Cream ganache is a favorite delicacy from France. It is ideal for decorating cakes. This tasty and sweet product is used to make decorations for sweets and cakes.

For a long time, the recipe for this cream remained a mystery to Russian confectioners, and French sweets aroused envy and admiration.

What is ganache

Chocolate ganache, the recipe for which remained a secret for a long time, is a cream made from natural chocolate.

This chocolate paste is very suitable for leveling the surface of the cake, as well as its edges. At the same time, the ganache hardens very quickly. In addition, this paste is used as a filling for:

  • cupcakes;
  • cupcakes;
  • profiteroles.

This cream is a mixture of chocolate, natural butter and cream. Butter is not always added, and any type of chocolate can be used as a base.

As for the proportions, they can be very different, since if you wish, you can experiment and select different combinations. After preparing the glaze, be sure to let it cool a little to get the required consistency.

History of origin

Cream ganache is an amazing manifestation of confectionery skill. A very funny and unusual story of its appearance, since they first started preparing it completely by accident. A pastry chef working in one of the French restaurants accidentally spilled warm cream into the melted chocolate, as a result of which the chef called him a rather offensive word, which in French sounds like “ganache”, but translated means “boob.”

Having tried this delicacy for the first time, he was simply amazed that such a cream turned out by accident, due to the carelessness of the pastry chef. The resulting mixture had excellent taste, was unusually tender and froze well. Thus, a new cream with a funny name appeared.

Features of the composition

In order for the chocolate ganache to cover the cake to be thick enough, to harden well and allow the edges to be evened out, you need to prepare it correctly. To do this you need to use the following products:

  • chocolate;
  • cream;
  • sugar;
  • oil;
  • cocoa.

To prepare the mass, you need to use high-quality natural chocolate with a high percentage of cocoa content. Sugar is used very rarely, but if it is in the recipe, then you need to use regular granulated sugar, not powdered sugar. Cream can be replaced with milk, sour cream or condensed milk. These products help give the finished mass a certain tenderness and improve taste.

If the recipe specifies oil, it is best to have a high fat content. In different recipes, cocoa powder can be used instead of chocolate. In this case, you need to choose a natural, high-quality product, without additives.

Each recipe for such glaze may differ in its set of basic components. Depending on the composition, the technology for preparing this cream may also change.

Main types of cream

The recipe for chocolate ganache can be very different, therefore, by changing the ratio of cream and chocolate, you can prepare a cream of absolutely any consistency. Depending on the application, you can slightly change the recipe. In the traditional version, the ratio of main products is 50:50. This cream pours very well onto the surface of desserts, forming drips. If necessary, it can also be used under mastic and as fondant.

If you need to make a liquid coating, then you will need more cream than chocolate. It is used to cover the surface of a cake, which, according to technology, needs to be frozen. In particular, these are soufflé products with the addition of agar or gelatin. In this case, the cream will harden very quickly and will not spread over the surface. In addition, it is well suited if you need to cover the confectionery product not completely, but just apply a design.

If you need to make chocolate ganache to level the cake, you should add more chocolate than cream. In this case, the mass will be thicker and harden much better. In addition, this cream can be used as a filling for cakes and pastries. This cream will not leak out, and the cake itself will retain its required shape well. You can make sweets from ganache.

Traditional recipe

If you need to prepare traditional chocolate ganache, the recipe for which is quite simple, you should first prepare the ingredients. The classic version lacks sugar, so the cream will have a slight bitterness. To prepare it you will need:

  • cream 35% fat - 110 ml;
  • butter - 35 g.

Break the chocolate into small pieces and place in a bowl. Pour the cream into a separate container and heat it slightly, but do not boil. Then pour the cream into the chocolate melted in a steam bath, stirring constantly until a homogeneous consistency is formed. Gradually add oil to the resulting mixture and mix everything thoroughly. The result is a very tasty cream that can be used for cakes.

Ganache for mastic

Many people are interested in how to make chocolate ganache for mastic. This is a kind of chocolate-based paste that has a fairly dense texture that can be used to level the surface of a cake. It fits perfectly under the mastic, which is then used to cover the dessert.

