Image is for illustrative purposes only.
This is a clear, glossy coffee glaze for pouring over mousse cakes and entremets. It is built the way a professional mirror glaze is built: a boiled syrup of water, sugar and glucose flavoured with strong instant coffee, thickened lightly with starch and set with gelatine so it stays shiny and firm once chilled.
The finish is a deep translucent brown with a wet-looking shine, and the flavour is straight espresso with just enough sugar to balance the bitterness. Pour it over a frozen or well-chilled mousse cake and it will set in a thin, even film that slices cleanly and holds its gloss in the fridge.
Ingredients
The weights in the recipe table below will yield the following 'weight per unit' and 'number of units'. If you would like to change the recipe to cater to a different 'weight per unit' and/or 'number of units',
you can use the Recipe Calculator Tool below the ingredients table.
Note: The Recipe Calculator Tool is available to subscribers.
Weight Per Unit: 408
Number of Units: 2
Unit Size: 20 cm round mousse cake
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WEIGHT
(grams)
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ALTERNATIVE METRIC
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INGREDIENT
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IMAGE
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CONDITION
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A
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50 |
1.8 ounces
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Instant Coffee
Instant coffee, also called soluble coffee, coffee crystals and coffee powder, is a beverage derived from brewed coffee beans. Instant coffee is commercially prepared by either freeze-drying or spray drying, after which it can be rehydrated. Instant coffee in a concentrated liquid form is also manufactured.
granules or powder
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B
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400 |
1.7 cups
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Water
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C
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200 |
7 ounces
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Sugar
Sugar is the generalized name for sweet, short-chain, soluble carbohydrates, many of which are used in food. They are carbohydrates, composed of carbon, hydrogen, and oxygen. There are various types of sugar derived from different sources. Simple sugars are called monosaccharides and include glucose (also known as dextrose), fructose and galactose. The table or granulated sugar most customarily used as food is sucrose, a disaccharide. (In the body, sucrose hydrolyses into fructose and glucose.) Other disaccharides include maltose and lactose. Longer chains of sugars are called oligosaccharides. Chemically-different substances may also have a sweet taste, but are not classified as sugars. Some are used as lower-calorie food substitutes for sugar described as artificial sweeteners.
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D
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100 |
3.5 ounces
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Glucose Syrup
Glucose syrup, also known as confectioner's glucose, is a syrup made from the hydrolysis of starch. Glucose is a sugar. Maize (corn) is commonly used as the source of the starch in the US, in which case the syrup is called "corn syrup", but glucose syrup is also made from potatoes and wheat, and less often from barley, rice and cassava.
Glucose syrup containing over 90% glucose is used in industrial fermentation, but syrups used in confectionery contain varying amounts of glucose, maltose and higher oligosaccharides, depending on the grade, and can typically contain 10% to 43% glucose. Glucose syrup is used in foods to sweeten, soften texture and add volume. By converting some of the glucose in corn syrup into fructose (using an enzymatic process), a sweeter product, high fructose corn syrup can be produced.
43 baumé
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E
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13 |
0.5 ounce
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Modified Starch
Modified starch is a corn or tapioca starch that has been treated so it thickens smoothly and stays stable when acid, sugar and freezing are involved. In a glaze it gives body and shine without becoming cloudy or watery; plain corn starch can be used instead, though the set will be a little softer.
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F
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13 |
0.5 ounce
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Icing Sugar Mixture
Icing sugar mixture, also known as confectioners' sugar or powdered sugar, is pulverised granulated sugar crushed together with a small amount (about three percent) of cornflour. This icing sugar is great to use when making icing for kids' birthday cakes or dusting sweet treats.
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G
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20 |
0.7 ounce
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Gelatin
Gelatin or gelatine (from Latin: gelatus meaning "stiff", "frozen") is a translucent, colourless, brittle (when dry), flavourless foodstuff, derived from collagen obtained from various animal by-products. It is commonly used as a gelling agent in food, pharmaceuticals, photography, and cosmetic manufacturing. Substances containing gelatin or functioning in a similar way are called gelatinous. Gelatin is an irreversibly hydrolyzed form of collagen. It is found in most gummy candy as well as other products such as marshmallows, gelatin dessert, and some ice cream, dip and yogurt. Household gelatin comes in the form of sheets, granules, or powder. Instant types can be added to the food as they are; others need to be soaked in water beforehand.
powdered
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H
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20 |
0.7 fluid ounce
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Water
for blooming the gelatine
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cold |
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816
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Recipe Calculator Tool
Using this tool, you can alter this recipe for your own requirements. Use the two fields below to generate new weights for the ingredients above.
STEP 1. Enter your Custom Weight Per Unit
The 'Custom Weight Per Unit' is already loaded with the weight per unit for this recipe but can be changed if required. If all you wish to do is change the number of units (or servings), just leave the current weight per unit.
STEP 2. Enter your Custom Number of Units
This is the number of units (or servings) you want this recipe to yield.
STEP 3. Click Calculate
The new weights for your adjusted recipe will be displayed in the table above.
Method
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STEP
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ACTION
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DETAIL
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CONDITION
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1 |
Prepare |
Sprinkle G (gelatine powder) over H (cold water) in a small bowl and leave it to stand without stirring. |
Gelatine swollen and spongy, no dry grains left |
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2 |
Mix |
In a small bowl, stir E and F (modified starch and icing sugar mixture) together, then whisk in a few spoonfuls of B (water) taken from the weighed amount. |
A smooth, lump-free slurry |
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3 |
Boil |
Put the remaining B, C, D and A (water, caster sugar, glucose syrup and instant coffee) into a saucepan and bring to the boil, stirring until the sugar and coffee have dissolved. |
Clear, dark and boiling; skim any foam from the surface |
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4 |
Thicken |
Whisk the starch slurry into the boiling syrup and let it return to the boil for about half a minute, stirring constantly. |
Lightly thickened and glossy, no starchy cloudiness |
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5 |
Dissolve |
Take the pan off the heat, add the bloomed G and H (gelatine and water) and stir until it has completely melted into the hot glaze. |
No specks of gelatine visible |
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6 |
Strain |
Pass the glaze through a fine sieve into a jug and press out any air bubbles on the surface with a sheet of cling film laid directly on top. |
Smooth, bubble-free and mirror clear |
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7 |
Cool |
Let the glaze cool to about 30°C (86°F), stirring gently now and then so it does not set a skin. |
Pourable but thick enough to coat the back of a spoon |
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8 |
Glaze |
Stand the frozen or well-chilled mousse cake on a rack over a tray and pour the glaze over in one steady movement, letting the excess run off. Lift onto the board and refrigerate. |
An even, shiny coat with no bare patches; set firm within about 30 minutes in the fridge |
Important Notes
The halved recipe makes about 815 g of glaze, enough to coat two 20 cm mousse cakes generously — always make more than you think you need, as a mirror glaze must be poured in one flood rather than patched. The cake underneath should be frozen solid or at least very cold and perfectly smooth, since the glaze sets on contact and shows every mark. Any glaze that runs off into the tray can be strained, chilled and kept in a covered container in the fridge for up to a week; re-melt it gently and bring it back to about 30°C (86°F) before using again. Do not boil it a second time.
Tools & Arrangements
Medium saucepan, whisk, small bowls, fine sieve, jug for pouring, thermometer, cooling rack set over a tray, cling film, palette knife.
