Easy Chocolate Ganache recipe

How to make chocolate ganache with only 2 ingredients! An easy-to-make recipe for a very chocolatey and delicious frosting, perfect for decorating all your homemade baked goods and desserts.

Made with dark chocolate, milk chocolate and even white chocolate, follow this complete guide and all my tips and tricks to make your homemade ganache frosting a success every time 👍.

this recipe

It's the easiest and fastest basic pastry recipe to make! Learn everything there is to know about chocolate ganache. How to make it? How to succeed ? And how to use it? And also in whipped chocolate ganache frosting.

Follow my complete guide on how to make chocolate ganache recipe:

What is a ganache?

But first, what is a chocolate ganache? This basic recipe is used by the greatest pastry chefs in the world. It is simply a mixture of chocolate and cream (heavy cream or whipping cream).

From the emulsion of these 2 ingredients, we achieve a delicious frosting with a silky, smooth, rich, and full-bodied chocolate consistency.

And then we use this mixture as a filling or to decorate a lot of sweet recipes. Homemade desserts, cakes and pastries, such as macarons, truffles, layer cake, drip cakes, cupcakes, ice cream and more.

Easy recipe with a simple ratio

The ratio determines the consistency of the ganache, here we are on a part of chocolate for a part of cream which gives a perfect basic consistency for most cakes.

But this ratio can easily be modified by increasing the part of chocolate and using less cream to have an even firmer texture or by increasing the part of cream to have a smoother and lighter consistency perfect for chocolate ganache frosting.

The ratio to remember 1 : 1

Example: For 100 g of dark chocolate we add 100 ml of cream.

And with this ganache recipe and with the same proportions you can make a dark chocolate ganache, a milk chocolate ganache, and even a white chocolate ganache.

And did you also know that it was possible to make this ganache in a whipped chocolate ganache version without adding extra cream? Yes, it is possible, I'll explain you how to do it below.

How to use this frosting

The possibilities for using chocolate ganache in baking are endless! With this classic recipe or by flavoring it with almond and hazelnut praline, coffee, citrus fruit, raspberry, strawberry, cookie crumbs, spices ….

• To fill chocolate macarons or like in my cappuccino macarons recipe
• Fill and decorate a cake like a chocolate layer cake
• Topping cupcakes with a piping tip.
• As a drip cake icing.
• Garnish pies and tart like my Salted Caramel Chocolate Tart recipe.
• The basic recipe for making chocolate truffles
• As a dipping sauce over a chocolate cheesecake
• To fill a brioche, like the chocolate babka or the chocolate cinnamon rolls.

Tip: to use it under a sugar paste, follow instead this recipe for chocolate ganache cover for cake design.

Best chocolate to make a ganache

The more you use quality couverture chocolate rather than cheap chocolate, the more success and taste you will have.

I recommend using chocolate in pistoles or bark rather than the semi-sweet chocolate chips that are most often used in cookie and muffin recipes because they melt less quickly and retain a crunchy texture.

Ingredients needed

• Chocolate: Use finely chopped chocolate in bark or pistoles (don't use chocolate chips for this recipe), I recommend using preferably the Valhrona or Callebaut brand! For Dark chocolate ganache use semi sweet chocolate or bittersweet chocolate. For milk chocolate ganache use less than 40% cocoa butter. For white chocolate ganache use 28% cocoa butter white chocolate.
• Cream: Full-fat heavy cream or even heavy whipping cream with at least 30% fat and not necessarily cold.

You may also like: Top 10 materials to have to make the most beautiful cakes!

5 easy steps to make the ganache

Here is the 5 easy steps to remember to make this delicious chocolate frosting. Be sure to follow all the detailed directions below to make this recipe and succeed every time.

1. Chop the chocolate (dark chocolate, milk chocolate or white chocolate) finely and place it in a container
2. Heat the cream in a saucepan.
3. Pour the warm cream over the chocolate.
4. Mix the chocolate and cream together until you have a smooth ganache.
5. Cover and set aside at room temperature or place in the refrigerator and let it completely cool.

How to make chocolate ganache recipe

1 - Chop the chocolate

Start by chopping the chocolate finely with a large kitchen knife on a cutting board. Then place it in a large heatproof bowl or preferably a stainless steel bowl.

Tip: The more the chocolate is cut into very small pieces, the faster it will melt in the mixture and your ganache will be smoother and without pieces.

