What is Mirror Glaze Cake?
Mirror cake glaze is a shiny cake made by pouring a delicious chocolate sugar glaze that has gelatin in it over a frozen cake, called an entremet (oooh so french). You can use a variety of colors and shaped molds to make the frozen cake to get that super reflective surface which is how the cake got it’s name
These cakes really took off as a trend in 2017 but they seem like they are here to stay. One of the most popular creators of the mirror glaze cake is the instagrammer @olganoskovaa from Moscow Russia. Her cakes are so fun to watch, we never get tired of them!
What is mirror glaze made of?
Mirror glaze is made from sweetened condensed milk, a little chocolate, water and gelatin and sometimes flavorings and colors. Mirror glaze sets because of the gelatin but not hard. It is pretty sticky stuff.
Mirror glaze has a nice taste. It’s sweet but not too sweet and the flavors meld well with the cake and fillings. It might look a little strange putting gelatin on cake but it tastes delicious!
Easy Mirror Glaze Recipe
Lucky for us, easy mirror glaze recipe isn’t even that hard to make. Like most things related to baking, it does take a few specific things to be fully successful in your quest for mirror glaze awesomeness.
- Use a high quality white chocolate with more than 30% cocoa butter for best results
- Make sure you strain your glaze after you make it so that you don’t have any lumps ruining the finish
- Pour your glaze at exactly 90 degrees F. Too warm and it will run off your cake. Too cold and it won’t be smooth
- Make sure your entremet is frozen and fresh outta the freezer so that it sets the gelatin and chocolate in the glaze quickly
- Make sure you put your cake on top of a cake pan or glass so that the glaze can drip off easily.
Colored Mirror Glaze Recipe
To add colors to your glaze, simply start with making the white glaze. Divide the glaze into a few bowls and color them with regular food coloring. Some people like to then put these colors together into a big bowl or pitcher and then quickly pour over the frozen cake or they prefer to pour the colors individually and layer them up.
I used a combination of dark blue, turquoise and white to make this mirror glaze cake. You can even learn to make your own ocean wave mirror glaze cake complete with cool metallic effects!
fun little tip, if you add some metallic gold dust to some everclear or other grain alcohol and drip it over the mirror glaze, it makes some cool effects! Don’t use too much though or it will eat away at your glaze.
Mirror Cake Galaxy
Making a galaxy cake is super fun! For this I prefer to use a dark chocolate mirror glaze recipe and add a little black food coloring to make it nice and dark. Then layer up some white, pink, purple, blue or any colors you want really! Top with some edible sprinkles or glitter for an extra out-of-this world look!
Galaxy mirror glaze cakes can be really fun and easy! My daughter avalon helped me make this one in a recent fb live. I just love how she has recently shown more interest in helping me bake, especially when it’s time to lick the bowl.
Mirror glaze mousse cake recipe
So how do you actually make one of these beautiful, shiny cakes?
Start by making a mousse. Mousse is technically just any sort of custard (or pudding if you’re from the US) that is lightened by whipped cream. You could make your own or if you’re like me, you just use the boxed mix.
Switching up the flavors of your mousse can be pretty much anything! You can even start with vanilla and add in fruit purees to give it a different flavor like lemon or passion fruit! oohhh fancy.
How to make a mirror glaze cake
I had a great time making this valentines day themed mirror glaze cake heart with my daughter and she really enjoyed eating it. You see, its win/win that way. I get to make a yummy treat but I don’t have to feel guilty about eating the whole thing myself.
I cooked up a batch of chocolate vanilla pudding and folded in some whipped cream. About 1/4 liquid then whipped up to a firm peak. Fold until combined and smooth.
Fill your mold with about 1/3 of the mousse. Layer up some strawberries or fruit puree. More whipped cream, then your cake. Seal with another layer of cream and then freeze!
I love how this pretty cake looks on top of some melted ice cream and surrounded by fresh berries. Definitely the perfect valentines day dessert that you can easily make on your own.
My smooth mirror glaze cake mold is perfect for creating a super shiny surface for the cake! Don’t forget to trim off the drips after your glaze sets for a nice clean finish.
One more tip, once you glaze your cake, put it in the fridge for a few hours to soften. No one likes eating rock-hard cake! This cake will keep up to 24 hours but after that, it will start to lose it’s shine.
Chocolate mousse cake with mirror glaze
Chocolate mousse cakes are not the only way to use mirror glaze. You can also use regular cake iced in plain old buttercream to make a mirror glaze cake with frosting. Make sure it’s really really smooth though and frozen for a least an hour before you put that glaze over the top.
Once you put the glaze on, let the cake chill in the fridge until you’re ready to slice into it.
Kitchen tools to make a mirror glaze cake
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Kitchen thermometer – Vital tool for making sure your mirror glaze is not too hot or cold when you pour. Also great for use when using chocolate!
Mirror glaze mold (smooth heart) – The classic mirror glaze mold! Perfect size to make a tasty treat for two.
Mirror glaze mold (geometric) – This mold is a little bigger than the smooth heart and has a cool geometric finish. Great for small gatherings like bridal showers or birthdays!
