It’s a guarantee that you will come across a chocolate ganache recipe on Instagram, TikTok, Pinterest….basically in every dessert recipe nowadays! Sometimes the ganache is silky, other times a dreamy fluffy cloud. Sometimes berry infused, oftentimes it is a chocolate enthusiast’s dream, silky and fudgy. Most times, it has two ingredients cream and chocolate other times with a flavour twist like caramel.
It is true that Ganache is actively gaining attention and has fundamentally changed dessert making. Its wave is understandable since it is effortlessly easy, convenient, less buttery, light, silky and super flavourful. And although the base ingredient is chocolate, it does not stop at that! Ganache redesigns into different flavours such as berry ganaches, rum-infused, cocktail-infused, caramel and so much more!
What is Chocolate Ganache?
A basic Ganache has two base ingredients; chocolate and heavy whipping cream which are mixed until emulsified. To do this; bring heavy cream to a simmer then mix with finely chopped chocolate then mix until fully mixed. Whichever method is adopted in a recipe, the end goal is to completely mix the heavy cream with chocolate until thoroughly mixed or rather emulsified.
Chocolate + Heavy cream = Ganache
Description one; From the explanation above we can say that a basic Ganache is an emulsification of chocolate and heavy cream
Few ingredients are adopted for the different textures and or flavours of ganache. For the silky ganache, an addition of butter improves flavour, consistency and lustre. Other recipes will substitute heavy cream with different kinds of milk which may thin out the ganache consistency. Some recipes will completely omit the cream base and emulsify chocolate with cooked berry jam as seen in berry or infuse it with berry and vodka jam for cocktail Ganache.
Therefore at an advanced level, Ganache can be explained as; the emulsification of chocolate and a liquid base whereby the liquid should change the consistency, texture and flavour of used chocolate. In other words, we can say when chocolate is completely mixed (emulsified) with a liquid, paste or jam it becomes Ganache.
POPULAR TYPES OF GANACHE
- Chocolate + Heavy Cream= Ganache
- Chocolate+ Heavy Cream +Butter+Glucose syrup= Ganache
- Chocolate + Milk = Ganache
- Chocolate+ Heavy Cream+butter= Ganache
- Chocolate+ Fruit jam= ganache
- Chocolate + Fruit jam+ Heavy cream = Ganache
Types of Chocolate Ganache According To Texture
- Whipped Ganache. This has a more heavy cream-to-chocolate ratio whereby chocolate and heavy cream are mixed, chilled then whipped with a hand mixer to introduce air making it light and fluffy.
- Silky Ganache. The ratio of chocolate and heavy cream/ liquid is almost equal with the addition of butter and sometimes glucose syrup.
- Thin/syrupy ganache. This ganache is a thin consistency and is mainly used for quickly drizzling on desserts like tea cakes or frosted cakes and cupcakes. Due to its thin consistency, the chill time is reduced and heavy cream can also be substituted with milk or water. Thinning affected by temperature has no set ratio since every other kind of ganache is thin before cooling or whipping.
- Hard/Stiff/ Dense Ganache. The liquid ingredient is considerably low compared to the chocolate amount. It is mostly used in making different flavoured chocolate truffles.
- Grainy / Textured Ganache. Achieved by adding unsoluble ingredients into a Ganache such as orange zest, finely chopped nuts, or chopped fruits.
Types Of Chocolate Ganache According to flavour
- Dark Chocolate ganache. The base ingredient is dark chocolate which is mixed with heavy cream or any acceptable liquid base. It can be made whipped, silky, grainy, thin or stiff depending on the desired texture. Dark chocolate with a high cocoa ratio will affect the ganache texture due to cocoa-dehydrating properties. This is counteracted by increasing the amount of heavy cream and/ or adding a few tablespoons of glucose or inverted sugar syrup into a ganache recipe.
- Milk Ganache. A mix of heavy cream and milk chocolate
- White chocolate ganache . A thorough mix of white chocolate and heavy cream.
- Caramelized White Chocolate Ganache. This is a mix of heavy cream and caramelized white chocolate. Its primary flavour leans mostly on the caramelized chocolate otherwise known as chocolate Blonde, giving it a nutty, caramel flavour. Texture can be altered into whipped, silky, thin, grainy or stiff just like the other kinds of Ganache.
- Ruby Ganache. A mix of heavy cream and ruby chocolate. It tends to lean more on berry flavour which is the primary flavour of ruby chocolate.
- Flavoured white chocolate Ganache. The most diverse type of Ganache as the base ingredient is white which is flavoured and tweaked into various flavours. For example, mixing melted white chocolate with a blend of banana and yuzu for Banana yuzu ganache. Other types of white chocolate-flavoured Matcha, raspberry, mojito, orange and so much more.
What makes a Good Ganache
Three things will improve the taste, consistency, and texture of ganache which will guarantee success in making ganache all the time.
