For people just getting started with baking making ganache maybe tricky, splitting the ganache is a common mistake but if you follow this recipe you will make the perfect ganache each time! The ganache can be used to coat the sides of a cake or even be used to pour of the top of a cake to create a cascading effect. The chocolate ganache can also be used to make chocolate truffles.
The choice of chocolate is important, as this will affect the overall flavour of the ganache. If you choose a chocolate with a high cocoa content it will make the ganache too bitter. If you choose a chocolate with a low cocoa content, the ganache will lack flavour. I like to use Cadbury’s Bournville chocolate as it contains 36% cocoa solids, this makes a ganache with the right sweetness and not too bitter.
Different favours can be infused into the cream such as orange, earl grey tea, lime; passion fruit the possibilities are endless with this recipe. Once the cream and the chocolate have been mixed together you can add different liqueurs such as brandy, whisky, ect. The ganache can also be whipped using a stand mixer to make it lighter and fluffier which makes it easier to coat on cakes.
Ingredients:
Dark Chocolate Ganache:
200g Dark Chocolate (I like to use Cadbury Bournville)
200g Double Cream
1. Pour the double cream in a pan and place on the hob at a medium heat. Heat until the cream starts to simmer.
2. Next break up the chocolate in to small pieces and place into a bowl. The smaller the pieces of chocolate, the quicker the chocolate will melt because the chocolate has a larger the surface area.
3. As soon as the cream starts to simmer, take it off the heat and pour it onto the chocolate. Leave the cream to cool for 1 minute. If you pour boiling cream over the chocolate it split the ganache. Leave the chocolate to melt in the cream for 2 minutes.
4. Mix the chocolate and cream with a wooden spoon until there are no specs of cream in the mixture.
5. If using the ganache to make truffles or to fill the middle of the cake, place the ganache in the fridge to set. Or if you are going to pour it over a cake allow it to cool for 10 minutes, this will prevent the hot ganache from melting the buttercream on your cake. If you are short of time and need the ganache to set a bit quicker, pour the ganache into a stainless steel bowl. The metal will help to cool the ganache quicker as the metal gets colder quicker.