Discover how to make chocolate ganache with this expert tutorial by chocolatier Simon Knott. Learn professional tips for getting the perfect texture each time.
Whether you are making cakes and chocolate treats for enjoyment or professionally, knowing how to make chocolate ganache is one of those essential skills you should learn.
Ganache is used in a large variety of sweets and desserts. As well as cakes, you will find chocolate ganache in truffles, cookies, and even as the base for dips and sauces.
In this practical guide, professional chocolatier Simon Knott, steps you through the full process for how to make chocolate ganache properly, with troubleshooting tips and Q&A.
How Make Chocolate Ganache: Article Contents
Article by Simon Knott, Chocolatier (UK)
What Is Ganache?
Chocolate ganache is made by combining hot cream poured over either milk, dark or white chocolate. On stirring, the heat from the cream melts the chocolate, creating a rich, smooth, shiny filling that can be used for many chocolate-making and baking recipes. When it first appeared the mid-19th century, the surge in French ganache recipes generated rapid growth in its popularity, and it remains a vital and frequently used recipe for chocolatiers and bakers today.
What Is Ganache Used For?
Containing only two ingredients, the thickness and richness of ganache can be adjusted, making it a versatile addition to numerous recipes:
Chocolate Truffles
Ganache mixed with other flavours, such as nut pastes, fruit extracts, caramel, or liqueurs, make novel and exciting combinations for filling chocolate shells. Ganache has a rich flavour and texture in its own right but is also a vehicle for contrasting flavour combinations.
Ganache for Coatings and Toppings
Lowering the quantity of cream in a ganache recipe produces a thicker finish, as it contains a higher percentage of cocoa solids. This makes it more suitable for covering or filling baked items. It can be used as a frosting or icing for cakes, brownies, cheesecakes and cupcakes, where it can be easily applied with a palette knife or piped for a decorative effect. With extra cream a more liquid ganache can be drizzled over puddings where it sets, giving attractive presentation.
Ganache for Dipping
Ganache is made from two rich ingredients, so a little goes a long way. Part-dipping items restrains this richness while still offering full flavour. Ring doughnuts, cupcakes, strawberries, and biscuits all offer contrasting flavour and texture for dipping.
Ganache for Filling
A thicker ganache is the ideal filling or topping for various baked items. These commonly include macarons, sandwiched together, and profiteroles filled with whipped cream and topped with a ganache glaze.
Ganache vs Chocolate Mousse
Ganache is made from combining melted chocolate and cream. Chocolate Mousse combines whisked egg whites, sugar and a little lemon juice with melted chocolate. The egg whites make a chocolate mousse light and full of air, in contrast to the more solid texture of ganache. So, the difference between the two is mainly textural.
Mousse is often served as a stand-alone dessert, whereas ganache is usually employed to finish desserts as a topping, icing, filling or coating.
The fresh egg in a mousse reduces the shelf life to 2-5 days in the fridge, whereas a ganache made with fresh cream should last for up to 10 days chilled.
| Chocolate Ganache | Chocolate Mousse | Chocolate Buttercream |
|---|---|---|
| Key Ingredients: — Chocolate — Cream. | Key Ingredients: — Chocolate — Egg whites — Sugar. | Key Ingredients: — Cocoa powder — Butter — Sugar. |
| Texture: Dense, solid. | Texture: Light, airy. | Texture: Rich, creamy. |
| Use: Incorporated into other desserts, treats and cakes. | Use: Dessert, served as is. | Use: Cake topping. |
Ganache vs Chocolate Buttercream
Chocolate Buttercream combines butter, cocoa powder, and sugar. The mixture is whipped to aerate it, giving it a rich, light, and creamy texture. It is ideal for piping or icing (frosting) cakes, cupcakes, and brownies.
The cream in ganache makes it denser and richer in chocolate flavour, whereas buttercream is equally rich from the butter but much lighter from the incorporated air. It’s not unusual for recipes to include both ganache and buttercream in the same layer cake to obtain optimum flavour and texture.
