Clear Mirror Glaze
- 25 g Strawberry Pulp
- 80 g Strawberry Jam
Heat up the shiny clear mirror glaze.
Add the strawberries pulp and jam.
Bring to a boil and let it cool.
Important tip: the perfect pouring temperature for this mirror glaze is approx. 32°C.
Have a nice dessert!
2 Responses
Hugo Knight
Hi Loris,
What is the purpose for condensed milk in the white and coloured mirror glaze?
If I have a dark choc mousse but I want to cover in a rhubarb jam, I imagine the choc mousse would darken the colour and reflective properties of the jam (from underneath)… therefore do you recommend I use your coloured mirror glaze recipe and stir in the rhubarb jam in place of the condensed milk and reduce the gelatin content to set only the glucose, sugar and chocolate? (Jam already contains pectin)?
Graziemille maestro
Cristina
this is very helpful. Thank you