- Type of Chocolate Used. A Ganache base ingredient is chocolate which dominantly reflects in the final flavour. Most chocolate chips have additional ingredients which may affect the stability, flavour and texture. Compound-baking Chocolate will guarantee a more stable Ganache when compared with counter-ready- chocolate.
- Other ingredients. The type of heavy cream will affect ganache stability, taste and flavour. Milk makes a thin ganache consistency. Non-dairy heavy whipping cream will be best for a fresh fruit-infused ganache. Butter improves consistency and lustre in some recipes. A pinch of salt balances the flavour.
- Mixing equipment and method. Complete emulsification equals silky smooth ganache. Therefore an immersion blender is an advantage when mixing ganache. Poor mixing can make the ganache grainy.
- Time. The more ganache sits the more stable it becomes and the more flavours are pronounced.
How Type Of Chocolate affect Ganache Consistency
White chocolate has no cocoa solids therefore it melts easily and requires less amount of heavy cream when making silky Ganache. Milk chocolate has cocoa solids therefore a slight increase in heavy cream will be recommended. Dark chocolate has the highest amount of cocoa solids which is counteracted by increasing the amount of cream with an additional teaspoon of glucose syrup and, or butter for maximum hydration. This makes it silky with a nice chocolate lustre.
Think of it this way; for every 1 cup of chocolate you will need 1/2 cup heavy cream, for every I cup of milk chocolate you will need 3/4 heavy cream and for every 1 cup of dark chocolate you will need I cup heavy cream. ( This is not a definite ratio but an example)
Different Uses Of Ganache
- For Drizzling on frosted cakes
- For filling macaroons and cookies
- For filling cakes, cupcakes, and different kinds of pastries
- In making truffles and sweets
- Ganache as frosting
POPULAR RECIPES WITH GANACHE
- Mexican hot cake with ganache
- Caramelized white chocolate ganache loaf cake
- Milk bread with berry ganache
- Chocolate loaf cake
Common Faqs
This primarily depends on the consistency and purpose of the ganache. Ganache made with milk can be thin in consistency. Therefore, you can substitute heavy cream with milk if you are making thin ganache for drizzling on top of a dessert or for fillings like in cupcakes.
On the other hand, for silky thick or whipped Ganache, you cannot substitute heavy cream with milk since ganache made with milk is thin in consistency.
Not necessarily. However if you are using dark chocolate with a high cocoa percentage it is advisable to use glucose syrup or invert sugar, since the high cocoa amount tends to dry out the ganache making it dull and sometimes stiff. Glucose syrup or inverted sugar hydrates the mixture yielding a smoother dark ganache with a beautiful lustre.
Butter makes Ganache silky and smooth with a beautiful lustre while also improving flavour. Whipped ganache does not need butter since it is more like a mousse.
Most likely due to low-quality chocolate, type of chocolate or poor emulsification. If you are using chocolate with a high cocoa percentage like dark chocolate with high cocoa percentage , the cocoa tends to dehydrate the Ganache making it dull. This is why most dark chocolate ganache recipes add inverted sugar or glucose syrup for hydration. Poor emulsification will also yield dull ganache. therefore make sure to thoroughy mix the mixture.
Ganache solidifies or thickens when left for a few hours either at room temperature or refrigerated depending on the recipe instructions. I you notice a few hours have passed and the ganache is still liquidy, you may have used too much cream/liquid in the ganache mixture.
To fix this, separately melt chocolate and warm the ganache over a double boiler. Afterwards, mix the melted chocolate with warm ganache and refrigerate for at least 40 minutes.
Whipped Ganache has more heavy cream than regular ganache. Chocolate is mixed with heavy cream, chilled, and then whipped with a stand mixer or hand mixer until lighter in colour and fluffy. The chocolate flavour is usually reduced due to the high amount of cream.
On the other hand, a basic ganache has no air whipped into it, therefore, it is dense. In addition, the chocolate-to-cream ratio is the same or sometimes the chocolate amount will be higher making it have an intense chocolate flavour.
When cold heavy cream is introduced to melted chocolate few chocolate particles will solidify making the Ganache grainy.
Frozen ganache will solidify therefore, freeze only for longevity. For storing, pour the ganache into a tightly sealed container or in a bowl then completely wrap it with cling film. When you are ready to use, remove it from the freezer and place the bowl over a pot of warm water stir every few minutes until it softens to the desired consistency.
You did not completely melt the chocolate. The small particles of unmelted chocolate in the ganache will make the consistency grainy. To fix grainy ganache, pour it into a glass mixing bowl and then place the bowl over a pot of warm-hot water. Mix with a spatula until smooth then set it aside to cool at room temperature.
Another way of fixing grainy ganache is by blending with an immersion hand blender until smooth.
AS AN AMAZON ASSOCIATE I EARN FROM QUALIFYING PURCHASES.