Chocolate Glaze (for Cake & Donuts)
Posted Jul 19, 2026
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This 4-ingredient chocolate glaze recipe is easy to make in a few minutes and is perfect for donuts and cakes. It’s rich, chocolatey, silky smooth and hardens with a gorgeous shine.
This chocolate glaze recipe is the perfect way to elevate just about any dessert! It’s smooth, rich and perfectly glossy – the finish that makes cakes, brownies and donuts look and taste like they came from a high-end bakery!
Plus, it’s incredibly easy to make. All you need is four simple ingredients and a few minutes to cook it on the stovetop and you’ll have a silky chocolate glaze that pours beautifully and sets with a gorgeous shine. Think of it as frosting’s easier cousin.
I love to pour it over chocolate bundt cake, spread it over homemade brownies or use it to coat shortbread cookies. Once you see how simple it is – and how amazing it tastes – you’ll find yourself making it on repeat.
Chocolate Glaze Recipe: Ingredients & Substitutions
- Heavy cream. There are a few ingredients that work as a substitute for heavy cream, but you have to be careful how you use them. First, evaporated milk works well as a 1:1 substitute. Second, you can use whole milk and 1 Tablespoon butter, which replaces the fat in the heavy cream that isn’t in the whole milk. Or, you can use half and half – but expect the glaze to be a bit thinner. For a dairy free version, use full-fat coconut milk or coconut cream.
- Corn syrup. Honey works well in place of corn syrup.
- Semisweet chocolate. You can use discs, chopped bars, or chips; it doesn’t matter because it melts. You can change the flavor profile and use milk, dark, or even white chocolate.
How to Make Chocolate Glaze
Let’s walk through this recipe together, and don’t forget to watch the video.
Start by heating the heavy cream until it starts bubbling and is just about to boil. You will see some bubbles forming on the sides, but do not let it come to a full boil.
Then, turn off the heat and add the corn syrup, chocolate and sea salt and whisk until smooth and glossy.
The chocolate glaze thickens as it cools, so make sure you whisk it often.
Let the chocolate glaze cool slightly before using it in your favorite recipes.
Use On Baked Goods
Let the glaze cool and thicken slightly before pouring it over your favorite desserts. Obviously this is the perfect chocolate glaze for donuts.
- It’s also a great chocolate glaze recipe for cake. You can pour it over chocolate bundt cake, vanilla bundt cake, or any of my cake recipes!
- Or, you can spread it over your favorite brownie recipes like fudgy homemade brownies, cookie dough brownies or peanut cup butter brownies.
- We also love dipping cookies into this glaze – like shortbread cookies, sugar cookies, etc.
There’s really no wrong way to enjoy this glaze! Just make sure to let it set at room temperature or in the fridge before serving or stacking.
Store/Freeze
Store leftover chocolate glaze in a glass jar with a lid in the refrigerator for up to 1 week or in the freezer for up to 1 month. Reheat slowly on the stovetop or microwave before using to top your favorite desserts.
Chocolate Glaze Recipe FAQS
Chocolate glaze is usually thinner and designed for drizzling or pouring, while ganache (made with only two ingredients – chocolate and heavy cream) is thicker and richer. Glaze sets with a light sheen, whereas ganache firms up more as it cools.
The trick to shiny ganache is a high-fat content, plus the corn syrup that helps makes it extra smooth and shiny.
First, remember this glaze thickens as it cools, so make sure you whisk it off the hot burner to see if get thicker. If not, you can add more chocolate. If you didn’t use heavy cream and need more fat, add 1 Tablespoon butter.
You may need to add more cream.
Let the glaze cool slightly until it’s thick but still pours easily. Then pour it over the center of your dessert and gently spread. Or you can pour it around the dessert and let it drip down the sides – which looks really pretty.
Yes, you can make it ahead of time and store it in a glass jar with a lid or another airtight container in the refrigerator. Reheat slowly and gently in the microwave or on the stovetop and stir until smooth before using.
Chocolate glaze is delicious when used on cakes (especially bundt cakes), brownies, donuts, and cookies.
If you make and love my recipes, it would mean so much to me if you would leave a comment and rating! And don’t forget to follow along on Instagram, Pinterest, Facebook, TikTok and Youtube – be sure to tag @joyfoodsunshine and use the hashtag #joyfoodsunshine so I can see your creations!
Chocolate Glaze Recipe
Video
Ingredients
- ½ cup heavy cream
- 1 Tablespoon light corn syrup (or honey)
- 1 cup semisweet chocolate (chopped bars, discs, or chips)
- ⅛ teaspoon fine sea salt
Instructions
- Heat heavy cream until it starts bubbling and is just about to boil (but don’t let it actually boil).
- Turn off heat and add corn syrup, chocolate and sea salt and whisk until smooth and glossy.
- Let cool slightly before using it in your favorite recipes like over a bundt cake, on top of donuts, etc.
Notes
- Corn syrup. Honey works well in place of corn syrup.
- Semisweet chocolate. use discs, chopped bars, or chips, it doesn’t matter because it melts. You can change the flavor profile and use milk, dark or even white chocolate.
- Heavy cream. There are a few ingredients that work as a substitute for heavy cream, but you have to be careful how you use them.
- Evaporated milk works well as a 1:1 substitute.
- You can use whole milk and 1 Tablespoon butter, which replaces the fat in the heavy cream that isn’t in the whole milk.
- Or, you can use half and half – but expect the glaze to be a bit thinner.
- For a dairy free version, use full-fat coconut milk or coconut cream.
Nutrition
Nutrition information is automatically calculated, so should only be used as an approximation.
