Ganache

Have you ever tried Ganache? It is good. Like I could eat it by the spoonful ALL. DAY. LONG. It is also really useful! I use it as a crumb coat on all of my cakes. It coats the cake more smoothly and hardens slightly when it cools, making it easy to cover your cake with fondant, or even with your final layer of frosting. Plus it is deliciously chocolately and adds so much flavor to your cake!

Another plus about ganache?! It is really easy to make. This recipe will have you convinced that ganache is for you!

YOU WILL NEED A SCALE FOR THIS RECIPE. Ganache requires precision. You need to measure your ingredients in grams and not by cups.

Based on the type of chocolate you use, you will need to change your ratios: For dark chocolate you will need a 1:1 ratio. So for 8 ounces of dark chocolate, you will need 8 ounces of heavy cream (for 200 grams of chocolate you will need 200 grams of cream). For milk chocolate you will need a 2:1 ratio. So for 8 ounces of milk chocolate, you will need 4 ounces of heavy cream. For white chocolate ganache on the other hand you will need 8 ounces of white chocolate and 3 ounces of cream.

Begin by chopping up your chocolate of choice (big pieces are fine, it will work just as well). I prefer to use high quality chocolate as the final product is so much better, but this recipe will work with pretty much any chocolate. Weigh your chocolate and then it aside.

Next weight your heavy cream. I made dark chocolate ganache, so my chocolate weighed 200 grams, as did the cream.

You will need approximately 650 grams of ganache to cover a 9 inch round cake.

Pour your heavy cream into a sauce pan and bring it to a boil on medium high heat. When it begins to boil add your chocolate in the pan, turn off the heat and cover the pan with a lid. Let is sit for approximately 5-10 minutes.

After 5-10 minutes take the lid off of the pan and stir with a whisk until the ganache is smooth. The chocolate will be softened from the heat, making stirring super easy and your ganache super smooth and creamy.

Pour it over your cake while it is still warm. Use a cake spatula to help spread it evenly around the cake. Scrape off excess and chill cake. You can pour it on a few times if you would like a thicker ganache coat. If you are using it for a crumb coat, then one layer is enough.

For cupcakes just dip your cupcake into the warm ganache and then allow it to chill. Or you can try and pipe it on when it has cooled.

Store in refrigerator in a sealed container for 3 weeks or in the freezer for 3 months. Once you have cooled it in the fridge it will harden. Just warm it slightly to pour over your cake, or you can spread it on cupcakes, out a spoonful in your coffee, roll it to make chocolates or just eat it by the spoonful.