Strainer (chinois) – super fine strainer for getting out pesky lumps and bumps in your mirror glaze so you have a super smooth, super shiny finish on all your cakes!
Mirror Cake Glaze Recipe
I used Justin Iso's mirror glaze recipe to make the cake I used for the Ocean Wave Mirror Glaze tutorial and it turned out awesome!
Ingredients
Ingredients
- 1 1/2 Cups Granulated Sugar About 300 grams
- 2/3 Cup Sweetened Condensed Milk About 200 grams
- 1/2 Cup + 1 Tbsp Water 5 oz
- 8 tsp Gelatin Powder 32 grams
- 1/2 Cup Water 4 oz
- 2 Cups White Chocolate (high quality for best results such as Valrhona) 360 grams
- Food Coloring
Instructions
Instructions
Add the sugar, sweetened condensed milk, and first quantity of water to a medium-sized saucepan and heat over medium-low heat, stirring occasionally.
Pour the second quantity of water into the powdered gelatin and mix with a spoon. Leave to fully absorb for a few minutes.
When the sugar, milk and water mixture begins to simmer, remove from the heat and add the bloomed gelatin. Stir until the gelatin has dissolved.
Pour the hot liquid on top of the chocolate chips and leave to sit for 5 minutes to melt.
Use a whisk to stir the glaze until the chocolate has completely melted.
Add the gel food coloring and stir until well-mixed. Leave the glaze to cool.
Once the glaze has cooled to 90º F / 37º C, pour it over the frozen cake which is on top of a cup, sitting on a tray or plate with a edge to catch the drips.
Leave the glaze to set for 15 minutes before using a spatula to remove the drips.
Transfer the cake to the fridge to set for a few hours before serving.
Hi, I made the mirror glaze and it was pretty easy, but I have a couple of questions; although the finishing was very shiny at first, after 10 minutes or so it lost the sheen and also it developed some bubbles. Any idea why this could have happened? I am ready for a second try but any advice would be helpful. Thank you , Pinuccio
If there are bubbles that means you mixed it a little too vigorously and trapped air in the mixture. Next time use a spoon or spatula. What did you do with the cake after you poured the glaze?
Thank you! This turned out perfectly.
liked to share a pic of my fantasy forest baby shower mirror cake, can I upload here?
Of course! Would love to see it
what if you can’t find that chocolate
Just use whatever high quality chocolate you have access to 🙂
can the glaze be put on a regular cake?
Yes but you have to have the buttercream very smooth and frozen for an hour so it sets the glaze. Do not freeze your cake solid
Hi in the first instruction it says to add water with the sugar so on and the second instruction is to add water with the gelatine powder.. Im curious is it the half cup water with the sugar, condensed milk so on and the tbsp with the gelatine or the other way around. Thankyou
I was wondering the same thing!
Step one is the first three ingredients in the recipe including the water. Step two is the second amount of water with the gelatin. Recipes are usually written in the order of ingredients used.
I love the reciep so bad but the only thing what i missed is mirror glaze is transparent. I follow the steps properly and 3 times my glaze doesn’t have density!!!
Thanks
Are you adding color? once you add color it shouldn’t be transparent or maybe you’re pouring at too warm of a temperature?
I am ready to try this recipe! Can you use flavored gelatin?
I wouldn’t
Can a cake covered with mirror glaze be frozen
No, the glaze will lose it’s shine after a while
Hi Liz, just wondering if there is a way to get the glaze just on top of the cake and not sides for an ocean effect, maybe parchment paper type around sides on fondant and let set up??
Sure, if you made a collar around the cake using parchment or acetate and then poured the glaze on top and let it set then peeled away the collar it would totally stay on the top
Can the glaze be used on chocolate buttercream that has been frozen the appropriate time? Do you think the chocolate color of the frosting would alter the color of the glaze? I am making one large sheet cake by putting two quarter sheet cakes, one vanilla with white frosting and the other chocolate with chocolate frosting, together, but the client would like the entire cake blue. Do you think it could work if the seam is smooth?
Yes you can do that 🙂
So funny! I came here to see your cake that I am making for my daughter, Avalan! (pronounced Avalon!) I haven’t met another Avalan (Avalon) before 🙂
Yay! It’s a pretty great name 🙂
Great recipe – I love that the ratio conversion is there for smaller (or larger) amounts. I made some today for a galaxy drip beach cake (long story)… but I was concerned the drip would be too fluid and too thin (I didnt want it down the height of the cake, just over the edges) so I let the mixture set up a bit more than would be desired for a normal cake coating… but then – as expected – it was a bit lumpy. I learned 2 handy tips from this – a brulee torch is very handy! a) to smooth it out, and make it drip more if needed (as it raises the temp again, and melts the gelatin), and b) that it will pop ANY bubbles that are coming or just under the surface!
Thanks again for sharing your recipe!
Great tip! I wonder if a hair dryer would work too? 😀
Arghhhh! No reply to how much water to use in which step!? I’ve been reading the comments hoping for an answer but it seems to be the only comment without a reply…
Hi Angela, I can update the recipe for you but for future reference, a recipe is written in the order of ingredients you use. So step one indicates you combine the first three ingredients including water together. Step two is combining the second amount of water with gelatin.