Eclair glaze is the final touch of dessert perfection. How to prepare a variety of glazes for eclairs quickly and easily

Basic cooking principles

Absolutely all recipes for sour cream and cocoa glaze are extremely simple, and therefore the preparation technology will be understandable to any housewife. Work principles:

1. If you want to make the taste brighter and richer, add a pinch of vanilla or citrus juice to the ingredients.
2. Glaze prepared with water has a matte surface, but if you use butter as a base, it will give a shiny gloss when coating desserts.
3. Confectionery icing can have different colors: brown is achieved by adding cocoa, dark or milk chocolate; to obtain any other shade, you must use natural food coloring.
4. Prepare the glaze over low heat with constant stirring. If this condition is neglected, it will quickly burn, lumps will appear, and its taste will deteriorate.
5. It is necessary to apply the mixture onto the confectionery products, which has had time to cool slightly; If it is too hot, it will form a very thin layer as it will drain; if it is cold, it will form lumps on the surface.

Sour cream glaze with lemon juice and sugar

This recipe does not require cooking the glaze, so you will spend a minimum of time making it.

For a glass of powdered sugar you need to take:

• a tablespoon of freshly squeezed lemon juice;
• 160 g of sour cream, which must be full-fat.

Let's start cooking.

1. In order to avoid the appearance of lumps in the mass, sift the powder through a sieve with small cells. If you don’t have ready-made powdered sugar on hand, you can make it yourself. To do this, grind the sugar in a coffee grinder.
2. Combine the sifted powder with sour cream and mix thoroughly. The mixture should become homogeneous.
3. At the last stage, add lemon juice. Once again, mix the mixture well and immediately use it to decorate confectionery products.

Yolk glaze

Ingredients

• half a glass of sugar;

• half a glass of powdered sugar;

• 2 egg yolks;

• 15-20 ml of water.

Preparation

• grind the yolks with powdered sugar, beat until fluffy white mass;

• place a saucepan with water on the stove, add sugar and, without allowing it to burn, cook a thick syrup stretching with sweet threads;

• remove the saucepan from the heat, cool the syrup until it is warm, and carefully add the yolks into it, mix thoroughly and immediately cover the eclairs with the quickly hardening glaze.

Sour cream and cocoa glaze

Of the large number of options for making sour cream glaze, the recipe with cocoa is considered the simplest.

For this decoration you need to prepare 150 g of sugar, a heaping tablespoon of cocoa, a quarter of a pack of sandwich butter and half a glass of homemade sour cream. In addition, you will need an enamel saucepan and a silicone or plastic spatula.

Let's start cooking.

1. Combine the dry ingredients in a saucepan and mix.
2. Add sour cream in portions, thoroughly mixing the mixture each time. This will prevent lumps from forming.
3. Place on the stove and cook over low heat until the sugar is completely dissolved. Don't forget to stir the glaze all the time.
4. Turn off the gas supply, add oil and immediately beat the mixture with a whisk.
5. Let it cool a little and as soon as the mixture becomes thick enough, decorate the baked goods.

Chocolate glaze with starch

An original way to prepare chocolate glaze without brewing. It does not require butter or sour cream, it does not harden very quickly and can be applied to both hot and cooled baked goods.

Ingredients:

• Potato starch (tablespoon)
• Cocoa (3 tablespoons)
• Powdered sugar (3 tablespoons)
• Water (3 tablespoons)

Preparation:

Pour sifted powdered sugar, starch and cocoa into a bowl. Add very cooled water and mix well. That's all! The finished glaze can be used to coat baked goods. By the way, the specified amount of products is enough for icing, which can cover eight cupcakes (mini-cakes).

Sour cream frosting with dark chocolate

Chocolate icing made from dark chocolate and sour cream is especially good for decorating cakes and large cupcakes.

To prepare it, add a glass of powdered sugar to a bar of dark chocolate, half a glass of homemade sour cream, a tablespoon of butter and corn syrup, and a couple of drops of vanilla extract.

Let's start cooking.

1. Chop the chocolate, put the pieces in a small container, which, in turn, is placed on a saucepan with boiling water.
2. Let the tile melt and, while stirring, add the oil. The mixture should acquire a homogeneous consistency.
3. Lastly, add the syrup and vanilla extract. Mix well and leave on the table.
4. Beat powdered sugar with sour cream. Add the resulting mixture into the slightly cooled chocolate mass in small portions, stirring each time with gentle movements from bottom to top.
5. We use the finished mixture to decorate homemade baked goods.

Chocolate-nut glaze

How about chocolate, but only white? You can also make unusual chocolate glaze from it, for example, nut one.

Ingredients:

• Butter (one third of a pack)
• Powdered sugar (half a glass)
• White chocolate bar
• Milk (teaspoon)
• Nuts (any)
• Vanilla

Preparation:

Remove the butter from the refrigerator and leave for a while until it becomes soft. Put the broken chocolate bar and butter into a saucepan and melt it all in a water bath. Then add milk, powdered sugar, nuts and vanillin. Stir and remove from heat. The glaze is ready.

Sour cream and white chocolate frosting

A glaze of white chocolate and sour cream will make your confectionery products very delicate, their appearance will become light, literally airy. It is called universal because the color can be easily changed by adding a few drops of food coloring.

For one bar of white chocolate you need to take half a stick of sandwich butter and half a glass of sour cream and sugar.

Let's start cooking.

