I made ganache using the 1:1 ratio as frosting for cupcakes. I have scoured the web regarding ganache and shelf life and I can't get a straight answer. I know I can leave ganache that is 2 parts choc to 1 part cream at room temp 65 degrees for a couple of days but what about the 1:1? I hate to refrigerate cupcakes because I don't want them to dry out. Advice anyone?

I personally would not, but that's just me and doesn't really answer your question.

Cupcakes will dry out at room temp just as fast as they'll dry out in the fridge...I always try to make cupcakes as last minute as possible (the day before they are due) whenever I can.....if I HAVE to bake them ahead, I wrap tightly and freeze to keep them fresh.

But I try to never leave cupcakes iced and waiting for more than a day and a half or so.

Hi kitagirl,
You would not what? Leave them out or refrigerate them? Right now I'm paranoid so I have them in a cupcake carrier sealed with press and seal in the fridge. They're for tomorrow so hopefully they'll make

I've heard that boiling the whipping cream kills all the becteria like pasteurising milk which IMO makes sense & I read somwhere on here that when both the choclate is mixed with the cream it does a chemical reaction that prevents it from turning bad..

Question: Why doesn't ganache need refrigeration?

Answer: Because of its high content of sugar and fat. Micro-organisms need water to grow. When the sugar content is so high, the sugar binds the water in such a way that micro-organisms cannot utilize it. Technically its called "water activity control."

this was in this thread

http://cakecentral.com/cake-decorating-ftopic-695858-0-days0-orderasc-.html&sid=2b7d3f9bdf86a90877be2860f70c46ac

these have some extra info


http://cakecentral.com/cake-decorating-ftopict-661775-.html

http://cakecentral.com/cake-decorating-ftopict-624310-.html

I usually bake them the night prior as well (to me, a dry cupcake, is worst than a dry cake). Is there anyway you can frost them the morning of to avoid the issue w/the shelf life for the 1:1 ratio?

According to "planet cake" you are safer if you refrigrate the ganache.

HTH

GANACHE & FOOD SAFETY!

http://www.planetcake.com.au/forums/viewtopic.php?t=239

Cupcations, thanks. The third link is the one I found that made me question the 1:1 ratio being less shelf stable.
Maitje, it's too late I already frosted them. That said I dipped most of them so the cupcakes should be sealed or close to it. I guess we'll find out tomorrow how they held up

I hope they turn out great!
Keep us posted!

Thanks everyone. I will let you know how it goes. In my reading I've learned two things, shelf life is better with a higher ratio of choc so next time I'll use 2:1. I also found out shelf life is imProved by adding alcohol to the ganache so next time maybe a little liquor might be in order

Hmmm....interesting. Thanks for sharing that info.
Alcohol always makes everything better!

I do my cupcakes backwards... make frosting, ganache, filling, early the day before. I make the cupcakes last on the evening before. Then I finish them. I always have the baked good about a day to 12 hours old when I deliver. The icings, etc., can be brought back to room temp and done just before delivery.

scp1127 do you refrigerate your ganache?

I am the last person to ask about ganache. But I have made a big batch of it and experimented with it over a period of days, adding flavors. I put it in the refrigerator overnight, took it out and left it to come to room temp, or microwaved it on low power to play with it. I have a confession... I do not like chocolate and neither do my two daughters who work with me. Since deciding to open the bakery, I have had to develop chocolate recipes. My ganache was good and the consistency was right, but I keep shoving aside recipes with ganache because I don't like it. But I know the rest of the world loves it.

Scp if you don't mind me asking what is the ratio you use to cover cupcakes 1:1 or 2:1??
And when you say 1 cup wc & 1 cup chocolate do you mean melted choclate or normal choclate like choc morsels or choc chips?
TIA

I know I used real chocolate from a block and I am not sure which ratio. I will look up my notes tonight and see what I did. I really am not very experienced at this. I just kept playing with it. I know at some point I added corn syrup to a portion and I liked it better. The corn syrup may have been why I got to play with it and why it was more flexible. I have seen it in several recipes on the internet. It took the edge off the chocolate. I wish I had a taste for chocolate.

I just looked up refrigerating ganache and all of the big recipe sites say to do it. Then let it come back to room temp. So you can do ganache, fillings and icing ahead and bake last. It really is so much less stressful because the baking is the easy part. All the rest has cleanup for each and the different ingredients.

I do alot of things for my family, such as leaving out icing, but I am uncomfortable doing it with the public. You don't know what they are going to do with the cupcake. What if they leave it out three days, but it has already been out for awhile with you? That is why I do everything at the last minute. Not really, but I work on a backwards schedule to have the finished product ready as close to the time out the door as possible. My recipes are scratch, so my products don't have a long shelf life.

Coral3,
I have used the PlanetCake ganache under fondant technique and that recipe is 2:1 choc to cream and I had it out for several days following their instructions. Worked great no problems no break down nothing went bad. The reason I'm stressed out this time is I made a pouring ganache of 1:1 choc to cream and it is much softer and has a higher moisture content. Moisture is the real enemy as far as I can tell. So next time I'll make the 2:1 and just dip them while it's warm and let them set up firm

Everything I do is for friends and family but I still worry about it. I am under the highly paranoid category when it comes to food safety because I can never get a really straight answer because it honestly does just depend..on the recipe, the ingredients, the climate etc but it freaks me out

Thanks again everyone. We're eating a couple of the cupcakes tonight so that will be a good test run for tomorrow.

Thank you, scp1127, I'm liking your backwards method. I'm going to try that next time I make cupcakes.

Just thought I would update everyone the cupcakes were a HUGE hit. They stayed moist, the ganache was great...all in all a success. I think I will make the ganache the same day i plan on serving next time and definitely use the higher ratio of chocolate but it's good to know that two days in the sealed carrier didnt hurt then

Thanks for all the help.