Never Using Bc Again Under Fondant
Decorating By MikeRowesHunny Updated 28 Aug 2016 , 4:27pm by yortma
Just so you are aware, there's no need to whip it, in fact you need to be aware that incorporating that much air into it actually decreases it's lasting properties. I only whip it if I need to pipe with it, otherwise, there's nothing wrong with putting it in the fridge, but you will need to heat it on short bursts in the microwave to bring it back to a spreadable texture.
And the ratios may vary dependant on the type of chocolate you use and your environment and current temperatures. In winter I have no problem with dark chocolate ganache at a 2 to 1 ratio setting and holding nicely but in summer I do need to increase it to 3 to 1.
As with a lot of things in cake decorating it requires some experimentation to find what works for YOU!
I use the ganache immediately...it will flow over the cake...put a rack and pan under the cake with parchment paper to catch the overflow...you can reuse it...then put the cake in the fridge to set once it is covered to your satisfaction...
itscake - I believe that is the pouring kind of ganache, not the kind that you spread on, which is what I understand is needed for this method.
I'm sure this is in the thread somewhere, but I don't have time to read all of it again. What do you use for your filling dam? I wouldn't think that the ganache would be thick enough (maybe I'm wrong ...) and I can't imagine having that one little bit of buttercream in the cake. Actually I can't imagine making buttercream just to have a filling dam.
Off topic a little bit, I have tons of Ghiradelli dipping chocolate that I bought at Sam's while they had it in stock. I thought ... hmmmm, I wonder if that would work for the ganache. It won't taste as good as real chocolate, but on a free wedding cake, maybe it will taste good enough. I used 1 1/2 lbs of chocolate and 1 c of heavy cream. I'm using a raspberry filling so I put 1/2 t of LorAnn raspberry in it and it is pretty good. It has been sitting for about 3 hours and is setting up just fine. I'll let you know how it does on the cake.
Now if I can just master fondant (making AND putting on the cake, I'll be in good shape.
Thought people might like to check out the summary on the Cakes and More Blog (an Aussie blog) about Ganache. I think it gives a lot of great info:
http://www.cakesandmore.org/blog/
I tried this over the weekend and it was so much easier than trying to do fondant over buttercream. Hopefully my coworkers won't miss the buttercream when they are consuming my experiment today!
I have a question for any of you fellow cakers still watching this thread. I made 2 batches of the white chocolate ganache yesterday and let it set up overnight. I tried it today and it tastes gross! Is it just I don't like ganache or did I do something wrong.
1st batch: I heated up heavy cream on stovetop (450mL) and poured over the chopped up chocolate (callebaut 1.3kg or 48oz like pp said). Mixed some and left it alone. 2nd batch-used ghiradelli this time and made a half batch (24oz chocolate with 250mL cream.) The callebaut is definitely more spreadable than the ghiradelli but they both taste terrible to me!
Should I just give up or can I add anything to make it taste better? Maybe some butter or powdered sugar? Please Help!! I'd like to cover this this afternoon and don't know if I should switch to BC instead!
I don't know - I'm not real crazy about the taste of white chocolate ganache, but I didn't think it was awful. My cake was all gone, so I guess it didn't taste too bad ...
I just tried this this weekend and the fondant did go on super smooth over the ganache. I too wondered though if people will miss the buttercream, guess we'll find out tonight.
SweetMelissa2007,
I think that you just don't like white ganache then I don't recommend adding anything to it (especially sugar as white chocolate is very sweet already). What you can do is use the ganache as your coat under fondant only and perhaps not too thick. When you eat everything together the ganache itself should not be so pronounced and you will still get the super-smooth surface to put your fondant on.
Can't really think of anything else. I personally love ganache and most people in Australia do too as American buttercream is very rarely used here. I do think it's just a matter of taste preference.
I know that no one has posted here in a few days but I was reading this the other day and had to come back and share my experience. After reading about ganache, I decided to make a Boston Creme cake (my mom's favorite) to take to work. I made the ganache and covered the cake last night and it was the greatest thing that has ever been in my stainless steel bowl! I think I'm in love. I had some left over so I whipped it and piped a little around the bottom of the cake and made some "rosettes" so we could just eat the rest of it. I LOVE it!
