Vegetarian Mirror Glaze
A vegetarian mirror glaze, aka shiny cakes, is the latest trend in the cake world. This simple, easy, and effortless recipe makes a mirror glaze without gelatin using agar-agar. You can use it to glaze entremets and desserts that are so impressive and yet so easy to master.
What is the mirror glaze cake?
A Russian confectioner, @olganoskovaa from Moscow, Russia, on Instagram has these mirror-glaze cakes that blow my mind every single time. These have been on my wishlist for a while.
Mirror glaze is a shiny cake. You make it by pouring a chocolate-based sugar glaze. The glaze is essentially sweet. It consists of sugar, glucose, condensed milk, gelatin, and white chocolate. These shiny cakes took off as a treat recently, but they look like they are here to stay.
What is a mirror glaze?
Mirror glaze is white chocolate and gelatin-based. This glaze, when poured over a cake, gives an ultra-shiny appearance like the surface of a mirror. Hence the name Mirror Glaze. Though it is chocolate-based, very little of it sticks to the cake, so it does not affect the flavor of the cake much. After the first mirror glaze recipe I posted, tons of people asked if I could share one with a vegetarian option!! So I had to look for vegetarian gelatin.
What is Agar Agar?
Agar is made from cooked and pressed algae. I believe it’s a kind of weed or plant. So it’s all natural.
What is vegetarian gelatin?
Vegetarian gelatin contains chemicals like adipic acid, tapioca dextrin, calcium phosphate, and potassium nitrate. In fact, the correct name would be artificial gelatin. And it works the same way as ordinary gelatin. You soak it in water, let it absorb, and then incorporate it as usual.
Vegetarian gelatin vs. Agar Agar
As I said in my video, if you have to choose between the two, I’d recommend going with the agar-agar. I have used vegetarian gelatin for this recipe, but I think next time, I will use agar-agar instead. In the recipe below, I will suggest the agar-agar usage as well.
You can see how I made this mango mousse cake with the mango jello insert in the next post. It’s super simple, easy, and effortless in the process, just a lot of in-between time. Fridge and freezer time, but in general, the recipe is really simple, and I hope you will try it.
Ingredients and substitutes
- Gelatin or Agar Agar – This helps the mirror glaze stick to the cake. I discussed this in more detail above.
- Glucose – This helps prevent the mixture from crystallizing. And, if you can’t find glucose, you can also use light corn syrup. But you do need one of these two.
- Sugar – Yes, I know condensed milk is sweet. And then again, we have sugar. But this recipe is not about the calories. It’s about achieving that mirror glaze effect.
- Condensed milk – Believe it or not, this is the star of the show in this recipe. This is where that mirror glaze effect comes into play. I also have a recipe for homemade condensed milk in 5 minutes. However, I have never used it to make this mirror glaze. So, if you do use it, could you please let us know your results in the comments below?
- White chocolate – We use white chocolate so we can play with color and achieve all those different colors. And yet, you can also use dark chocolate. Of course, once you add dark chocolate, there is only one color – brown – so you won’t be able to make the blue, red, and all those other fancy colors.
Vegetarian mirror glaze
- Have all your ingredients ready, so you do not leave out anything.
- Divide the water into two places. Place vegetarian gelatin or agar-agar in one half and let it sit for 3 to 5 minutes to bloom.
- In a heavy-based saucepan, add glucose, sugar, condensed milk, and remaining water.
- Let it come to a boil over low to medium heat.
- Once all the sugar has dissolved, and the mixture has come to a nice slow boil.
- Take it off the heat. Let it rest for a minute before you add the white chocolate.
- The heat in the mixture should be enough to melt the white chocolate.
- Next, add the soaked/bloomed gelatin – and let it melt.
- Then, strain the mixture to remove any undissolved gelatin or not melted chocolate.
- Divide the glaze for the second color if needed.
- Color the glaze and let it come to room temperature.
- Use the glaze as shown in the mirror at room temperature.
