Water Glaze

Name: Water Glaze
Prep time: 10 min
Total time: 10 min
Yield: 0
Ingredients: Powdered sugar 0.8 cup; Water to taste; Food coloring water-soluble to taste

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Gluten Free
Lactose Free
Vegetarian
Vegan

Difficulty: Very easy
Prep time: 10 min
Makes: pieces
Cost: Very low

PRESENTATION

When you’re looking to add a smooth, shiny finish to your homemade treats, the Italian glassa all’acqua is just what you need. Really, it's that good. This water glaze recipe skips the egg whites found in royal icing, so it's more fluid and way easier to work with. In Italy, it’s a favorite for cookies, bignè, simple cakes, ciambelle, or even plumcake. Pretty simple, right? You can easily adjust the texture by adding more or less water, letting your glaze go from kind of thick to super light.

This sugar glaze with water is perfect for home baking across Italy, especially when you want something quick without a ton of ingredients. Seriously, it’s fast to make, requiring only two ingredients—so simple. Plus, it’s great when you're short on time but want your desserts to look special.

Different regions in Italy put their own spin on this simple glaze icing. You know, some people add a splash of lemon juice for a tangy twist, creating a lemon juice glaze that really, really wakes up your taste buds. And look, others enjoy playing with colors, using food coloring to match holidays or celebrations. It gives your desserts a fun, bright look. Sure, you will not get super-fine decorations or lettering like with royal icing, but that's part of the charm—it’s all about that shiny, almost glass-like cover.

Whether you’re drizzling it over a moist cake or letting it set on crispy cookies, the look is always inviting. For real. People often use this powdered sugar glaze to dress up baked goods at home, and it works just as well on simple treats as it does on fancy pastries. It’s something you can experiment with—add flavors or colors to make each batch unique. And the result? It always looks cheerful and tastes just a bit sweet. That’s why this homemade glaze for pastries is such a classic in Italian kitchens. No question about it.

How to prepare Water Glaze

To prepare the water glaze, first pour the powdered sugar into a bowl 1. Then add 2 tablespoons of water 2 and mix the mixture with a whisk 3,

until you obtain a smooth consistency. This way you'll get a rather thick glaze 4, perfect for decorating cookies. At this point, add a little water-soluble dye with your preferred color 5 and stir until you obtain a uniform color 6. If the color intensity is not as desired, you can add a little more dye.

Transfer the glaze into a parchment paper cone 7 and use it to decorate your cookies 8. If you want to achieve a more fluid glaze perfect for pouring over a dessert like a cake or a pound cake, add another tablespoon of water 9 before adding the dye.

Mix again with a whisk 10. You will get the perfect consistency for glazing a pound cake or a cake! To do this, just place the dessert on a wire rack and pour the glaze over it 11 12. If you prefer, you can leave the glaze natural, without adding dyes!