Ganache can be made from absolutely any chocolate, it all depends on your own preferences. It is very flexible, and after covering the cake with it, bumps and bumps will not be noticeable under the mastic. To prepare this cream, you need to take 600 g of chocolate and 300 ml of heavy cream. The cooking technology is exactly the same as in the classic version, but no oil is added. When the finished mass has cooled slightly, you can immediately coat the confectionery with it.

Glaze-ganache

The recipe for chocolate ganache glaze is quite simple. This mixture is well suited for coating sweets, cupcakes and pastries. To prepare you need to take:

  • milk - 1 tbsp.;
  • butter - 160 g;
  • granulated sugar - 300 g;
  • cocoa powder - 6 tbsp. l.;
  • cognac - 1 tsp.

To prepare the glaze, you need to thoroughly grind the granulated sugar with cocoa so that there are no lumps left. Then pour in the milk and mix it all thoroughly until the granulated sugar is completely dissolved. Boil the resulting mixture over low heat, continuing to stir.

As soon as it thickens a little, gradually add butter and cognac. To check the readiness of the glaze, you need to drop a little on the saucer. If it spreads, then you need to boil it a little longer, but if it holds its shape well, then it’s ready. This chocolate cocoa ganache is delicious and doesn't take much time to prepare.

Cream for filling cakes

Chocolate ganache with cream is very suitable for filling cakes, macaroons and any sweets. There are many variations of this cream, so you can experiment. To prepare it you will need:

  • dark natural chocolate - 100 g;
  • heavy cream - 50 g;
  • butter - 70 g;
  • ripe strawberries - 50 g.

Strawberries need to be pureed using a blender. Break the chocolate into pieces, pour in a little warmed cream and stir until smooth. Leave for a few minutes and then add slightly softened butter. Grind the strawberry puree through a sieve into the finished mixture.

Transfer the cream into a prepared pastry bag and put it in the refrigerator. After this, you can use it to decorate various confectionery products.

Ganache with sour cream

Chocolate ganache for coating the cake can be prepared with sour cream, especially since the recipe is very simple and does not take much time. This will require 8 tbsp. l. sour cream, as well as 6 tsp. cocoa and granulated sugar. All components must be thoroughly mixed until a homogeneous mass is obtained and simmered over low heat until thickened, stirring all the time.

To give the ganache a more beautiful color and extra shine, you can add a little oil to it. In just a few minutes you can make a very tasty cream.

Ganache with condensed milk

To make a coating based on condensed milk, you should use the recipe for chocolate ganache for drips. You don’t need any special knowledge, you just need to follow the proportions and consistently introduce all the products. To prepare the glaze you will need:

  • cocoa powder - 10 g;
  • condensed milk - 100 ml;
  • butter - 200 g;
  • chocolate - 250 g.

To prepare the glaze, the chocolate must be thoroughly crushed and then melted, stirring constantly, in a steam bath. Beat the softened butter with condensed milk until a fluffy foam forms. Let the chocolate cool slightly, add cocoa powder, and then gradually add the butter mixture.

Leave the resulting mass until it hardens, for about 10 minutes, and then apply it to the cake, forming beautiful drips. To make ganache drips on the cake, you need to pour it into the middle of the dessert, and then gradually straighten it to the edges.

White chocolate cream

Ganache with white chocolate looks very interesting. To prepare it you will need 110 ml of heavy cream, 210 g of high-quality white chocolate, coloring and flavoring if desired.

White chocolate ganache has a very delicate taste and shade. Among the main advantages of such a cream is that it can be made in absolutely any color if desired, simply by adding dye.

Initially, you need to pour the cream into a saucepan, put it on medium heat and leave until it boils. Add broken chocolate pieces little by little to the hot cream and stir until smooth. To get a fluffy cream, you need to beat the mixture at high speed with a mixer and put it in the refrigerator for a while. Once the cream has cooled, you can use it as a decoration.

Essentially, ganache is a mixture of chocolate and cream. Good chocolate contains cocoa butter, which melts when heated and hardens when cooled. It is the oil that allows the ganache to become thick and viscous after cooling. If chocolate is made using other oils (shea, coconut, palm) - it may behave differently, require different proportions of cream, or even crack after hardening on the cake...

