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How To Make Ganache

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Every chocolate lover should know how to make ganache! It’s easy and has essentially two ingredients. You can use this chocolate decadence for truffles, cakes, cookies, cake decorating — the possibilities are endless! And you can make ganache ahead of time, to boot! Ganache in a white ramekinMany moons ago when I was taught how to make Ganache for the first time, I had sort of an Aha moment. “So that’s that decadent, rich and creamy chocolate that’s inside chocolate truffles!”

What is Ganache?

  • Classic Ganache is a mixture of one part chocolate and one part heavy cream. You can change the ratio to get different consistencies, as the ratio determines how thick or thin the final product is.
  • Ganache can be used as a dessert sauce, a glaze or filling  for pastries and cakes, for making traditional chocolate truffles, and the list goes on. (I’ve listed a few recipes using Ganache below.)
  • Flavors can be added to Ganache, typically liqueurs,
  • When you use the Ganache for things like truffles, it has to set in the refrigerator first. This makes it easy to scoop it. And of course, if you’re glazing a cake, it must be warm and pourable.
  • It’s quick and easy to make ganache ahead of time. Even better!

Bittersweet chocolate bar partially chopped

How to Make Ganache Thicker or Thinner

By changing the ratio or chocolate to milk, you can change the viscosity. Simply, add more chocolate than cream to make it thicker, and more cream than chocolate, to make it thinner.

What is the best chocolate for making Ganahe?

  • Usually dark or semi-sweet chocolate is used. Bittersweet being the most common.
  • The quality of chocolate you use is important. As with anything, the better the ingredients, the better the results will be. Scharffen Berger is one of my favorites, but any brand you love — as long as it’s good quality!

Can you make Ganache ahead of time?

  • Yes you can! I usually make it up to four days before I’m going to use it.
  • It should be stored in the refrigerator, and then gently warmed in a small saucepan — just to melt it. (Unless you’re making truffles, in which case, you’ll want it to be solid.)

Helpful Tips for Making Ganache

*Use the best quality chocolate you can.

*Weigh your ingredients if possible.

Chocolate bars for baking will have the weight on the package. If you don’t have a kitchen scale, you can use the labeled weight and adjust the cream accordingly. For example, if my chocolate bar is 9.7-ounces, (which the Scharffen Berger bars are), I would use 1 cup, plus 3 tablespoons and about 2/3 teaspoon cream (1 cup = 8-ounces, 3 tablespoons plus about 2/3 teaspoon = 1.7-ounces).

*Chop the chocolate evenly.

You want the pieces of chocolate to be more or less the same size, so it melts evenly. You can also use a grater attachment on a food processor for large amounts to make it a bit easier. OR, you can use chocolate chunks, like these. Finely chopped bittersweet chocoalte on cutting board with knife

*Be sure the cream is hot enough.

You want to scald the cream. That means it should be very hot, with tiny bubbles along the edges, but not boiling. (The best way for me to describe the temperature is that when you touch it with your finger, it should be like a jacuzzi — extremely hot, but still bearable to touch — so you can get in.)

*Be patient!

Do not mix the hot cream with the chocolate until you wait about 4 minutes! This allows for the chocolate to melt first. It will also take a good couple of minutes for the mixture to come together once you begin stirring (see below image).

Ganache being mixed with wooden spoonJust keep stirring and it will go from looking like it’s not going to happen, to a beautiful, rich and creamy consistency.Ganache in stainless steel bowl with wooden spoon

*Use a wooden spoon.

When I learned how to make Ganache the first time all those moons ago in culinary school, I was told a wooden spoon was the best choice. I like wooden spoons for mixing (almost everything) the best for a few reasons: they don’t get hot, they don’t react chemically with acidic foods, and they’re pretty. They also hold all sorts of cooking memories, as they show signs of use as over the years wood tends to change color slightly and there might be scratches. (This is also why I love my butcher blocks!)

Here are a few of my favorite dessert recipes using Ganache:

Enjoy!

Update June 2019: This was originally posted in 2011 and has been updated with new information and images.

Yield: 2 cups

How To Make Ganache

Close up of Ganache in stainless steel bowl with wooden spoon

Every chocolate lover should know how to make ganache! It’s easy and has essentially two ingredients. You can use this chocolate decadence for truffles, cakes, cookies, cake decorating — the possibilities are endless! And you can make Ganache ahead of time, to boot!

Prep Time 5 minutes
Active Time 10 minutes
Total Time 15 minutes
Difficulty easy

Materials

Tools

Instructions

  1. Finely chop the chocolate and add it to a stainless steel mixing bowl.finaly chopped chocolate in stainless steel bowl
  2. In a small saucepan, scald the cream with the vanilla. Tiny bubbles will appear on the edges of the pan and it should be very hot, but not boiling.
  3. Pour the cream over the chocolate. Do not stir yet! Wait 4 minutes.Cream and chocolate in a stainless steel bowl
  4. Use a wooden spoon and gently stir to combine. It will take a few minutes of mixing before you'll see it come together.
© Valentina K. Wein
Project Type: cooking / Category: Comforting Sweet Recipes
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Comments

    • valentina says

      Thanks, Marissa. Always a good thing to have at the ready. 😉 Cheers and have a great weekend. ~Valentina

      Reply

  11. Ron says

    What a great lesson and I totally understand your Aha moment. We recently took a truffle making class from our local Chocolatier and I was amazed how easy it is to make a ganache and a truffle. But, I have to admit, that ganache is hard to resist. One might just find oneself eating it straight from the bowl.

    Reply

  16. Dawn - Girl Heart Food says

    I know typically ganache is used in stuff, but I would really love to dip a spoon into that bowl and enjoy as is, lol. Seriously, though, that looks super creamy dreamy chocolatey! Hope you have a wonderful week, Valentina 🙂

    Reply

  18. David Scott Allen says

    Who doesn’t love a good ganache. Thanks for the make-ahead tip!

    We were in a restaurant the other day and their dessert du jour was quenelles of ganache with candied orange, toasted almonds, and whipped cream. And why not?

    Reply

  20. David @ Spiced says

    You’re cracking me up with the comparison to a jacuzzi here, Valentina. Now I just want to go swimming in a big tub of ganache. Haha! Seriously, though, this ganache looks amazing. Ganache is a staple in any baker’s recipe box, and this is a great guide! 🙂

    Reply

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