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82 Comments

  1. Veena Venu says:

    Hi Veena,
    I’m new to baking and cake decorating. I am planning for a double decker farm animal fondant cake for my sons birthday . I tried you vanilla cake last week, and it turned awsome. Thanks a lot. So here are my queries:
    1)Can i bake cake and freeze it 2 weeks ahead?
    2) vanilla cake with vanilla buttercreabuttercream filling +chocolate ganache. Would that taste alright?
    3) how long can i refrigerate ganache.

    1. Hey Veena,
      Yes, you can bake and freeze the cake in advance. Thaw it in the fridge overnight not at room temperature the cake will be moist.
      Vanilla cake with vanilla buttercream and chocolate ganache is a classic combination – In fact, I do it all the time. I have a recipe – Vanilla Cream Cake – if you want to see how it will look like
      Ganache can be kept in the fridge for a few weeks -wrap it well.
      Happy Birthday to you son.

      1. Veena Venu says:

        Highly appreciate your suggestions veena. You are a legend. Thank you.
        I tried vanilla cake with milk in place of cream; Could you also please tell me, what is to expect when replacing milk with cream. Can’t wait to try the new recipe?
        How long ahead can I prepare and freeze buttercream filling, or is that to be used fresh to maintain the taste?
        TA

        1. Hey Veena. The cream is also part of the fat in the recipe so replacing it with milk will make it less rich.
          Buttercream can be made a few days in advance and kept in the fridge.
          Each buttercream has its own shelf life – please read the storage instructions for that particular buttercream on the post.
          Thanks

    2. Hi. If i cover a cake just with the ganache no fondant or anything on top of the ganache will it melt? Or how long can last a cake covered with this ganache without melting? I live in florida so is a hot weather here
      Thanks for your response

      1. Gigi. Use cake decorators ganache and no compared to buttercream ganache has a much better chance of staying in hot and humid weather. Unless you keep it in direct sunlight the ganache will not melt. It can stay good on the cake for days. You can even keep the cake in the fridge if you have a perishable filling.
        See video – how to ganache a cake

  2. Hello Veena. Thanks for this recipe. I follow you from Africa 🙂 and heavy cream costs a fortune here. Can I use unsweetened condensed milk instead?

    1. Hey Rosa. Sorry to hear that fresh cream is so expensive there. Technically I don’t see why it would not work.
      But do this as a test – use 100 grams chocolate and 1/4 cup unsweetened condensed milk – melt and stir just like ganache.
      Be careful when melting – stir often. Look for consistency. Make sure it’s spreadable not fudge like. If you overheat it will be fudge texture and that won’t give you a good spread.
      Spread it over Clean chopping board or such textured surface.. see if it dries smooth or brittle.
      If its’ smooth it should be ok. If not it may not work well under fondant. May end up with cracks.
      See how this goes. I’d be curious to know the results as well
      XXX

  3. Hi! Can i use the decorators ganache recipe for whipped ganache instead of the regular ganache? I want my ganache to be lighter in color for a semi naked cake but i also want it to be stable and can stand the hot weather in my country.

    1. Hey Tata. Yes, you can use this for whipped ganache but since the cream in there is so little you won’t really get a good whipped effect. If you want your ganache to be light in color use the regular Classic Chocolate Ganache. That has more cream so it will whip light and fluffy too. I think whipped ganache if used minimum on a naked cake may be ok for hot weather.

  4. Tha ks for the recipe Veena.
    Will this affect the flavor of the cake?
    Say, they want a vanilla cake with vanilla frosting. Wont covering it with chocolate ganache change the flavor?
    How can I use this recipe to get sharp edges without changing the flavor of the cake asked for?

    1. Hey Kanthi, Sorry this comment moved to spam (not sure why)
      If you use chocolate – it will taste like chocolate. Chocolate is a strong flavor so while we use it for the firmness we also have to accept that it will taste like chocolate. You can use white chocolate for a less intense chocolate taste but there is still chocolate. The other option is to use buttercream – use my post how to get sharp edges on buttercream and see if that method helps.

      1. Thanks Veena, I appreciate your reply.

  5. can i use whipped ganache as filling without a dam and plain ganache as crumbcoat under fondant?will it be ok

    1. Yes Demi. Whipped cream without ganache will work and so will this ganache plain as a crumb coat and frosting. Thanks

  6. I’m looking forward to trying your flavored ganache recipes! Have you flavored your cake decorator’s ganache recipe with all of the options you suggest and still keep a stable ganache that produces sharp corners for fondant application. (especially when adding large quantities of flavorings like – peanut butter, nutella, and caramel? Thank you!

