You’ll feel like a professional pastry chef when you make this dazzling Chocolate Ganache.
In the realm of decadent indulgence, there may be no stronger contender for top place than chocolate ganache. A simple mix of chocolate and warm heavy cream, ganache is rich, deeply chocolatey, so velvety, and just luxurious. It’s also very easy to make. Not only will you adore its taste and texture, you’ll be surprised at how versatile it is and at how many ways you’ll want to use it.
The elegance of ganache is at odds with how it got its name. It was most likely invented in the mid-1800s in Paris – legend has it that in the kitchen of the extraordinary chef Escoffier, an apprentice accidentally spilled a pan of boiling milk into a bowl of chopped chocolate. The master was so furious that he called his student a “ganache,” which in French means “fool,” but then he saw that the melting chocolate stirred into the hot milk was creating a gloriously silky emulsion that he knew he would be able to use in all sorts of confections. And he decided to call it ganache!
The trick to making a silky ganache…
Two simple ingredients – chocolate and heavy cream. That’s all you need to make ganache, though, as you might imagine, technique is really important here. You want to be sure that your chocolate is finely chopped into pieces all around the same size so that it will melt evenly. When your heavy cream reaches a simmer, it’s ready to be poured over the chocolate – any hotter and the cream can cause the chocolate to separate. Once you’ve stirred the cream and chocolate together and they’ve become ganache, you can use it in its thinner form or let it sit to thicken for a bit. If it gets too thick, just add a bit more warm cream until you get the consistency you want.
One of the things I love to do with chocolate ganache, especially at the holidays, is make truffles. All you have to do is put the ganache in the refrigerator until it’s chilled enough to form into balls; then use a mini-scoop for portioning, roll the ganache into balls, and then roll the balls in cocoa powder or colored sugar or coconut… or whatever you like! Sometimes I add a bit of vanilla extract into the ganache and then serve the truffles with a Vanilla Spice Latte or you can add a bit of orange extract, roll the truffles in a mix of cinnamon and sugar, and serve them with this lovely orange and cinnamon flavored Russian Tea.
The different types of ganache…
For a confection that is generally made of only two ingredients (some recipes do call for butter, light corn syrup, or condensed milk), it’s surprising that there are various types of ganache – but it’s true! The variations can come from the type of chocolate you use, or they can come from the technique. Let’s explore!
The three primary types of ganache are dark chocolate, milk chocolate, and white chocolate. Semi-sweet chocolate, the type we are using in this recipe, is a kind of dark chocolate – the difference comes from the amount of pure cocoa the chocolate contains. So, for example, dark chocolate is usually around 70% cocoa and semi-sweet around 60%.
According to the Valrhona website (Valrhona being a famous French premium chocolate maker), types of ganache are also categorized like this: whipped, alcohol-infused, poured, or classic. Our recipe is for a classic ganache; once the mixture cools down, you can create a whipped ganache by – yes, you guessed it – whipping it, and it will become light and airy. Alcohol-infused ganache is self-explanatory, right? And poured ganache uses more cream to create a thinner consistency – use this one to create a dramatic “drip” over your frosted cakes!
FAQs & Tips
How to Make Ahead and Store?
Store leftover ganache in an airtight container in the refrigerator for up to 2 weeks; if it becomes too hard, just microwave it in 5 second intervals until it reaches your desired consistency. You can also freeze ganache in an airtight container for up to 3 months.
Can You Make Ganache With Non-Dairy Milks?
Yes! Coconut cream is an excellent substitute for the heavy cream in our recipe. You can also use coconut milk or other plant-based milks, such as soy or almond. Since milk is thinner than cream, if you use a non-dairy milk, you will probably want to increase the amount of chocolate to reach the desired thickness.
What Do I Do If My Ganache Breaks?
Never fear! There are some tricks to fixing a broken ganache. You can add some hot water – start with one teaspoon and mix, continuing to do this until your ganache is smooth again. You can use this same process with warm cream. Or you can use a hand mixer or immersion blender to bring your ganache back to its perfect smoothness.
Serving Suggestions
There are so many wonderful things you can do with chocolate ganache. It is the perfect dip for fruit – strawberries, dried apricots, fresh pineapple, any kind of fruit works. And when I serve it like this, I always pair it with these Almond Cafe Cookies and for the adults in the room, one of these Prosecco Cocktails. And when the ganache is in this pourable state, it makes an amazing and beautifully glossy frosting for these Simple Vanilla Cupcakes or these Red Velvet Cupcakes (or, really, any kind of cupcakes!) I also love to drizzle it on top of Sopapilla Cheesecake, Chocolate Flan Cake, and for a profoundly chocolate experience, Dark Chocolate Ice Cream.
In its thicker, more spreadable form, chocolate ganache makes the best filling and frosting. Imagine it between the layers and also on top of this Chocolate Cake or as an addition to this White Chocolate Strawberry Cake. Kids (and adults!) will fall in love with chocolate ganache spread between two of these Hot Chocolate Cookies. But ganache doesn’t only have to be for dessert! Sometimes instead of butter, I like to put a small scoop of chocolate ganache on top of warm Buttermilk Pancakes.
Chocolate Ganache
Ingredients
- 8 ounces semi-sweet chocolate finely chopped
- 1 cup heavy cream
Instructions
- Place finely chopped chocolate into a heat-proof bowl.
- Heat the heavy cream in a small saucepan over medium heat until it just begins to simmer.
- Pour the hot cream over the chopped chocolate, ensuring all pieces are covered. Let sit for 2-3 minutes to soften the chocolate.
- Stir the mixture slowly with a spatula until the chocolate is fully melted and the ganache is smooth.
- Let the ganache cool slightly if using as a pourable glaze, or allow it to cool and thicken at room temperature for a spreadable frosting.
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