ANo problem. You need to be very careful with white choc as it could split if you over heat. Good Luck.

ASugarluva, to behonest I have never made white choc ganache before so best go with tried and tested and you cant go wrong with bashing, she's great.

AHa ha ha, she'll like that, I meant Bashini, I really should look before I send it.

AYou are funny nanny cook! :-)

AI know, I crack myself up. Am in the middle of making a gluten free cake, 2 cake in the oven as like to make them in 2 stages, ready for a round minion cake for Wed. Strange mixture tho is gluten free.

AYes it is strange, my GF test cake mixture looked a bit seperated as if it needed flour to bring it together. I still used it though, turned out lovely. How will you store it til wednesday nanny?

AI use Asda own and never had any problem, don't know how it tastes as I don't like fondant !!! But I get repeat orders so can't be too bad :-)

Right so I baked my cakes today and made the ganache. I decided to go with a dark chocolate ganache in the end because white chocolate sounds a little harder and I had some dark chocolate I needed to use so thought I might as well for test purposes! I didn't think it was ever going to melt at one point but I got there eventually and it's lovely and smooth (and tasty!) now. I will leave it until tomorrow to use it. 

Just another questions, do you leave it at room temperature overnight before you use it or does it need putting in the fridge? Once I have used it on the cake does that cake then need fridging until it is iced or does it stay out? Or do you just ice it straight after ganaching it? Just want to make sure I get it right the first time.

As I decided to go with the dark chocolate ganache instead of white will this still taste good under the fondant? Or should I have just used white do you think? It's not really for anyone other than my experimenting so I suppose taste doesn't matter quite as much this time but I would like to know what other chocolate other people use if they're ganache fans?

I also have some different fondant from asda this time so will see if there is a difference.Thanks for everyone's help so far!

AMaisies, I thought the same as if it was curdled but it looks fine.had to make it today, its all covered under teacloths will crumbcoat it later the fridge it,as you know I work fulltime then tomorrow night I go to cake Dec class and don't get home til 9.15, saying that I will cover it tomorrow as I want it dry and hard to work on on Tuesday, its my day off Tuesday so I get to work on it all day then she picks it up Wed.

AEach to their own as far as which fondant you prefer I guess, as juju said she likes Asda own whereas I prefer covapaste. Another way to make ganache instead of melting your choc then adding it to your cream is to heat the cream then add your broken up choc to it and stir til melted in the hot cream, delish, I'm sure whatever way you make it its gonna be fab.

AThanks nannycook that's the way I did it. I heated the cream and then poured it over the chocolate and stirred until the chocolate melted - it just took forever to melt haha.

AI am so going to try ganache! I've read about heating the cream and adding the chocolate, that way appeals to me cos I always burn chocolate! Anyone got an easy recipe/method? How much did you need for the pig cake sugarluva?

AHa ha, I also made the pigs in mud cake, in fact I made two ( they were both for a wedding) I have odd friends! I made loads ganache as any left overs you can freeze it, if you can resist that is, I used 3 large pots of cream and loads chocolate, then I had a really big spoon, only kidding.

AI didn't make a lot for the pig cake maisie as I used butter cream to fill and cover the sides then just made enough to pour a thin layer on the too once the kit kats were stuck. I don't remember an exact measurement but I don't think it would have been more than 200ml of cream as it was a small pot (so probably around 400g dark chocolate). One tip I found when making it though is to pipe a rim of butter cream around the insides of the kit kats on top of the cake to about the height you want the ganache to come as that stopped my ganache from leaking out between the gaps in the kit kats.

Would love to see this cake when you have made it maisie it's one of my favourites!

AThanks Barbara for your compliments. I love to share what I've learnt with everyone else. :D

You can leave the ganache outside. I don't put the ganached cake in the fridge as I don't like putting my cakes in the fridge. Except if I need to do a carved cake.

