Chocolate ganache

What is ganache?

Ganache is typically a mixture of melted chocolate and cream used to fill truffles or decorate bakes. The cream is heated to a simmering point and then poured over the chocolate, before the two are whisked together. The ratios of chocolate to cream can be adjusted to give different consistencies, depending on how you wish to use it. Our recipe also includes sugar for a touch of sweetness.

What’s the best chocolate for making ganache?

This depends on taste preference. There are three main types of ganache: dark chocolate, milk chocolate and white chocolate.

For dark chocolate ganache, we recommend using a chocolate with at least 60% cocoa solids for a deep flavour. Milk chocolate and white chocolate ganaches have a creamier consistency and sweeter taste, so there’s no need to add sugar.

Uses for chocolate ganache

As mentioned above, ganache is commonly used as a filling for chocolate truffles, but it’s also delicious when spread over cakes and other bakes. Try our chocolate ganache drip cake for a tutorial on how to decorate your cake with a showstopping drip effect.

If you simply wish to slather your bake in silky ganache, you can’t go wrong with our ultimate chocolate cake or white chocolate cake.

It can also be used as a filling for cake layers, as with our chocolate drizzle and truffle torte. Or try ganache as a tart filling – check out our sea-salted chocolate and pecan tart or chocolate and date tart.

Need a simple and speedy dessert? Make ganache the star of the show in these effortlessly easy pudding pots, served with ciabatta toasts, sea salt and a drizzle of olive oil.