Tips and troubleshooting
- My glaze is too thick, so it won’t pour. You need the vegetarian mirror glaze to be at pouring consistency. So, before you attempt to pour, take a ladle and check consistency. And if it’s not pouring, then add a few tablespoons of water. But be careful when adding water, as you cannot make it thicker once you’ve diluted it.
- My glaze is too thin – If you have not boiled the mixture enough when preparing the mirror glaze, it will be too runny. And, as a result, you will get very thin coverage. I suggest placing the glaze in the fridge for 3 to 5 minutes. This will help thicken it up a bit – then try again.
- My glaze does not stick to the cake – Condensation on the cake can cause the glaze to slide off the cake rather than stick to it. So, if the cake is frozen, wipe off any excess moisture from the cake and then try again. And, if you live in a place with high humidity, I highly recommend glazing immediately as soon as the cake is out of the freezer, before it has had time to condense. Additionally, setting the air conditioner to high for those few minutes might help as well.
- My cake started to melt as soon as I started to glaze it – The glaze needs to be room temperature. And if you use hot or warm glaze, it will melt the frozen cake, causing it to melt.
Try the mango mousse cake, which has a vegetarian mirror glaze, perfect for those of you who cannot use gelatin.
Frequently asked questions
The main ingredient in a mirror glaze is condensed milk, which, when combined with chocolate, water, and gelatin (agar-agar), gives it that reflective mirror quality. Because it’s made with gelatin, the result is soft, not hard like chocolate.
Mirror glaze has chocolate in it, so ideally, it will set as soon as it hits the frozen cake. You want the glaze to drip completely. Clean the edges on the bottom with a clean knife or spatula. Carefully transfer the cake to a serving platter. Before the cake sets, it is essential that you do not touch the glaze.
A prevalent issue with people is that the mirror glaze was too runny.
Once you take the chocolate mixture off the heat, add the bloomed gelatin. Stir well until all the gelatin has dissolved. It is essential that you wait for the mirror glaze to cool slightly; cooling the mixture will thicken the glaze. You can place it over a bowl of ice water or just give it a few extra minutes naturally. The glaze needs to thicken and reach about 26 degrees C. This is similar to almost room temperature.
Yes, you can save any remaining mirror glaze in the fridge. The glaze will stay good for a week. To restore it to the glaze consistency. Break the set glaze into smaller chunks and microwave on low power until completely dissolved. The glaze is made of gelatin, so you want to take all the usual precautions when working with gelatin.
If you use a cake with buttercream frosting, it does not have to be frozen, but it does need to be smooth. The glaze does not cover any blemishes, so any imperfections will show through. A mousse-based cake needs to be frozen before you glaze. Mousse is usually set in a silicone mold and often has a smooth surface that works well with the glaze.
Glazes made with perishable ingredients like this one with condensed milk should always be refrigerated.
If the glaze is poured over a mousse-based cake, and the mousse again is made of perishable ingredients. Mousse, if left at room temperature, will start to soften, so yes, it needs to be kept in the fridge and is usually served cold.
On the other hand, if you pour the glaze over a frosted buttercream cake, you can leave it out on the counter for a few hours, and it will be ok.
Once glazed, the mousse does not take long to thaw. A frozen mousse will take an hour at most to come to its chilled state. You want to chill the mousse cake well, or it will be too soft to cut and serve.
The only ingredient in the mirror glaze that’s not vegetarian is gelatin, which is usually animal or fish-based. If you substitute the gelatin for vegetarian gelatin or agar-agar, this can be a vegetarian glaze. You can find my recipe for vegetarian mirror glaze here
Mirror glaze first became popular on mousse-based cakes, but it can be used on frosted cakes, cheesecakes, etc. The advantage of a mousse base is that you smooth it in a silicone mold, which, when frozen, has a nice smooth surface. The key is to ensure an excellent, smooth surface.
Vegetarian Mirror Glaze Recipe aka Shiny Cake Glaze
Vegetarian mirror glaze aka shiny cakes is the latest trend in the cake world. This simple, easy and effortless recipe makes a mirror glaze without gelatin using agar-agar. You can use it to glaze entremets and desserts that are so impressive and yet so easy to master.
