This vanilla glaze comes together in just 2 minutes and instantly makes any dessert look fancy. It’s sweet, smooth, and packed with cozy vanilla flavor—the kind that makes you want to lick the spoon (no judgment). Drizzle it over a vanilla bundt cake, dip some donuts, or pour it on anything that needs a quick little glow-up. You can make it as thick or as thin as you like!

A vanilla bundt cake with a white glaze on top.
Pour this over a vanilla bundt cake!

This vanilla glaze is the quickest and easiest way to dress up any cake or dessert that needs a little some extra. It has a sweet vanilla flavor and is absolutely divine over bundt cake recipes!

What I love about glaze icings like this is that you really dont have to measure the ingredients. You can always make the glaze a little more thick by adding more powdered sugar, or make it a little more thin by adding extra milk! You can see specific directions in this post on how to thicken icing quickly.

Honestly as a trained pastry chef, most of the time I don’t even measure glaze recipes. But, I wanted to give specific measurements in case you want them! Also, after making these types of icings a few times, you wont have to measure either!

Top this glaze over this Italian Hangover Cake, a banana coffee cake, or mini bundt cakes.

Only 3 ingredients needed

Ingredients for vanilla glaze.
You only need 3 easy ingredients!

Seriously, only 3 easy ingredients! All you need is powdered sugar, milk or cream, and vanilla extract. If you use milk the glaze will be more liquidy, and if you use cream it’ll be slightly thicker. I prefer to use cream because then the glaze has less of a chance of dissolving into the cake.

You can totally use milk though! To make this dairy free actually you can also a non dairy milk or even just water.

How to make a quick glaze

Measure ingredients: Measure out the powdered sugar, vanilla extract, and milk and add to a medium-sized mixing bowl.

Whisk until smooth: Using a whisk, combine the ingredients until smooth and velvety making sure there are no lumps.

Adjust the consistency: Add more milk one teaspoon at a time if you need to thin out the glaze, or add more powdered sugar one teaspoon at a time if you need to thicken it.

Drizzle over desserts: Once your cake is completely cooled, drizzle the glaze over it and allow it to set before serving. Enjoy!

A mixed glaze in a bowl.
Use a spatula or a whisk to mix and make sure to break up any lumps.

Cool the cake first

Before drizzling this over your cake, make sure its cooled completely, otherwise the glaze can seep and melt into the cake. Its super disappointing when this happens because it looks like its not even frosted.

To frost, I recommend pouring the glaze into a measuring cup and then drizzling over your cake.

Recipe tips

  • Sift the powdered sugar before measuring it to ensure a smooth and lump-free glaze.
  • Adjust the amount of cream or milk based on your desired consistency.
  • Allow your cake or coffee cake to cool completely before drizzling the glaze. If the dessert is still warm, the glaze may become too thin and runny, resulting in a messy appearance.

No storing

I do not recommend you store, freeze, or make this recipe ahead. This icing hardens fast so it’s best to make it right before you want to glaze the cake.

You can definitely pour the glaze on the cake if you’re making the cake in advance, the glaze will harden and then you can serve it the next day or whenever you plan on serving the cake.

A vanilla bundt cake with a white glaze on top.
4.34 stars (6 ratings)

2 Minute Quick Thick Vanilla Glaze (for cakes)

This vanilla glaze comes together in just 2 minutes and instantly makes any dessert look fancy. It’s sweet, smooth, and packed with cozy vanilla flavor—the kind that makes you want to lick the spoon (no judgment). Drizzle it over a vanilla bundt cake, dip some donuts, or pour it on anything that needs a quick little glow-up. You can make it as thick or as thin as you like!

Ingredients

  • 1 1/4 cup (150 g) powdered sugar
  • 1 tbsp (1 tbsp) cream, or milk
  • 1/2 tsp (0.5 tsp) vanilla

Instructions
 

  • Combine the 1 1/4 cup powdered sugar, and 1-2 tbsp milk, and ½ tsp vanilla extract in a small bowl.
  • Whisk until smooth.
  • Drizzle over cooled cake like vanilla bundt cake.

Notes

Please note that the calories are based off the entire recipe to drizzle over 1 cake. 
Read how to thicken frosting quickly to adjust the icing from thick to thin or vice versa. 
Serving: 1cake, Calories: 640kcal, Carbohydrates: 150g, Protein: 0.4g, Fat: 5g, Saturated Fat: 3g, Polyunsaturated Fat: 0.2g, Monounsaturated Fat: 1g, Cholesterol: 17mg, Sodium: 7mg, Potassium: 20mg, Fiber: -2g, Sugar: 147g, Vitamin A: 221IU, Vitamin C: 0.1mg, Calcium: 12mg, Iron: 0.1mg
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