5 Ways to Use Glycerine in Baking

If you’ve got a bottle of Queen Glycerine stashed in the back of your pantry, this blog is for you! Regularly used as a humectant in skincare, glycerine attracts and reduces the loss of moisture. But did you know it works in the same way for your baking?

Hailed as a magic ingredient to keep your skin soft, supple and full of moisture, you may be more familiar with the glycerine found in your bathroom cabinet than in your pantry. It works as a ‘humectant’ to reduce the loss of moisture, and has the same properties when used in baked recipes. Surprise – Queen Glycerine is the helpful baking side kick you didn’t know you needed!

 

1: Keep Cake Fresher for Longer

While cakes don’t stick around very long in the Queen HQ, adding an extra day or two to your bakes is a handy trick to have up your sleeve when needs must. Adding a couple teaspoons of glycerine to your cake batter before baking acts as a preservative, holding onto that fresh baked feeling long after it has come out of the oven. We recommend using up to 3 tsp in a Vanilla Cake and 1-2 tsp in Chocolate Cake to really lock in that moisture.

 

2: Smooth & Shiny Royal Icing

A touch of glycerine in royal icing adds shine and prevents your icing setting hard and dry. This makes it far easier to apply to cakes, and guarantees a nice smooth cut when slicing. Add 1 tsp of glycerine for every 500g of icing sugar for a softer set and 2 tsp per 500g for a nice glossy finish.

 

3: Prevent Crystalisation

Adding a small amount of glycerine when heating sugar and water to high temperatures helps to prevent the sugar from crystalising. Glycerine also works as a softening agent in candy giving your fudge, truffles and caramels a soft creamy consistency.

 

4: Creamy Buttercream

Much like royal icing, glycerine can help buttercream from drying out and forming a crust. While the Queen team is divided when it comes to soft or crusty buttercream, for those of us who prefer it creamy, glycerine is the answer. Not only does it help keep your buttercream silky smooth, it also helps when decorating, allowing you to take your time with sprinkles or attaching decorations to your buttercream creations. Inspired?? We’ve got a handy buttercream video tutorial that walks you through 4 different recipes.

 

5: Fixing Finicky Fondant

Adding just a tablespoon of glycerine to your homemade fondant recipe will help improve its texture and workability. Better yet, if you have an older batch of fondant that is stiff and cracking, glycerine can help bring it back to life. Start with a few drops, folding it through your fondant until it is supple and smooth once again!

 

Bonus Tip:

While it’s not exactly a baking tip, this little tidbit was too fun not to share. Glycerine is the secret ingredient to the best bubble mix you’ve ever made! Evaporation is what causes bubbles to pop, and by adding glycerine to your bubble mix, you essentially create a thicker skin. This slows down the evaporation process and makes them stronger, which means bigger bubbles with the added bonus of a bit of bounce!

 

If you’d like to learn more about using our products, recipe inspiration, and tips for your best baking, head over to the Queen Blog to read more!

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Comments & Reviews

I’m really impressed by the way you explained everything about glycerin in cakes

Zandi

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somber

I always add a tablespoon of glycerine to my ice cream mixture – it stops it setting super-hard and makes it soft-scoop.

Nigel

Great idea!

Eloise

Does anybody know if I can use glycerine in regular icing sugar (not royal icing)? I made a Persian love cake a few weeks ago but I didn’t like how the icing cracked after a day of slicing it. I think adding a bit of glycerine might help, but I haven’t seen any info on if I can use it in a regular icing (the icing consists of icing sugar, milk and rose water).

Muireann

Love the “better bubbles” tip. My granddaughter will love it in her bubble blowing kit.

Douglas

Hi Douglas, we love this one too! Wishing you and your granddaughter some happy bubble blowing!

Queen

Nice one

Bola

👍

Nisha