Ganache 101

Everything you need to know about how to make a ganache, fixing a broken ganache, and ways to use it.

I feel like ganache is an under-appreciated element at every bakers’s disposal. Most people think of it as a silky, fairly thick mixture of chocolate and cream, which is true, but it can be so much more!

Ganache can be used as a topping on desserts like cakes and cupcakes, ice cream sundaes, and profiteroles. But it can also be an integral part of your frostings. It can provide a beautiful coating for desserts like eclairs, whipped into frostings for layer cakes or cupcakes, and it can even help connect elements of desserts, like folding it into a custard filling.

The biggest misconception about ganache is that it really has to be cream or whole milk that you use to thin the chocolate out. But you can make a beautiful ganache with an extra-chocolatey flavor by adding coffee or even water. (Yes, you can add water to make a perfectly fine ganache without making the chocolate seize as long as you add enough—in fact, it’s part of how you fix a broken ganache!)

By changing the ratios of liquid to chocolate, you can adjust from a very thin ganache all the way to a super thick ganache. Plus, you can make it from all kinds of chocolate. Read on to find out more!