It’s no surprise that I love chocolate ganache. Drip cakes are not only so fun to make, but sometimes, I think a good chocolate drip can really make a cake shine. Did you know you only need 2 ingredients to make chocolate ganache aka cake drips? It’s actually really easy, and today, I’m going to walk you through making ganache, and all the wonderful things you can do with it. A few of my favorite ways to use chocolate ganache:
- Drizzle on cupcakes
- Filling between cake layers
- Filling inside a cupcake
- Drips on the outside of a cake
- Dipping strawberries
- Dipping truffles
- Drizzle on treats like brownies, ice cream and pie
First let’s talk about the ingredients: chocolate & heavy whipping cream. The type of chocolate you use can sometimes play a difference with how your ganache turns out. I have played around with a few different types of chocolate for making my drip cakes, and I have found that using a good quality chocolate can really help.
You will be using a 1:1 ratio when making chocolate ganache. That means equal amounts of both chocolate and whipping cream.
Ganache recipe:
- ½ Cup Whipping Cream
- ½ Cup Chocolate Chips (or chocolate chopped in pieces for melting)
When making ganache, the first step is to heat up the heavy whipping cream. I like to put mine in a glass bowl and microwave in 30 second increments until bubbling. Next, add your chocolate chips to the hot cream, making sure your chocolate is evenly covered and allow your chocolate/cream mixture to sit for a few minutes.
Take your spatula and stir the ganache, if you are still finding that your chocolate hasn’t completely melted, you can microwave your ganache in 20 second increments, stirring after each timer so that your chocolate melts completely and doesn’t burn. You know your ganache is finished when it looks smooth without any bumps or chunks of chocolate in it.
The chocolate ganache will thicken as it cools, and depending on how you want to use it will determine what temperature your ganache should be.
For drizzling on treats, or dipping food:
You want your ganache a little warmer than room temperature… just a little warm to the touch. You can chill it in the fridge until ready to use and then microwave the ganache for a few seconds to get it to the right temperature.
Adding ganache as a cake filling:
When I use ganache as a filling between my cake layers, or even in my cupcakes. I like it to be at room temperature, or slightly cooler. If its too warm it will actually cause quite the mess. If its too cold, it might not be easy to spread. To begin, I take my buttercream and pipe a “dam” around the edge of my cake layer. This “dam” will hold the ganache in place without allowing any to slip through your cake layers and onto the outside of your cake. After piping my buttercream, I take my room temperature ganache and spread an even layer inside the buttercream circle. I spread my ganache around with an offset spatula making sure it is completely even so my cake continues to stay level. If I’m using a ganache filling, I like to chill my cake before applying the crumb coat, this allows the ganache to really firm up.
To fill a cupcake with chocolate ganache, you will want to use a small sharp knife to carve out a hole in the center of your cupcake. Place the carved cake piece to the side. Add the ganache to a squeeze bottle or piping bag and slowly fill your cupcake hole with chocolate ganache. You can use the carved out cake piece to cap the hole, and then add your buttercream frosting on top.
Adding Drips to a Cake
I like to use a squeeze bottle when adding drips to cakes. If you want to add drips to a cake but don’t have a squeeze bottle, you can also use a spoon. When I add a drip to my cake, I like to test my ganache on an upside down glass cup, that way I know if I need my ganache to be warmer or cooler. If my drips are long and falling all the way to the cake board or counter, that means my ganache might be too warm. If my drip is really short and thick, that means my ganache is too cool. Using a cup is also really great to practice on if you’re just starting out with chocolate drips. After applying my chocolate drip to my cake, I place my cake in the fridge for about 15 minutes so the ganache can set.
