I have a cake due at 1pm. I poured the ganache on to cover the top and sides but the sides still look a little "lumpy". Can I use the hot knife method to smooth the sides or will that affect the color? Please help me!!!

Thanks,
Kathi

Hmmm... there's a very small window of time when you can smooth the ganache right after it's poured. After that, it starts to set up and you get knife marks. You could try the hot knife. Just one swipe all the way around without stopping. What have you got to lose? Good luck. Let us know how it works out.

I've never tried to smooth ganache after it was poured but here's a couple of tips for the next time.

Be sure your base coat is perfectly smooth on the cake or the ganache will show all the little bumps.

Be sure the ganache is perfectly smooth before it's poured. Even a lump the size of a pinhead will slide down the side of the cake and your cake will look like you have a run in it (like a run in pantyhose!).

(Guess how I found out this stuff? )

That window of opportunity is about 2 minutes in my experience...Why not make another thin batch of ganache and give it another thin layer?

I had the same problem with one of my cakes and I could'nt get it smooth so I just covered the sides w/ mini choco chips. Don't know if that would work for your cake but thought I'd share. Good Luck hope it works out! By the way I love ganache, I could eat it warm with a spoon

I thought I read something just today about using a HAIRDRYER in that situation???

Maybe someone else knows what I think I read?

Not sure if this will work in your time frame, but you could just frost it with cool ganache. Then, the warm dry knife thing works great. Attached is a cake with cool ganache/warm dry knife trick. <<<Cheryl

Thanks everyone! My internet went out right after I asked my questions, and I think my husband thought I was going to really lose it (2 hours sleep due to this cake). Anyway, he STOPPED working to get my internet back up so I could see what you had to say.

In the meantime I tried the hot knife, it helped, but not a lot. So when I read the posts, I thought, a hairdryer, what have I got to lose? It worked!!! It's still not perfect, but it's so much closer! And as close as it's going to get on this cake! I'm off to pipe rosettes and deliver. Thankfully, I was able to push delivery back a half an hour.

Thank you guys! You're wonderful!
Kathi

Cool idea, I'll try that next time!