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The Ultimate Guide to White Chocolate Ganache

April 16, 2021 By Ashley Leave a Comment

Welcome to the last installment of my ultimate guide to ganache series – all about white chocolate ganache. I looooove using white chocolate ganache. It is my favorite alternative for those who don’t like fondant. It’s creamy, delicious and serves as the perfect, smooth, blank canvas on a cake.

White chocolate is getting its own separate post because it can behave a bit differently from semi/dark chocolate ganache. It can seize or split easier, and melting white chocolate can sometimes be a challenge. Timing and ratio are key to white chocolate ganache. Gone are the days of troublesome ganache. With these tips and tricks, making a smooth and creamy white chocolate ganache will be a breeze.

How is white chocolate different from other chocolate?

White chocolate, compared to dark and milk chocolates, do not have any cocoa solids. It also has more sugar, more milk solids, less cocoa butter and can burn or seize easier than dark chocolate. But don’t let that dissuade you from making it. Choosing the right chocolate, heating it slowly and mixing it properly are key to a smooth and creamy ganache.

Really, the most important factor of determining the right white chocolate for ganache is the quality of the chocolate. As with dark chocolate, the quality of white chocolate makes a huge difference in the final ganache. Quality determines the taste and texture, especially in white chocolate which can range from chalky and cloyingly sweet to smooth and milky, which is why chips or coating chocolate can be a bit of a gamble. But, you can make ganache with them.

How to make white chocolate ganache

White chocolate ganache ratio: 3:1 or 12oz white chocolate to 4oz cream

Weigh or measure the chocolate and place in a bowl. Chop the pieces finely if you are using chocolate bars. Microwave for 45-60 seconds to soften the chocolate.

Place the cream in a saucepan and place on the stove over medium low heat.

Heat the cream until it starts to steam along the top. Keep a close eye on the cream making sure the cream doesn’t scald or curdle.

Once heated, pour the cream over the warmed chocolate. Let the mixture sit for 5 minutes.

With a spatula or a whisk, begin gently stirring the mixture starting in the center to blend, and working outward. This creates a smooth emulsion and prevents air from being incorporated. Too much air can cause the mixture to split.

You can use the ganache immediately or set it aside to cool to the desired consistency. Be sure not to agitate the chocolate while it is setting, which can cause it to split.

Let it set at room temperature. Place plastic wrap onto the surface of the ganache so that it doesn’t form a film.

The ganache is ready for drips at 85-90F and ready for filling or icing a cake when the texture is thickened and smooth, resembling peanut butter or canned frosting.

Whitening Ganache

Surprise! White chocolate ganache is often enough not white. Color does depend on the brand and varies, but with real white chocolate, to get a true white, you will have to color it. Candy melts and almond bark tend to be more white and less translucent.

You can whiten your ganache by adding white gel color in the cream before mixing it into the chocolate or mixing in the color after incorporating the cream. Alternatively, you can color it once it is ready to use.

Whipped ganache is a fantastic cupcake frosting. Beating the cooled ganache in a stand mixer until fluffy and thickened is also a way to whitening ganache and making a lighter frosting.

How to color white chocolate ganache

Traditionally, adding water based anything to chocolate spells disaster. Since ganache is an emulsion, you can add a concentrated gel color to the ganache. I like to whiten the ganache first. This is to make sure the color I am adding to the ganache isn’t altered by the ganache’s yellowish/translucent hue.

Even though you can totally use gel color in ganache, if I’m making red, navy, or even black (when possible use dark chocolate ganache for black – MUCH easier), I like to use oil/chocolate colors because these colors require a lot more color added to the ganache. The oil/chocolate colors can darken the ganache faster with less color.

