As much as I love American fudge frosting, nothing beats the decadent, indulgent taste and texture of chocolate ganache. Made of pure chocolate and heavy cream, ganache is a chocolate lovers best friend. Its versatility as a glaze, decorative piping, and whipped cream answers the need for icing, frosting, and filling.
Below I have pictured 3 different ways to adorn cupcakes using the same recipe and batch I made yesterday. As a glaze, you can easily pour ganache over cakes for a nice smooth finish. If you are looking for a chocolate whipped filling, look no further. Just whip the ganache as you would heavy cream, making sure your mixing bowl and beater are nice and cold. And whatever you do, not put your ganache in the freezer with the hopes of whipping it. It will not whip and have a curdly like texture. For a thick frosting or decorative piping, allow the ganache to cool for a truffle like texture. Anyway you decide to eat it, this ganache will satisfy your sweet tooth and chocolate cravings. Below are step by step photos to guide you. Enjoy!
| Chocolate Ganache Recipe 3 Ways |
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- 12 ounces chocolate, chopped into small pieces
- 1 cup heavy cream
- optional 3 tablespoons flavored liqueor
- Place chocolate pieces in a large bowl. Heat heavy cream on medium high until it comes to a boil. Remove from heat and immediately pour cream over chocolate and stir until completely mixed and glossy. Allow ganache to cool before pouring over cakes as a glaze. The longer you allow the ganache to cool, the thicker it will set. Typically I stick mine in the refrigerator so it is slightly cold before whipping. For piping or frosting, allow the ganache to completely cool and set up. When you are able to spoon the ganache and it can hold its texture, it is ready for piping.
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Oh my, thank you so much for this. I was looking everywhere for a good recipe and this is it. It worked perfectly to coat my cake pops. Again, thank you so much!
Thanks tor the explanation, very useful! Will try out your ganache this weekend and post my results!
Thank you so much! This recipe was very helpful! I was able to make beautiful ganache covered cake for my boyfriend’s birthday, turned out absolutely perfect!
How long can I keep my cupcakes out at room temperature if using the whipped ganache?
With thanks
I love your website so much! Looking at the photos make me really hungry. Anyway, the link to the caramel sauce at the bottom of the needs to be updated. I’d love to see the post for it!!
what kind of chocolate do i use? and about how long shoule i whop the ganache …my whipped isnt the correct texture i dont think
Hi Ellis,
I just use whatever chocolate I have on hand. And you should whip it until you get soft peaks. It’s helpful to make sure the ganache is completely cool and your mixing bowl is cold.
Hi, Great site. One question: I am making a chocolate ganache filling and wanted to know if I can whip it in the same bowl as I have it refrigerated in? It is a filling for a wedding cake. My first time. thank you for the reply.
Lyn,
Yes you can whip it up in the same bowl but you to remember to allow it thaw out to the same texture as a heavy whipped cream before doing so.
When do you add the liqueor. Yummy, can’t wait to try it. Thanks for posting
I’m going to use the ganache for decorative piping instead of buttercream icing. One question tho- you mentioned in the beginning of the blog post not to keep the ganache in the freezer if you are going to use for decorative piping but then later in the post you mention, you put your;s in the fridge so it thickens a bit…so do i place the ganache into the fridge so i can use it for piping decorations? I stay in a very hot country and just so u get an idea…chocolate melts at room temperature when it’s summer at the place i stay in..thanks for ur help and this post is just FANTASTIC!
Hi Kelsey,
If you live somewhere where it’s hot, I recommend you chilling your ganache in the refrigerator. You’ll want to check on it every 20 minutes until it is cool and firm enough to pipe. What you don’t want to have happen is to let it get too cold. When this happens, it is virtually impossible to pipe ganache because the texture is more like clay. Hope this helps.
Hey – I love your website and especially this ganache
But if I click on the link “Simple Caramel Sauce Recipe” (below the last image) I end up at the ganache recipe – you may correct this bug…
Hi Jana,
Thanks for letting me know. Unfortunately, I have no idea how to fix this because the widget is automated.
your photographs are just beautiful and inspiring.
