I am curious to see what ratio of choc to heavy cream that you use. Does your recipe contain butter? Also when enrobing your whole cake (not the drip technique) do you use a bc crumb coat first or do you just pour the ganache straight on...or do you use the warm ganache first to do a light crumb coat then let it cool and then do the pour technique?
I usually use bc under my pourable ganache but recent research shows that it may be unnecessary. What's your favorite technique?

I guess I will have to try again. Mine definitely did not look like that and it was not thickened at all. Thanks for your helpful tips.

This should help you:

http://daisylanecakes.blogspot.com/search/label/ganache

It has a lot of very useful information!

I think that I must have accidentally got on the wrong forum when I put that last remark in. Just ignore.

Karen - interesting how she used a 1:1 ratio (choc to heavy cream). So that technically should be called a "Chocolate Cream Glaze?" I was even suprised as to how good it looked with just using choc chips instead of a couverture or high quality chocolate. That led me to look at the packages in the store this morning. Wouldn't you know it....the choc companies have been sneaky (but good though) they are finally starting to use cocoa butter instead of the cheap hydrogenated palm oil (that I have scoffed in forums in the past)....somebody actually is listening. Interesting!


All - Interesting tip I just discovered in the Cake Bible pg 272 yesterday on this subject:
If planning to refrigerate glazed cake, replace 2TBS of the cream with corn syrup. This will keep ganache from cracking and also adds sheen.

There is also a beautiful chemistry like breakdown explaining the ganaches/glazes on pg 274 of the Cake Bible in case anyone is interested.
How smart!

I would be inquisitive to see if anyone has used ganache recipes that are ONLY Chocolate and Butter (like pg 273 of Cake Bible). Or even a Chocolate and Sour Cream (pg. 275 of the Cake Bible). Or even how your white choc ganaches turn out.
I've never ventured from the safe norm of Choc/HC so I am quite eager to hear feedback on this subject.

any responses....anyone?

any responses....anyone?

oops double posted for some reason.

I wish there were some more responses....I'm going to be covering cake in ganache [not drip method either] and was looking for tips. I've never done it before! Do *you* have any tips? I read that the cake should be chilled [especially since I put buttercream on it...not crumb coat] but would love any other pointers!

Thanks!

A few days ago someone posted a link about dripping the ganache on the sides of a buttercream covered cake. It was really good. I'll try to find it for you.

http://cakesandcupboards.blogspot.com/2007/12/my-first-how-to-demonstration-drizzles.html

Here is the site. I could not find the discussion on CC. (I hope they do not censore the site.)

When I do poured ganache i use a 1:1 ratio and use BC under it. On my blog I have a doberge cake I did that with, and there is a link in that post to ANOTHER blog with a photo tutorial of pouring ganagche.

http://sugaredblog.blogspot.com/2009/01/new-orleans-doberge-cake.html


HTH!

the 2:1 was for the thickened ganache crumbcoat. the pouring was 1;1... HTH

Ah Sharon...the Cake Goddess of impeccable cakes. When are you going to be on TV again? Matter of fact when are you going to write a book?
I've gotta try the thicker ratio spatula'ed' ganache under the thinner poured ganache technique its a fantastic idea.

Sandi - my usual method is what WBH does (pg 39 of their main book). Its the heat the choc separately from the cream mixture (mixture contains: hc, butter, corn syrup) method. The cream method has that cool idea of corn syrup in it. One note of caution if you want to try it: when she says, "heat to just before boiling point" (BP is about 212F) it has to be watched. So the cream will start to "ripple" before it reaches 200F I normally watch for the rippling and pull it off. Seriously watch that. The cream if too hot will make the cocoa butter separate from the chocolate if too hot then you emulsion will be hard to work with - and honestly never truly reincorporates. Plus she says use immediately.....well dont...let it rest to cool down a little bit. Her recipe works quite well over any bc even the cooler buttercreams like SMBC, IMBC or french.

Now.....if I could just perfect my white chocolate pourable ganache. Dont let anyone tell you its the same ratio in the the regular chocolate recipes...cause its not. Its a cocoa butter issue.

Note: I know I should not have started talking in ratios b/c really the chocolate (solid) should be given as a weight and the liquid (Heavy Cream) as a volume measurement.