I want to make dark chocolate ganache and be able to pour it over a cake but also have some thick enough to pipe. I see recipes that call for a 1:1 ratio and a 2:1 ratio of chocolate to cream. Can someone explain which one I should use of if I can pour ganache and then let it firm up and use the same recipe to pipe? Also, I see some recipes that refer to the % of cocoa a chocolate is...is there a "standard" % to use or a % I should stay away from? Thanks for the help!
Easiest ganache recipe ever. From Southern Living
1 1/2 cups whipping cream
12 ounces choc chips--real chocolate
3 TBL butter
Heat cream until scalded, remove from heat and add choc chips. Let melt a bit then stir until completely melted.
Whisk in butter until melted.
Wait 20 minutes to cool. Good to go.
For piping, spreading or to use as filling, take the cooled ganache and whip in your mixer with whisk attachment until soft peaks form. This takes a long time so be aware. Just when you think it won't work, it does.
HTH.
FYI, I've made ganache the standard 2:1 ratio way for spreading under fondant etc (not whipped or piped it), and have used expensive (ie, high cocoa solids) and cheap chocolate and the ganache has behaved the same each time. The only difference is the taste. The percentage you have to watch out for is the fat content of the cream it must have a 35 to 40% butterfat content.
One last thing to mention, if you ever want to make white chocolate ganache you need a 3:1 ratio. But I'm sure you already know that!
So I made ganache last night at the normal 2:1 chocolate to cream ratio for topping some brownies with...and last week I made a fondant-covered cake filled/crumbed with white chocolate ganache at the 3:1 ratio...but the white for the cake turned very soft and gooey between the layers, and the dark chocolate on top of my brownies is still pretty soft this morning.
I know we get told to whip it to get it thick enough to pipe, but I feel like every time I try to whip my ganache it separates! Any ideas what I am doing wrong? I am considering using a higher ratio for each (2.5 or 3-1 for dark and maybe 3.5:1 for white?) I live in Dallas and we are having a crazy hot streak right now but my house/office are air conditioned so I didn't think I would have this problem.
In a few weeks I am making a 3-tiered cake for ~75 for my in-law's anniversary, and I was planning on filling with ganache rather than BC, but I am worried it is going to go all soft on me like the last one did. Maybe I should go for more of a truffle filling and mix some powdered sugar in?
Frustrated! Any ideas would be much appreciated.
Lastly...anybody every use dark ganache with a white cake? I am so not a fan of white chocolate, but wasn't sure what else I could do for this anni cake. I know people recommend ganache over buttercream in the heat, but I hate being roped in to white chocolate!
My ganache (2:1 milk or dark and 3:1 white) is the consistency of peanut butter when at room temperature either between layers or as a frosting under fondant. I use it as is though (just chocolate and cream), I don't add butter or anything else. I understand that the butter is to give the ganache a glossy look if you're using it as a poured topping, but isn't necessary as a filing/frosting, but I could be wrong. I'm in CA, and while it's not as hot as Dallas, my ganache holds up pretty well! I've not tried it whipped however, so I can't advise there.
It's only when the cake is refrigerated that the ganache goes hard, otherwise it stays soft, which I guess is the idea. You wouldn't want to be biting into a chunk of chocolate in your cake... (or would you? YUM)!
I used a bittersweet ganache with a white cake a while back for filling and frosting just because the customer asked for white cake but said she knew everyone liked chocolate! Seemed like a good compromise and the guests were apparently very pleased. I alternated the ganache layers with IMBC and the bittersweet chocolate helped cut through the overall sweetness.
Katie, I too live in Dallas and did a chocolate cake with a ganache filling last week. I had to take mine to a park at 6pm and it was 102 degrees! Anyway, I filled the cake with ghiradellis bittersweet 2:1 and then had to refrigerate, and it did get hard in the middle, but then I mixed the leftover into buttercream and piped with it and was really happy with the result. The chocolate stayed firm until it got to the park, but then it melted, but really at that point I was going to end up with stuff melted all over anyway, but it did last until it was served!
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