Uses for white chocolate ganache

Drip cakes
Glazes for donuts, eclairs, cupcakes and more
Ice cream topping
Cake or cupcake filling
Topping brownies
Dipping cookies
Macaron filling
Whipped chocolate ganache frosting
Truffles
Frosting cakes
Dipping fruit

White Chocolate Ganache and Cake Decorating

Ganache is ideal for frosting cakes. It’s airless and super smooth, creating an smooth and flawless cake covering. It’s also one of the best cake frostings to use if you’re making a fondant cake. Ganache holds its shape better, and sets up more quickly than buttercream, allowing you to keep smooth and crisp ganache edges when covering with fondant.

Ganache also has a higher melting point than buttercream, which means that on warmer days, buttercream would melt faster than ganache. For those people who don’t like fondant, white chocolate ganache can give you that same white, flawless finish that fondant does.

Another perk of using ganache on layer cakes, is that you typically don’t get any bulging or blowouts as long as you’re allowing your cake to settle after filling and layering it and you’re not trapping any air under your fondant. You also want the ganache to be fully set before covering fondant.

Flavor variations

I love infusing flavors into white chocolate ganache, especially fruit reductions. But here are some ideas on what you can infuse or add to your ganache.

Jams and fruit reductions

Teas

Zests

Mint/Herbs

Extracts

Salted Caramel/Nut Butters

Alcohol

Coffee

Sprinkles

For more information on ganache and troubleshooting, check out my Ultimate Guide to Ganache posts listed below. If you make white chocolate ganache, let me know! Drop a comment or tag me on Instagram. I love seeing your creations.

Enjoy!

Ash xx

For more on ganache, check out these posts:

The Ultimate Guide to Chocolate Ganache Part 1

The Ultimate Guide to Chocolate Ganache Part 2

Chocolate Stout Layer Cake with Coffee Irish Cream Buttercream

Under the Sea Cake Tutorial

The Ultimate Guide to Chocolate Ganache: Part 2

April 11, 2021 By Ashley Leave a Comment

In the Ultimate Guide to Chocolate Ganache part 1, I explained what ganache is and how temperature and ratio determines consistency and usage of the ganache. In this continuation post, I will go over how to make ganache as well as how to flavor ganache and troubleshoot any problems.

Ganache Amounts:

Bittersweet/Semi-Sweet Ganache:

1:1 – 10oz chocolate/10oz heavy cream

2:1 – 10oz chocolate/5oz heavy cream

1:2 – 8oz chocolate/16oz heavy cream

Milk Chocolate:

3:1 – 12 oz chocolate/4oz heavy cream

How to make ganache

Weigh or measure the chocolate and place in a bowl. Chop the pieces finely if you are using chocolate bars. Microwave for 30-45 seconds to soften the chocolate.

Place the cream in a saucepan and place on the stove over medium low heat.

Heat the cream until it starts to steam along the top. Keep a close eye on the cream making sure the cream doesn’t scald or curdle.

Once heated, pour the cream over the warmed chocolate. Let the mixture sit 3 or 4 minutes.

*Add ins: Adding a tablespoon of butter or corn syrup will give your ganache more shine, which is helpful especially when using for a drip or glaze. Corn syrup also gives the ganache a little bit of elasticity. Adding a pinch of salt to the chocolate before the cream is added gives the ganache a bit of flavor and breaks up the sweetness into identifiable flavors.*

With a spatula or a whisk, begin gently stirring the mixture starting in the center, and working outward. This creates a smooth emulsion and prevents air from being incorporated. Too much air can cause the mixture to split.

You can use the ganache immediately or set it aside to cool to the desired consistency.

Ganache and cake decorating

Ganache is ideal for frosting cakes. It’s airless and super smooth, creating an ideal and flawless cake covering. It’s also the best cake frosting to use if you’re making a fondant cake. Ganache holds it shape better, and sets up more quickly than buttercream, allowing you to keep smooth and crisp ganache edges when covering with fondant.

Ganache also has a higher melting point than buttercream, which means that on hotter days, buttercream would melt faster than ganache.

