Chocolate Ganache

What is there not to like about chocolate ganache? A proper ganache is a thick and gooey, lush and decadent, sweet and creamy chocolate paste, adding an element of contrast and richness to most desserts or cakes. This decorative element can be spread or piped, or it can act as a glue or as a visual element to add darkness and height to a dessert or cake decoration.

How to use Chocolate Ganache

Close your eyes and think of the most chocolaty desert you have every had. What stands out for you? If you are like me, the cake or brownie was nice, but what tied it all together was the ganache. Chocolate ganache is like a chameleon, you can make it more liquid and use it as a drizzle, leave it as is and use it as a thick paste to coat brownies, heat it slightly and it becomes more fluid and works as a simple chocolate dip or fountain… Whip it up, pipe it and it becomes a soft cloud uplifting your cupcake… dab a little on the back of a decoration and it is the edible glue you were always looking for.

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When NOT to use a chocolate ganache!

The only thing a great chocolate ganache will not do is harden and develop a snap when you bite into it – for that, you need to temper chocolate or simply cool a coconut oil and chocolate sauce.

How to change the flavour of your ganache

Chilies, ginger, or mint? A chocolate ganache is really a 2 component topping, yet one can vary these endlessly to come up with different subtleties. The standard ganache is chocolate and heavy cream – nice, but boring. Replace the milk chocolate with a dark chocolate and you add in a source of bitterness that cuts through the sweetness of the desert. Swap the heavy cream with some sour cream and you get the acidity needed to cut through the richness of the ganache. Need more sweetness? Just add in some white chocolate… now you have bitterness, sweetness, sourness and all you need are some salt flakes and the 4 main tastes are triggered.

Now, add in some candied ginger, or ginger powder… or thinly sliced mint or some chili powder for a bit of a bite. For the coffee lovers, add in a dash of an excellent brew…

How about going all out and adding some cardamom, star anise, vanilla, hint of nutmeg and clove to add layer upon layer of depth to the ganache?

Play with the senses – the ganache is so simple to make and so tasty that there will always be a “volunteer” to finish it all.

How to pipe Chocolate Ganache

Cool the ganache to room temperature and test it by scooping a little out with a knife or spoon. If it holds a peak, it is ready… Now the tough choice, pipe as is or whisk with a hand-mixer for a fluffy ganache frosting. In either case, simply fill a piping bag and pipe the ganache onto your dessert.

Storing Chocolate Ganache

On very rare occasions you might want to freeze the ganache for a later date – highly risky as it may be discovered and eaten on the sly… Simply place the ganache in a clean container, place a layer of plastic wrap on to and close the container.

Take the ganache out the day before you need it and allow to defrost in the fridge overnight, followed b a couple of hours on the kitchen counter to reach room temperature.

The Oh-So-Easy 7 step recipe!