Ganache Fail

Decorating By kitchenchick Updated 27 Oct 2013 , 1:08pm by sarahgale314

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kitchenchick Posted 11 Oct 2013 , 12:45pm
post #1 of 23

AI made my first batch of ganache last night, tasted it this morning and it is TERRIBLE. I actually feel kind of sick.... I used 7 oz heavy whipping cream that has an expiration date of 10/23, and 22 oz Giardelli white chocolate baking chips. I boiled the cream, poured it over the chips, let us sit 3 mins, stirred slowly from the inside out, then whisked until the right consistency. I covered with plastic and let sit on counter overnight. What did I do wrong? After reading everyone racig about ganache, I'm so disappointed!

22 replies
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810whitechoc Posted 11 Oct 2013 , 1:04pm
post #2 of 23

The Ganache should taste like the chocolate you use, I have never tried Giardelli it's not a common brand here.  Do you like the taste of just the chocolate on it's own before you make it into Ganache?  Another thing if you overboil the cream it can give you an unpleasant "boiled dairy" aftertaste.

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ddaigle Posted 11 Oct 2013 , 1:07pm
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The recipe sounds right...depending on the ratio you are wanting.   I never boil my HWC though.  Just to almost that point.  And Giardelli chips should be really good.   Think maybe boiling the HWC was the problem.

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kitchenchick Posted 11 Oct 2013 , 1:34pm
post #4 of 23

AThank you. The recipe I followed said to heat the cream until it boils around the edge of the pot. I've also seen the microwave method where its heated up slowly- I think I'll try that next time. When its finished, do you all let yours sit at room temp, or refrigerate?

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ddaigle Posted 11 Oct 2013 , 1:50pm
post #5 of 23

I stop when I see little bubbles around the edge...but the center is not "boiling".    I let sit at room temp overnight then use...I freeze the left overs.

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Cakespirations Posted 11 Oct 2013 , 3:55pm
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I never boil my HWC ever and when I am using white chocolate it is always Giardelli. I am going to think you scalded the cream.

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Gees Posted 11 Oct 2013 , 4:07pm
post #7 of 23

I do it with 1:1 proportion and it has been good, when I change something it fail!

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Gees Posted 11 Oct 2013 , 4:09pm
post #8 of 23

I leave it to cool to room temperature and then refrigerate
I leave it to cool to room temperature and then refrigerate

 

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kitchenchick Posted 11 Oct 2013 , 4:33pm
post #9 of 23

A

Original message sent by Gees

I do it with 1:1 proportion and it has been good, when I change something it fail!

Really? Everything I've heard says 2:1 ratio for dark chocolate 3:1 ratio for white.

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scrumdiddlycakes Posted 11 Oct 2013 , 4:39pm
post #10 of 23

I would agree with it being a boiling issue, you really just want the cream hot to the touch. I let it come to a boil once, not paying attention, and it got a funky flavour and separated. Now if I get it too hot, I just toss it and start over, never had the issues again.

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ddaigle Posted 11 Oct 2013 , 4:42pm
post #11 of 23

kitchenchick..the different ratios depend on what you doing...most of the time I do 2:1...3:1 for white.

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Gees Posted 11 Oct 2013 , 4:48pm
post #12 of 23
Quote:
Originally Posted by ddaigle 
 

kitchenchick..the different ratios depend on what you doing...most of the time I do 2:1...3:1 for white.

Yes it is!

For me 1:1 it works!

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mandolinkitchen Posted 17 Oct 2013 , 7:41pm
post #13 of 23

Newbie question, are the ratios based on volume or weight?  And when you say 3:1 for white chocolate, that's 3 chocolate to 1 cream?

