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 ¼ liquid then whipped up to a firm peak. Fold until combined and smooth.
Fill your mold with about ⅓ of the mousse. Layer up some strawberries or fruit puree. More whipped cream, then your cake (I recommend our delicious vanilla cake recipe). 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!
Recipe
Ingredients
Ingredients
- 10 oz Granulated Sugar
- 7 oz Sweetened Condensed Milk
- 5 oz Water
- 4 teaspoon Gelatin Powder
- 2.5 oz Water
- 7 oz White Chocolate (high quality for best results such as Valrhona)
- 2 drops White Food Coloring
Instructions
Instructions
- Add the sugar 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 15 minutes.
- Combine white chocolate and sweetened condensed milk in large heat proof container
- When the sugar and water mixture begins to simmer (do not boil), 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 sweetened condensed milk and leave to sit for 5 minutes to melt.
- Use a whisk or immersion blender to stir the glaze until the chocolate has completely melted.
- Add the gel food coloring and stir until well-mixed. Pass the glaze through a fine strainer to remove any lumps. Leave the glaze to cool.
- Once the glaze has cooled to 90º F / 32º 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 5 minutes before using a hot knife to remove the drips.
- Enjoy your cake right away or refrigerate until serving. Keep in mind that glaze loses it's shine after 24 hours so if you're making this for a client make sure you pour the same day as delivery.
Video
Nutrition
Patty says
Hi there...I made the Mirror Cake Glaze recipe today...I froze the cake as directed...I followed all the instructions , the glazing came out very nice, but when I cut into the cake, it was like cutting into rubber.....could barely cut it with a knife.....I used the exact amt. of gelatin and water...I can't figure out what I did wrong..and I really wanted it to turn out....Hope you can help me!!!
The Sugar Geek Show says
The glaze is rubbery, that's just how it is. Next time heat your knife a bit in hot water if you want to cut through it in slices but usually you just eat with a spoon 🙂
Ashley says
Hi! You say in the recipe to use a whisk but in the video immersion blender? Will the whisk be alright??
The Sugar Geek Show says
I whisk to combine then use the immersion blender to make it really smooth
Debbi says
Great info, you are awesome. My plan is to make a rectangle cake look like a lace tablecloth. My question is, after I buttercream the cake, can I put the sugar lace on and mirror glaze over? Or would it be better to mirror glaze the cake then put on the lace?
The Sugar Geek Show says
The mirror glaze would just drip all over the lace and be a huge mess if you put it on first but you could put the lace over the mirror glaze after you trimmed the glaze
G Parker says
Hi! This is a very good tutorial, thank you! Just a question, you mentioned about using ganache for mirror glazed cakes, does it mean i can use any cake e.g. chocolate cake recipe with buttercream filling as it is and finish it with ganache and freeze it before pouring the mirror glaze, or this only applies to all mousse cakes that's finished with ganache? How about buttercream? Thank you!
The Sugar Geek Show says
It can be mousse, ganache, buttercream, anything you want as long as it's frozen and smooth before pouring on the mirror glaze
Bode Procinsky says
What kind of food colouring should be used??
The Sugar Geek Show says
I used americolor food coloring
Jennifer says
Can you use whipped cream for the mirror glaze
The Sugar Geek Show says
Sure can! Just make sure it's very frozen before pouring the glaze and make sure your glaze is at 90ª so it's not too thin
Amber says
Sooo disappointed I’ve never followed a recipe more closely in my life ? and my glaze turned into a huge glob it took forever to cool to 90 and it was a glob nearly have to throw the measuring cup I poured it from out
The Sugar Geek Show says
Sounds like something went wrong in your making of the glaze, I've made this many times and so have others so I know the recipe is correct. The first step to figuring out what went wrong is to go over every ingredient to see if you measured correctly or if you changed any of the ingredients. Second step is to see if you missed any steps.
Tahira Guyon says
I’m super excited about my birthday coming up June 20. I’m going out of town, hotel & all. Can this glaze travel?
The Sugar Geek Show says
It will lose it's shine after 24 hours but otherwise, it travels just fine. I would defrost the cake in the fridge before traveling so that it doesn't sweat too much.
Chiné says
Hi.
Will this work on normal sugar cookies with buttercream base frosting?
The Sugar Geek Show says
I don't see why not
Uma Dhamankar says
Hi can I pour this on a cake crumb coated with choc ganache ( not whipped ) and also on a square cake ? Thanks
The Sugar Geek Show says
You can if the ganache is super cold/frozen
Mary White says
Is there anyway to cool the glaze faster then letting it sit. My sister and I made a cake and it took about 3-4 hours for the glaze to cool down to 92F .
