Chocolate ganache cake frosting

Best chocolate ganache cake frosting recipe for perfect smoothing! This is the favorite frosting in the cake design world, to use under fondant or to cover all your layer cakes.

If you are new to cake design and all these techniques and recipes are confusing you. In this article I explain everything you need to know about this frosting, which will no longer have any secrets for you!

What is chocolate ganache cake ?

We already know the classic recipe for chocolate ganache. A preparation made of heavy cream and chocolate, widely used to fill and decorate pastries such as macaroons, buches, roll cakes etc.

Ganache is a classic preparation widely used in pastry, a mixture of chocolate and The only difference with the covering ganache is simply the quantities of the ingredients that are calculated with a ratio to give it a firmer texture, more stable and perfect to smooth the outside of the cakes.

Why use a chocolate covering ganache?

It has a firmer texture and doesn't need to be stored in the refrigerator like the classic recipe and most importantly it is more stable at room temperature. And it is very useful for cakes that are exposed for a long time in wedding receptions, birthdays etc..

This is also why it is much loved instead of other frostings such as buttercream recipes, whipped ganache and for cakes covered with fondant.

You may also like: My 10 best cake decorating tools for beginners !

Ratio for each type of chocolate :

It is the ratio between the chocolate and the heavy cream that will define the final texture of the ganache. For the classic recipe it' s 1:1 (half / half) but to use it as a covering for a cake the ratio will be higher which gives an even firmer texture.

You can use covering chocolate in feves or callets or the classic pastry chocolate in bars. The latter is often sweeter and may contain less cocoa butter. And for the heavy cream, take it full-fat with at least 30% of fat.

• Dark chocolate ganache: between 54% - 65% cocoa with a ratio of 2 : 1 that is, two parts chocolate to one part cream.
• Milk chocolate ganache: between 35% - 40% cocoa with a ratio of 2.5 : 1 that is, two and a half parts chocolate to one part cream.
• White chocolate ganache: between 28% - 35% cocoa with a ratio of 3: 1 or three parts chocolate to one part cream.

Example: I have 400 g of milk chocolate, I divide by 2.5, so I need 160 ml of cream.

How to make the cover ganache

1. Weigh your ingredients with an electronic scale, an essential step to have the right amount of chocolate and cream to make a successful ganache.
2. Cut or chop the chocolate as finely as possible and place it in a container.
3. Heat the heavy cream, placing it in a saucepan over medium heat and bring to a boil, remove from the heat as soon as it boils.
4. Melt the chocolate, pour over chocolate the heavy cream in 1 or 2 times depending on the quantity, let it rest for a few moments before stirring with a wooden spoon or spatula.
5. Mix the ganache with a hand mixer to smooth and eliminate the small pieces of chocolate remaining (be careful not to add air to your ganache, the mixer head must remain constantly immersed in the preparation).
6. Let the ganache rest, cover it with cling film on contact and place it either in the fridge for at least 4 hours or at room temperature up to cool completly.

How to use the covering ganache

To use it it should have a texture similar to a buttercream. After going into the fridge it will harden a lot, you will need to warm it up a bit in the microwave and mix it with a spatula to make it smoother.

You can then use it immediately to cover all your cakes.

Tip: Check out my post on how to frost your cake.

FAQS - Frequently asked questions about chocolate ganache

Others frostings recipes

• Classique chocolate ganache
• Swiss meringue Buttercream
• Italian meringue buttercreeam
• Vanilla buttercream frosting
• Mascarpone whipped cream
• Russian buttercream
• French buttercream

Sponge cakes recipes

• Molly cake
• Chocolate sponge cake
• Vanilla sponge Cake recipe
• Chocolate molly cake
  

How much ganache for my cake:

Use this table to calculate the amount of chocolate and cream according to the diameter of your cake. (for a height of 4 inch and only for the outside)

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