Good affordable professional chocolate - brand Callebaut. Sold in specialized confectionery stores and online. Affordable - in terms of price/quality ratio compared to mass market chocolate bars.

The exact proportions of cream and chocolate will depend on the composition of the chocolate, the fat content of the cream, and the required thickness, so here I will describe the principle of operation, what to look for, and what you can/cannot do when working with ganache... and my adjusted proportions from which you can build .

Proportions to obtain a thick ganache suitable for macaron fillings:

  • Callebaut dark chocolate 54% - 1 part chocolate to 1 part cream (33%)
  • For milk Callebaut 33% - 3 parts chocolate to 2 parts cream (33%)
  • Callebaut white chocolate 28% - 2 parts chocolate to 1 part cream (33%)

Parts - by weight, not by volume.

If desired, you can replace some of the cream with thick berry puree to get new flavors.

If you need a thicker texture - like for truffles to sculpt with your hands - reduce the amount of cream, increase the percentage of chocolate (for example, take 70% instead of 54%). The ganache can be cooled and reheated - if you don't like the thickness, just add more chocolate/cream, gently reheat and cool again.

How we work:

1. Break/cut the tile into 1 cm pieces. This will make it easier to melt. If you decide to try Callebaut, it already comes in drops, which is much more convenient.

If the house is warm and the chocolate has not been stored in the refrigerator, then simply heat the cream in the microwave or on the stove and pour it onto the chocolate (if a film appears, strain through a strainer). This should be enough to melt the small pieces we cut.

If suddenly the chocolate also needs to be warmed (it’s cold at home, or it was stored in the refrigerator), or you’re just too lazy to bother with the cream, add the cream to the cup with the chocolate and heat it all together in the microwave, in bursts of 5-15 seconds. I'm lazy, so I do it this way. The most important thing here is not to leave the microwave and make sure that the chocolate does not overheat. While the chocolate is hard - check every 15 seconds - take it out and mix it. As soon as it starts to melt - every 10. If very small lumps remain - every 5. Each time, take it out and mix.

If the lumps cannot be stirred, but the whole mass is already ready, strain through a strainer while the mixture is liquid.

If you don’t have a microwave, try warming the cream first; if that’s not enough, put the mixture in a steam bath and bring it to perfection. Under no circumstances should we put it directly on the fire - the mixture will start to burn. You can try holding it suspended above the stove and stirring constantly))

3. Next, we cool it or use it right away, depending on what we want to get. If you need a filling for pasta, cool it in the refrigerator for 3 hours so that the ganache thickens and can be spread. If you need to pour a cake with smudges, cool it slightly (to ∼40°C) and pour it over - the cake is cold, and if our mixture has also cooled down greatly, the smudges will immediately harden and not roll down the sides. In general, you need to experiment here))

FAQ

  • The ganache can be cooled and then heated again - safely store the leftovers in the refrigerator (for me it lasted up to a month), and when needed - heat it up, only carefully - in a water bath, or in the microwave, also in pulses of 10-15 seconds.
  • If after cooling it seems to you that it is still liquid and needs to be thicker, just add more chocolate to the mixture with ganache and melt it all together. Cool again and look for the ideal proportion.
  • You can put it in the freezer, for example, if you want to make a filling for a cake (this is absolutely a bomb). But at the same time, it does not freeze into ice - due to its high fat content, it only becomes a little thicker, and in a couple of minutes you can peel it off the film and stick it into the cake before it thaws to an untransportable state... and yes, for the filling it should be thicker than indicated above so that the cakes do not squeeze it out. The proportions are lower.
  • You can use cream of lower fat content, but you need less of it. I even did it with milk once - for dark chocolate this is not particularly critical, but with white and milk chocolate you want more of the creamy taste that heavy cream gives. Yes, and the texture will be different, so don’t be surprised if it suddenly cracks on the cake because all the liquid has been absorbed...
  • You can add butter to the ganache - from the proportions above it will be + 10% of the weight of the cream (and puree). Oil thickens the mixture even more when cooled, adding shine, flavor, and making the texture more pliable.
  • By the way, cream for ganache can be flavored cold or hot - this will give additional shades of taste and smell =) There will be an article about this, because there are some nuances))
  • You can also mix several types of chocolate to get a more interesting taste - more on that below.
  • It can be colored with ordinary gel dyes (not special fat-soluble ones for chocolate), perhaps dry ones too, but I haven’t tried it - just stir it in the cream - due to the fact that the cream has a water component, the paint molecules will combine with it and color the entire cream ))
  • If you want to make a perfectly even top of a ganache cake (and not completely fill the sides), cover the cake in two stages. First, wrap it with acetate film over the boots (a file or flower film will do - the main thing is to disinfect it and secure it well so that there are no gaps), then pour in the ganache and cool. Then create smudges and decorate. Here's what it looks like:

Usage:

For the filling, I use two types of Callebaut chocolate - dark 54% and milk 33% with a light caramel flavor. The two of them make just a drop-dead composition.

Proportion for filling in a cake with a diameter of 18 cm (the filling itself is 16 cm in diameter, ∼1 cm high):

  • Milk chocolate – 115 g
  • Dark chocolate 54% – 40 g
  • Cream 33% – 90 g

It turns out thicker than the proportions at the very beginning, and is not squeezed out under the weight of the cakes and cream. At the same time, I use it to cover cakes and create drips (for 18 cm, take half a portion. For a perfectly smooth top using acetate film, take a full portion, just in case).

  1. Measure out the chocolate and pour in the cream.



  2. We begin to warm it up in the microwave in pulses of 15-10-5 seconds. Mix every time. At first it may seem that the chocolate is not melting, but floating in grains. If the chocolate is good, made with cocoa butter, then eventually it will mix with the cream - see photo 3. Detailed melting steps:

    After 15 sec.
    + 10 sec.
    + another 10 sec.

  3. If necessary, strain.
  4. The mixture has already cooled down and you can cover the cake with it. But what usually happens if you just water the cake and try to level the top with spaluta.



To fill the cake, I cover the ring with cling film, line the sides with acetate film, place it on a board, and then pour in the ganache. I freeze it in the freezer for 3 hours. Then I assemble the cake, and only when I need to insert the filling, I quickly and carefully peel it off from the films and use it. Not the most pleasant task, but I like the result))

As I’m writing, I think that it would be easier and faster to squeeze it through a pastry bag... I’ll have to try it - if it turns out to be the same even layer - perversion with a freezer =D

Ganache is a French chocolate cream, plastic, having a soft but dense consistency. It is almost universal: it is used as a filling for sweets and croissants, layering cake layers, covering cakes and pastries, leveling their surface with mastic. The composition of the ganache is simple: chocolate and cream. The recipe with cream and butter is also considered a classic. The remaining ingredients (powdered sugar, flavorings, rum, cognac) are added as desired, they are not mandatory. Making this unusual cream is easy.

Cooking features

There are many recipes for ganache, because in French cuisine it is believed that even a few drops of syrup added to the cream radically change its taste, allowing you to get a new dish. But there are also general principles.

  • The optimal consistency of ganache depends on what it is intended for. Usually, a more liquid cream is prepared to cover cakes, which spreads easily, smoothly enveloping the confectionery product. To layer the cakes, they often use versions of cream with butter or alcohol components, which allow the cakes to be at least slightly soaked. If the cakes are made from dough that does not absorb the cream well, it is better to use something more liquid (syrup, liqueur, Madeira) for impregnation rather than ganache. To fill croissants, thick ganache is used, usually with the addition of butter. Candy also requires a product with high density.
  • The quality of the finished product depends on the quality of the original ingredients. In chocolate intended for making cream, the cocoa content must be at least 40%, cocoa butter - at least 20%. High-quality chocolate melts in your hands, and when you break a bar, a characteristic crunch is heard. At the same time, good chocolate does not crumble.
  • The ratio of chocolate to cream depends on the cocoa content of the main ingredient. If the ganache is made from dark chocolate, use about the same amount of cream or slightly less than the main ingredient. You will need 2 times more milk chocolate than cream, and 3 times more white chocolate. Some of the cream is often replaced with butter.
  • A common mistake novice cooks make is using ingredients at the wrong temperature to prepare ganache. The oil must be warmed to at least room temperature and softened, so it should be taken out of the refrigerator in advance. The cream is heated on the stove or in a water bath, but not allowed to boil. When melting chocolate in cream, boiling is also not allowed. This should be done either with low heat, or by removing the container with cream from the stove.
  • The classic ganache recipe allows you to do without the help of kitchen appliances, but many housewives prefer to beat the cream with a mixer.
  • Mix the chocolate with cream and butter until the product acquires a glossy shine. After cooling, the cream will become matte, but this is already considered normal.
  • For glazing confectionery products, ganache is used liquid, otherwise it will harden and its use for coating cakes will become difficult. To sandwich cake layers or fill sweets, it is recommended to cool the ganache for 1–2 hours, then beat with a mixer.
  • Properly prepared ganache should have a uniform consistency. If it delaminates, the technological process at some stage was disrupted. This most often happens when using ingredients at different temperatures. It’s not difficult to correct the situation: you need to heat the ganache to a temperature of 40–45 degrees and mix well using a mixer.