The Sugar Geek Show says
If you pour the glaze into a shallow pan, more air can come into contact with the glaze and it will cool faster
Asha says
Beautiful cake! What is the green sugar decoration around the bottom?
The Sugar Geek Show says
Isomalt decorations 🙂
reign says
could we use egg less mousse to cover the cake then the mirror glazed?
The Sugar Geek Show says
Yes you can as long as it's frozen before you put the glaze over the top
Sarah Olivieri says
Can I use candy coloring or does it have to be water-based food coloring?
The Sugar Geek Show says
It can be regular food coloring, I prefer gels from Americolor
Orna says
Hi, thank you for a great recipe. 🙂 I'll be doing it for my daughter's b-day party (2 hours drive) what should be the order and times for freezing, glazing, cooling before leaving to the party? Thank you for your help.
The Sugar Geek Show says
Freeze, pour the glaze and then keep chilled in a cooler as well as you can.
Dominique Carpentier says
Oh, and for the water the weights are 140g and 125g?
The Sugar Geek Show says
Hey Dominique, thank you so much for pointing this out. I went through and updated all the measurements to be consistent with oz or grams. You should be able to switch between the two at the bottom of the recipe card. I made this recipe so long ago, I don't know where I got 32 grams of gelatin from but when I weighed my tsp, mine was 3.5 grams. So I adjusted the recipe to reflect that. I dont think I get very many people needing the grams measurements so I assume everyone has been using the tsp measurements with no problems.
Cynthia Tomblin says
I am making this cake for my moms birthday and was wondering about putting frosting on top that says happy birthday?? any suggestions?
The Sugar Geek Show says
You can pipe on top of the mirror glaze once it's set and write Happy Birthday if you would like 🙂
Ameera says
Hi..can I draw on the glaze? If yes when? Should I leave the glazing cake in the freezer or fridge or outside to draw on it? Which color can I use..and how can I draw on the glaze? Thank you
The Sugar Geek Show says
You can pipe buttercream onto the glaze or you can paint with metallic colors. Keep the cake refrigerated until it's ready to be served.
Lin says
Can you put a piece of fondant on top of mirror glazed? 8" round fondant with decoration. I need to do this Oct. 4th
The Sugar Geek Show says
No, the mirror glaze will melt the fondant
Melinda Loud says
The written instructions are wrong. You don't say to put the milk with the water and sugar mixture...
The Sugar Geek Show says
The recipe isn't wrong, the condensed milk goes in with the chocolate. I used to put it with the sugar but I don't do that anymore.
Mariam says
How long should I keep the cake in the freezer?? Can u tell the time?
The Sugar Geek Show says
I freeze mine overnight
Violeta Bjørgvinsson says
Hi, I am wondering if my custard which I was using to cover my cake , is litlle bit more liquid than it should be but still holds on the cake, when I freeze the cake over night and than take it out and pour mirror glaze on it, will mirror glaze hold it together the cake and the custard or when it`s starts to melt it will melt it all together , custard and mirror glaze ? Thank you in advance !
The Sugar Geek Show says
The mirror glaze will not melt. If your custard is soft though and defrosts it may start collapsing under the glaze
Elanor says
Hi, this looks so great! I am doing a night sky mirror glazed cake for my birthday in a couple of weeks. I did a test run a few days ago and everything worked great. My question is, you mentioned above that the glaze will melt fondant, so does that mean it would be totally not doable to put black fondant tree silhouettes around the bottom sides of the cake? Would you happen to have any ideas for some other medium I could use to create the same look? Thanks so much!
The Sugar Geek Show says
You could use modeling chocolate instead of fondant 🙂
Sue says
I have been asked to do a wedding g cake with this icing. I see by one comment that they did a tier cake my question is this. We’d did g usually like the cake to set out for a few hours how long will this last once I get it there in April?
Thank you,
Sue
The Sugar Geek Show says
This mirror glaze shouldn't be out for more than a few hours
Madalina says
Hi! Thank you for your sharing your recipe! I want to give it a go for my New Year Eve dinner ? I am planning to cover the glaze with some gum paste shapes( like small stars)/ decorations instead of fondant! Would that work?! Thank you ?☺️
The Sugar Geek Show says
Unfortunately, the glaze will make the fondant or gum paste start to melt