Totally agree Miamorsweets, I also followed the instructions from the book Planet Cake and my cake was smooth! I also felt that improved the flavor of the cake, did you get that impression too?
Chocolate is expensive though, but is worth it!

Yes! So many people don't like fondant and this way you only need a thin layer to cover your cake. I just tried white chocolate yesterday and it worked pretty well. To be honest, I'd like to maybe just increase prices a little bit more and use ganache for everything.

Heck yeah, raise your prices for ganache.

can I make the ganache the same day? I heard to make it the night be4

Can I speed it up by putting in frige?
Also anyone ever use the bakers choc. bar? in white choc.?

I have made it the same day and you can speed it up, just keep an eye on it. Planet Cake says to wait till it gets to the consistency of spreadable butter. Ok I first made Baker's white chocolate ganache by substituting it in a chocolate ganache recipe - not a good idea! You need a lot more white chocolate, so make sure your recipe is specific for white chocolate ganache.

You really need to check out some recipes for yourself. Pay attention to the requirements for fat content. Here is a link that should answer alllllll your questions.
http://cakecentral.com/cake-decorating-ftopict-633264-.html

Thanks Jamie and Rylan. Big help.

1 more?

CAn I freeze the cake after I coat it with ganche?

Also can I frige it once on the cake to speed up the drying process so it is ready for fondant?

THanks so much.

I did a Planet Cake course last week! We covered a round circus tent cake. According to Handi (the teacher), you make your ganache the night before and leave it overnight at room temperature. After layering (make the original top your middle layer apparently) and torting, you do a thin crumb coat with the 'goopy' ganache (non-aerated). Then you do a thick layer with aerated ganache (use you angled spatula and whip it!).

Use a scraper to get it super smooth with no dents or air bubbbles. You should leave it overnight to 'set up', but you can just leave it 10 or so minutes.

You get the fondant to stick to the ganache you use a thin brushing of sugar syrup (made 50/50 with apricot jam and hot water).

I've never got white fondant so smooth in my life (and super thin too!)

Hope this all helps

I love the ganche covering.
I have not been to bed yet but I love it.
I am going to bed now...
THanks everyone for your help.

For my recent first try it came out perfectly, now I am scared to try BC..haha..

Makes more than enough for 2-9"x2" with ganache in between and covering.

I used
1 24oz Bag of milk chocolate chips
1 10oz Bag of Semi Sweets
17 Oz of Whipping Cream

Heat the cream just until boiling around the edges, pour over chips and I used a imersion blender (saw this on Jacque Torres or something) and it came out creamy smooth. Let it set over nite, perfect.

I was scared the next morning it was still too thin (like thin canned cake frosting) but someone on here reassured me that it's like that..and they were right. Two days later when some was left in the bowl it was VERY thick, you couldn't have spread it on a cake, it would have torn it up.

Remember you can smooth it with a DRY warm spatula.

Don't be scared. I was but it was much easier than I thought and it tasted DELISH!! I should know I ate the ganache (what was left) with a spoon. My diet has gone to YOU KNOW WHERE!!

BTW that is for dark choc not white choc.

What's the cost in comparison to using ganache vs. buttercream under fondant? I don't know if people in this area would pay that much more for cake.

Thw whilte choc set up about an hour or 2 after I mde it? IS this too thick? It is like peanut butter so I used it. Just tought I would ask. I personally hate white choc. so I am worried about the taste. I used it to fill in my spaces on my tiers as well so it is every where.

It does stay hard undernieth right?

You don't need to wait between crumb coating and putting the next layer of ganache on.

I think flipping the top layer is achieving the same end result as swapping the middle and top - plus it sounds easier!

The cake came out awsome. Thanks for all your help. On to the next two.
Thanks so much!!!

I really want to try this out after reading the planet cake book but I couldn't find anywhere in the book how long the ganache lasts out of the fridge. The book says it has a shelf life of seven days in the fridge but doesn't say anything about once the cake is
covered in fondant.