Made predominantly from butter, chocolate buttercream has a stable shelf life and maintains its flavour and shape well for up to a week refrigerated.
How Make Chocolate Ganache: Choosing Ingredients
What Is Ganache Made Of?
The ingredients in chocolate ganache are simple:
- Dark, milk or white chocolate
- Double or heavy cream
- A little sugar (optional for dark chocolate ganache)
Sugar is optional when you’re experimenting with how make chocolate ganache. Sugar is especially desirable when making chocolate ganache with a higher percentage of cocoa solids to moderate the bitterness.
Choosing the Best Chocolate for Ganache
What Chocolate For Ganache is Best? Types Of Chocolate
When making chocolate ganache it’s best to choose the best chocolate you can afford, such as couverture. You will only need a small amount of ganache to fill or frost recipes, so the ingredients are minimal cost-wise. Couverture chocolate is ideal, followed by semi-sweet or a quality store-bought brand.
How Make Chocolate Ganache: Ratios
Ganache Ratio Chart – Dark Chocolate
| RATIO (Dark Chocolate : Cream) | NOTES |
|---|---|
| 1:1 | Stiff ganache Filling and glazing cakes |
| 1:2 | Loose, pourable ganache Whipping and making dips |
| 2:1 | Thick, dense ganache Truffles, macarons, cookies |
RATIO 1:1
1 Part Dark Chocolate to 1 Part Cream
Equal quantities of dark chocolate and cream will produce a stiffer ganache, ideal for filling a layer cake. After making when still warm and liquid, the ganache can be used to glaze cakes or cheesecakes by pouring it around the centre and using a palette knife to guide it to the edges and down the sides.
RATIO 1:2
1 Part Dark Chocolate to 2 Parts Cream
Make the ganache with one part chocolate to two parts cream. This will loosen the texture, making it a pourable sauce for ice cream or for dipping fruit and biscuits. The higher cream content can also be whisked to incorporate air, creating a lighter ganache version for filling cakes, etc.
RATIO 2:1
2 Parts Dark Chocolate to 1 Part Cream
This is the thickest ganache style with double the amount of chocolate to cream. It is dense and has a delicious, melting mouthfeel when eaten. It is often used for sandwiching macarons, filling truffles, and topping biscuits where a heavier texture works best.
Ganache Ratio Chart – Milk Chocolate & White Chocolate
| RATIO (Chocolate : Cream) | NOTES |
|---|---|
| Milk Chocolate 3:1 | General use ganache |
| White Chocolate 3:1 or 4:1 | General use ganache |
MILK CHOCOLATE – RATIO 3:1
Milk chocolate contains more sugar, fewer cocoa solids, and more milk solids than dark chocolate. Consequently, less cream is required to create a milk chocolate ganache with the same firmness as equivalent dark chocolate ganache.
WHITE CHOCOLATE – RATIO 3:1 or 4:1
White chocolate is made from cocoa butter rather than cocoa solids, so it requires less cream to create the right ganache texture. White chocolate ganache is also more susceptible to ambient temperature, so in warmer climates, it may be necessary to increase the proportion of chocolate to 4:1 to firm the recipe on hot days.
How Make Chocolate Ganache: Process
How Make Ganache with Dark Chocolate
Ingredients
- 200 g (1 cup) couverture dark chocolate or quality supermarket chocolate
- 300 mls (1.25 cups) heavy cream
- 18 g sugar (1.5 tbsp) higher percentage cocoa solid chocolate may need more sugar
Equipment
- Large heatproof mixing bowl
- Medium-sized saucepan
- A spoon
- A robust spatula
Method
- Break up the chocolate into smaller pieces in the bowl.
- Pour the cream into the saucepan and add the sugar.
- Heat over a medium heat. Stir at first until the sugar dissolves.
