This is a basic glaze for pound cake, scones, cookies, cinnamon rolls, coffee cakes and more. It can elevate simple bakes and make them sweetly irresistible! It's versatile flavor-wise, comes together in 5 minutes, uses 2 ingredients, and lasts for weeks.
The most versatile glaze or icing
All bakers need a perfect powdered sugar glaze recipe, and this is it.
It's the best glaze for pound cake, scones, lemon bars, and cookies, not to mention coffee cakes with fruit, and sweet holiday breads.
Making it very thick can replace royal icing or cream cheese frosting for a rustic and simple decoration on sugar cookies.
Make it thin and runny, and you have more of a powdered sugar icing than a glaze.
Why do we use it so much
- Quick and easy: just 2 ingredients and 5 minutes are needed to make this icing, and it can make the simplest of cakes and cookies irresistibly scrumptious!
- Keeps well: well covered in an airtight container, you can have it in the refrigerator for weeks (sometimes a few months). And can also be frozen.
- Choose your flavor: there are many types of liquid you can use depending on the flavor you want, from citrus juice to milk and cream, coffee, oils, extracts, water, liqueurs, store-bought fruit juices, crushed berries, maple syrup, and more.
FAQ
Sugar glaze or icing is made with powdered sugar (also known as confectioners' sugar and icing sugar) and a liquid that can be water, milk, juice, coffee, etc. They're mixed until smooth and drizzled over baked goods like cakes, cookies, donuts, scones, bars, and more.
A chalky taste usually has to do with the type of powdered sugar used. Some brands might add cornstarch to achieve a smoother product and avoid clumpiness. It keeps the sugar softer. Check the ingredients on the label before buying.
While technically you can use regular sugar, the texture and finish will be different. Powdered sugar achieves a velvety finish and unctuous icing in a way that granulated sugar doesn't.
How can I prevent the glaze from drying out or forming a crust?
The best way to avoid it from forming a crust (as it happens when it dries out) is by placing a piece of plastic wrap or freezer sheet directly on the glaze, making sure it touches and covers the whole surface. This way, you don't allow air to reach it.
Adjust the consistency by adding more liquid (to thin it out) or powdered sugar (to thicken it) as needed until you achieve the desired result.
Storage time depends on the liquid used. It can be kept for a few days at room temperature and refrigerated for several weeks, but keep in mind that glazes with perishable ingredients like dairy or fresh fruit juice may have a shorter shelf life.
2 ingredients
- Powdered sugar: also called confectioners or icing sugar, you can easily buy it online.
- Liquid: citrus juice, fruit juice, syrups, prepared coffee, milk or cream, water, liqueurs, oil, vegetable milks. And more.
Quantities are listed on the recipe card towards the end of this post. The Ingredients page has more details and lists the brands we use.
Flavor variations
- Milk, water, or cream: they are neutral liquids that work for any glaze but don't add much flavor. They also work as vessels for flavorings that can be too strong on their own, like extracts.
- Fruit juice: berry, apple, pear, pineapple, etc. They can be store-bought or pressed at home. I use bottled apple juice for this apple coffee cake sometimes.
- Citrus: lemon juice is the most common and versatile (from lemon poppy muffins to strawberry thumbprints). Orange juice (orange cran scones), tangerine, lime, and grapefruit are other alternatives, or a mix. Add some zest for an even stronger flavor.
- Berries: crushing or pureeing berries makes eye-catching pink or purple glazes. See the blackberry bread and strawberry scones.
- Vegetable oil: I use olive oil with lemon for this bundt cake. Coconut oil, sunflower and canola also work.
- Prepared coffee: this glaze is amazing and pairs with nuts, chocolate, brown butter, almond, mocha, chai, and pumpkin spice. We use it regularly for brown butter cake and walnut bread.
- Syrups: like maple, honey, agave, and rice syrup. You might want to use them in addition to water as they can be too dense and thick.
- Extracts: such as maple, citrus, butter, coffee, and vanilla extract (of course) to name a few. Use them with water, milk or cream. They're concentrated in flavor, so using them alone makes the taste too strong. I sometimes use almond extract with milk for the lemon almond bundt cake.
- Spices: flavor a simple glaze with ground cinnamon, cardamom, anise, etc. You'll need a liquid such as water or milk.
- Liquor: a boozy glaze is a fantastic addition to some bakes, like using Frangelico for the hazelnut pound cake. Depending on the flavor, almost all of them work, from bourbon and Kahlua to orange liqueur.
- Food coloring: dye it in different colors for decorations by using powder or gel food coloring. Depending on the liquid used, you might need your color to be water-based or oil-based. Make sure you check that.
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Powdered Sugar Glaze (2 ingredients)
Ingredients
- 1 cup powdered sugar
- 2 tablespoons or more liquid of choice (see Notes below for options).
Instructions
- Important: the liquid is always an estimate, as people might want a thinner or thicker glaze, and powdered sugars vary in terms of how much liquid they absorb. Start with a smaller amount than the one specified and adjust as needed.
- In a medium bowl, mix 1 cup powdered sugar with 1 tablespoon liquid of choice until creamy and thick. Add more liquid, half a teaspoon (or less) at a time, until you have the desired consistency. Depending on your use, you might want to add more liquid (thinner icing) or powdered sugar (thicker glaze).
- Do a test run by drizzling some glaze and letting it drip for a minute or two to see how thin it is. You'll be amazed at how fast it drips down even though you thought it was thick.
- Use immediately and let dry before serving.
- Or store it in an airtight container or tightly wrapped bowl for 2 days at room temperature and 2 weeks in the refrigerator. When ready to use, stir to remix it until completely smooth.
Dee says
Great recipe and instructions. I made blueberry scones and topped them with the glaze made from blueberry puree and it gave the scone a professional look. Thank you!
Jenna says
THANK YOU for the cornstarch note! I've been making cinnamon rolls for friends and ran out of powdered sugar on Sunday morning after the cinnamon rolls were already in the oven. Made a quick run to dollar general and bought a new bag of powdered sugar. The cinnamon rolls just tasted off and I hated that because I'd made two pans to give to others. Just checked my ingredients on the bag after reading this and noticed that the Dollar General brand included cornstarch where my last bag did not. I'm so glad to know I haven't lost my touch, it was just the brand of powdered sugar I bought!!
Paula Montenegro says
I'm so happy it helped Jenna! Something similar happened to me making marshmallows. Such a bummer when that happens. Have a great week!