Tortengussfruit cake glaze

The powder that becomes the shiny layer over a strawberry or mixed fruit cake. In Germany it comes clear or red, mixed with juice or water and sugar.

It does two jobs: it holds the fruit in place so nothing slides when you cut, and it covers the fruit so it does not dry out.

In Mexikoin Mexico

No equivalent. That sachet is not sold here, so do not spend an afternoon looking for it.

What every supermarket does have is the base of the workaround: cornstarch.

Ersatzwhat to use

Stir 2 teaspoons of cornstarch smooth into 250 ml of cold juice, add sugar, bring it to the boil stirring and cook it for a minute.

Let it cool to lukewarm, then pour it over the fruit. It sets as it cools, not in the pan.

Vorsichtcareful

It will not go glass clear. Starch leaves a milky veil, so the cake looks flatter than it would under the German glaze.

It is also a same day job. A night in the fridge and the layer weeps and softens.

Grenetina instead of starch is the wrong road: it turns cloudy, goes rubbery and cuts badly.