If you have yet to make ganache, you are in for a treat! Ganache is a glaze, filling, dip, or frosting that is made from two simple ingredients: chocolate and heavy cream. It is decadent, rich, and made in just a few steps. Though ganache is most commonly made with semisweet chocolate, you can also use another type of chocolate to make milk chocolate, white chocolate, or even dark chocolate ganache. When warm, ganache is pourable and drippable and is key in making dreamy chocolate cake drips or serving as a dip for strawberries, bananas, and dessert fondue. When cool, it is ultra-spreadable and pipable, making it fantastic for topping pastries. And if that isn’t enough, you can also whip chocolate ganache into a light and fluffy, but still rich and chocolaty, frosting!
Though this powerhouse of a dessert recipe may seem intimidating at first glance, it is actually rather straightforward and simple to make. Just follow my recipe tips and suggestions below and you’ll be drizzling and spreading this smooth and silky chocolate confection in no time! For more delicious chocolate dessert recipes, check out my Oreo cake, rocky road cake, and chocolate bundt cake.
What You Need to Make This Recipe
Chocolate – choose high-quality semi-sweet chocolate to make the purest flavored chocolate ganache. I recommend a chocolate bar if possible but you can also use semi-sweet chocolate chips if necessary. Alternatively, bittersweet chocolate, milk chocolate, dark chocolate, and even white chocolate can be used. See my pro-tips below for relevant recipe adjustments if using any of these variations.
Heavy Cream – also known as heavy whipping cream, heavy cream is warmed until hot before being poured over the chocolate. The cream melts the chocolate evenly and creates a velvety and luscious base. This recipe relies on the milk fat in the cream, so do not use half & half, whole milk, or any other dairy alternative, or you will be left with chocolate sauce or a broken ganache instead.
How to Make Chocolate Ganache
1. Heat the cream in a small saucepan over medium heat until very steamy and just about to boil.
2. Meanwhile, chop the chocolate and place it in a medium bowl.
3. Pour the hot cream over the chocolate and set aside for 5 minutes, allowing the chocolate to melt from the heat of the cream.
4. Stir the mixture of chocolate and cream together until fully combined, smooth, and glossy. If any of the pieces aren’t fully melted, you can microwave the ganache at 50% power for about 10 seconds and mix again.
Pro Tips For Making This Recipe
- Chop the chocolate finely. Chopping the chocolate into finer pieces adds surface area and lets the hot liquid melt the chocolate faster and with less additional heat. Use a serrated knife if possible, as the teeth of the knife help to easily break up the chocolate chunks. You can also use chocolate chips and skip the chopping or give them a few swipes with the knife if desired.
- Use a metal or glass bowl. You want to use a heat-safe bowl to make this recipe, as a plastic bowl can melt, add an unpleasant flavor, or make the chocolate less glossy or even grainy. Instead, use a metal or heat-safe glass bowl.
- Let the warm cream sit with the chopped chocolate before stirring. Save yourself time mixing the chocolate and cream together; pour the hot cream over the chocolate and let it sit for 5 minutes. This will let the chocolate melt; all that is left for you to do is stir it up to smooth and silky perfection!
- Stir the chocolate with a silicone or rubber spatula or wooden spoon. Do not use a whisk, as it can incorporate too much air, affecting the final consistency of the ganache.
- Optional: adjust the consistency. You can make the ganache thinner or thicker by using more or less cream. This recipe, as written, makes a thicker ganache by using a 2:1 ratio of chocolate to cream (1 cup chocolate and 1/2 cup cream). You can make a thinner, pourable ganache by swapping the ratio to 1:2 parts chocolate to cream (1/2 cup chocolate to 1 cup cream). Or, use equal parts chocolate and heavy cream (a 1:1 ratio; 1 cup chocolate and 1 cup cream) for a thinner but still spreadable ganache. You can also make this recipe as directed and stir in more warm cream until the desired consistency is reached.
- Optional: make white chocolate ganache. For a white chocolate ganache, reduce the cream to ⅔ cup and follow the recipe directions as listed. White chocolate is softer and runnier when melted so you don’t need as much cream. It is also more heat-sensitive, so make sure your cream doesn’t boil, or the white chocolate can split.
Troubleshooting This Recipe
- Grainy ganache. To prevent an unpleasant grainy finish, use high-quality chocolate, a glass or metal bowl, and a spatula or wooden spoon to stir. Low-quality chocolate can have impurities and imperfections that will show in the final product.
- The chocolate doesn’t melt. This usually happens when the chocolate isn’t chopped finely enough or when the cream isn’t hot enough. If in doubt, chop the chocolate extra fine and warm the cream on the stovetop until it steams and just starts to simmer around the edges. Finally, let the hot cream and chopped chocolate mixture sit for the full 5 minutes so the chocolate has the time to melt. If there are still chunks of chocolate remaining, warm in the microwave as directed above or move the mixture to a double boiler and warm over boiling water, stirring frequently, or until smooth and silky. Note: if you don’t have a double boiler, you can also place a heat-safe bowl over a simmering pan of water, being careful not to let the simmering water come in direct contact with the bowl.