    1. Hey Michelle. Almost all of these will work well as filling and frosting. Personally, if I need to drape with fondant, I will use these as a filling and then use a plain vanilla flavored ganache for frosting, just so it will be stiff under fondant and give me enough working time because humidity here in Israel is crazy. I hope that makes sense. For fruit favors, I would only use them as filling.

      1. Michelle Watson says:

        Very helpful! Thank you so much Veena!

  7. KAMiNi GOPAL says:

    I hope you see this comment as its on such an old post.

    I go so excited at the title – cake decorator’s ganache. But i realised it’s the ganache I’ve always made. I tried it again yesterday. And the same disaster.

    It’s nice and firm with a sharp edge till i put the fondant on. Then it’s a sticky hot mess and the weight of the fondant drags the ganache down too and everything sags and bulges. It doesn’t help that I live in Bombay on the sea-shore.I’m desperate to make cakes that look great with sharp edges. Even in what passes for winter here, it’s the same.

    I’ve tried different brands, pure chocolate, chocolate compound…everything. It never works. 🙁 Any suggestion would be welcome.

    1. Hey Kamini,
      I see all post unless it goes to spam so feel free to comment and ask anything on olds post too.
      Actually, I lived in Bombay and I have used ganache. In fact, I remember giving my niece a quick course on how to ganache a cake and cover it in fondant.
      The ganache was not bad. If I remember correctly.
      – I made the ganache with more chocolate and less cream – less than this as well.
      – I used half good chocolate bars and half compound chocolate (that’s what I could find in my sister’s fridge at the time)
      -I made the ganache and let it set in the fridge overnight.
      – Next day, I kept it out for an hour the gave it a good whip by hand using a spoon until it was peanut butter consistency.
      – I covered the cake in ganache – one coat – chilled an hour.
      – covered the cake in ganache again – final coat and chilled overnight.
      – Next day – I took the ganache cake out just when I started rolling my fondant.
      – Before I put the fondant on the cake. I rubbed my hands on the ganache cake to spread the condensation that was just starting out.
      – covered the cake – with fondant – quick sharp edges.
      – Left it alone – there was some sweating which dried off
      – then we decorated the cake once the fondant dried.
      – I know with places that have high humidity fondant in the fridge is not a good idea. So leave it out.
      Not sure I have an answer to your question but see if my process on top gives you any ideas.
      Also when you roll the fondant – roll it a bit thicker and not a big skirt. Remove excess quickly.
      Work in an airconditioning room or choose to work in the evening when its’ cooler than the day.
      I think compound chocolate such as chocolate chips works better as they are meant to handle heat and still hold their shape better.
      Have a good day.

      1. KAMiNi GOPAL says:

        5 stars
        Thank you so much, Veena, for the detailed response. No wonder you’re such a star. So deserving. 🙂

        I have tried higher proportion of chocolate to cream. Same results.

        But I shall try the slow steps like you mentioned. I tend do do everything at a rush on one day, in a few hours as I’m constantly afraid the cake might go bad in the insane heat.

        There is an additional problem I face. Being an ecologist by training and conservationist by passion, I do not have air-conditioning in the house. This makes a world of a difference and reading your buttercream post made me realise you’re the first person who understands what I’m talking about. When you say (to paraphrase), ‘I could have it all cooled and perfect, but it could turn into a hot mess in the client’s car’. A lot of people do not have a/c. I don’t want the cake to turn into a mess when it leaves my house. So, looking for apt solutions. Wonder what people who have outdoor weddings/functions in hot places do?

        Thanks once again for the response. Much appreciated.

        1. yes, one of the big issue with cakes is when you try to do it all in one go. The best way is to space the work and let it rest so it has time to set. Cakes baked from scratch have a longer shelf life and taste better over time.
          We have to all work with what we have and the circumstances we live in. For example, in summer I never sell buttercream under fondant. I do have Air Conditioning but I can’t keep in on 24 hours – not worth the electricity bill – right?
          I highly recommend you work slowly – cover the chilled cake with fondant and don’t put fondant cakes in the fridge since you don’t have air-conditioning.
          XX

  8. Marisa Franca says:

    5 stars
    I’ve never tried ganache on a cake. I thought it would be too difficult and I’d make a mess out of the cake. You certainly make it sound doable. I’m pinning your tutorial and I will give the chocolate ganache a try. We love chocolate so it would be very much appreciated. Keeping my fingers crossed I don’t destroy a ganache nor a cake.

    1. Ganache is so easy to make Marisa. You must try. It’s absolute chocolate heaven.

  9. 5 stars
    Ganache always makes this look so elegant. I love using it on cakes and cupcakes. Makes it look fancy…and isn’t that difficult to do. I need all the help I can get to make cakes look 1/2 as good as yours.

  10. 5 stars
    Thank you Thank you Thank you so much Veena. You just told me everything I need to know about Ganaching my cakes. I had the same confussion as you.