Look at that creamy white chocolate goodness. That’s precious white chocolate ganache that’s been rested and ready to ganache my cake. Wanna know how I get to this creamy chocolate goodness? Stick around and let’s talk ganache.

I already told you before about my ganache cake failures so I won’t repeat myself. And we also spoke about white chocolate a couple of time too. But I will repeat this again. White chocolate is temperamental. It’s got no cocoa solids just cocoa butter, sugar and milk solids which makes it really easy to seize, lump up or break down.

The secret to working with white chocolate ganache is patience. Never try to rush the process. Give it the time it needs. When necessary, step away. If you heat white chocolate is fat so if you make it too hot it will break, if you leave it too long it cools down and becomes hard again.

The first time I made white chocolate ganache it was so liquid I thought I had screwed it up. Went back to the internet to look for more recipes. But that’s how it is supposed to be. It’s like melted fat in a liquid state and then firms up as becomes creamy again as it cools. Remember that.

What is the difference between regular Chocolate Ganache and Cake Decorators Chocolate Ganache?

I’m glad you asked. Regular white chocolate ganache is softer inconsistency because it is made with one part cream and two parts white chocolate. This tends to be too soft for decorating a cake. Which is why we use a ratio of 1:3 parts cream: chocolate.

Can you use regular white chocolate ganache to cover a cake? Absolutely, you can use it to cover a cake. Just give it a nice whip and it will be a little more fluffy and stable to spread. But it may be too soft to use under fondant, so if you need to cover a cake with fondant I highly recommend you save all the heartache and struggle by using this 1:3 part ratio.

Let’s talk ingredients and substitutes (Save/Pin)

• White chocolate – Like I said before white chocolate is cocoa solids, sugar, and milk solids so the quality of white chocolate you use will determine the quality of ganache you make. I use Callebaut or Laubeca coverture white chocolate for my decorated cakes and white chocolate bars for my desserts and other treats such as cupcakes.
• Cream – I prefer to use 32 to 38% fat so the ganache is more creamy and easier to manage. The fat will determine how creamy the ganache will be. Less fat means more liquid which will mean the ganache consistency will be less firm.
  If for some reason you are unable to use cream you can use thick coconut cream. The best way to make thick coconut cream is to place it in the fridge for a couple of hours. The liquid will get separate from the fat. Open the can and carefully only pick the thick cream from the top. The process with the recipe as below.

Recipe – Cake Decorators White Chocolate Ganache Recipe (Save/Pin)

This recipe is just enough to fill and frost an 8-inch round cake. If you fill the cake with vanilla buttercream and frost with this ganache you will have some left for piping borders. This recipe can be easily doubled or halved without any issues.

Ingredients (8-inch cake)

• 775 grams white chocolate (almost 6 cups)
• 250 ml heavy cream (1 cup)

How much ganache do I need for my cake?

Method

Hot cream method (see video)

• Place chocolate in a heatproof bowl – set aside
• Pour cream in a saucepan and bring to an almost boil but do not boil. (I heat it in the microwave for a minute)
• Next, pour hot cream over the chocolate.
• Cover and let sit for a minute
• Stir until smooth.
• Tip: the heat in the cream should be just enough to melt the chocolate, so keep stirring. For some reason, if you still have unmelted bits of chocolate, place the bowl over another bowl of hot water and stir till melted.  A little heat is all it takes.

Microwave Ganache (see video below)

• Break the chocolate in a microwave safe bowl,
• Pour cream over the chocolate
• Place the bowl in the microwave for a min on high.
• Stir well until you have a smooth ganache
• If necessary – continue to heat in microwave at 30 sec intervals until you have a smooth mix.

Consistency for covering a cake

• Ganache rested may not necessarily be ideal to just start using.
• The ideal consistency is peanut butter consistency.
• You want to be able to hold the ganache on the spatula and spread it around the cake.
• The best way to bring it to consistency
  • In cold weather – stick it in the microwave for 10 secs (when it comes to chocolate 10 secs is a lot so don’t’ over-heat)
  • If the ganache was in the fridge resting it out for an hour works too.
  • If you live in a hot an humid climate – just a vigorous stir with a spatula is all you need.