- The chocolate seizes up. You will know the chocolate has seized if it dries up and becomes a gritty and hard-to-stir mass. To prevent this from happening, do not let any water get in the cream and chocolate mixture, and don’t expose the chocolate to excessive heat in the microwave. If adding the ganache to the microwave to melt the remaining chunks of chocolate, warm it at only 50% heat for 10 seconds. If chunks of chocolate still remain, warm for additional 10-second intervals, stirring between them, refraining from using in stronger heat or for longer intervals.
Frequently Asked Questions
Store leftover chocolate ganache in an airtight container where it can be kept at room temperature for up to 2 days or in the refrigerator for up to 1 month. Ganache can also be frozen in a freezer-safe container for up to 3 months. Defrost it in the refrigerator overnight, or until thawed through, before using it in your favorite recipes.
Spoon warm chocolate ganache over ice cream sundaes or spread it on your favorite cakes to make a mirror glaze, or let the beautiful glaze overflow and drip down the sides. It also makes an exceptional dipping sauce for fondue, dessert charcuterie boards, or even cookies and churros. Finally, you can also spread or pipe cooled ganache onto cupcakes, cake layers, or pastries, or roll it into balls to make decadent chocolate truffles.
You can make this easy chocolate ganache recipe in the microwave. Here’s how: heat the heavy cream in a microwave-safe bowl in the microwave for 1 to 2 minutes, or until hot, stirring the cream halfway to ensure that it heats through evenly. Pour the hot cream over the bowl of chopped chocolate and let sit for 5 minutes until stirring until smooth and glossy. If there are still a few chunks of chocolate left, just microwave the ganache at 50% power for about 10 seconds and mix again.
Though freshly made chocolate ganache is fantastic drizzled on cupcakes and cakes, you can also whip it into chocolate frosting! It has a similar texture to classic chocolate buttercream frosting, but is a touch richer and isn’t as sweet. To make it, cool the ganache for 4 hours, or until it is at room temperature. Use an electric mixer or stand mixer with the whisk attachment and whip for 3-4 minutes on medium speed, or until it is light and fluffy. Use it as an alternative frosting on Chocolate zucchini cake, chocolate sheet cake, or chocolate cake or anywhere else you’d like to take classic chocolate frosting up a notch! This only works with a thicker ganache, so make the recipe as directed if you want to whip it.
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Chocolate Ganache
Video
Equipment
- Spatula
Ingredients
- ½ cup heavy cream (120ml)
- 1 cup semi-sweet chocolate chopped (180g)
Instructions
- Heat the cream in a small saucepan over medium heat until very steamy and just about to boil. (You can also heat it in the microwave for 1 to 2 minutes until very hot.)
- Meanwhile, place the chocolate in a medium bowl.
- Pour the hot cream over the chocolate and set aside for 5 minutes, allowing the chocolate to melt from the heat of the cream.
- Stir the chocolate and cream together until fully combined, smooth, and glossy. If there are a few pieces of chocolate left unmelted, you can microwave the ganache at 50% power for about 10 seconds and mix again.
- You can use the hot ganache to drizzle over cakes. Or, press plastic wrap to the surface of the ganache and set it aside to cool completely and firm up, about 4 hours. A firm, set ganache can be piped or scooped. Ganache can be covered and refrigerated for up to 1 week.
Notes
- Chop the chocolate finely. Chopping the chocolate into finer pieces adds surface area and lets the hot liquid melt the chocolate faster and with less additional heat. Use a serrated knife if possible, as the teeth of the knife help to easily break up the chocolate chunks. You can also use chocolate chips and skip the chopping or give them a few swipes with the knife if desired.
- Use a metal or glass bowl. You want to use a heat-safe bowl to make this recipe, as a plastic bowl can melt, add an unpleasant flavor, or make the chocolate less glossy or even grainy. Instead, use a metal or heat-safe glass bowl.
- Let the warm cream sit with the chopped chocolate before stirring. Save yourself time mixing the chocolate and cream together; pour the hot cream over the chocolate and let it sit for 5 minutes. This will let the chocolate melt; all that is left for you to do is stir it up to smooth and silky perfection!
- Stir the chocolate with a silicone or rubber spatula or wooden spoon. Do not use a whisk, as it can incorporate too much air, affecting the final consistency of the ganache.
- Optional: adjust the consistency. You can make the ganache thinner or thicker by using more or less cream. This recipe, as written, makes a thicker ganache by using a 2:1 ratio of chocolate to cream (1 cup chocolate and 1/2 cup cream). You can make a thinner, pourable ganache by swapping the ratio to 1:2 parts chocolate to cream (1/2 cup chocolate to 1 cup cream). Or, use equal parts chocolate and heavy cream (a 1:1 ratio; 1 cup chocolate and 1 cup cream) for a thinner but still spreadable ganache. You can also make this recipe as directed and stir in more warm cream until the desired consistency is reached.
- Optional: make white chocolate ganache. For a white chocolate ganache, reduce the cream to ⅔ cup and follow the recipe directions as listed. White chocolate is softer and runnier when melted so you don’t need as much cream. It is also more heat-sensitive, so make sure your cream doesn’t boil, or the white chocolate can split.
