Mirror glaze
A mirror glaze is a glossy, gelatine-set glaze poured over a frozen dessert: as soon as it touches the cold surface it sets, creating the flawless, reflective finish you know from patisserie entremets, mousse cakes and Yule logs. In this category you will find ready-made mirror glazes, all the ingredients for making your own, plus colours, velvet sprays and a glazing rack.
Ready-made or homemade mirror glaze?
Ready-made mirror glazes are the safe choice when time is short or you are glazing for the first time: warm the glaze as directed on the pack, stir it smooth without adding air and pour. We stock them in gold, red, violet, iridescent red and chocolate flavour, as well as a neutral version that you can tint yourself with gel colours.
A homemade mirror glaze needs only a few ingredients: sugar, water and glucose syrup are boiled to a syrup (to 103 °C in our recipe), poured over white chocolate and blended with bloomed gelatine and sweetened condensed milk. Powdered gelatine gives a smoother texture than leaf gelatine; check the bloom strength, as the quantity depends on it. Unsweetened evaporated milk will not work – it is too runny.
Temperature and preparation
- Freeze the dessert: it should be frozen solid, ideally overnight. Only an ice-cold surface makes the glaze set instantly in a thin, even layer.
- Glazing temperature: depending on the recipe, glaze at roughly 30–35 °C; our recipe uses 29–32 °C. Too warm and the glaze runs off too thin; too cold and it turns thick and uneven.
- Avoid air bubbles: tilt the stick blender and keep the head fully submerged in a tall jug, without moving it up and down, then pass the glaze through a fine sieve.
- Pour in one go: pour from the centre outwards in a single movement, let the excess drip off and tidy the edge with a palette knife.
Equipment and colours
A thermometer, a stick blender and a rack with a drip tray are essential – such as our glazing set with rack and container, which lets you collect, rewarm and reuse the excess glaze. For colouring, Funcakes and Progel gel colours tint without thinning the glaze. For special effects there are decorative powders and glitter in pump sprays as well as metallic sprays. If you prefer a matt, velvety finish, Silikomart or Funcakes velvet spray is sprayed onto the frozen, unglazed dessert.
Frequently asked questions about mirror glaze
How long does homemade mirror glaze keep?
Covered with cling film touching the surface, it keeps for about a week in the fridge and can also be frozen. Before use, warm it gently, blend briefly and bring it back to glazing temperature.
Why won’t the glaze stick to my dessert?
Usually the dessert is not frozen enough or the glaze is too warm. Frost or condensation on the surface also stops it sticking, so take the dessert out of the freezer just before glazing.
Can I use leaf gelatine?
Yes, but the glaze will be slightly more jelly-like. For our recipe, use about 6 leaves instead of 10 g of powdered gelatine.
Read more: Step-by-step mirror glaze recipe · Food colouring · Couverture chocolate · Dessert material




























































