So I've heard a bit about using ganache under fondant to make sharper corners - I love that. However I want to go further and cover my friends entire wedding cake in white chocolate ganache (spreadable not poured).

What I'm wondering is - does anyone have experience with this? Is it easy to decorate on? She wants it covered in lustre dust and I'm unsure as to whether it will stick. It's going to be a very basic cake, she wants ivory, covered in lustre dust to look like satin, and I'm going to make fondant pearls in varying sizes (by tier) as the border. This far we are not stacking the tiers and placing ivory roses w/lustre dust on top of each.

I am going to use the martha stewart buttercream chart in her weddings book to determine the minimum amount of ganache I will need to frost each tier but I haven't seen anything about the approx volume one recipe makes - anybody know? I will be using 3:1 - white chocolate:cream - by weight.

Thanks in advance for any tips - I really appreciate it as I'm also the bridesmaid and a little anxious!



The cake is going to be ginger carrot, probably with orange cream cheese frosting - just in case that helps!

Let me start by saying that I love your idea. One question: is the orange cream cheese frosting just for filling or are you planning to put it under the ganache? I ask, because I'm not sure how well ganache would spread over buttercream, although the combo sounds delish! Since it's going to be a carrot cake, ganache is a good choice for the icing, because it's not nearly as heavy as fondant, which can be way too heavy for a carrot cake.

And, besides, unless you're an ace with buttercream, I find that ganache is a lot easier to achieve smooth sides and sharp edges with. Luster or pearl dust should stick admirably. Do I understand you correctly? You won't be stacking the tiers, so I assume you'll be using one of those stands where each tier stands alone. But you WILL be putting ivory roses on each tier. Is that right?

It sounds like such a wonderful idea! Ganache, like fondant - and probably buttercream, really - seals the cake and keeps it from drying out fast, so you can finish the whole thing the day before and not have to worry about it on the day of the wedding.

Oh, about the amount of ganache a recipe makes, it's hard to say, since the recipe goes "one part of cream to three parts of chocolate". How big is a part? All I can suggest here is that you make up a small batch and see how much you get. You can alwys freeze it and use it on the cake. And don't forget to take into account that you need enough to crumbcoat the cake as well as ice it.

Hope everything goes great for you, both as the cake maker and the bridesmaid and, of course, I'll be expecting pictures or a link to some, anyway!

Hi Marianna,

Thanks for your reply! Yes, the orange cream cheese frosting is for the filling, I realized after that I didn't make that very clear - good assumption on your part! I'm glad you don't think I'm a little off my rocker with my cake plans. I wasn't sure if it was a good idea or not. Thanks!!!

Here's a great link with photos from Sugar Sweet Cakes & Treats blog:

http://sugarsweetcakesandtreats.blogspot.com/2010/05/covering-cake-in-ganache.html

Thanks for those links, ladies! And I like your idea of the white chocolate candy clay pearls, TexasSugar. I've honestly never made ganache with white chocolate before - I've always used candy melts (although, for what it's worth, the kind I buy are "chocolate substitute" made by a chocolate manufacturer here in Mexico), but I just thought I'd mention that the ganache doesn't come out white, but more like ivory. It's a lot less white than the candy melts are before I incorporate them into the ganache. I hope that's not a problem for your cake.