The simplest frosting you’ll ever try: just two ingredients—chocolate and cream. Can these two go wrong together? Hardly.
What is ganache?
Ganache is a smooth, velvety emulsion of chocolate and cream. You can make it with dark, milk, or white chocolate depending on your taste. Versatile by nature, ganache can be used at different consistencies as a rich frosting, a whipped filling, a drizzle or drip, a dense filling, or even as the base for truffles.
What do you need to make ganache?
Ganache requires just two main ingredients: cream and chocolate. With so few components, it’s best to use the highest-quality ingredients you can find.
Some recipes add sugar, egg yolks, corn syrup, or butter for extra shine or sweetness. Ganache can also be easily flavored in many ways, which we’ll cover later.
Cream: Ideally use heavy or double cream (fat > 35%). If that’s hard to find or expensive where you live, a lower-fat cream (around 20%) works too. Non-dairy whipping creams are not ideal because they’re not meant to be heated; they can affect texture and flavor.
Chocolate: Dark chocolate (couverture between about 52% and 70%) is my favorite. Above 70% some people find it too bitter. Milk and white chocolate work well for less-sweet cakes. Compound chocolate will work, but once you taste ganache made with real chocolate, you may not want to go back.
Ratio: The chocolate-to-cream ratio depends on cream fat content, cocoa butter in the chocolate, ambient temperature, and the intended use of the ganache.
- With heavy cream (fat > 35%): roughly 1 cup (240 ml) cream to 8 ounces (226 g) chocolate—close to a 1:1 ratio. For truffles, use a 2:1 chocolate-to-cream ratio.
- With low-fat cream and dark chocolate: about 1:1 for a glaze or filling, 1.5:1 (200 ml cream to 300 g chocolate) for frosting, and 2:1 or 2.5:1 for truffles.
- For milk chocolate ganache: about 2.5:1 to 3:1 chocolate to cream.
- For white chocolate ganache: about 3:1 chocolate to cream.
These ratios are approximate—use more chocolate in very warm climates.
How do you make ganache?
Method one — conventional:
Chop the chocolate and place it in a bowl. Heat the cream in a saucepan or microwave until it just bubbles around the edges; it does not need to boil. Pour the hot cream over the chocolate to cover it, then cover and let sit for a couple of minutes so the heat melts the chocolate. Stir gently with a whisk or spatula until smooth and glossy. You can pour this warm ganache over a cake immediately, or cover and let it rest at room temperature for a few hours or overnight to set.
Method two — one-pot:
Chop the chocolate and put it in a saucepan, then add the cream. Heat on low while stirring continuously until the chocolate is fully melted and the mixture is smooth. This can also be done in a microwave—heat on low and stir every 20 seconds. Pour warm over a cake or let it rest to thicken.
Method three — instant ganache:
For thick ganache without the wait, melt finely chopped chocolate first in a microwave or double boiler, then stir in the warm cream. This yields an instantly thick and smooth ganache, since the chocolate is already melted, but the texture can differ slightly from a conventionally made and rested ganache.
What can you do with ganache?
- Use as a glaze: Place the cake on a wire rack with a tray underneath. Pour warm (not hot) ganache over the center and let it run down the sides. Smooth with a warm metal spatula if needed. Chill or let rest until set.
You can let ganache rest for a few hours or overnight to thicken, then use it to frost or pipe onto cakes and cupcakes. A cake filled and frosted with ganache is often called a truffle cake.
Set ganache makes an excellent filling for layered cakes.
Thin, freshly made ganache is perfect for drips along the sides of a cake.
Make truffles by shaping set ganache into balls and rolling them in cocoa powder, chopped nuts, or other coatings. You can flavor truffles in many ways.
Ganache is also an easy filling for doughnuts.
Stir ganache into whipped cream or buttercream to add chocolate flavor.
Use ganache to sandwich cookies for a rich treat.
Ganache is a simple, luxurious filling for tarts.
Dip eclairs and pastry tops in ganache for a glossy finish.
What can go wrong?
- If you still have bits of chocolate, heat the mixture in 20-second intervals in the microwave or warm gently over a double boiler while stirring. Chop the chocolate small and uniform for a smoother result.
- If it becomes too thick after setting, reheat slightly to soften it. Be careful not to overheat or it will become liquid again.
- If it refuses to set, melt and add more chocolate until the ratio is closer to 2:1 or 2.5:1 (chocolate to cream). White chocolate ganache may need an even higher chocolate proportion.
- If it’s too thick without setting, stir in a little more heated cream.
- If it looks granular or has separated (split), add milk tablespoon by tablespoon while stirring until smooth. Another fix is to freeze half the ganache and heat the other half to liquid, then combine and mix until smooth.
Anything else I should know?
- Once cream and chocolate are combined, ganache is reasonably stable. It can be kept at room temperature for up to two days and refrigerated for up to two weeks.
- To speed setting, chill in the refrigerator but stir every 20 minutes for even cooling.
- By weight, 1 ml of cream ≈ 1 g, so 1 cup ≈ 240 g. A cup of chopped chocolate weighs roughly 175–200 g depending on packing.
- Always use the best chocolate you can for the best flavor.
How can I make my ganache even better?
Shiny ganache: Add 1 tablespoon butter to the cream when using 1 cup of cream for a glossier finish.
Whipped ganache: If you used heavy cream, whip the set ganache until light and fluffy for a mousse-like filling.
Mocha ganache: Stir 1–3 teaspoons instant coffee or espresso powder into the cream as it heats.
Liquor ganache: Add 2 tablespoons of your preferred liquor to 1 cup of ganache.
Nutella variation: Mix dark chocolate with a couple of tablespoons of Nutella into the ganache for a hazelnut twist.
Caramel ganache: Stir in ready-made caramel sauce or homemade caramel for a caramel-chocolate filling.
Orange chocolate: Add about 2 tablespoons of orange juice and some zest to 1 cup of ganache for a bright citrus note.
There are countless other variations—these are just a few tried-and-true options.
Luscious and chocolatey, ganache is my go-to frosting for its ease, flexibility, and rich flavor.