Chocolate Ganache

This creamy smooth mixture of chocolate and cream is lusciously silk and rich.

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Chocolate Ganache

Planning

  • Prep Time:

    10 minutes

  • Bake/Cook Time:

    10 minutes

  • Chill/Set Time:

    2 hours

  • Servings:

    2 cups

Preparation

  • Materials

    saucepan and melting pot or bain marie
    Stirring spoon
    Spatula

  • Prep

    Let cream come to room temperature
    Grate the chocolate (If using a bar rather than chips)
    Place chocolate chips or finely grated chocolate into a bowl
    Boil water

  • Oven/Stove

    Ganache is prepared on the stovetop

  • Shopping List

    Quality chocolate
    Heavy Cream or Sweetened Condensed Cream
    Vanilla Bean or Vanilla Paste/Extract
    Espresso Powder (Optional)
    Additional flavor extracts or liquors if you like.
    Butter (Optional)
    Corn Syrup or Glucose Syrup

Ingredients & Steps

  • Ingredients

    Chocolate (Bittersweet baker's chocolate 226g (2 bars of chocolate or 8oz. , finely grated)
    Heavy Cream or Sweetened Condensed Cream  100ml
    Corn Syrup 1 tbsp or Glucose Syrup (Optional, but its for shine and thickening)
    Butter 30g or 2 tbsp (Optional)
    Vanilla 1 tsp extract (Optional)
    Espresso 1 tsp (Optional)
    Flavor Extract or Liquor  1 teaspoon (Optional)

  • Steps

    STEP 1:  Bring water to a boil in a pot or double boiler then reduce heat to medium to simmer.

    STEP 2:  Pour the heavy cream into a melting pot or bain marie and place over the steaming water. Heat the cream gradually and gently to a low simmer (just below bubbling). You don't want the cream too hot - you aren't cooking it. You just want it to be able to melt the chocolate.

    STEP 3:  Remove the cream from heat and pour it evenly over the chocolate, covering the chocolate completely. Without stirring, cover it with a dish, foil or plastic wrap and let it sit for 5 minutes. (Do not stir!).  

    STEP 4: Whip the butter with the mixer on high until it is pale and fluffy.

    STEP 5: Pour the ganache back into the melting pot or bain marie and put over the hot water again. Stir it slowly and constantly until it is creamy and smooth.

    STEP 6: Ganache Beurre. Whisk (slowly, gently) the butter into the ganache over heat 1 tbsp at a time until it is all incorporated. .

    STEP 7: Mix in the corn syrup or glucose syrup until smooth.

    STEP 8: Pour the ganache into a clean melting pot and set in an ice bath (5-10 minutes) while continuing to stir gently until it reaches room temperature.

    When the ganache has cooled, it should be thin enough to pour, but thick enough to make drips (down the side of a glass or a cake).

Notes

TIPS

MIXING AND WHISKING
The mixture will look like it’s not mixing at first. Keep whisking gently and it will come together.

Don't whisk ganache or chocolate vigorously. Stir gently with the whisk. Chocolate is not something you want air bubbles in.

WHIPPED GANACHE
For a whipped ganache chill the mixing bowl, whisk and ganache very cold before whipping just like a whipped cream.

WHITE CHOCOLATE GANACHE
Use a real white chocolate. Real white chocolate is made with cocoa butter. Lesser quality white chocolates use palm kernel oil. 

White chocolate ganache requires a different ratio of cream to chocolate than brown chocolate ganache. White ganache needs more chocolate.  Brown ganache needs more cream. While the default brown chocolate ratio of cream to chocolate is 1:1, white chocolate ganache requires a cream to chocolate ratio of 1:2. Twice as much chocolate as cream.

We are using a 1:2 ratio in this recipe to make a thick brown chocolate ganache for frosting. To make a thick white chocolate ganache for frosting use a 1:4 cream to white chocolate ratio. Otherwise your white chocolate ganache will be thin and runny - suitable for a dipping or dripping ganache.

