Hi all - I'm making a cake at the end of this week for my boyfriend's birthday. It's banana cake with white chocolate passionfruit ganache. I need something that can sit out at room temperature (I don't like to refrigerate fondant and the fridge is very tiny) and read that ganache will be better than buttercream, especially if it is a bit warmer (we're in Australia). I've made ganache before (chocolate), but am not sure about adding flavoring. I know for white I need 3:1 ratio and on another site it said you can just add fruit puree to replace some of the cream. I was just going to add some passionfruit juice - do you think this will work? I've come across these two recipes as well, but think I prefer just doing 3:1 ratio. I just want to make sure before I try because the white chocolate was very expensive!! Thanks for your help

http://gourmettraveller.com.au/passionfruit_yoyos_with_white_chocolate_and_passionfruit_ganache.htm

http://aww.ninemsn.com.au/food/973367/white-chocolate-and-passionfruit-celebration-cake

Hi Wernie

I do a strawberry/white chocolate ganache, so its a bit similar. Yes - DO make the ganache 'stronger' with less cream if you are adding pulp and/or passionfruit juice. I also add concentrated flavourings (either oils or essences) to my ganaches sometimes, and I have a fantastic passionfruit essence I picked up at Spotlight of all places.

I would add the passionfruit last, after you have completely melted and stirred the ganache.

HTH.

Thanks for that quick response! I will have to swing by Spotlight and see if they have it (wouldn't have thought to look there!), if not I may pick up some flavoring when I go to the cake supply shop tomorrow morning. So if I add the passionfruit after melting/stirring the ganache, it should be quite thick before adding it in, right?

When its melted, its kind of hard to know how hard its going to be when cool. If you are going to have the cake out in room temperature, the 3:1 ratio is generally fine, when its just white choc. One you are adding extra liquids (like passionfruit JUICE) you'll need to add some more white chocolate. However, a few tsps of essence won't make too great a difference to the eventual 3:1 ganache hardness. And the passionfruit essence is pretty strong - I'fd advise you to add it in slowly and taste as you go, remembering that when its cold, the flavour intensity will be lessened.