Thanks Michelle,
This is the worlds easiest chocolate frosting.
It has been really helpful reading your comments =) Would like to cover my cupcakes with glazed ganache. How should I store them if they are to be eaten 2 days later? Thinking too of adding gumpaste figurines. Do you have any idea how I may attache these figurines? I live in a relatively hot and humid country.
Thanks a ton!!!
Hi Koinmonia,
You will need to refrigerate these if you plan on serving them 2 days later. Best thing to do is to store them on a cookie sheet and gently cover with plastic wrap. Because the ganache is soft, you could just gently press the flowers into the chocolate. Hope this helps.
This seems like such a great recipe! I’m definitley going to try it. I do have a question though: I’m making chocolate cupcakes with vanilla buttercream icing, If I wanted to make a dip in the icing to fill with the glaze ganache, How would I go about that? Is it possible? How long would I have to let the glaze cool in order for it to be poured and set in the dip of the icing?
Hi Lexa,
I’m confused to what you are asking. If you want to dip your cupcake in the ganache so you can pipe regular buttercream on top, you should place the cupcakes in the refrigerator for 30 minutes. From there it should be hard enough for you to pipe frosting.
hye!
is there any substitute for heavy cream? couldnt find one here
Ina: I don’t’ know the answer to that except that I’ve used coconut milk to make ganache as a glaze. It wouldn’t work to whip it though.
Thank you so much for this website! I have a ton of cupcakes to pipe tomorrow, and I was going to make the ganache tonight and put it in the fridge! Thank goodness I didn’t though!
Beautiful pictorial illustration of Ganache!
hello, I am making my moms b-day cake today.. we will be eating in sunday… so that is 2 days from now. I am making a 2 layer chocolate cake. Wanting to put this as a filling, then all over cake too. My ? is, I froze my cakes, do I need to let them thaw out before putting the ganache filling on, and then on top as well. Will be using ganache as filling, icing glaze, then piping some beads too… So to thaw or not to thaw the cakes?
Hi Amber: If your cake is frozen and you plan on spreading on thick coat of ganache, there is no need to thaw it out. If you are pouring it as a glaze, I recommend thawing it out to almost room temperature or you’ll get condensation beads on the frosting as you work. Once the cake is glazed, you can stick it back in the freezer for 1 hour for it to set before piping.
Hey
When making ganache in the past and allowed to cool for sometime, I’ve found it never sets completely to become thick enough to spread. I’m guessing its the chocolate I’ve used. But-
Could I add butter to the recipe to help thicken it?
Hi Cara: You could do 1 of 2 things. You could either use less heavy cream or refrigerate the mixture. When it’s cold, it’s becomes very thick.
Hi Alice,
I’m so happy to find your site! I have never made ganache and want to use it to fill a wedding cake tomorrow. I’ve used a 1:1 (ie. 32 oz. chocolate:4 cups cream) ratio recipe and I’m very concerned that after nearly 12 hours in the fridge, it’s just not getting to a piping consistency.
I did not melt the chocolate with hot cream, but combined softened chocolate (spoonable) and hot cream until it formed a pourable mixture. Did this somehow affect it’s ability to harden??
If so, can I start over 4-6 hours before the wedding and it will set up in time? thanks so much!
Hi Lia: I’m confused by your comment. You used spoonable, softened chocolate to make the ganache? If this is the case, your ganache will not firm up. You need to use hard chocolate and have the cream melt it. The reason why is because once the ganache begins to cool, it attempts to cool back to the hard consistency. But due to the added heavy cream, it remains stiff but soft enough to frost and pipe. I would not add chocolate to your mixture as I’m not sure what you mixed to begin with. If you have time, I would go to the store and buy chocolate chips and make the ganache according to the instructions. Once the ganache is ready to cool, you can pour it over a rimmed baking sheet, cover with plastic wrap, and stick it in the refrigerator. This will help chill the ganache quicker. It will probably be ready within a couple of hours. Scrape the chocolate back into a bowl or a piping bag and you’re ready to go. Hope this helps.
Sorry, one more question:
could I add more chocolate to my existing mixture to thicken it up?
Thanks for such a quick response, Alice.