1. Combine sour cream with sugar and knead until the latter dissolves.
2. Add melted butter to the mixture. Using a whisk, combine the ingredients.
3. Break the chocolate into pieces (to make the process go faster, you can grate it) and add to the prepared mass.
4. Place on the stove and, with minimal gas supply, bring the contents of the saucepan to a boil. When the first air bubbles appear, remove from heat.
5. As soon as it cools down and becomes moderately warm, you can use it to decorate desserts.

Simple chocolate frosting

The simplest glaze is made from sugar and water with the addition of cocoa.

Ingredients:

• Cocoa powder (2 tablespoons)
• Sugar (half a glass)
• Water (3 tablespoons)

Preparation:

Mix sugar with cocoa powder and add water. Stir well and put on fire. Cook the glaze over low (very low) heat, stirring constantly. First the sugar will dissolve, then the syrup will begin to bubble. After bubbles appear, cook the glaze for another minute and remove from heat. Let the glaze cool down and thicken: if it’s hot, it will be too runny; if it’s completely cooled, it will sugar up and harden.

Note:

For a children's cake or choux pastries, you can add a little butter to the still warm chocolate sugar glaze and beat it with a mixer. This will make the glaze taste softer.

Chocolate glaze made from sour cream and vegetable oil

This chocolate glaze is made from high quality cocoa and sour cream with a high percentage of fat content. For it you will need 75 g of homemade sour cream, 4 full tablespoons of ground cocoa and sugar, 1 tablespoon of vegetable oil.

Let's start cooking.

1. Grind the sifted cocoa powder with sugar in a small bowl.
2. Add the indicated portion of fatty sour cream to the resulting mixture.
3. Cook the mixture over low heat for a couple of minutes – it should become thicker.
4. Remove the saucepan from the stove and add vegetable oil.

Solving basic glaze problems.

This article is a translation, and the entire story is told on behalf of pastry chefs Felicity and Krystle.

Buttercream is a thing that at first glance seems very simple, but at the same time confuses many pastry chefs! Many people are interested in the question of how to get rid of bubbles in the glaze, how to make it so that it does not look too dry and is smooth and silky. Here are some tips on how to make your cream perfect.

Air bubbles

When you're frosting a cake, trying to make the buttercream spread as smooth as possible, only to have bubbles appear all over the cake - it's a pastry chef's nightmare! These bubbles are caused by too much air in the whipped buttercream. Everything is very simple. To avoid this, use the tips described below.

Tip 1:

Make cream from softened butter. If you take frozen butter, it will be too hard and you will have to work hard to beat it. As a result, you will beat it for too long and there will be too much air in the finished cream, which will ultimately lead to the appearance of bubbles.

Tip 2:

Warm the buttercream slightly while mixing. A couple of tablespoons of hot boiled water or a small amount of sunflower oil heated in the microwave will help make the oil smoother if you did not soften it before stirring.

Tip 3:

Just whip the buttercream less intensely and not so long. Of course, it’s tempting to start preparing the cake pans while the mixer is whipping the cream. Instead, you need to constantly monitor the cream you are preparing to avoid excessive whipping and the appearance of bubbles.

Doesn't your buttercream turn out shiny?

This cream immediately catches the eye. This is a dry, rough glaze that lacks a silky texture or crisp, smooth edges. There can be two culprits for this crime: either the butter was too hard, or you added too much sugar! Read the tips below to ensure your frosting is never too dry.

Tip1:

Don't go heavy on sugar! Always taste the buttercream during cooking, you must know exactly how much and what you have added to it. Ideally, you should taste equal amounts of butter and sugar, and neither ingredient should overpower the other.

Tip 2:

If your buttercream still comes out rough and dry, experiment with different brands of butter. We recommend using butter that contains buttermilk. Practice shows that the use of such oil allows you to achieve a smooth and silky appearance of the glaze. If you find a manufacturer whose products are completely suitable for you, try to use this particular oil.

Tormented by lumps in the cream?

When buttercream gets lumps and bumps, it's incredibly annoying, and it can happen to anyone, especially when pressed for time. To avoid this trouble, use the following tips!

Tip1:

Use softened butter. This will not only help eliminate the possibility of air bubbles, but will also ensure that there are no unwanted lumps in the cream.

Advice 2:

Be careful with chocolate. If adding it to the cream, make sure all the pieces are completely melted. We recommend using a good quality chocolate frosting, which melts much faster and looks great!

Tip 3:

The lumps in your buttercream may be pieces of icing sugar stuck together. Sift the sugar well before adding to the cream.

The Mystery of the Frosting That Doesn't Stay on the Cake

Another headache for confectioners is buttercream, which has virtually no structure. If your buttercream is falling off your cake, running, or mysteriously changing shape right after you spread it on your cake, read the tips below!

Tip1:

This could be due to the oil you use...or don't use. Margarine typically contains a higher percentage of water compared to butter. This means that there is not enough fat in it so that the buttercream prepared on it can have a dense structure and hold its shape well. The same thing happens when using any alternative vegan oils. However, this is not a problem, there are plenty of shops around, choose the type of oil that is right for you!

Tip 2:

Patience is a virtue. Sometimes the icing looks unsightly just because your baked goods haven't cooled enough, the heat from it will rise up and melt your icing swirls. Let your cake or cupcakes cool completely.

Tip 3:

Not enough icing or powdered sugar in the buttercream can also cause the buttercream to look sloppy and have a “wet” appearance. Add a little more sugar and see what happens. Remember that you should taste equal amounts of sugar and butter in the buttercream.

Now that you're armed with these tips for solving your buttercream woes, get into the kitchen and make the world's best, deliciously smooth frosting!