If you haven't used all the ganache, you can cover it and put it in the refrigerator. It will remain usable for 2 months. Before use, it will be enough to heat it in a water bath and beat. This only applies to the classic version of ganache, which contains nothing but chocolate, cream and butter. In other cases, it is better not to take risks and try to use the product within 3 days.

Classic ganache recipe without oil

  • dark chocolate - 0.4 kg;
  • cream with a fat content of at least 30% - 0.2 l.

Cooking method:

  • Grind the chocolate. To do this, you need to break it, crumble it with a knife or grate it. The more the chocolate is crushed, the faster it will dissolve in the hot cream and be distributed more evenly.
  • Heat the cream over low heat or in a water bath without bringing it to a boil.
  • Add chocolate. Stir until it is completely dissolved.
  • Remove the pan with ganache from the heat (or from the water bath). Allow to cool to the desired temperature and use as directed.

Ganache prepared according to this recipe is universal. It can be used hot to cover a cake or cooled, whipped and layered into cake layers, filled into sweets or buns.

Classic recipe for ganache with butter

  • dark chocolate with cocoa content of at least 60% - 100 g;
  • heavy cream - 100 ml;
  • butter - 40 g.

Cooking method:

  • Remove the butter from the refrigerator in advance to soften it.
  • Break or grate the chocolate.
  • Heat the cream. As soon as they start to boil, remove from heat.
  • Pour hot cream over chocolate and leave for 5 minutes.
  • Whisk the creamy chocolate mixture with a whisk.
  • Continuing to beat, add butter.

The ganache prepared according to this recipe hardens very quickly, especially if you place it in the cold. If you want to cover the cake with it, you shouldn’t hesitate - it can thicken even at room temperature. More often, this ganache is used as a cream for layering a cake or filling sweets.

Chocolate ganache with rum

  • dark chocolate - 0.25 kg;
  • cream - 0.25 l;
  • rum - 20 ml.

Cooking method:

  • Cut the chocolate with a knife.
  • Bring the cream to a boil, but remove from the heat without letting it boil.
  • Combine cream with chopped chocolate.
  • After a few minutes, whisk everything together.
  • Pour in the rum, stir well or whisk again. The rum in this recipe can be replaced with cognac or another similar ingredient.

If you cool and beat the ganache made according to this recipe with a whisk or mixer, it will become airy. When hot, it is liquid and does not harden immediately. This cream option is ideal for covering or decorating a cake.

White chocolate ganache

  • white chocolate - 0.6 kg;
  • heavy cream - 0.2 l;
  • food coloring, berry flavoring (optional) - according to the manufacturer's instructions.

Cooking method:

  • Grind the chocolate.
  • Heat the cream in a water bath.
  • Place chocolate in hot cream. Stir without removing from the water bath until the chocolate pieces are completely dissolved.
  • Remove the container with ganache from the water bath. If you want to give it a bright color and aroma, add the appropriate components. Stir well.

Ganache prepared according to this recipe can be used to coat confectionery products or decorate them.

Cocoa ganache recipe

  • cocoa powder - 30 g;
  • powdered sugar - 30 g;
  • cognac - 40 ml;
  • heavy cream - 80 ml;
  • butter - 50 g.

