How Do I Cover A Cake In Chocolate Ganache??
Decorating By banba Updated 21 Jul 2007 , 8:51pm by katerpillrgrl
Hi
I am thinking of covering a cake in chocolate ganache and have no idea where to start.
Do I put buttercream on first and then pour the ganache over or do I just pour it straight over the cake?
I have made ganache before for truffles, is it the same thing and do I just pour it over the cake or do I have to smooth it on?
Any help and advice would be really appreciated!
i have a cake in my photos that has poured ganache. it as a little hard for me for some reason. i didnt do BC underneath i dont think your supposed to. but i smoothed it out the best i could. i also had to kep putting the bag in the fridge when i was doing the border because it would melt from the heat of my hands HTH!
I have put ganache over buttercream. I have a pic in my gallery of a cake covered in whipped buttercream and then ganache. I just let it drip over the sides so you could see the frosting beneath. You don't want to pour it on while it's still really warm because, like others said, you don't want it to melt the frosting.
The ganache you make for cake is thinner than the ganache you use for truffles. There should be a higher ratio of cream.
You should work pretty fast in making sure to pour over the whole top of the cake. That way, it'll even out and be really smooth before it sets. If it's still warm, you can sometimes take an angled spatula and smooth it over. Just be quick or it'll cool and you'll have lines.
Thank you all so much for all your advice. Thanks for the link KoryAK, really appreciate it! I have read that you can use BC crumb coat to make the ganache look really smooth too. So I might try the BC if my cake does not look too smooth to begin with! Thank you CCers!
Why waste perfectly good ganache on a cake when you can just eat it from the bowl? 
Instead of buttercream you can crumb coat with the ganache. Spread it on in a thin layer and then put it in the fridge to set. I make a dessert at my restaurant all the time that is done that way. It come out beautifully so if you don't already have bc made I would just do it this way.
There is a pic in my photos of the dessert
Here's a comprehensive thread on ganache:
(How to make, pour & smooth on cake, master recipe and more.)
http://forum.cakecentral.com/cake-decorating-ftopict-334973-.html
HTH
Once you've covered the cake in it and if it doesn't get smooth on its own, take a ribbon a little longer then the length of the diameter of the cake and run it over the top to smooth.
edited to add: hold both ends of the ribbon in each hand and hold it taut over the cake. now run it over to smooth....
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