How to cover a cake with ganache.

We use the same process as shown in my previous videos on how to ganache a cake. We covered this with two video tutorials. You can find them here.

• How to cover a cake with ganache
• How to get sharp edges on ganache cakes.

Storing Ganache covered cakes

• Ganache can be kept at room temperature for about two to three days depending on the amount of chocolate/cream proportion.
  As you can see the quantity of chocolate or sugar and fat in Ganache is so high that you do not need to refrigerate your cake, which makes it an ideal frosting under fondant. However, if you have another perishable filling with your Ganache or the ratio of cream to chocolate has changed drastically then it’s best to be safe and keep the cake in the fridge.

Ganache and Humidity

Chocolate can withstand heat better than butter so ganache frosting is usually more preferred by cake decorators under fondant than buttercream in summer, or humid climate. Having said that white chocolate is not necessarily the same as dark chocolate.  So I personally treat it like buttercream. It does not do well in summer temperatures so while it’s better than buttercream it still needs caution and often time chilling in the fridge.

10 Tips when making Chocolate Ganache

1. Always chop chocolate finely or keep them to similar size pieces. That way the whole batch will melt evenly.
2. Never let heavy whipping cream boil. You want the cream to be hot but not boiling. If necessary it’s better to place the ganache in the microwave for 30 seconds to get the last bit of unmelted chocolate.
3. If you have one or two stubborn pieces of chocolate left in the ganache that won’t melt. It’s best to remove them, then to take a chance of overheating the whole batch and risking a split.
4. Microwave ganache – often a culprit of overheated ganache. Depending on how big the batch is, start with 30 seconds then heat at increments of 1o secs stirring between every interval to distribute the heat evenly.
5. Ganache has split or separated – this happens when the cocoa solids and fat don’t emulsify properly. Add a splash of milk and give it a good stir. Add another splash and stir again until you have a smooth ganache.
6. If the chocolate looks lumpy, grainy means you have overheated the chocolate. Use a stick blender and give it a whiz. All should be well again.
7. If you realize the ganache is split only after it has cooled. Add a little more chocolate to it. And reheat the melting process keeping a close watch, making sure to stir and encourage even distribution of heat. If necessary add more cream to maintain the ganache ratio you need.
8. Never over mix chocolate ganache – this will incorporate too much air into the ganache but also can cause the ganache to split. Especially with white chocolate ganache keep stirring to a minimum once the chocolate is melted.
9. Ganache is best made in a glass bowl when using a microwave and in stainless steel when using a stove top. Never use plastic or aluminum for melting chocolate, the ganache will not have a shiny appearance.
10.  Place a plastic wrap/cling wrap directly over the ganache when letting it cool. This will prevent any crust from forming on top.

Troubleshooting – chocolate ganache

Why is my ganache grainy?

Often over-heated chocolate causes grainy chocolate ganache because when you over-heat chocolate the fat in the chocolate separates or splits from the cocoa butter causing an oily, split, or grainy ganache.

Can I fix grainy ganache?

Sometimes, yes. Depending on how hot the cream is. If the temperature of the cream is right it will help stabilize the fat in the chocolate and bring it all together. If it’s too hot it will make things worse. Whipping cream is fat too!

How to fix ganache?

There are a few method to fix ganache.

• I find using a blender to mix the ganache works best. The emulsification process combines the fat in the chocolate with the fat in the cream.
• They say add corns syrup to a small batch of the ganache first, mix it well then add that to the rest – I have not had much luck with this one.
• low-fat Milk – heat a little low-fat milk and add it a tablespoon at a time. The whey in the milk helps stabilize the fat in the ganache.

My ganache has small piece of chocolate?

This happens when all the chocolate was not melted properly. All you have to do is melt the ganache in the microwave or double boiler. Stir constantly but until the ganache has just melted. Now use a blender to break those small pieces of chocolate. Then cool again until set to the right consistency before using.

Frequently asked questions?

Don’t forget to save this recipe on Pinterest for later.
You can find a collection of my tutorials and recipes here on Pinterest.

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