What I meant was that I melted my chocolate chips (Ghiradelli) before adding the cream. Turns out my microwave has a melt setting that I tried out. Then the cream and chocolate mixed together well, but as of this morning, the ganache is a pudding-like texture and I don’t think will stand up to filling a cake….however, it’s a delicious ganache for pouring!
Hi Lia,
Did you put your ganache in the refrigerator? I’m also thinking that pre-melting the chocolate was not the best idea. :/ If you don’t want to waste your chocolate, keep it stored in the refrigerator and use it as chocolate sauce.
what kind of chocolate because i will be using it for the Alice’s Salted Caramel Hot Chocolate Recipe
Hi Darha: Most of the time I use chocolate chips.. whatever chips I have on hand. Hope this helps.
Well,
I served spoonable ganache as a sauce option for the wedding cake and it was a big hit! BUT–I’ll be making a practice batch today for next time!
Thanks so much for all of your help
hi
just wanting to know when doing the piping do i just let it get realy cold and then just put in piping bag and then i can just pipe away
Hi Lia…
I’m using your ganache recipe to fill molds to make 2-inch tea “cakes” with a cookie base. The recipe calls for freezing the “cakes” after pouring in the melted chocolate/cream mixture, then unmolding after 6 hours. Sounds like a wonderful recipe, but I was wondering if I should then refreeze the “cakes” and serve them frozen (thawing for 15 min or so) or just store in the fridge and server from there. How hard does the ganache get when frozen? Thanks!
Hi Harriot, after you’ve unmolded the cakes, store them in the refrigerator. If you must freeze, bring them out 30 minutes on the counter before serving.
How much does it make?
Thank you for the ganache tutorial. Just what I was looking for. One question: I plan to whip the ganache and use to frost cupcakes. May I make it in advance and hold it at room temp until time to whip and frost? Do I refrigerate it before frosting? If so, can I just put it in the fridge until time to whip and frost?
I love the way this looks – and it seems so simple! I’m looking for a cream/ganache recipe I can use to fill my molded chocolates. Will this work as a filling? What texture would be best?
Hi Debbie: Yes this would work to fill your chocolates. I’ve never filled molded chocolates but I am assuming the chocolate is set, correct? If so, let the ganache come to room temp before filling the molds, so the outer chocolate coating doesn’t melt.
Wow, this looks amazing!
I am planning to use the ganache glaze for my cupcakes, and I was wondering if you dipped the top of your cupcake into a bowl of the glaze, or if you spooned or poured some onto the cupcakes? And about how long did you let yours cool before putting it on the cupcake?
Hi Julie, I use both methods. I spoon the ganache if the cupcakes are flat. I dip the cupcakes if they are domed. As long as the ganache is at room temperature, it should work just fine.
Thanks Alice! Yes~ the molded chocolates would be set first, and then I’ll probably have to give the ganache time to set a little too (probably in the fridge) before closing the chocolates. This is a new hobby for me (a life long chocoholic) so I have no idea how it will turn out. Hopefully it won’t be a complete disaster.
Hi Debbie: As long as the chocolate filling is cooled but still pourable, it should work fine. Fill the molds and place them back in the fridge. Allow the ganache to set up before pouring the top layer of chocolate to finish your pieces off.
Hi,
I was wondering can you tell me how many standard size cupcakes this chocolate ganache recipe will frost if used as whipped frosting?
Hi Alice:
Ruby asked the question that I needed answered, but I did not see the result here:
Question: Once you spread the refrigerated ganache, can the cupcakes stay out of the refrigerator. Since heavy cream is used for the ganache, I didn’t know if it would spoil.
Thanks!
Hi Cindi: You can keep the ganache covered cupcakes out of the refrigerator for a couple hours. However, because of the heavy cream, it’s best to keep the cupcakes covered in the refrigerator or freezer. Piping and storing in the freezer works really well. You can bring them out an hour before serving and it works beautifully.
Hi,
I was just wondering if this recipe would be suitable to be sealed in a jar then freezing it?
