All About Ganache

By Renee Shelton

Ganache is a mixture of cream and chocolate, and the uses for it in the pastry shop are nearly endless. Ganach can be used as a filling for truffles, a glaze for cakes, a filling between cake layers, or whipped and piped into tiny tartlets. Ganache can be poured (while still warm) or piped (after it cools and sets up).

A basic recipe that sets up to a medium consistency contains 50% chocolate and 50% heavy cream, or ratio of 1:1 chocolate to cream. Firm textured ganache recipes may call for the chocolate and cream ratio to be 2:1, with twice as much chocolate than cream. Recipes will vary greatly due to the being used chocolate or the final desired consistency. Darker chocolate and all chocolate with a higher percentage of cocoa solids will produces a much thicker ganache. Conversely, a white chocolate or milk chocolate will set up much softer and most recipes with those ingredients will call for either more chocolate or another ingredient to help with setting up.

Ganache is easily flavored. A simple recipe with a little liqueur stirred while the mixture is still warm gives truffles a rich kick. Butter is sometimes added to give shine or to help give it some body once it is cooled. Corn syrup or glucose is another common addition to help give it shine, sweetenes or body.

When making the ganache, the chocolate needs to be chopped into evenly sized pieces to help in the melting. The cream needs to be hot, but not boiling over. You just need it hot enough to melt the chocolate. Once you add the hot cream, let the mixture sit for a few minutes to warm up the chocolate inside the bowl. Next, all you have to do is stir the mixture to melt the chocolate it into a smooth, homogenous mixture.

If you are using ganache as a chocolate glaze, it’s important to look at the consistency and the temperature before it is poured. If the ganache is too cold it won’t spread very well after you pour it, and if it’s too hot it will run down the sides too quickly and in many cases will melt whatever you crumb coated your cake with, like ganache or a chocolate buttercream.

Here are some ganache recipes to try.

- Medium Set Basic Truffle Ganache

- White Chocolate Vanilla Bean Rum Ganache

- Apricot Chocolate Ganache

- Raspberry Ganache

- Whipped Ganache