Chocolate ganache is also a good starting point for a true black frosting. Adding black color to the ganache allows you to use less food color, but also it’s easier to achieve a true black. Coloring buttercream uses far more gel color and can also leave an aftertaste.

Common Ganache Questions

Can I reheat or reuse ganache?

Most definitely. I almost always make ganache in advance and store in the refrigerator for a day or two before using it. I microwave ganache in short 5 second bursts, gently stirring after each to gradually bring the ganache to temperature, but also to achieve the desired texture. Refrigerating and reheating repeatedly can cause the ganache to lose its shine. But, it’ll still taste amazing.

How do you store ganache?

Due to the higher sugar amount, ganache can be stored at room temperature for up to 48 hours. You can also refrigerate ganache for up to 2-3 weeks, and freeze ganache for up to 3 months. Note that frozen ganache will typically loose it’s shine and glossy appearance when brought to room temperature.

What about white chocolate ganache?

See my Ultimate Guide to White Chocolate Ganache.

Can I refrigerate my ganached cake?

Absolutely. But, you don’t have to. The ganache *can*crack if the cake gets too cold. And while the topic of freezing ganache covered cakes is highly debatable, I do not recommend freezing a ganached cake because of this reason.

How do I attach fondant to my ganached cake?

When ganache is set on a cake, it sets firm and dry. You can adhere fondant to the ganache by brushing on a thin layer of sugar syrup, corn syrup, alcohol or vegetable shortening.

How do I color my chocolate ganache black?

There are a couple ways to darken ganache. Keep in mind, it only takes a small amount of black color to achieve black ganache.

You can add black chocolate/oil based color OR black gel color to your ganache until you achieve your desired color. It’s typically true that adding to water will cause chocolate to seize, but since ganache is an emulsion, you can use gel color.
You can add black gel color to the cream mixture before pouring over the chocolate.

Troubleshooting Ganache

Why is my ganache grainy?

If your ganache is grainy and poor quality chocolate isn’t the culprit, place the bowl of ganache over a double broiler, and slowly reheat the mixture, stirring until the mixture is smooth no longer grainy. If the ganache is greasy, too much air could have been incorporated while mixing. Additionally, use a glass bowl. Ganache is shinier and smoother when using glass compared to plastic. No idea why, it just is. Science.

Additionally, if you’re reheating the ganache, any graininess is just uneven melting. Just keep stirring and gently heat to even out the texture.

My ganache is lumpy after mixing in the cream?

Likely, your chocolate isn’t melted enough. Microwave in 30 second increments, stirring gently after, until the ganache is smooth and melted.

I made my ganache too liquidy? How can I fix it?

For ganache that is too thin and won’t set, reheat it and add a small amount of chopped chocolate at a time, heating it thoroughly until thickened.

For ganache that is too stiff, add additional warmed cream, a tablespoon at time to thin it out.

My ganache split and is greasy. Can I fix it?

Be sure to not overheat your chocolate, as well as taking care to not overheat the cream. Chocolate that gets too hot can cause the fats to separate causing a split and greasy chocolate mess.

It’s very easy to overheat chocolate in the microwave. Microwave in short increments to avoid overheating.

Flavor Variations

Ganache is chocolate and chocolate will be the dominant flavor, but infusing flavor into ganache gives you loads of options for pairing with different cakes and fillings.

Mint and fresh herbs

Salted Caramel

Flaky salt

Extracts

Espresso

Earl Grey/teas

Zests

Cookie Butter

Peanut Butter

Nutella

Alcohol

Spices

If you make ganache, let me know! Drop a comment or tag me on Instagram. I love seeing your creations.

Enjoy!

Ash xx

For more on ganache, check out these posts:

The Ultimate Guide to Chocolate Ganache Part 1

Chocolate Stout Layer Cake with Coffee Irish Cream Buttercream

Under the Sea Cake Tutorial

The Ultimate Guide to Chocolate Ganache: Part 1

April 11, 2021 By Ashley Leave a Comment

Chocolate ganache. Multi-functional, very delicious, and super easy, requiring only 2 ingredients – cream and chocolate. Ganache can be infused with different flavors and can be used for glazes, fillings, truffles, or even frosting cakes. With it rich, creamy and velvety texture, ganache is perfect for elevating any dessert and making beautiful cakes.