Video
Ingredients
- 1 ½ tbsp (20 g) Vegetarian gelatin
- ¾ cup (180 ml) Water
- 1 ¼ cup (300 ml) Glucose or light corn syrup
- ¾ cup (150 g) Sugar
- 7 oz (200 g) Condensed milk
- 10 oz (300 g) White chocolate
- 1 ½ tbsp (20 g) Agar-agar
Method
- Have all your ingredients ready so you do not leave out anything.
- Divide the water into two – place vegetarian gelatin or agar-agar in one half and let sit for 3 to 5 minutes to bloom.
- In a heavy-based saucepan – add glucose, sugar, condensed milk, and remaining water.
- Let come to a boil over low to medium heat.
- Once all the sugar has dissolved – and the mixture has come to a nice slow boil.
- Take it off the heat. Let rest for a minute before you add the white chocolate.
- The heat in the mixture should be enough to melt the white chocolate.
- next, add the soaked/bloomed gelatin – Let it melt.
- If you want to strain the mixture to remove any undissolved gelatin or not melted chocolate.
- Divide glaze for a second color if you need.
- Color glaze and let come to room temperature.
- Use glaze as shown in the mirror at room temperature.
Equipment you will need
Nutrition
Tried this recipe?
Mention @veenaazmanov_kitchen or tag #veenaazmanovkitchen!What type of mousse works best for vegetarian mirror glaze cakes?
Any mousse would work: vegetarian, non-vegetarian, dairy-free – as long as you can freeze it. And you don’t always need an insert, either. You can pour mirror glaze over a simple mousse cake as well. The cake inserts do look pretty and are very popular. Here are a few of my mousse recipes that will work well for the mousse cake
- Mango Mouse – vegetarian mango mousse
- Mango coconut cream mousse (vegan, vegetarian)
- Classic strawberry mousse
- The Best chocolate mousse
- Eggless chocolate mousse
- Vegan chocolate mousse
- Blackberry mousse (eggless)
- Chestnut mousse (eggless)
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This looks SO pretty! I love that you have come up with a vegetarian option to satisfy the people that need that! I want a big slice of cake 🙂
Me too Kylee. Yeah I love that it is now vegetarian
Beautiful cake! The mango sounds delicious, and the mirror glaze is so pretty.
Thank you Julie – Mango is really yum..
Thanks for video instructions. It’s very helpful. Cake looks really delicious and just amazing. You are true artist 🙂 PS Love your little helpers/glaze eaters hehe 🙂
Thanks Natalie. Yeah they love the glaze… so there is usually no patience for me to finish the video.
What a beautiful technique! I’m feeling quite adventurous and just might have to make this!
Go for it Hanady. Let me know the outcome. Thanks
The cake sounds yum and the mirror glaze gives it such a pretty look. I love mango flavored cakes in summers.
yes, it is so summer.. especially the mango – Thanks Molly
This is such a great idea! I’ve never made mirror glaze before, but I have a few upcoming cakes that will need it!
Happy to hear that Christine. Thanks
I am in for tasting this cake I love mango they are my weakness. I will give it a try as haven’t tried a mirror glaze cake.
Thanks Swati. The glaze is a actually white chocolate but it’s purpose is to make it pretty – most of it drips off so you hardly taste the chocolate.
This is stunning. Can’t wait to see how you made the mango mousse cake as it’s gorgeous and looks absolutely delicious!
Thanks Megan. Yes I’ll be posting that real soon.
I have seen many of these mirror cakes and always thought they would be challenging! You have made it look so easy with beautiful colors!!
Aww thank you so much Dene. They are actually easy to make – just a bit messy to be around. if you not careful you can have everything sticky
This is absolutely a new concept for me. This looks gorgeous. this cake is super attractive and your skills to present is totally 100%
Thank you so much Gunjan. So glad you like it. Thanks