I have never used ganache but I would assume that you would crumb coat and get it as smooth as possible before pouring on the ganache. It seems like it would only accentuate (spelling?) any bumps in the cake. Kinda like painting with high gloss paint will show more imperfections in the wall than flat.
You can make one batch of ganache which you thin a little or whip once its cold to use as a crumb coat. You then make a second batch that you cool slightly but still pourable and then pour over cake tilting plate slightly to get edges. One of my photos is a ganache cake. I know its nothing special but since its my first decorated cake ever I think it looks pretty good. Theres a good article in 911baking.com about using ganache.
Yep, that's what I would do: use a whipped ganache if you want to crumb coat it first. Just cool to room temp and then whip. That way it's the same stuff!
I love that baking911 ganache page, I use it as a reference all the time (you can't link to it directly from CC otherwise I'd post the link, just go to baking911.com and click on "Chocolate" and then "Ganache & truffles"). They don't tell you but you CAN cheat to cool it by cooling it in the fridge, just keep an eye on it so it doesn't cool too hard.
Thank you very much for your advice. I made a batch of ganache, and whipped it to use as a crumb coat. Then I made a second batch, let it cool somewhat and spread it over the crumb coat. The cake looked amazing, and tasted great.
I appreciate all of your help, Denise
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