Sugarluva, hope you used the correct ratio for the dark choc ganache. If you are using it tomorrow, it will get hard, but you can put it in the microwave for few seconds to soften it up. Once ganached, I leave it to hard then using a sugar syrup or warm water to brush all over the ganached cake. Then you can cover it with sugar paste.

It will taste lovely. If anything chocolate, it's good enough for me though!!!!:lol:

AI think I did it right bashini - 1 Part cream to 2 parts dark chocolate is that right?

I actually don't have a microwave (we never use one) so would I be ok just warming it up over a pan of boiling water which is how I always melt my chocolate for other things anyway? I've left the ganache out for tonight and was reluctant to put the ganache cake in the fridge tomorrow too so glad you have said it's ok being out.

I'm really excited to try it out tomorrow. Though I know in the past when I've been excited/eager to try cake things out I always end up disappointed as it never goes right but I'm keeping my fingers crossed!

Yes, that's right sugarluva. Sometimes, I use your method to melt ganache. So its fine, don't melt it too much as you need a spreadable consistency.

I know what you mean. Things like that happen to me too!!! So you are not alone! 

AThanks for the tips everyone. I'm seeing pigs in mud cakes everywhere since I've been asked to make one, funny how fashion can even influence cakes isn't it? I will post a picture, be the end of the month I expect.

A

Sorry to butt in mid conversation.....ropes....I am still scared of piping, so have used liquorice laces on a few cakes now....they might work on a boxing ring...if you can secure them at each corner. The proper black ones are difficult to find now though....I had to go to a traditional style sweet shoppe...like Mr Simms...or those tiny 8' square shops with glass jars to the ceiling :)

Good luck

AHi Spirelite, butt in all you like, I need all the help I can get! I was thinking about liquorice laces but I haven't seen them for years. Also never heard of Mr Simms. I do know an old sweet shop tho, will check it out when I can. Thankyou :-)

AMaisie, the supermarkets sell red (strawberry), cola and blackcurrant (!!!!) ones....try the confectionery aisle...about 40 pence a packet. It was the black (proper liquorice) ones that I particularly wanted :)

AThankyou, shows how often I buy sweets doesn't it! I can name every item in the chocolate aisle tho! :-)

Ok so I had a go with the ganache and Asda fondant today. My first issue was with warming up the ganache to make it soft enough to smooth - like I said I don't have a microwave so I had to split the big bowl I had left to set into 2 smaller bowls and warm them over a bowl. Next time I'll leave them in smaller bowls as I didn't realise how hard it set. I think I might have over heated the first lot as it went a bit grainy and looked as though it was about the split. It still tasted good though so I used it. The second lot I hardly heated at all so it wasn't very soft but it did look better. 

It was a lot easier and nicer to smooth on than buttercream so I think it's worth the effort! I got a lovely smooth, firm surface as the ganache had set which I was really happy about. 

As for the Asda fondant, it was so much softer and stretchier than I'm used to with Tesco. That made it so much easier to put on and for the first time ever I didn't get any cracks or elephant skin. It was also much easier to put on smoothly and get all the creases out from the bottom. It did end up with lots of finger marks in it though, every little touch left a dent in the surface. I left it for an hour or so and then came back to smooth it again and it did smooth more but no perfectly. It's definitely the best I've had for a long time though. 

I haven't had chance to taste either cake yet, I'm going to finish decorating tomorrow, but so far I'm really pleased with the ganache. If I get my fondant issue sorted I think ganache is the way forward, it definitely got rid of all the bulges I ALWAYS end up with with buttercream!

Just two questions, do you think if I rolled my fondant thicker it would solve the finger marks issue? Or is this just a problem with that fondant being so soft? I'm never sure how thick to roll it out. Second, I had loads of air bubbles under the fondant this time which has never been an issue for me before. They were popping up everywhere. Are there any tips for not getting these?

Overall I am definitely going to keep practising with the ganache, because as long as it tastes good, I definitely think it will help get a a smother finish. It still needs more work though!

