Ganache!

Every time I see the word ‘ganache’, I picture Buddy from Cake Boss saying it. Guh-nash, guh-nosh, whatevs. More like duh-lish, amirite?

Let’s move on, shall we. Ganache – discuss:

Use cream with no gelatin or other thickening agents
Heat the cream to just before boiling point, then pour it over the chocolate (in a separate heatproof bowl)
Since white chocolate has a different melting point to dark chocolate, you need to adjust your chocolate:cream ratios – 2:1 for dark chocolate, and 3:1 for white chocolate
Popular in Australia for using under fondant (instead of buttercream)
Holds up pretty well
You can get really sharp, clean edges with it
You can whip ganache to make it light and fluffy (use a 1:1 ratio and let it sit out overnight, before whipping)
If you want a glossy look, add a tablespoon of butter
It keeps cakes moist by creating a seal
Doesn’t require refrigeration once applied
Leftovers (lol) can be frozen
Use a hot palette knife to smooth it out and sharpen edges
Don’t use white chocolate unless the cake will be in a cool or air-conditioned environment
At firmer consistency (think Nutella or peanut butter), it is used for spreading – can be used to both fill and cover a cake
At runnier consistency, can be used to pour over the top of a cake and run down the sides (it will firm up later – you may need two layers and it’s more likely to show up any imperfections in the cake – consider doing a crumb coat of firm ganache, then pouring the thinner ganache over top)
Can be used as a filling or topping in tarts, slices etc