Making the perfect chocolate ganache is straight-up boss moves, and I’m here to show you how to get it right boos. Rich, velvety and beyond silky, get ready for this recipe to rock any dessert in the five minutes it takes to make it. Whether you slather it on cake layers, drizzle it over brownies, or eat it by the spoonful, it’s a hit. Get ready to get your chocolate fix with this next-level ganache recipe!
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We all know that cakes can be dressed up in just about anything from swiss meringue buttercream to a simple powdered sugar glaze but when you wanna turn the decadence up a notch, definitely make this ganache recipe. It’s like a glossy crown for your dessert! Made with sweet, smooth cream and rich chocolate, it couldn’t be easier y’all.
What is Ganache?
Ganache is a silky, smooth, shiny sauce made from a 1:1 ratio mixture of chocolate and warm cream. It is not only super simple to toss together, but it’s also incredibly versatile! Chocolate ganache can be used as a filling, frosting, dip, or topping.
The Lowdown of This Ganache recipe
Cuisine Inspiration: French
Primary Cooking Method: Stovetop
Dietary Info: Gluten-Free
Key Flavor: Rich indulgent chocolate
Skill Level: Easy y’all (No Sweat Fam!)
Beyond Versatile
From cake drips to truffle fillings, ganache can play any role you can think up. It’s a one-stop shop for so many dessert needs.
Fancy But No Fuss
When you wanna upgrade a dessert with some elegance, ganache icing comes to the rescue boos. You can achieve that patisserie-perfection with just two ingredients and a few minutes of your time.
Customize It Up
Dark, milk, or white chocolate – do you boo! Ganache loves them all.
Ingredients you’ll need to make chocolate ganache
- Heavy Whipping Cream: This is gonna give that ganache that perfect silky smooth texture. Plus it’s gonna add some richness to the mix too.
- Bittersweet Chocolate: This is deep dark chocolate with just the right amount of sweetness. Make sure you grab a pure chocolate bar with high quality. Ghirardelli, Bakers, and Lindt are all great brands to check out. The better quality the chocolate, the more luxurious and delish your ganache will end up being.
How to make chocolate ganache
What to serve with ganache icing
- With Fruit: Use it as a fondue dip for marshmallows and fresh fruit like strawberries, pineapples, and bananas.
- Over ice cream: Get your whole life with a drizzle of this over vanilla ice cream, cookie butter ice cream, coffee ice cream or make a chocolate covered strawberry vibe with strawberry ice cream.
- Layer it Up: This ganache is a dream added to the layers of this chocolate birthday cake, chocolate raspberry cake or in a classic yellow cake.
- Cheesecake Vibes: This is a dream along with caramel sauce over a New York cheesecake.
- Bars and Brownies: A bomb drizzle of ganache icing over fudgy brownies or brown butter blondies is the move boos.
Recipe Substitutions
- Heavy Cream: Half-and-half will create a lighter ganache which will be a bit less rich but will work in a pinch.
- Bittersweet Chocolate: You can grab semi-sweet chocolate for a sweeter end result. White chocolate, milk chocolate or dark chocolate can also be swapped in but your icing may require a little adjustment of the liquid to chocolate ratio. Just remember boos: the less cocoa butter content your chocolate has, the less heavy cream you’ll need.
Recipe Variations and Additions
- Go Vegan: Go with a coconut cream or full fat coconut milk. Make sure your chocolate is also dairy free.
- Mocha Vibes: Adding just a bit of instant coffee powder to your ganache will give you a hint of coffee notes.
- Infuse it Up: From extracts like vanilla and peppermint to herbs like lavender, you can really go all in and create more complex notes in your ganache.
- Brighten it Up: Sprinkle in a teaspoon of lemon or orange zest to really punch up the flavor.
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Expert Tips and Tricks for making the best ganache recipe
- Don’t Use Cheap Chocolate: Textural issues usually come from using cheap chocolate boos. It can make your ganache greasy or even grainy which ain’t it! If you want a richer, smoother sauce, go with pure quality chocolate.
- Chop It Fine: If you chop the chocolate into finer pieces, it will melt quickly and evenly which will give you a smoother icing. Chop the chocolate into small, ¼- ½ inch sized pieces.
- Don’t Boil: Make sure you don’t overheat your cream. If you do, it will give you a grainy final texture.
- Spatula is Best: Grab a spatula to stir everything together instead of a whisk. We want to avoid adding too many air bubbles to our final sauce.
- Prevent Seizing: Seizing happens when chocolate comes into contact with water. Make sure that your equipment is completely dry boos.
How to store & reheat
Cool the ganache down to room temp, then transfer it to a resealable container and tuck it away.
If you wanna warm it up, heat in a microwave-safe bowl in 10 second increments, stirring in between.
How long will ganache last in the fridge?
Ganache can be kept in the fridge for up to two weeks.
Can I freeze chocolate ganache?
You can store ganache in a freezer for up to 3 months. When you want to use the ganache, thaw it overnight in the fridge. It will still be pretty hard, so you’ll need to leave it in a warm place for a couple hours. Just don’t re-freeze ganache! If ganache has been thawed, it should be eaten within a week.
Frequently asked questions
I personally don’t recommend chocolate chips since they can melt differently and don’t reach the same smooth consistency. If you must use chips or chunks, use a high-quality, bittersweet variety.
To fix a broken ganache, reheat the mixture over a warm water bath (a double-boiler) while stirring vigorously. If that ain’t working, try adding a splash of room temp milk.
You can easily adjust the consistency boos. Add more warm cream if the ganache is too thick or you can let it continue to chill so it thickens up more if it is too thin (or add more chopped chocolate).
Ganache is legit one of the easiest things you can make that creates a big impact in flavor. Desserts are always much better when you add it boos. it’s silky, smooth, and beyond delish. Whether you drizzle it up or eat it by the spoon (I ain’t judging), it will be a hit every time you make it.
More Frostings and Icings recipes
- Caramel Buttercream
- Chocolate Swiss Meringue Buttercream
- Blackberry Cream Cheese Frosting
- Brown Butter Frosting
- Strawberry Sauce
- Hard Sauce
Chocolate Ganache
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Equipment
Ingredients
- 1/2 cup bittersweet chocolate
- 1/2 cup heavy whipping cream
Instructions
- Using a serrated knife, coarsely chop the chocolate to 1/4-1/2 inch pieces. Transfer the chocolate to a heat-proof glass or metal bowl.
- Bring the heavy cream to a simmer around the edges but not boiling on the stovetop then pour it over the chocolate.
- Allow the cream and chocolate to sit for a few minutes.
- Using a spatula then mix until smooth and allow it to cool to room temperature to thicken before using.
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Delish! And super quick and easy. I made it to drizzle over one of your pound cakes which I switched up on and my fam went WILD on Xmas Eve LOL! I preferred the brown sugar drizzle and thought they wouldn’t like the chocolate as much. Boy was I wrong! This ganache is so tasty. I followed directions to a tee and used what was leftover not only as a dipping sauce for a slice of cake but also for strawberries and other thangs :-). Tip, don’t go cheap, buy the good chocolate.
Omg, this ganache looks amazing! So shiny and delicious.
I can think of so many things to put this on. How decadent with such a straight forward recipe!
This chocolate ganache looks absolutely amazing! Love that shine and appreciate all the tips to help make it perfect. Sounds incredible paired with cheesecake.
Oh my goodness, I could dunk my head in that pot of chocolate heaven! Yum!
This was so helpful and our chocolate ganache turned out amazing! Perfect for our ice cream bar and the kids loved this! My chocolate lovers were all over this and I can’t wait to use this in many different ways!