2 - Stir in the hot cream

Heat cream in a small saucepan over medium heat and heat until it simmers. As soon as it starts to boil, remove from the heat immediately and pour it over the chopped chocolate in 1-2 batches. For a small amount, pour it in once and for larger amounts in 2-3 times.

Tip: Be careful not to heat the cream too much, if it is too hot it can burn the chocolate and the preparation can then separate and slice and give a grainy cream.

3 - Make the emulsion

Using a soft spatula or a wooden spoon, mix vigorously to make the emulsion between the 2 ingredients. Until all the chocolate fully melt and obtain a smooth and homogeneous mixture.

If you still have chocolate lumps that are not completely melted in your mixture. You can heat your mixture a little in the microwave on low power in 20-second increments and then mix again.

Tip: Put a hand mixer in the ganache at the end of the preparation to smooth the cream.

Ganache consistency

Ganache is a very versatile mixture with an unlimited choice of uses in baking. Depending on the temperature it will have a different consistency, more or less liquid to use as a dipping sauce on your desserts or thicker to use as a frosting to decorate cakes or cupcakes.

Use it immediately after making for a smooth coating or let it cool slowly at room temperature for a firmer ganache and until it reaches the desired consistency to use.

And the consistency can be changed as desired until you find the perfect texture. Either by adding more cream in the basic proportions to make a whipped ganache or more chocolate for a firmer texture.

How to make chocolate whipped ganache

With this same recipe you can make a whipped ganache filling to use in your cupcakes and cakes recipes.

It will be lighter than the classic recipe, but will still be less light than a whipped chocolate ganache frosting with a higher ratio of heavy cream.

1. Place the cold ganache in the bowl of your stand mixer with the whisk attachment or with an electric mixer in a large bowl.
2. Whip on medium speed for about 1-2 minutes, until you have a nice smooth chocolate ganache.
3. Use immediately to decorate cupcakes with a pastry bag and piping bag or to top cakes, layer cakes or pastries.

Tip: Be careful to keep an eye on the mixture as you whisk. If you whip it too quickly or for too long, the ganache will become grainy and have a less smooth consistency.

Storage and freeze

In the fridge

It can easily be stored in the refrigerator for about 1 week in a container with a lid or covered with cling film.

In the freezer

For a very long conservation, place the chocolate ganache in a conservation box with an airtight lid and you can keep it up to 3 months in a freezer.

Defrost: let it completely recover at room temperature or in the refrigerator or heat it up for a few moments in the microwave or double boiler.

Frequently asked questions

Troubleshooting

How to fix a grainy ganache that has been sliced?

We say that the ganache is curdled when the fat separates from the liquid, its consistency is grainy and this can happen for several reasons.

The most common is when the chocolate has been overheated and this can happen when the heavy cream is too hot when you add it to the chopped chocolate.

This can also happen when the cream is whipped too quickly or too long, which creates this separation.

To fix your broken ganache follow one of these two solutions:

• Solution 1: Run a hand mixer through it and stir it again, it should return to its smooth texture fairly quickly.
• Solution 2: Melt the ganache in a microwave or double boiler on low power until it is completely melted and smooth, then let it cool completely again.

Note: It is easier to recover a sliced chocolate ganache that has not yet been whipped. Once whipped its texture changes and it will always have a less smooth texture.

Tips for a successful ganache

• Use quality chocolate, avoid semi-sweet chocolate chips.
• Cut your chocolate as finely as possible, and chop it if possible so that it melts faster.
• Remove the warm cream as soon as it starts to boil, the more you heat it, the more its moisture evaporates.
• Pour the warm cream several times over the chocolate and mix between each addition. (especially for large quantities)
• Do not overheat your chocolate by adding a too hot cream.
• Do not use a whisk to mix cream and chocolate, the whisk incorporates air bubbles into the preparation, which makes your cream less smooth.
• For the whipped ganache, whip at medium speed for the time indicated.

More chocolate frostings

• Chocolate mascarpone frosting
• White chocolate Swiss meringue buttercream
• Kinder bars ganache frosting
• Chocolate ganache frosting
• Milk chocolate ganache
• Chocolate rocher glaze

More frosting recipes

• Swiss Meringue Buttercream
• Italian meringue buttercream
• Mascarpone whipped cream frosting
• Vanilla Buttercream frosting
• Whipped white chocolate ganache frosting
• Coconut frosting
• Italian meringue

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