Midnight Glaze
This glaze, made from high-quality cocoa powder has an advantage over chocolate-based glazes in that it stays shiny and doesn’t become overly firm when refrigerated. For these reasons, I prefer it for cakes with soft interiors, such as dark or white chocolate mousse.
The quality of the cocoa powder matters greatly in this recipe. A high-quality dark, Dutch-processed cocoa powder is vital to this recipe. I recommend Valrhona cocoa powder, available at some Whole Foods and by mail order at lepicerie.com. Be wary of chocolate product offerings on Amazon as there are reports of imitation products.
The weight measurements in this recipe are extremely precise, best to use a scale if you have one.
Midnight Glaze
Ingredients
½ cup + 3 tbl (2.2 oz / 62 g) confectioners’ sugar
5 tbl (2.5 fl oz) water
2 tbl (1 fl oz) heavy cream, or crème fr¢iche
1 tbl (0.5 oz / 14 g) butter, room temperature
½ cup – 1 tsp (1.6 oz / 45 g) cocoa powder, preferably Valrhona, sifted
1 tbl (0.7 oz / 20 g) light corn syrup
Water, as needed
Specialty tools and equipment needed:
- Heavy bottomed 1-qt saucepan
- Kitchen scale
Pre-recipe preparations:
- Allow butter to come to room temperature
- Sift cocoa powder
Directions:
- Add confectioners’ sugar and water to the saucepan. Whisk until smooth.
- Add the heavy cream and butter.
- Bring to a boil while stirring with a heat-proof spatula or wooden spoon,
- Remove from the heat, and gently whisk in the cocoa powder and corn syrup. Whisk only as much as necessary for a smooth mixture as you don’t want to create air bubbles.
- Add 1 to 2 tbl water if needed to make a pourable glaze.
- Use immediately.
- Any remaining glaze may be stored in the refrigerator and reheated when needed.