- Watch the pan as the cream comes to a boil.
- Take the pan off the heat just before it starts to froth.
- Pour the cream carefully over the chocolate.
- Allow the mixture to rest for a few minutes. This will allow the chocolate to melt partially, making it a more stable environment for mixing.
- Stir the mixture with the spatula, ensuring all the chocolate is incorporated until it is smooth and free of air bubbles.
- The ganache is ready to use or can be left to firm further to be used as a cake filling.
How Make Ganache with Milk & White Chocolate
The method for how make chocolate ganache with milk chocolate and white chocolate is the same as for dark chocolate, but remember to adjust the ratios of chocolate to cream according to the table above. Once the chocolate is mostly melted, some bakers prefer to mix the ganache with a stick blender for an extra smooth finish.
How Make Chocolate Ganache FAQs
How Long Does Ganache Take to Set?
The setting time for ganache varies depending on the ambient temperature and humidity. It will often cool sufficiently to be used after about 2 hours.
How to Store Ganache
As ganache contains fresh cream, it is best to refrigerate items filled or covered with it for up to 10-14 days. However, a ganache-frosted cake can be safely displayed at room temperature for a few hours, so long as the room temperature isn’t excessive.
Can You Freeze Ganache?
Ganache freezes well when transferred to a plastic-lidded box. The box must be sealed, or the ganache will pick up odours from other freezer items. When defrosting, keep the lid on the box; otherwise, moisture in the air will condense on the ganache and may cause it to seize. When defrosted, stir the ganache thoroughly to bring back the uniform texture without incorporating air.
What to do with Leftover Ganache?
There are plenty of uses for leftover ganache where it can be turned into a chocolate sauce for ice cream or a sweet chocolate fondue served with shortbread, cookies, and fruit.
How to Fix Broken Ganache & Other Issues
How to Fix Broken Ganache (Split Ganache)?
When learning how make chocolate ganache, a common issue is broken (split) ganache. A ganache is an emulsion, a combination of fat and liquid. When made correctly, it is glossy and uniform. However, the ganache can sometimes split, giving it a greasy or grainy appearance. Add small amounts of warmed cream to fix the broken ganache, and whisk it slowly in between. Gradually, the ganache should slowly return to a glossy, smooth finish.
Dull Ganache: How Do You Make Ganache Shiny?
When freshly made, ganache is shiny; however, its finish gradually becomes matte as tiny crystals form. One way of counteracting this is to add a small quantity of glucose or corn syrup. Add 5 tsp glucose syrup when mixing in the recipe above. You might need to lower the added sugar to stop the ganache from becoming too sweet.
How to Make Thicker Ganache? How To Thicken Ganache that is Too Soft?
Specific recipes require a thicker ganache, where the texture is essential. The filling for a layer cake, chocolate truffles, and macarons sandwiched all require a robust ganache that will hold its shape. A ratio of 2:1 dark chocolate to cream will produce the thickest ganache, protecting it from affecting surrounding ingredients.
Does Ganache Harden? Will Soft Ganache Get Firmer?
Due to its fat content, ganache will become harder when stored in the fridge. However, this effect is reversible, and it will soften again at room temperature. If you have soft ganache that needs to be firmer, follow the steps for how to make thicker ganache to fix it.
Why is My Ganache Too Thin?
When learning how make chocolate ganache for the first time, your consistency may be off. If your ganache recipe is inaccurate or you add too much cream, your ganache will be too liquid. To fix this, blend in small quantities of melted chocolate until you reach the required consistency.
Conclusion – How Make Chocolate Ganache
That brings our guide to how to make chocolate ganache with chocolatier Simon Knott to a close. Whether you are looking to make ganache for cakes, truffles or dips, you should now have all the information you need to get started.
Now that you have learnt how make chocolate ganache, try your hand at making modelling chocolate for cakes and other sweets creations.
Happy chocolatiering!
