I work by cups not weight and it is the same...3 cups of white chocolate to 1 cup of heavy cream. This works for white chocolate in chip form only. Either the regular chips (Hershey's, Nestle's) or the melting chips used for candy. If you are using block chocolate or shaved/grated chocolate then do it by weight.

OK, I have read all the helpful tips on using ganache under the fondant to help get a smooth fondant covering (I have endless problems with this so I am definately going to try the ganache), the only query I have, if I am doing a cake that isnt chocolate sponge, for example a lemon or vanilla cake with a fondant covering - would the ganache layer under the fondant not add a chocolatey taste to the cake? Does it only work on chocolate cakes?

Apologies if this seems basic or has been answered before, but I have never used ganache, so trying to get all the info before I try

thanks
Clare

thanks so much - I will give the white chocolate ganache & flavouring a go tonight

cheers
clare

For those of you who use ganache in the US, what type of white chocolate do you use? I know most of what is labeled "white chocolate" isn't actually chocolate because it doesn't have cocoa butter in it- right?

True white chocolate does contain cocoa butter. It's cocoa solids that it does not contain, which is why it technically is not really classified as a chocolate. There are many things out there that try to fool you into thinking they are white chocolate. But they are usually called white baking chips or white baking bars. Real white chocolate should always be labeled, white chocolate.

And- you can't use white baking chips or white baking bars or wilton candy melts to make ganache- right?
-sorry if this sounds like I'm repeating myself, I just want to be sure- white chocoalte is sooo expensive!

Sorry, I know I must sound like a broken record, but a few more tips needed about ganache

When you use ganache as a filling - does it harden up or stay smooth

when you cover a cake in spreadable ganache (that has set up from the runny ganache) does it harden into a shell like form where it is too hard to cut when the it comes to eating the cake

Lastly, can you use choc ganache to stack a cake - ie when you have got the edges smooth with ganache & covered each tier in fondant - is it ok to dowel the tiers for stacking or will the ganache crack & cause the fondant to split

thanks in advance
Clare

http://www.artandappetite.com/2009/11/ganache-instead-of-buttercream/

I crumb-coat mine, put in the freezer, pull out after a few minutes and put a nice smooth finish coat and stick it back in the freezer for a few minutes, pull it out to sweat while i roll out the fondant and drape/cover the cake.

Or, perhaps your fondant is too thin.

I just made white chocolate ganache for the first time and I used ghirardelli white chocolate chips. It's delicious!!!!! As another poster advised, be careful with the temperature of the cream and white chocolate because it will sieze. I also found that you will have to mix for a much longer time with with chocolate vs with the dark chocolate. HTH.

I am curious too...

I do the upside down icing method. Makes a whole lot of difference, although....

I do find the cake (because it is almost the same size as the board) does not have enough buttercream or ganache on it, to completely conceal the cake. It's almost like I need a 1/2" larger board to be able to get it perfect.

Do they sell 6 1/2 or 8 1/2 etc boards? How do you all get your buttercream coat so nice and thick and perfect when your board is only sightly smaller than your cake?

bump

Often times, that is achieved by trimming your cake. Not a whole lot but just enough to give you the extra 'lip' that you need for the BC. After filling the cake, I place it in the freezer for about 15 minutes till it is firm, then with a sharp knife I trim the sides top to bottom. The added advantage of this is, you end up with an even nicer surface for the top/crumb coat. Often the layers don't match evenly after the cake is filled so trimming ensures your layers are even. I don't bother with this as much for BC cakes as I do for fondant cakes. The key with smooth fondant is to make sure everything under the fondant looks good. The fondant just highlights everything under it.

You said to use a very very firm butter cream. So SMB won't work?

ADoes the ganache help to hide the different Cake layers? I can get my fondant on smooth , over buttercream, but then you can see the different cake layers - ugly !! Will the ganache help hide the layers or dies anyone have ideas of what Iam doing wrong ?

Renkly, I tend to use a bit more butter cream than just a crumb coat under my fondant. (I think it taste better with more frosting under fondant) :) And don't forget to do a dam between cakes. If I have a thick filling/butter cream I sometimes put something heavy on top of cake for about an hour to squeeze out any butter cream that might leave a bulge under fondant.  And definitely the ganache will not show any bumps or bulges. Very smooth under fondant! Hope this helps :)

AThank you for the reply !! I try to put in a lot of buttercream but it never seems to be enough. So I guess I will try the tile method first , then follow with the ganache , Hmmm..... One more step .... Lots of steps :) and then they want to pay nothing !! Ugh !!

Renkly, What is the tile method? Yes, I understand about the not wanting to pay.. I have run into this many times before. Especially with family and friends..grrr