I find that if I just let it sit, the white chocolate will not melt completely.  If you apply too much heat you will ruin the white chocolate. This is why its best to use a double boiler.

TEMPERATURE
Emulsions like ganache form better at 90 to 110°F. This is the ideal temperature range for the cream to melt the chocolate.

HOW TO KEEP YOUR GANACHE GLOSSY
Beautiful, shiny ganache can turn dull after it has been refrigerated. To keep that freshly made, glossiness we use corn syrup or glucose syrup (even better!) when making it. This makes it extra shiny and it lasts.

BUTTER
Adding butter to ganache makes it more silky with an exquisite mouth feel. For this recipe I use 15g or 1 tbsp butter per 8oz (cup) of chocolate.

TO MAKE A THICKER GANACHE FOR FROSTING
Use a 1:2 ratio of cream to chocolate.
In this recipe we use a 'roughly' 2:1 ratio with 100g cream.
For white chocolate ganache you need even more chocolate, so decrease the cream to 80g when using white chocolate.

TO THICKEN A GANACHE THAT TURNED OUT TOO THIN
If the ganache seems too thin immediately, let it set and cool a few minutes and it will thicken a bit. If you still want it thicker:
Heat the ganache slightly (no higher than 110F)
Add 2 tablespoons of chocolate for every 1/2 cup of chocolate that you originally used. Let sit for a couple of minutes, then stir until smooth.
Sometimes the chocolate cocoa content is low and that leads to thinner ganache.

TO MAKE A THINNER GANACHE FOR DRIZZLING
For a Thinner Ganache for Dipping or Drizzling use a 1:1 ratio of cream to chocolate

FLAVORING
You can add additional flavoring extracts: almond, peppermint, etc. You can add liquors for flavor: Bourbon, Irish Cream, Cointreau, Chambord.

CHOCOLATE GANACHE DRIP
To drip over a frosted cake: Chill the frosted cake in the refrigerator for 30 minutes while the ganache cools on the counter, but not to room temp. You want it loose enough to pour over the frosted cake.

WHIPPED CHOCOLATE GANACHE
This is what you want to use to frost a cake.
Let the ganache cool completely on the counter then chill the ganache, the mixing bowl and whisk in the refrigerator for 1 hour.
Whisk to a whipped frosting consistency.

DECORATING
1. Make a dessert sauce by thinning the ganache a little. Spoon, spread, or drizzle the ganache sauce on a cake for different effects.

2. Create swirl patterns in whipped ganache cake frosting with a cake spatula.

3 Drizzle a thin ganache over a frosted cake and let it drip down the sides. Be sure to chill the frosted cake first.

4. Use whipped ganache frosting between cake layers

5. Add a layer of whipped cream, mascarpone whip, cream cheese frosting, caramel, black forest spread, or other topping over or under each layer of ganache in a cake.

6. Spoon warm ganache over warm brownies or blondies, then drizzle with dessert sauce (caramel, toffee, Irish cream) and top with whipped cream or a side of ice cream.

7. Don’t forget that chocolate ganache is an ingredient in chocolate mousse.

COLORING
If you want to color a white chocolate ganache, add oil-based or gel food color to the cream when you heat it.

VARIATIONS

GANACHE HEURRE
This is ganache made completely with butter and no cream.
Chocolate 168g or 1 cup
Butter 113g or 1 stick
Just melt the chocolate and the butter together in the metling pot or bain marie.
You can stir in vanilla and syrup as usual.

MINT CHOCOLATE GANACHE
You can use mint chocolate in place of plain bittersweet chocolate or you can add 1-2 tsp of mint liqueur or extract. The same for white chocolate mint ganache.

BERRY GANACHE
Add 2 tbsp of fresh berry juice or 2 tsp extract.

NUT GANACHE
I am partial to almond or hazelnut ganache.
Add 1-2 tsp extract and sprinkle in ground nut meal. Add it little by little while mixing it in just until you get the crunchy consistency you like.

An alternative method is to heat the nuts in the cream to infuse the flavor throughout.

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