(Sorry I have a habit of waffling!)

AOoh strawberry laces! I'm doing bunting on a birthday cake this weekend and that would make a fab 'string' to hang them from! Plus I get to eat the leftovers - yum yum! :)

Sounds like you had a good day Sugarluva! I've not done much with ganache but I'm really tempted to give it a go, sounds lovely! In terms of fondant covering, do you use spacers when you roll out? If not, I highly recommend them - I always struggled getting even sugarpaste but since using them to get even thickness, it's been brilliant! I use 5mm ones for when I'm covering a cake, and 3mm for cupcake toppers :)

Air bubbles form when tiny pockets of air between the cake and sugarpaste get warm and expand, it can be for a number of reasons - typically that either your buttercream/ganache was not completely smooth, or it's how you smooth the sugarpaste down. My method is always to smooth the top first with smoothers, from the centre out to the edge, then smooth the edges with my palms - bit hard to describe but if you move your thumb in, I use the curve of the heel of my hand? Then work your way round and down the cake, smoothing it against and down the cake with the palms of your hands - fingers curved out and away from the cake to avoid the dreaded 'finger dents' :) Then I go over the whole cake again with a pair of smoothers, to get a really smooth finish. Oh and this is all done with the cake on a lazy Susan, so I can turn the cake round as I go. I'm sure you do all this already, but just sharing what I find works, so hope it helps!

X

AI was going to say the same as Mel about spacers and smoothing with the heel of your hand. I don't like smoothers, I can't get on with them, I always catch the fondant and pull it (don't even ask how I manage that!). One thing I will add, I used to struggle to get the fondant rolled evenly until I stopped doing on the worktop and did it on the dining table instead. I think because it's lower and because I can lean over it/ move around it without the cupboard on the wall getting in the way- I sound wierd now don't I?! Also, if I do get bubbles in it I just pop em with a pin and smooth gently with my finger. I did a cake with bunting in January, wish I'd thought if laces for that, would've been perfect. (I'm also a member of the waffling club!)

AI agree, spacers all the way for me to, I do use smoothers and always two , if you use just the one and use your hand for the others I always get hand marks, that way two smoother sorts that out for me anyway.

I do use two smoothers but I don't use spacers. Actually I really need a new rolling pin. I have always used a wooden one I have had for ages but I have been coveting one of the big plastic fondant rolling pins. They just seem so expensive! Spacers would definitely help me though so I will definitely try and pick one of those up some time soon. Having the cake on a turn table has made a big difference too, they're very useful. 

I was popping the air bubbles like crazy today I have never had so many so I'm not sure why that was but I am looking forward to giving the ganache another go soon so I'll see if I can avoid them next time. Does anyone know, can you just use the ganache as soon as it has been made, once it has cooled and firmed up slightly of course? Or is the setting and then re-warming a vital step? Just thinking that it was a lot smoother when it was first made.

ASugarluva, glad you got a smooth finish with the ganache. Yes, you can use the ganache straight away. But I bake the cake two days ahead and torte and fill on the same day I bake. Then ganache, cover and decorate the next day. So I have to keep on warming up the ganache.

About the air bubbles, I don't know whether this make any difference but I use corn flour instead icing sugar. I felt that the more I use icing sugar the more stickier the paste gets. And could be the whether warming up a bit now?

ASugarluva, you should get a plastic rolling pin. I love mine, much better than my wooden one. I bought a wilton 20 inch from ebay for about £20 but you can get a 20inch no name one from HongKong for about a tenner. I chose the wilton so I could buy the wilton spacing rings and know they'd fit but I have a sneaking suspicion they'd fit the cheaper ones. If you're unsure try a little one first, I got a little 9 inch one with spacers for about £3 from Hong kong, it's brilliant for rolling little bits of fondant and the quality looks the same as the big wilton to me.

ASugarluva, I have a fab rolling pin, huge, had it from the Range and it was £20 but the same in Amazon is £15 , no ridges, great.