What is chocolate ganache?

Ganache is an emulsion consisting of chocolate and warmed cream to make a creamy, shiny and smooth mixture with various uses. The ratio of chocolate to cream determines how thick the ganache is and what it can be used for. The temperature of ganache also determines how it can be used. Warmed, it can be used for drips or glazes, cooled and set, it can be used as a cake filling, frosting or even chocolate truffles.

Uses for chocolate ganache

Drip cakes
Glazes for donuts, eclairs, cupcakes and more
Ice cream topping
Cake or cupcake filling
Topping brownies
Dipping cookies
Chocolate mousse
Whipped chocolate ganache frosting
Truffles
Frosting cakes
Dipping fruit

The importance of chocolate quality

When possible, choose chocolate bars rather than chips. Chocolate chips are made to retain their shape when baking. They do melt, as you can see when you eat a warm cookie, but they are made with less cocoa butter so the chips remain somewhat intact. This *can* make for a grainy, somewhat thicker and dull ganache. However, that’s not to say that you can’t use any chips. I prefer to use a higher quality chocolate chip. One that has a higher percentage of chocolate and cocoa butter, such as Ghirardelli 60%, or Guittard Extra Dark. For milk chocolate, I prefer to use chocolate bars only. It’s not as easy to melt milk chocolate chips, which can result in burning them or they can seize. I find that they make a clumpy, grainy ganache, but feel free to experiment to find your preference and what brands work best for you. My favorite bar chocolates are Callebaut and Guittard. Ghirardelli or Lindt are good alternatives that can be found in most grocery stores.

Chocolate to cream ratios

Depending on the ratio of heavy cream to chocolate depends on the consistency of the ganache is and how you can use it. The temperature of the ganache determines when you can use it. Freshly made ganache can be used for drips and glazes. Nearly set ganache, can be used for fillings, and firmer, cold ganache can be used for truffles. But all ganache will be thinner when just made, and set and harden more as it cools.

Semi/Bittersweet chocolate Ratios:

2:1 – 2 parts chocolate, to 1 part cream (by weight) creates a thicker, fudge-like ganache that when lukewarm can be used for drips, or when set to peanut butter consistency, can be used for cake fillings, topping brownies and frosting a cake. When the ganache is chilled or hardened a bit, you can use this ganache to make truffles. This is my preferred ratio for frosting a cake.

1:1 – 1 part chocolate to 1 part cream (by weight) creates a thinner ganache that can be used for glazes, drips and when cooled a bit, can be whipped to make a whipped chocolate ganache frosting or a mousse. You can also use this ratio for a cake or cupcake filling, but it will be a little bit softer.

1:2: 1 part chocolate to 2 parts cream (by weight) makes a thin, pourable ganache that can also be used as a glaze, or as an ice cream topping. You can also use this ganache for dipping fruit, or fondue as well as making hot chocolate.

Milk Chocolate Ratio:

Milk chocolate requires less cream than dark/bittersweet because it has a higher percentage of milk solids, less cocoa butter and has more sugar in it which allows it to stay liquid when heated.

3:1 – 3 parts chocolate cream to 1 part heavy cream (by weight) will make a thicker ganache like the bittersweet 1:2 ratio. You can also do 2.5oz of chocolate for a softer ganache.

Head on over to The Ultimate Guide to Chocolate Ganache part 2 to learn how to make ganache, how to flavor it, and how to troubleshoot any ganache issues.

Enjoy!

Ash xx

For more on ganache, check out these posts:

The Ultimate Guide to Chocolate Ganache Part 2

Chocolate Stout Layer Cake with Coffee Irish Cream Buttercream

Under the Sea Cake Tutorial