You’ve seen them all over the internet, and maybe even in person. Mirror glaze cakes, with their signature shine and mesmerizing videos to go along with them, have been a technique that I was yet to try! Until recently 😉

When I asked back in December on Instagram if there were any cake techniques you guys wanted to try in 2021, so many of you said mirror cakes. They always look so gorgeous, and I didn’t know whether or not I could really nail the technique if I tried. But hey, you never know until you really give it a go, so I went for it… and had a blast!

Let’s dive in – I’m no pro, but I did learn a few things that I think will be super helpful as we all try to master the mirror glaze technique in our own kitchens.

Before the pour:

First things first, you will need to bake, stack, crumb coat, and frost your entire cake before you even get to the mirror glaze part. Tip: the cleaner and smoother your sides are, the better your mirror glaze will look on your cake. Any imperfections will most definitely show through, so take a little extra care to smooth out all the edges and clean everything up on the outside of your cake. The glaze will tell all when it comes to what’s underneath it.

COLD IS KEY:

Next, FREEZE your cake! Yep. Freeze the whole thing for at least a couple hours until it’s solid. The temperature of the cold cake will help the glaze stick and set. When you remove your cake, make sure everything is ready to pour – this way the sudden change in temperature doesn’t cause your cake to sweat (little beads of moisture/condensation on the buttercream). The mirror glaze does not like to stick to that, so prep everything to pour, then pull out that cake!

SETUP:

For the mirror glaze cake, there involves a bit of pouring… okay it’s ALL pouring! You need a setup that will catch the glaze after it goes over the cake and down the sides. I used a casserole dish with a short drinking glass in the center. The main things to note are how much glaze can fit in the “catching dish” underneath, and how wide it is.

MIRROR GLAZE:

Finally, we get to make the mirror glaze recipe. I always thought mirror glaze cakes were just covered in ganache, but I was definitely wrong. There are a few other ingredient involved, and guess what? You probably already have each and every one of them in your pantry.

It involves sugar, sweetened condensed milk, water, unflavored gelatin powder, and white chocolate. Yes, seeing that list of ingredients should lend you to imagine the taste of the mirror glaze (veeeeeery sweet).

First, you’ll need to whisk the sugar, condensed milk, and water on the stove. When it simmers, you’re ready for the next step!

You’re going to need unflavored gelatin. This is usually found in the Jello section, etc. It comes in little packets. You’ll need 2 tablespoons for this recipe. To “Bloom” the gelatin, whisk the gelatin and water together to let it work it’s magic (kind of like cornstarch and water to make a slurry). Whisk it directly into your mixture on the stove, and let it combine together.

Next, you’re going to place your white chocolate in a medium bowl. I used Sweet Tooth Fairy chocolate melts for this step, but I imagine anything similar will yield similar results in your mirror glaze. Pour the warm sugar/milk mixture over the chocolate and let it sit to melt the white chocolate. After about 2 minutes, whisk the mixture (gently, you don’t want air bubbles!) together until it’s smooth, shiny, and thoroughly combined. Tip: if you have any stubborn pieces, pour your glaze through a fine mesh sieve to get out any extra bits.

Temperature is key! Say that ten times over again. If your glaze is too hot, it will drip right off and none of it will stick (it will also melt your buttercream and create quite the mess). If it’s too cold, it will be way too thick and won’t drip like it should down the sides of your cake. The temperature you want is room temp – so not too hot, not too cold. Mine worked best when it sat for at least 30-45 minutes before I poured it over my cake, so plan accordingly for yours.

Get the Recipe: Mirror Glaze

Shiny sweet glaze to coat your cake for the classic mirror glaze technique!
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Ingredients
 

Mirror Glaze

  • 1 1/2 cup granulated sugar
  • 2/3 cup sweetened condensed milk
  • 1/2 cup water
  • 2 Tablespoons gelatin powder , (unflavored and in packets, usually by the Jell-o section)
  • 2 cups white chocolate , I used Sweet Tooth Fairy Bright White Melts
  • 1 drop gel coloring (I used "soft pink" by Americolor

Instructions
 

For the Mirror Glaze:

  • In a saucepan over medium heat, whisk together the sugar, condensed milk, and water until combined. Bring to a light simmer.
  • While that is simmering for a moment, whisk together the gelatin powder with a small amount of water (about 1/4 cup), to "bloom". Let sit for about 2-3 minutes, then add it to your sugar/milk/water mixture. Whisk in to combine.
  • Remove from the heat, then pour the mixture over your white chocolate in a bowl and let sit for 3-5 minutes so the chocolate can melt.
  • Whisk the chocolate until it's fully melted and it's all smooth and creamy. Mix slowly so that there will not be any air bubbles in your mirror glaze.
  • Add your color. I used one drop of Americolor "soft pink" gel. You can split the glaze into separate bowls for more of a marbled or galaxy mirror glaze look with different colors.
  • Let the mixture sit until it's room temperature (about 30 degrees C or 80ish degrees F). It shouldn't feel warm at all to the touch. Let it thicken, it will do better when it's thick.
  • Frost your cake on a cardboard cake round (I used a 6" cardboard round under a 6" cake). Freeze the cake for at least 2-3 hours until solid. Place the frozen cake (with the cardboard round underneath) onto a short drinking glass, then put that drinking glass on a deep dish or 9×13 pan. This will catch the runoff glaze. Do not put the bare frozen cake on top of the glass without something between it (hence, the purpose of the cardboard round).
  • Pour the glaze onto your cake (this is the fun part!). Let it coat and run off all the sides. It should be pretty thick and cover all the cake! Let it drip for 30 minutes or so, then use a knife to trim off any drips off the bottom. Add on any decor on the bottom if you'd like (I used freeze dried raspberries and Valentine's sprinkles). Place the cake into the fridge until you're ready to serve. I placed mine in the freezer for a half hour or so to make sure it was really set.
  • That's it! Enjoy your mirror glaze cake 🙂

Pour it! This is the FUN part! It’s so fun to watch. Super mesmerizing stuff!

I have a video here of the whole process: CLICK HERE FOR VIDEO.

Let it drip for a long time (mine took over an hour), then trim the bottom. If you don’t like it, freeze your cake, and save the glaze to pour over it again. It’s fine! You can do multiple layers to get more of a thick look.

When it’s finished, trim the bottoms up with a knife, add on any decor you’d like, and then store in the freezer or fridge! I used freeze dried raspberries and Valentine’s sprinkles.

That’s it! Any questions about mirror glaze cakes? I’d love to hear about it below in the comments! I LOVED making this cake, and it was much easier than anticipated, that’s for sure! If you make a mirror glaze cake based off my tutorial, I’d love to see it – make sure to tag me @bakingwithblondie on IG or #bakingwithblondie. 🙂

Happy Baking!

xo

Mandy