Cooking method:

  • Remove the butter from the refrigerator. Wait until it becomes soft.
  • Heat the cream.
  • Mix cocoa with powdered sugar.
  • Add the dry mixture into the cream, spoon by spoon, stirring everything thoroughly each time.
  • Pour in the cognac and whisk.

This version of ganache is very different from the traditional one, but it produces a “working” cream, well suited for covering cakes and leveling their surface under mastic.

Recipe for ganache with condensed milk

  • dark chocolate - 0.25 kg;
  • butter - 0.2 kg;
  • condensed milk - 100 ml;
  • cocoa powder - 30 g.

Cooking method:

  • Beat the softened butter with a mixer.
  • Add condensed milk and chocolate to the butter. Whisk everything together.
  • Break the chocolate and melt it in a water bath.
  • Transfer the melted chocolate to the butter. Whisk everything together until the mixture reaches a homogeneous consistency.

Ganache prepared according to this recipe is usually used to decorate pastries and cakes.

Ganache without cream (with milk powder)

  • dark chocolate - 0.3 kg;
  • butter - 0.2 kg;
  • whole milk - 125 ml;
  • powdered milk - 100 g;
  • powdered sugar - 50 g.

Cooking method:

  • Grind the chocolate, melt it in a water bath, and set aside temporarily.
  • Mix dry milk with powdered sugar.
  • Heat liquid milk in a water bath to 50 degrees, dilute sugar and milk powder in it.
  • When the butter softens, beat with a mixer.
  • While continuing to whisk, add the milk mixture into the butter.
  • When the mixture becomes homogeneous, add melted chocolate. Whisk.

You need to cover confectionery products with this ganache as soon as it is ready - it hardens quickly. Cooled ganache made from milk powder is good for filling candies.

If you love pampering your loved ones with homemade cakes and pastries, you just need to learn how to make ganache. This almost universal chocolate cream can help out in a variety of situations.

Classic chocolate ganache is a very simple and common chocolate cream. You've almost certainly encountered it, even if you didn't know it was called that. You know that crazy chocolatey not-so-soft filling in chocolate candies or thick filled chocolate bars? As a rule, this is ganache. Does the dessert or layer in the cake have a strange consistency - is it denser than cream, but softer than chocolate? Most likely, this is also ganache. The most famous cake with chocolate ganache, driving all chocoholics crazy, is the Demel cake, the second most popular cake in Viennese cuisine after Sacher.

Classic chocolate ganache (as such a recipe would be called in the USSR - “ganache according to GOST”) is made from one part cream and two parts chocolate. This ganache can be used for everything - in candies, as a cream for a cake, for coating a cake, and for filling, it is universal. This ganache is easy to cut, it is plastic and at the same time holds its shape well. However, sometimes it is more rational to make more or, on the contrary, more ganache.

Chocolate ganache can be flavored with various confectionery flavors, or its taste can be enriched by the introduction of fruit and puree, zest or mint. In some cases, a small amount of butter is added to it.

Because the ganache itself is very, very simple to prepare, and there is essentially nothing to talk about. I'll show you one example of its practical use here along the way - filling a cake with a thick ganache shell.

We will pour it in a detachable metal form. Before you start preparing the ganache, you should do some preparatory work with both the mold and the base of the cake. Firstly, if a metal mold will be used, then you need to insulate the walls of the mold from the ganache with some kind of film. For me it will be a strip of pastry paper; you can also use food-grade plastic (thick bags, not thin film, if you don’t want wrinkles on the walls of the cake). There is no need to cover the silicone molds with anything; they themselves are perfectly separated from the frozen ganache.

I can’t coat cakes smoothly, so for me the technology of covering a cake with ganache is, of course, very convenient. But the filling underneath should have a smaller diameter than the shape in which it hardens. Therefore, the cakes and other parts should either be baked in a smaller form or cut off. Here I use a mold of a smaller diameter to press the outline onto the cake.

The excess is cut off along the marked line with a knife.

The base is placed inside the mold lined with paper so that there is a uniform gap everywhere between the filling and the walls.

Now, when all the preliminary preparation has been done, you can start making ganache. Because it is done easily and quickly. Grind the chocolate.