Thankyou
Hi Alice,
Just wanted to drop by and thank you for the ganache recipe! It was a delicious substitute to heavy buttercream! I actually substituted white chocolate and piped it onto some white chocolate raspberry cupcakes! SO good! Thanx again!
thank you for this post! i had never figured out how to whip or pipe ganache properly.. finally!
Hi, I made your recipe and it is wonderful and easy. I made the ganache the night before frosting the cake. It became hard. I took out and left to thaw and it did not get soft at all. So I ended up making another batch. I still have the clay like ganache in the refrigerator, Can I add more warm cream to softner it? Or should I just toss this out???
Hi Rhina,
You can always warm up the ganache by reheating in the microwave in 30 second intervals. After each interval give it a stir until smooth. Hope this helps.
Thank you so much for this informative post, and the great pictures. Really just wanted to know what Ganache is made of! I enjoyed reading this post and might even try to make it myself!
I love the simple intructions. The name garnache is already intimidating and i never wanted to try it until someone asked me for it.. It’s a such a simple recipe to make and with the your pictures it makes it even simpler. Thank you so much for this. Could i use the whipped version as a cake filling? because of it’s lighter color it looks like it would look lovely in between cake layers.
Again thank you
Hi Alice,
Just love this recipe! So much better than normal chocolate frosting and waaay easier to make.
Just needed some advice on left over ganache please. How do I store it? How long can I store it? and how do I reheat it after storing it ?
Thanks!
Resh
Hi Resh,
You can store it in the refrigerator in a sealed container for up to 2 weeks. Just allow it to come to room temperature on the counter for frosting, and you can reheat it in the microwave in 30 second intervals for a glaze.
Can I make the cupcakes with the ganache the night before, put them in the fridge and take out the next day an hour before serving? Also, at what point do I put the ganache in the piping bags? While warm before I put it in the fridge to cool? First timer here with super fancy cupcakes for my daughter’s communion and want to get it right! Thanks!!
this sounds wonderful, and I am glad I found it! I am making a girlfriend a cake for her going away party – chocolate on chocolate. I also want to make a rolled chocolate fondant to cover the cake. Which of the three ganaches do you recommend I use as my crumb coat/frosting base? I was assuming either the glaze or the piping consistency. Thanks in advance for your answer!
Is the only type of ganahe chocolate or can u have plain or strawberry? If so how do you make either. Thank you
Ganache can be made with either brown or white chocolate. You can also add flavorings such as extracts or liqueur to it. I can’t testify about adding fruit except if you plan on whipping the white chocolate ganache, you could always add strawberry jam in the process for a mousse like filling.
Hi Alice,
I just love the looks of the piped ganache frosting. Could u please tell me, how many cupcakes is this frosting for ? I’m planning to make abt 35-40 cupcakes. So, i can make a approx. measurements.
Thank u.
Hi Dianne,
It’s hard to say. The recipe makes about 1 1/2 cups but people use different frosting amounts when decorating cupcakes. If you were going to pipe big borders, you would be able to get about 8 cupcakes. If you were going to just add a simple glaze, you would be able to decorate many more cupcakes.
Thanks Alice for yr reply… will try it out… just piping cupcakes with small borders.. thanks again for the quick reply.
Hi Alice,
Have another question, i can’t get heavy cream over at my place. Is it ok, if i use low fat fresh cream ?
Thanking u in advance…
Can i use milk instead of heavy cream?
Was trying to make a whipped ganache for a yellow cake with strawberries between the cake and ganache. I made the ganache, refrigerated it until it was cool and whipped it but it looks grainy not nice and smooth like whipped cream. Am sure it will taste just fine but would like to know how I goofed. Was it whipped too much or too little? What should the final consistency be? Appreciate your response and thanks. Joan
hi i was wondering …. after ive mixed the ingredients will it become whipped chocolate on its own as it cools or do i have to add more of the heavy whipped cream ??? first time ever baking a cake .
i accidently purchased normal cream for whipping. should i go out and buy thickened cream, or can it be made with pouring cream? should i whip the pouring cream if so?
Hi Rachel. You can make ganache from normal whipping cream but it may not hold stiff peaks like heavy cream would.
What is the best way to whip the ganache for the filling?
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