Mirror glaze

Name: Mirror glaze
Prep time: 10 min
Cook time: 5 min
Total time: 15 min
Yield: 0
Ingredients: Dark chocolate 55% 12 oz; Water 1 cup; Sugar 0.8 cup; Acacia honey 2 tbsp

it de fr es br

Gluten Free
Vegetarian

Difficulty: Easy
Prep time: 10 min
Cook time: 5 min
Makes: Persons
Cost: Low

PRESENTATION

Mirror glaze is that glossy, super-smooth finish you see on fancy cakes and modern desserts in French pastry shops. It is what gives a mirror glaze cake that almost glass-like look—sometimes you can even see your reflection. Pretty cool, right? Many recipes swap out glucose for honey. And look, it works really well, keeping things moist while still giving you that shiny surface.

The key thing with a mirror glaze recipe? It’s all about temperature. Keep it right around 35°C, so the glaze is fluid enough to pour. But not so warm it runs off the cake. This temp makes it easy to coat everything—from little Valentine’s sweets to big birthday cakes and semifreddos. Air bubbles? Big no-no. You gotta mix slowly and carefully. That’s what helps get that perfect, even surface that makes a mirror glaze stand out in any dessert case.

Pastry chefs across France really pay attention to these small details. With this mirror glaze technique, what really matters is the texture. If you mix too fast, you’ll get little bubbles, and the glaze loses that mirror look. So gentle mixing is the way to go. It's smooth and shiny. Works on all kinds of desserts, especially those with creamy or tender fillings like Bavarian creams.

The glaze itself adds a bit of sweetness and a subtle chocolate note, especially if you opt for a chocolate mirror glaze version. And here's the thing—though it looks super fancy, once you get the hang of the main mirror glaze methods, it’s pretty easy to make your cakes look like they came from a pro bakery. Seriously. Whether you're making a birthday treat or some modern French pastries, this mirror glaze cake method is what gives desserts that next-level shine. And a little bit of wow. Plus, with a little patience and the right temp, you can get that glossy, picture-perfect finish every time. Really makes it a favorite in contemporary pastry decoration.

How to prepare Mirror glaze

To prepare the mirror glaze, first finely chop the dark chocolate 1 and transfer it into a bowl 2. Now prepare the syrup: pour the sugar into a saucepan 3.

Add the water as well 4 and as soon as it starts to boil 5 cook for 3 minutes. Pour the hot syrup directly over the chocolate 6.

Stir vigorously with a spatula, being careful not to incorporate air, until the chocolate is completely melted 7. Add the honey 8 and stir again to obtain a smooth and homogeneous mixture 9.

Transfer the glaze into a tall glass and emulsify with an immersion blender 10, without incorporating air, until you get a smooth glaze 11 12. Use the glaze as soon as possible to prevent it from setting too much. If it becomes too hard, you can heat it for 20/30 seconds in the microwave. The correct usage temperature is 95°F. At this temperature, the glaze will be fluid enough, not too liquid, but not too solid either.

Storage

The glaze can be stored in the refrigerator for a week. Just heat it in the microwave when you want to use it.

Tip

For a perfect result, the dessert to be glazed should be frozen first at 0°F, eliminating the risk of the dessert melting when in contact with the glaze or, if excessively cold, creating an unfavorable thermal shock for the good spreading of the glaze.

For the translation of some texts, artificial intelligence tools may have been used.

Mirror glaze

PRESENTATION

How to prepare Mirror glaze

Storage

Tip

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