Melt the chopped chocolate in hot, but not boiling cream, stirring gently with a spoon. No whisks, no whisking.

And at the moment when the ugly liquid mess from the previous frame turns into such a beautiful shiny thick cream with a uniform consistency, the ganache will be ready! Confectionery flavors are usually added to it at this stage so that the aromas do not disappear during cooking. As you can see, everything is very simple. Ganache is one of the most basic creams and is difficult to mess up. The main thing is not to boil it while cooking.

Well, now - how to pour ganache over the cake to form a shell? Yes, just pour it on the cake, it will slide down between the walls and the filling, it’s liquid while it’s warm.

The surface needs to be slightly smoothed, the mold should be gently shaken so that the liquid mass is well distributed in the cavities around the filling and there are no air bubbles there. If the room temperature is below 20°C, the ganache will harden even at room temperature. If higher, then the cake should be placed in the refrigerator, but not very cold.

The finished classic chocolate ganache is not creamy, but hard. The paper comes off easily.

The surface of the finished ganache is more matte than that of liquid. There is no need to heat the knife to cut cakes with ganache coating - the ganache cuts without breaking, just like a thicker cream, not like a chocolate coating. How are you satisfied with the smoothness of the side surfaces of the cake? I can't spread the cream that smoothly.

Probably, some people have asked whether it is necessary to use a water bath to prepare ganache, as can be seen in my photographs. No, absolutely not necessary. I use it simply so that I can take photos for a long time and the ganache does not harden before I pour it onto the cake. You can easily prepare ganache in any other pan - the main thing is not to bring it to a boil. As soon as the chocolate begins to melt into the cream, immediately remove the pan from the heat and stir until you obtain that characteristic dark and shiny cream.


Hi all. Recently, I promised to tell you about a super cream for finishing cakes, which perfectly holds its shape and fits under the mastic. This is cream ganache. Today is a very detailed article about this cream.

Ganache is an emulsion of cream and chocolate. Do you know how this wonderful cream appeared? Like many things in cooking - completely by accident! A French chef accidentally spilled cream into melted chocolate, after which the chef called him a “fool,” which in French is “ganache.” When he tried what he got, he was amazed at the taste, and the name stuck with the dessert.

What do we have today? There are three varieties of ganache - with cream, with butter, and with cream with the addition of butter. Many argue that butter ganache should not be called that at all, that it is the “wrong” cream. And that real ganache is only made from chocolate and heavy cream. May be so.

However, I use all three types of this cream in practice. Why not choose one? Because all three varieties are absolutely working creams!

If I have a sufficient amount of heavy cream, then I definitely choose the creamy option; if there is cream, but not much, then I make a mixture; if there is no cream at all, then I choose the option with butter.

I would like to note that the most delicious and easiest, both in terms of preparation and eating, is the option with cream. The recipe with butter is the most difficult to digest, but the mixture of butter and cream is difficult to prepare.

Ganache can be made with any chocolate, be it dark, milk or white (you can also use bitter chocolate, but this is not for everyone).

The main thing here is to understand the proportions.

Dark chocolate ganache goes to cream (or butter) in a 1:1 ratio, for milk chocolate this ratio is 2:1, and for white chocolate it is 3:1 (sometimes even 4:1, for greater stability). That is, the less cocoa butter the chocolate contains, the more it will be needed for the cream.

These proportions work for absolutely all creams, that is, if you take 180 grams of dark chocolate (2 bars), then you need to take the same amount of cream or butter by weight.

Today I want to look at ganache made from a mixture of chocolate and cream, because it is in this version that there are the most mistakes, due to the fact that there are more steps in preparation.

Needless to say, the cream will taste delicious with professional chocolate?! Callebaut makes very good chocolate and cocoa. You can also buy it by weight from 100 grams in confectionery stores.

So, how to make a stable cream for leveling a cake and decorating cupcakes at home, recipe with photos step by step.

Ingredients:

  1. 180 grams dark chocolate (2 bars)
  2. 75 grams of cream from 30% fat content
  3. 105 grams butter (82.5%) at room temperature

Preparation:

To begin with, I want to say right away that my friendship with ganache did not work out the first time! But, from this I can safely say that I know all the subtleties and possible mistakes)

I will offer you the most reliable method, with the least possible complications. First, I’ll write down the problems I encountered so that you don’t repeat my mistakes.

