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Easy Chocolate Ganache for Beginners

by Lorena

It’s basic to know how to make a ganache. There are a few tips that help me in the process. With this easy chocolate ganache recipe, you get a bright, smooth and un-split one that you can use for your preparations.

What’s a ganache anyway?

Making an easy chocolate ganache is very simple, and you don’t need fancy equipment to make it. You only need a bowl and a spatula. A ganache is a name that we give when we mix chocolate and a liquid, typically whipping cream. This type of preparation where we mix an ingredient with fat with one that has less fat is called an emulsion. Other emulsions include mayonnaise, salad dressings, hollandaise sauce.

easy chocolate ganache

Easy Chocolate Ganache

There are many ways to make a ganache. If you have an immersion blender you just go for it with the melted chocolate and warm cream. But here I teach you how to make an easy chocolate ganache using just a bowl and a spatula. For me, it’s basic to melt the chocolate and also warm up the milk. This makes it a lot easier, avoids lumps and unmelted bits. I don’t like the method where you pour hot cream over the chocolate. It just exposes you to the possibility of lumps and overmixing.


Here I teach you how to make a dark chocolate ganache, but you can also make it with milk and white chocolate. Those require a different amount of cream, though. You’ll get a thicker one if you use less cream and more liquid if you add more. You can also add more sugar as needed, dissolving it first into the cream before adding it to the chocolate. Finally, you can switch the cream for milk, fruit juice or even water. Use water, vegetable milk or vegetable cream for a vegan version. From this easy chocolate ganache, you can also make a whipped chocolate ganache.


easy chocolate ganache

Easy ganache for beginners

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Course: Pastry Basics
Prep Time: 10 minutes
Cook Time: 10 minutes
Total Time: 20 minutes
Servings: 400 g of ganache
Author: Lorena Salinas from Cravings Journal

Ingredients

  • 200 g chocolate I used 65% cacao but it can also be milk chocolate, darker chocolate or white chocolate
  • 200 g whipping cream 30-35% fat content
  • Granulated sugar depending on the chocolate you use for dark chocolate I use 50g and for milk and white chocolate I don't add any.

Instructions

  • Place the cream and sugar (if using) in a small pot. Heat up the cream over medium heat until it steams. Stir constantly to dissolve the sugar. If by mistake it breaks into a bowl, then you need to cool it down a bit before using it.
  • Melt the chocolate in a bowl. You can do it in the microwave in intervals of 30 seconds, mixing in between each interval. Alternatively, you can melt it in a bain-marie over low heat. Make sure that the bottom of the bowl doesn't touch the surface of the water.
  • Remove the chocolate from the bain-marie if using. Add all the cream onto the chocolate.
  • With a spatula, make small circles at the centre of the bowl. You'll see that it will start to come together at the centre on its own and then expand towards the sides.
  • When everything looks evenly dark, scrape down the sides of the bowl and keep mixing until everything looks incorporated and shiny.
    ganache
  • Let it cool down until it has a thicker texture, like a fudge or dulce de leche. Give it a mix every once in a while so it cools evenly. When it's ready it should be at room temperature. If it's cold it will take 20-30 minutes to cool down and if it's hot it could take up to an hour.
    ganache
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