I made ganache for a cake this week and I royally messed it up (which is a common theme for me and ganache!)

I know for dark chocolate ganache, the ratio is 2:1, but where I get confused is whether the cream measurement is by weight or volume.

The gananche I made this week I used 40oz chocolate, and 20oz cream by weight. It was really soft and didn't firm up at all. Should I have used 40oz of chocolate and 20oz of cream by volume?

I'd really like to figure out these ganache problems I'm having, because I'm tired of wasting money buying so much chocolate!

Thanks for your help!

You can rescue a soft batch easily. Melt what you already made over low heat, and add 4 ounces of chocolate. Mix well and chill.

The other rescue also works: if the ganache set too hard, melt it over low heat and add 10% more cream.

The proportion I use is: chopped bar or real chips, plus heavy (35% BF) cream to just cover when both are cold. It makes a good truffle and filling/covering consistency that sets up well, but softens to a nice texture for eating.

I never thought about adding more chocolate to firm it up, that's so smart!

It's Monday morning.

PLEASE tell me you didn't throw away ganache...I mean, if it's too soft for icing cakes, it will still work as a spread for bread???

The general rule of thumb is 2 parts chocolate to 1 part cream BY WEIGHT. So you did right. However, you may have to change things up according to the fat percentage of your cream, and the cocoa content of your chocolate. I make dark chocolate ganache using equal parts by weight of each...my cream has 35% fat, and the chocolate has 70% cocoa content...I also find the way it sets up depends on brand...I used to use a really superior and expensive chocolate (hence the "used to use") and this ratio set up really firm, almost too much. With a lesser brand, but same 70% cocoa content, it sets up softer...