Mirror mirror on the cake.
No cartoon figurines to model out of fondant. Actually, no pop culture images of any sort. But I wanted to make her something different. That’s why I made an entremet cake with a mirror glaze topped with gelatin bubbles and meringues.
For those that don’t know what an entremet cake is, it’s one that is a cake with a layer of jelly topped with mousse to give it a silky finish. The mirror glaze doesn’t hide sins which means the cake had to be smooth as anything for the glaze to look amazing. For the purpose of this recipe, I’m not including how to make an entremet cake. You can make a mirror glazed cake by simply using buttercream to give the cake surface a smooth finish.
So what is a mirror glaze?
It’s made of several key ingredients – glucose syrup, sweetened condensed milk, chocolate and gelatin. It’s the gelatin that when set gives it the glossy mirror finish.
The glaze was simple to make. There are two key things with making it. Firstly, weigh everything – including water. This sounds crazy but the measurements need to be precise or the glaze won’t work. The second is to use a thermometer to get the temperate exact before pouring. If the glaze is too hot it will melt the mousse. If the glaze is too cold it won’t pour nicely and will look gluggy.
Once made, your mirror glazed cake will happily store in the fridge for 4-5 days. If you’re thinking about making a mirror glazed cake, give it a go. For special occasions it will definitely impress your friends and family!
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Mirror Glazed Cake
Ingredients
- 15 g gelatin powder
- 80 g cold water
- 100 g water
- 200 g sugar
- 200 g glucose syrup, pure is best
- 150 g sweetened condensed milk
- 200 g white chocolate, must be REAL chocolate, not melts or oil-based)
- food colouring, gel, not liquid
Instructions
- Make the cake. If using a traditional buttercream, leave a thin, very cleanly done crumbcoat. For best results, freeze cake. Entremet or mousse cakes are best as the finish is smooth and the glaze will highlight all imperfections.
- Bloom gelatin in the 80g cold water. Allow to sit.
- Boil the 100g water, sugar, glucose in a saucepan over medium heat until fully dissolved. Remove from heat and add in gelatin.
- Add the condensed milk to the mixture. Pour entire warm mixture over chocolate. Allow to sit for 5 minutes.
- For best results, use an immersion blender to combine until perfectly smooth and shiny. Alternatively, you can stir carefully. Check the temperature of the mix. Use when the temperature reaches 32°C/90F. This is important to not get to correct texture and pour. It may take a while to cool. Stir carefully while waiting and ensure you use a thermometer.
- When ready to glaze the cake, cover a surface or rimmed baking sheet with plastic wrap for easy cleanup. Use a large glass to place the cake (keeping the bottom of a spring form pan or small plate on the bottom of the cake) above the pan. You want to be able to pour and have the excess glaze run off.
- You can colour the glaze in individual containers with gel food colouring. Have all of your colours ready and at 32°C before starting. They will maintain temperature for a decent amount of time, but you will want to work quickly. To get a gradient or different colour design, pour the base colour completely around the top of the cake. Use plenty to cover all areas. Then, immediately pour on the other colours.
- To finish, take a long offset spatula and hold it perfectly level to the top. Swipe the spatula across the top, just barely above the cake level to remove excess. This will leave your finish looking flat and perfect. Allow to sit before moving cake. Rest to set. You may refrigerate before serving.
- Let glaze drip about 10 minutes, then clean up edges with a small offset spatula or butter knife. Transfer cake to a serving platter and chill at least 30 minutes or up to 1 day.