MY DARK CHOCOLATE GANACHE
MY DARK CHOCOLATE GANACHE
Recipe
Dark chocolate ganache is very simple, but it can also be a bit temperamental. So here’s my guide to creating perfect silky, glossy ganache (which makes the most delicious topping for our Flourless Dark Chocolate Pecan Cake Kit cake!) The most important thing is using the best quality chocolate you can get your hands on, and it must contain 70-72% cocoa solids. At The Caker, we use Callebaut Couverture Chocolate, which is the BEST.
200ml cream
200g dark chocolate buttons (70-72% cocoa solids)
1/4 tsp vanilla extract
pinch sea salt
- Heat the cream in a saucepan until small bubbles start to appear on the surface. It’s VERY important to not overheat the cream. Take off the heat and immediately drop in the chocolate. Let it sit for 30 seconds before using a whisk to mix it together. At first you’ll think there is too much cream for the amount of chocolate, but it will eventually magically come together! Finally, whisk through the vanilla and salt.
- Depending on the consistency you want the ganache to be, you can use it immediately (for example if you want to drizzle it over cookies, fruit or ice cream), or if you want it to be thicker and firmer (to ice a cake perhaps), let it sit at room temperature for 30 minutes or so (the amount of time will depend on how warm the room is). If you’re in a hurry, you can place the ganache in the fridge to firm up, but you will risk it splitting if you do so.
- Ganache splitting is the most common thing that can go wrong, but it’s not the end of the world. If your ganache looks split, you can whisk through a dash of cold cream and it should come back together.
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SO TO SUMMARISE
- only use the best chocolate, and it must be 70-72% cocoa solids
- don’t overheat the cream
- use a whisk rather than a spoon to mix it
- it’s best to allow the ganache to firm up at room temp rather than in the fridge
- a dash of cold cream can bring spit ganache back together