Add Panache to Your Baked Goods With This Basic Vanilla Icing (2024)

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Diana Rattray

Southern-cuisine expert and cookbook author Diana Rattray has created more than 5,000 recipes and articles in her 20 years as a food writer.

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Updated on 03/10/24

Tested by

Tracy Wilk

Tested byTracy Wilk

Tracy Wilk is a professional pastry chef, recipe developer and chef instructor, and, most importantly, a firm believer in sprinkles.

Learn about The Spruce Eats'Editorial Process

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Icing or Glaze

The terms icing and glaze are often used interchangeably. They're made the same way by combining confectioners' sugar with liquid. Technically, icing is thicker than a glaze but not as thick as frosting and can be drizzled or spread over baked goods. A glaze is the thinnest of the sweet toppings and is easily pourable. With this recipe, you can actually make either a glaze or icing by varying the consistency.

Does This Glaze Take Long to Make?

This recipe is very quick, requiring only a few minutes. By making the glaze from scratch, you can adjust the amount of milk and confectioners' sugar to create the perfect drizzling, dipping, or frosting consistency for your needs. While this basic icing is vanilla-flavored, there are several variations you can make to match whatever baked good it will glaze.

Substitutes

The recipe can be used with milk or water. If you use water, be sure it's hot so the glaze is not too thick. This recipe yields 2 cups, which should be enough to glaze one cake or eight individual pastries. You can easily double the recipe if needed.

How the Glaze Works

The confectioners' sugar sweetens the glaze and makes it set up to a hard finish. The amount of time this takes depends on the consistency; a glaze with less liquid will dry faster. Most glazes should dry within 30 minutes.

Tips for Successful Vanilla Glaze

Cool the cake or pastries completely before glazing. Warm baked goods will make the glaze too runny, and it may soak into the crust, making the cake soggy.
Brush away any loose crumbs on the cake or pastries before decorating.
If a cake is particularly delicate, put it in the freezer for 20 to 30 minutes before frosting.
Put a sheet of wax paper under the rack when you glaze a cake. The wax paper will catch drips and make cleanup much easier. You might even be able to reuse some of the drips if they are crumb-free.
It might be quicker to dip cupcakes or muffins in the glaze rather than spreading or drizzling.
For a pure white glaze, use clear vanilla extract instead of regular vanilla extract, which will make it an off-white color.

Ingredients

2 cups confectioners' sugar
1/4 cup (4 tablespoons) unsalted butter, melted
2 to 4 tablespoons milk or hot water, as needed
1 1/2 teaspoons pure vanilla extract

Steps to Make It

Gather the ingredients.
Sift 2 cups confectioners' sugar into a medium bowl.
Add 1/4 cup (4 tablespoons) melted unsalted butter, 2 tablespoons milk or hot water, and 1 1/2 teaspoons pure vanilla to the confectioners' sugar. Stir to blend.
Beat with an electric mixer until smooth and creamy, adding a little more milk or hot water as needed to reach the desired consistency.
Drizzle the finished glaze over a cooled cake, quick bread, coffee cake, cupcakes, or other desserts.Serve and enjoy.

Feeling Adventurous? Try This:

Toasted nuts: Before the glaze hardens, sprinkle with chopped toasted pecans or other nuts.
Cinnamon sugar: When glazing a spice cake or cinnamon rolls, sprinkle the glaze withcinnamon sugarwhile it's still soft.
Richer and creamier glaze: Use heavy cream instead of milk.
Citrus glaze: Substitute orange or lemon juice for the milk and vanilla and add about 1/2 teaspoon of finely grated zest.
Mocha glaze: Mix in 2 teaspoons of instant coffee granules, 2 tablespoons of unsweetened cocoa powder, and 1 ounce of melted unsweetened baking chocolate.
Strawberry icing: Puree or mash 1/4 cup of fresh or frozen sliced strawberries. Combine the melted butter and confectioners' sugar with the strawberry puree. Add 1/2 teaspoon of vanilla extract. Add more confectioners' sugar or some milk as needed for spreading or drizzling.
Chocolate glaze: Increase the butter to 6 tablespoons and melt with 2 ounces of unsweetened chocolate. Reduce the vanilla extract to 1 teaspoon.
Butter-rum glaze: Add 1 1/2 teaspoons of rum flavoring and omit the vanilla extract.
Tinted glaze: Add a little food coloring to the glaze. Gel food coloring is preferred because it's not as fluid as the liquid variety. Just 1 or 2 drops should do; mix it in and add more if needed.

How to Store

Leftover glaze can be stored in the refrigerator for up to one week in an airtight container. You can also freeze the glaze in freezer-safe containers or zipper bags for up to six months. Either way, let the glaze come to room temperature and whip it before using.

Desserts
Cakes
Cake Decorating

Nutrition Facts (per serving)
164	Calories
6g	Fat
28g	Carbs
0g	Protein

Show Full Nutrition Label

Nutrition Facts
Servings: 8
Amount per serving
Calories	164
% Daily Value*
Total Fat 6g	8%
Saturated Fat 4g	19%
Cholesterol 16mg	5%
Sodium 50mg	2%
Total Carbohydrate 28g	10%
Dietary Fiber 0g	0%
Total Sugars 27g
Protein 0g
Vitamin C 0mg	0%
Calcium 11mg	1%
Iron 0mg	0%
Potassium 14mg	0%
*The % Daily Value (DV) tells you how much a nutrient in a food serving contributes to a daily diet. 2,000 calories a day is used for general nutrition advice.

(Nutrition information is calculated using an ingredient database and should be considered an estimate.)

Recipe Tags:

cake
cake glaze
dessert
american

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