April 10, 2014 - 3:27pm
What's the secret to a great strawberry donut/pop tart glaze?
I've been trying to make a good glaze, but can't figure it out. Does anyone have a good pop tart/donut glaze recipe? Specifically, I'm having trouble with the strawberry flavor. All the local donut shops have a delicious (albeit artificial) strawberry glaze that I simply can't replicate with frozen/freeze-dried strawberries or natural flavoring.
Any help is appreciated. Thanks!!
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You can't replicate a flavor that is artificially enhanced. And "natural" does not mean you can create it outside the laboratory or without a chemistry degree.
People make millions developing these flavors that trick your brain into needing/wanting more.
I doubt this helps, but your goal should be to make sometihing tasty, not made with beaver anal secretions, and which people will want to eat knowing what you used to make it.
Good luck.
My apologies. My annoyance at the food industry got the best of me.
No problem! I was just trying to replicate something like Sprinkles Cupcakes' strawberry frosting. They say it's all natural, but it tastes very strong, almost artificial. I don't know how they do it!
The term is used for two reasons.
First, because companies don't want to give away the secret formula.
Second, because the secret formula has nothing to do with strawberries or anything else the consumer would willingly eat.
In the case of raspberry, strawberry and vanilla, it is safe to assume "natural" means the anal glands or secretions therefrom, of the beaver.
just another reason to avoid anything with an ingredient list that does not disclose things in words that would let you make it at home.
http://www.snopes.com/food/ingredient/castoreum.asp
maybe they are beavers grown completely naturally in the wild! :)
I didn't know this one, but I like to freak arachnophobes out by pointing out that red food/cosmetics coloring is made from spiders.
I think you are referring to carmine. Thought thar was derived from dried cactus beetles.
In any case, I have asked manufacturers if their natural flavors are derived from animals. I haven't received aN answer but assume the answer is beaver ass when I dont get an answer.
According to a Sprinkles employee, their strawberry buttercream is just butter, sugar, and frozen strawberries. I feel like there must be something they're doing differently, probably the process. I'm pretty sure they wouldn't use castoreum, as it would be huge grounds for a lawsuit if their purported natural flavors were created synthetically. Still, though, it's so good. I guess it's not that easy figuring out glaze..
The FDA allows you to call this crap "natural flavoring" so there would be no lawsuit. All Natural does not mean anything more than it comes from the beaver's ass.
Or, really, the cow's udder. But udders and asses are really different animals in my book.
I mean, joking aside, it is natural in the sense that it naturally exists in nature. I've no problem with eating something like that, if anything it is preferable to synthetic flavoring. As you point out yourself, it's no different than milk -- people don't go "oh my god, milk is from the cow's mammary glands", so why should beaver anal glands be any different.
When I want cold milk it has to come from an udder. But I never want ass juice. Plus, I don't want synthetic flavoring. Call it beaver ass flavor of you want to sell that. Don't market it as vanilla or whatever. The "super" flavor is deceptive as well as disgusting in source and cruel. I just want a freaking berry or beam flavor. I do not need crap in my food to fool me into thinking I am eating what I want.
maybe it's the strawberries that trick you into thinking that you're eating beaver anus juice.
(Sorry, couldn't resist)
thumbs-up. Kinda like Shakespeare's plays being written by another guy with the same name.
Try strawberry milk syrup or powder (like Strawberry Nestle Quick) as part of your sugar for the glaze.
If you want natural, the large tasteless strawberries widely commercially available just won't cut it. You'd need very ripe wild strawberries to get anywhere near the intensity of flavour you're looking for.
Thanks, I'll try this!
So all you have to do is throw some in a blender with enough confectioner's sugar, dash of FruitFresh (Vitamin C to retain color.) For a harder setting frosting, mix potato starch* in with the sugar, simmer and blend in butter until evenly combined, but add in FF last. Dribble on while still hot.
Just whipped up a batch myself last night, had to laugh because the color and flavor were so intense, could have been artificial!
*Potato starch stays clear, unlike corn starch, which clouds.
Thank you very much! I definitely will try this. Very excited!
Use confectioner's sugar/liquid in a 12:1 - 16:1 ratio (which is 3/4 C - 1 C of confectioner's sugar per 1 TBSP of liquid). Just stir to mix and you're good to go. I've never done strawberry, but I do lemon/orange every so often (juice AND zest - yum). BUT if it were me, here's what I'd do - take a 1 lb. container of strawberries, toss them with sugar (1/2 c or so), cover them, and refrigerate them for a day. After that 24 hours, the sugar will have drawn out a delicious strawberry syrup, which you can use as your liquid for the glaze (flavor AND deep color). You'll have more than enough, but always nice to have extra sugary strawberries on hand :) If you want to add texture, I suppose you could puree some strawberries, drain them through cheese cloth (too much liquid in glaze & it will be too runny), and mix into your glaze (but I'd just go with the syrup). Enjoy!
This sounds delicious. I will definitely try this with lemons and oranges as well! Thanks!
In order for the flavor to be concentrated, I used dried fruit powders I make.
In an oven or dehydrator dry out your strawberries, raspberries or any fruit or vegetable. Then in a food processor, or coffee grinder make it into a powder. The flavor is very strong.
You can also by fruit powders from a number of vendors.
I know a professional cupcake/cake maker that makes her strawberry buttercream with a little of the powdered strawberry jello and fresh strawberries. Tastes delicious but I am NOT a fan of artificial.
America's Test Kitchen did a strawberry cake with strawberry buttercream and used frozen strawberries,drained the juice and reduced it and then used the frozen strawberries. Looked good.