Welcome to the Cake Decorators Q&A

Hi, just found out that confectionary glaze has alcohol in it can anyone tell me what can I use instead of that that has no alcohol in it to give my fondant a glaze!

Thank you,,

Hi herabegum

Is it just small pieces of fondant you want to give a shine to? Unfortunately there isn’t really a substitute for confectioners glaze. If you just want to make a few small pieces of fondant shiny you could make a thin glaze from icing sugar and water. You’d have to use it sparingly as water will make fondant sticky but which will eventually dry. You could use lustre powders in small quantities just to give a bit of a shimmer. I’m assuming you can’t use any thing which contains alcohol, so you would also need to be aware that vanilla extract also contains alcohol as do vinegars. The alcohol just evaporates and doesn’t leave a taste or smell. Alcohol is used in the manufacture of many food stuffs including medicines, however, it does not necessarily mean it has intoxicating qualities. This is a very wide topic which is subject to many interpretations, I believe you would need expert guidance as many cake decorating ingredients do contain alcohol. I hope this info has helped a little, perhaps there may be other members who will be able to contribute more information.

Have a look at

http://www.cakescookiesandcraftsshop.co.uk/edible-glaze-spray

the ingredients are listed and it doesn’t say alcohol.

Jx

Hi herabegum

Confectioner glaze is a resin secreted by the lac bug which lives on trees in India and Thailand. To make liquid shellac the powdered resin is dissolved in alcohol (this is called denaturing) and then put into either sprays or painted on with a brush. When it is used in a spray the alcohol evaporates. Anything which says Shellac has been made using alcohol. I wanted to give you this extra information so that you are clear about what PME glaze spray contains. My hubby tells me using alcohol is the only way to make confectioners glaze, he is a scientist/chemist and has had to use it in his work in medicine. You can now decide whether it is ok for you to use or not. x

Hi madeitwithlove

You just don’t know when they are telling the truth do you :-)? I was wondering whether a PME lustre might be any good to herabegum10 (if she wants to put a shine on whole cake) when I came across the glaze.

Some people use golden syrup with a little water added to glaze small parts but that sounds very sticky. What do you think?

Jx

Hi Jayess

I’ve never attempted golden syrup. yep, sounds really messy to me! There must be a technique to it. I have suggested a very thin mix of icing sugar and water to be used sparingly, which I have done, but wouldn’t advise on a whole cake. It take quite a while to dry out so not good if you’re in a hurry. I have also brushed a cake with just plain water, that too produces a shine, again it should be done with caution and also evenness, other wise the whole thing looks blotchy and can be prone to a few hair line cracks. Shellac is used in pharmaceutical products eg pill coating and has now spilled over into cake decorating in a much dilute form. I agree with you, these products should carry a proper explanation about ingredients. I prefer just to stick with lustres, so much cheaper than sprays.

my pme glaze spray is a year out of date. Can I still use it?????

Hi elaine77

Personally, I would not use it. If it had been a few weeks it would have been fine but not a year. The expiry date of the product is there for health and safety reasons. Hope this helps. 🙂