How to make Chocolate Ganache?

Chocolate ganache is rich, versatile, and remarkably simple to make. It combines dark chocolate and double cream to create a silky and delicious filling, icing, glaze, or even can be used to make chocolate truffles! Chocolate ganache can be the perfect touch to add that

showstopper element to your bakes.

Silky Smooth Chocolate Ganache

What Chocolate to use when making Chocolate Ganache?

In order to achieve a silky and delicious ganache, it is important to use a high quality

chocolate that has a high cocoa butter content as this will help produce a smooth

ganache with a deep flavour. Using a lower quality, or cheaper, chocolate may result in a waxy

taste and a grainy finish as the ingredients used as a substitute for cocoa butter can

cause an unpleasant taste and uneven melting. When looking at the ingredients to

choose the chocolate, avoid chocolates with ingredients like “hydrogenated palm

kernel oil” and instead look out for a high percentage of cocoa solids. I used the Menier Swiss Dark Chocolate which produced a perfect ganache with a rich flavour and lovely shine.

Grated Dark Chocolate

Whilst using a high quality chocolate will improve the shine and taste of your

ganache, the cream you use will impact the texture of your ganache and how it will

set. A high fat content is preferable when making ganache as it allows the ganache

to set properly and keeps a stable texture. Double cream is ideal to use with a fat

content of around 46%.

Double Cream

The perfect ratio of Chocolate and Cream for Chocolate Ganache.

When making chocolate ganache, it is important to consider how it will be used to

determine how much chocolate and how much cream you will require.

If you use a 2:1 ratio of cream to chocolate, using double the amount of cream as

chocolate, you will have a thin ganache, perfect for dipping fruits into, or for pouring

over the top of a cake to form a lovely glaze. You can also use this ratio to form a

ganache that can then be whipped up into a thicker, creamy filling. This can be used

as a delectable filling to sandwich two sponges together.

To achieve a smooth and stable ganache, perfect to use as icing, or as a thicker

glaze over cakes, you can use equal amounts of cream and chocolate. This 1:1 ratio

will produce the most versatile ganache as the consistency is thin enough to be used

as a glaze, but thick enough that it is stable and will hold if used as an icing, without

the need to be whipped. When using this ganache, it is important to consider its

temperature when used. If you choose to use it as a glaze, it will work best when still

warm, as the warmth will allow it to spread into a thin layer. Alternatively, if using it as

a filling, this is best done once the ganache has cooled, as this will increase the

thickness and stability of the filling.

Another use for chocolate ganache is to produce rich chocolate truffles by rolling

balls of chocolate ganache into cocoa powder. This will require a 1:2 ratio of cream

to chocolate, creating an extremely thick ganache that can easily be rolled into

chocolate truffles. This is also best done when the ganache has cooled down to

allow a firm texture.

How to make Chocolate Ganache?

Ingredients

100g high quality dark chocolate

100ml double cream

These ingredients are based on using a 1:1 ratio for your chocolate ganache

however, if your intended use is to make a thin chocolate ganache for dipping fruits

in, or glazing cakes, or to create a thicker ganache to make chocolate truffles, then

you must adjust the measurements according to the ratios stated above.

The first step in making chocolate ganache is to finely chop the chocolate. The finer

you get your chocolate pieces, the better, as this will allow the chocolate to melt

much more easily which will lessen the risk of overheating your cream and ruining

the ganache. Put the chocolate into a plastic or heat-proof bowl and set aside.

Grated Chocolate and Cream

After chopping the chocolate into small pieces, you should pour the cream into a pan

and gently heat the cream over a very low heat. You want to heat the cream

and stop just before it begins to bubble. If the cream is too hot, when you combine

it with the chocolate, the fats and the solids in the chocolate may separate which will

cause the ganache to become very oily.

Once the cream is warmed, pour this over the chocolate and stir continuously, The

chocolate should melt into the cream as you stir, forming the ganache. If the

chocolate only partially melts you can melt the chocolate by placing the bowl over a

pan of boiling water and continuing to stir. You must be very careful not to leave the

ganache over boiling water for an extended period and should instead frequently

take the ganache off the heat so that the ganache does not separate.

Cooking Chocolate Ganache

Once the chocolate has all melted into the cream you will be left with a decadent and

glossy ganache!

Although chocolate ganache may seem like intimidating, it really is simple to make

and can add the showstopper element to your bakes.