Ganache

Decorating By joanmary Updated 31 May 2011 , 8:17pm by joanmary

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joanmary Posted 20 May 2011 , 9:43pm
post #1 of 14

My friend wants an ice cream cake for her granddaughter. All the ice cream cakes I have seen/made have had some cake in them but she says in Chicago they just use ice cream. So, I'm guessing I'll just melt it a bit and mold the ic in a cake pan. However, I was thinking of icing it with ganache but am not sure how feasible this is. Will the ganache harden too quickly to smooth? Anyone done this? Any suggestions? TIA.

13 replies
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mcaulir Posted 20 May 2011 , 9:55pm
post #2 of 14

Any ice cream cake I've ever seen has minimal decorations which are usually done in whipped cream with a star tip. The whole cake will have to go in and out of the freezer through the whole process. I don't think there will be any smoothing involved.

Others might have had different experiences?

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jules5000 Posted 20 May 2011 , 9:59pm
post #3 of 14

I too, would love to know.

I do know that there are places where it is just ice-cream in the shape of a cake. I had an ice-cream cake once. It was in the form of a jelly roll and it of course had cake. I think that cake in it is better, but you do what your friend wants. I also am curious about how you would release that from the pan w/o it melting to much and losing it's form. I know that I have seen a lot of recipes that say to dip the pan in warm water to loosen, but the trick will be in the timing of how long? when you find out I would love to know and I am sure that we all would love a picture of your final "cake". Good luck.

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joanmary Posted 21 May 2011 , 1:54am
post #4 of 14

I thought I would line the pan with waxed paper strips and peel them off. My concern is will I be able to spread the ganache smooth or will it harden immediately in whatever shape it pours?

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mcaulir Posted 21 May 2011 , 2:17am
post #5 of 14

Pouring ganache will require it to be reasonably warm, and I would worry more about it melting your icecream than it hardening too quickly. I'm not sure frozen ganache will be something people will want to eat, anyway. It's a lot nicer at room temp.

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joanmary Posted 21 May 2011 , 3:59pm
post #6 of 14

Thanks, mcaulir. I didn't really consider how it would taste. Guess I thought it would be like a chocolate shell on ice cream. Anyone?

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peanut2 Posted 21 May 2011 , 4:30pm
post #7 of 14

I have an ice cream cake recipe that is like the Dairy Queen recipe. It uses crushed oreo cookies and sundae toppings. You do make it in stages, putting the different layers in the freezer as you work on it. It's a delicious recipe. Feel free to pm me if you'd like the recipe.

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joanmary Posted 27 May 2011 , 2:25am
post #8 of 14

Peanut2 -

I would love to have your recipe. Not sure my friend is interested but sounds wonderful for future use. Thanks so much.

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sweettreat101 Posted 27 May 2011 , 7:07am
post #9 of 14

Ice cream cakes are generally frosted in non dairy frosting like Frostin Pride or Bettercreme.

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joanmary Posted 30 May 2011 , 7:11pm
post #10 of 14

Thanks.

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carmijok Posted 30 May 2011 , 7:57pm
post #11 of 14

Ganache never really freezes hard--at least mine doesn't. You can still scoop or cut through it very easily. It's primarily whipped cream. It's won't harden immediately like a chocolate shell topping. When it's completely cool at room temp it pours nicely. You could also put it in the fridge for a bit and it will be more spreadable. I imagine if you have your cake frozen really well, there will be no problem with using the ganache. You can also whip cooled ganache and it comes to a nice frosting-spreadable texture that also will not freeze hard--like chocolate mousse.

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Alery Posted 30 May 2011 , 8:55pm
post #12 of 14

When I have made ice cream cakes I have used Magic Shell ice cream topping under the icecream in the pan. I poured it in the pan and froze it then put ing the icecream. It freezes solid and pops out of the pan easily, even though I also lined with wax paper. Then I covered it in whipped cream. The kids loved the chocolate shell on the bottom, especially when I made this in a cupcake pan for individual servings.

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MJTKNT Posted 31 May 2011 , 5:11am
post #13 of 14

I would avoid ganache and use something like bettercreme. When I've made ice cream cakes, I let the ice cream sit out for a bit so it's not rock hard, and then I put it in my kitchen aid mixer to soften it enough to spread it into corners pan corners (lined with wax paper). This way it's a bit more pliable, but it's not just melted.

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joanmary Posted 31 May 2011 , 8:17pm
post #14 of 14

Well, I'm doing a sort of test cake. I did pour it on and spread it as well as I could. It is not completely smooth but had I not gotten into cake decorating this would certainly have been an acceptable cake. In fact, my friend for whom I'm making the cake saw the test and was so pleased - "I knew you could figure it out!" I'm not all that thrilled and certainly don't feel I've figured it out. Anyway, tonight we will cut into it and see how it really is.

carmijok - Thanks for the suggestion. I am also seriously considering doing the whipped ganache.

BTW - am decorating it with butterflies (birthday girl likes them) and tried the gelatin ones. They are soooo cute - I just love them.

Thank you all for your suggestions.

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