According to many recipes, it was necessary to first melt the chocolate, heat the cream separately, and only then combine these two mixtures. Here I encountered problems such as overheating of the chocolate and separation of the mass. Firstly, it is extremely easy to overheat chocolate in the microwave, especially when you heat it without cream. Secondly, when combining melted chocolate and hot cream, it can also overheat, and the mass can stratify due to the temperature difference.

Other recipes called for finely chopping the chocolate and pouring hot cream over it. Problems such as overheating of the chocolate may arise here, due to the fact that the chocolate is heated at a temperature significantly lower than the boiling point of the cream. And another problem may arise - incomplete dissolution of the chocolate if the cream is removed from the stove ahead of time. And this had to be solved by heating the mass and punching it with a hand blender.

After all my adventures, I’ll say one thing - don’t waste so much time! Melt the chocolate and cream in a water bath, this is the most reliable method!

So, how to make dark chocolate ganache with cream at home.

Place a saucepan with a small amount of water on the stove.

Place the chopped chocolate in a heatproof bowl. And fill it with cream (I have cream straight from the refrigerator).

As soon as the water in the pan boils, reduce the heat to medium and place our bowl of chocolate-cream mixture on top.

Stirring all the time, begin to melt the chocolate. The chocolate will clump a little at first.

Then it will gradually begin to disperse.

As a result, we should have a homogeneous mass without lumps, smooth and shiny.

Remove it from the heat and leave to cool to 40°.

Add room temperature butter into the cooled mixture! This is a very important point; if the oil is cold, the cream will separate. In this case, you need to warm it up a little in a water bath and beat it with a submersible blender.

Mix the mass thoroughly.

Cover with film and place in the refrigerator for 1-2 hours. The setting time depends on the quality of the chocolate; the better it is, the faster it will set.

During this time, the cream will stabilize and become very dense. Feel free to start leveling cakes, decorating cupcakes or using it as a filling.

This amount of cream is enough for me to level a cake of 18-20 in diameter.

If you beat the cooled ganache, you get truffle cream. It will increase in volume, lighten and become very airy. I even prefer this option, it’s very easy to work with, the cream is pliable. They are also great for decorating cupcakes, using as a layer for sponge cakes or as a filling. A little secret, it’s better to level it with a hot, dry spatula, this will soften the cream a little if it’s suddenly completely frozen.

Just remember that the ganache cream is thick and will not fully saturate your cakes, so we either use impregnation or self-sufficient biscuits in butter.

This cream is very stable, it hardens, as they say, “to stone.” If you are looking for what kind of cream to cover a cake with mastic, then this is your option. The mastic does not flow on it.

If you are looking for a cream to use to level your cakes in the heat, then this is also the best cream.

What should you do if you have to transport the cake by car for a long time? Use ganache!

If you are looking for a cream that won’t give off a waffle or sugar picture, the answer is the same, it’s ganache.

In addition to being used in cakes and cupcakes, this cream is ideal for filling cakes such as macaroons, choux, profiteroles or eclairs. Chocoholics will definitely appreciate it!

Some answers to the most common questions.

What does overheated chocolate look like? It becomes dense, gathers into pieces and does not shine! Can he be saved? It’s possible, but not everyone’s stage. If it just starts to curdle, try adding hot cream and stir with just a spoon.

Exfoliated oil in ganache is a violation of technology; the situation can be saved by heating the entire mass to 40° and punching it with a submersible blender.

Is the ganache cracking? The sponge cake or a very thin layer of cream was poorly soaked. Also, perhaps you haven’t left the cake to stand, then it shrinks and any cream can crack.

The ganache did not harden, but remained liquid. Most likely you came across low-quality products, I’m talking about chocolate and butter. Finding really good ingredients is essential. How to save the cream? Add more melted and cooled chocolate.

This amount of cream is enough to level a cake with a diameter of 16 and a height of 10 cm.

P.S. The recipe for chocolate drips can be found on the blog at the link - just click and you will find yourself in the right place)

Enjoy your meal!