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sarahgale314 Posted 17 Oct 2013 , 10:31pm
post #14 of 23

AThe ratios are based on weight. Also be sure you didn't use ultra pasteurized cream, just normal pasteurized cream. In ultra pasteurization, the cream is heated much hotter, and I think, gives it a weird flavor. I prefer Guittard to ghirardelli for chocolate - I think it tastes better. I use 1-1 ratio when using the ganache for glazing a cake like this:

[IMG ALT="Chocolate cake with oreo French buttercream, ganache glaze, and more oreos on top!"]http://cakecentral.com/content/type/61/id/3037072/width/200/height/400[/IMG]

The 2-1 and 3-1 ratios are for when you want to use the ganache as frosting on a cake, as they will thicken much more stiffly. Those are also the ratios for making truffles. I also use 1-1 ratio ganache, cooled to room temperature (it will still be liquidy), whipped on high speed to make a delicious light and fluffy chocolate frosting.

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morganchampagne Posted 17 Oct 2013 , 10:43pm
post #15 of 23

AI used ultra pasteurized the other day and it was fine.....hmm interesting.

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MBalaska Posted 17 Oct 2013 , 10:55pm
post #16 of 23

Quote:

Originally Posted by sarahgale314 

........ I use 1-1 ratio when using the ganache for glazing a cake like this:

Chocolate cake with oreo French buttercream, ganache glaze, and more oreos on top!

The 2-1 and 3-1 ratios are for when you want to use the ganache as frosting on a cake, as they will thicken much more stiffly............

(Sarahgale314:  I had to run into the kitchen and grab an Oreo.  looks fabulous.)

 

Kitchen Chick:  all these posters know what they are talking about, and make georgous cakes.  Take their advice and try again until you succeed.

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sarahgale314 Posted 17 Oct 2013 , 11:02pm
post #17 of 23

ASome people can taste stuff like that, and some can't... I am a "super taster" and am therefore very sensitive to flavors. Check it out - there are three levels of tasters:

http://www.bbc.co.uk/science/0/22941835

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kitchenchick Posted 18 Oct 2013 , 4:40pm
post #18 of 23

AThank you all! I tried it again using semi-sweet chips and a slow microwave melting method. the. Did the same thing with Lindt white chocolate bars. Delish!

I ganached, then froze the cakes. I have them thawing in the fridge now, and will decorate tomorrow. Fingers crossed!

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AZCouture Posted 21 Oct 2013 , 3:44am
post #19 of 23

AGood ganache is made with good chocolate. Generally, chips from the grocery store ain't gonna cut it. Check out Pastry Portal for their couverture lines, that's what makes good ganache. Or any other good online source for chocolate.

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AZCouture Posted 21 Oct 2013 , 3:45am
post #20 of 23

AHa! Lindt bars work well too, I almost mentioned that and then ili saw the last response. Lindt is great.

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kitchenchick Posted 21 Oct 2013 , 5:23pm
post #21 of 23

AThanks, everyone. Here's a pic of my cake. The bottom tier was the semi-sweet chocolate, and it was very mushy and soft. Made the fondant not look so great. But the top two tiers were the white chocolate and they turned out great! Very smooth and hard. All were yummy. :) [IMG]http://cakecentral.com/content/type/61/id/3124614/width/200/height/400[/IMG]

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810whitechoc Posted 27 Oct 2013 , 11:08am
post #22 of 23

If your semi sweet choc was soft I'm guessing there wasn't enough cocoa butter in the chocolate you used.

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sarahgale314 Posted 27 Oct 2013 , 1:08pm
post #23 of 23

ASadly, semisweet and bittersweet chocolate are not distinguished from one another by the USDA. Any chocolate with 35% or higher cocoa content can be labeled as semisweet or bittersweet, so it can be hard to tell what you're getting. The lower the percentage, the softer your ganache will be. 60% seems to be the ideal percentage for me. I like Guittard semisweet, callebaut 60% baking bar or callets, and the ghirardelli 60% baking bar. What's funny is, the ghirardelli bar is not the same as the ghirardelli 60% chips. Buy both and taste them together - they taste quite different, and I think the bar tastes much better.

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