I would like to bake, carve, ganache and freeze a cake now that I don't need until the end of July. Will this work well without any adverse effects? Anyone here actually done it? TIA
In winter I have no problem with dark chocolate ganache at a 2 to 1 ratio setting and holding nicely but in summer I do need to increase it to 3 to 1.
Nicolevoorhout - Just so I have a better perspective on environment and since your seasons are opposite of ours in the USA, what months do you consider winter and summer? TIA
I whipped my left-over and piped it into "rosettes" and froze them. So we can have just a small bite when ever we open the freezer and it froze fine. I/m not sure how it would work on a cake though.
I have made two cakes with ganache, two different ways. Now I have a questions:
cake 1 - spread white chocolate ganache and immediately put on the fondant. This tasted amazing but was gooey.
cake 2 - spread chocolate ganache, let it set (dry), then put on fondant.
Which way is "right"? I found with the 2nd cake that you could see more imperfections and it was hard to get the fondant on without tearing.
But I love the way this tastes and the ganache is so much easier to put on than the BC.
TIA
~Raquel
Raquel, I think you need to use the second method and let the ganache set. Once it is fairly firm, you can smooth it with a hot knife or frosting spatula. Put spatula in HOT water and dry it off, then smooth the cake. The chocolate in the ganache melts enough to get it perfectly smooth. I actually did my ganache layer, smoothed it and let it sit all night.
When you get ready to put the fondant on, one method is to make a glaze with apricot jam and hot water. Put a thin layer on and the ganache will have something to stick to. You can also mist it very lightly with water.
I was amazed at how smooth I got the ganache and how easy it was to cover with fondant.
I will be trying this method tonight with my Triceratops 3D cake. I'll post pics of it as it goes. I'm excited to try it.
Thanks mbt
The ganache was enjoyable to work with - need to make the glaze next time. Tried the water... my fondant didn't like that too well.
~Raquel
Raquel, I found several recipes online for homemade piping gel. I thought about trying that too - it wouldn't add any extra flavors to my cake. I'll let you know how it works out. Now I just have to find a local source for white chocolate ....
Yes, let me know how the gel works.
Chocolate is expensive especially when just experimenting as I do. (don't sell, just make for family and friends). My dh about flipped when buying choco with me.... he did get to eat that particular cake and liked it
All of my cakes are for family and friends too. It can certainly get expensive - especially the weddings.
Hopefully trying this method this weekend. Question first though...what do you use for your filling dam? BC?
Thanks!
I asked the filling dam question too and didn't get an answer. I couldn't imagine making buttercream just for the dam so ... on the ONE cake that I have used this method for, I started my filling about 1/2" (maybe less) from the edge and let the ganache form the dam. I had to use less filling so that it didn't ooze out, but it worked for that particular cake.
Hopefully someone will respond this time because I plan to continue using this method and I need to be able to put a thicker layer of filling.
I did a Boston Creme cake this week and I had some left over chocolate bc from the day before so I used it for a dam. I wonder if you could whip some of the ganache and use it for the dam? Then you may end up running out of ganache to pour on the cake.
I think ganache is the only logical thing to use for the dam. It would be kind of weird (to me ) to have this ring of buttercream, but no other bc in the whole cake. I don't know what consistency whipped ganache ends up being, but I think I will give it a shot. I never know how much I will need, so I end up with leftovers anyway.
Can you melt down whipped ganache and make it liquid again? I would much rather have my leftover ganache in a squeeze bottle than whipped.
I ended up using only ganache for a filling - no dam, and then I placed a pyrex dish ( didn't have any tiles and my pyrex dish was the exact size of the cake) on top the cake for several hours so that if anything was going to bulge out, it would. I had no bulges.
I'm doing WASC, raspberry filling, white chocolate ganache and fondant. The raspberry filling is a must and I want to be able to use a good amount of it, so I will need a dam of some sort. I'm going to try the whipped ganache ...
Does the ganache need to be refrigerated?
You are not supposed to refrigerate fondant, right?
does your raspberry filling need to be also?
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