How to make whipped ganache with dark chocolate

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Making chocolate ganache is a real pleasure. The texture is soft, shiny and frankly impressive. But to me, my favourite way of having chocolate ganache is in the form of whipped ganache with dark chocolate. It’s really airy and thus feels less heavy. This fluffy chocolate ganache is perfect for decorating cakes, cupcakes or filling other desserts. It’s just made with 3 simple ingredients that you can get at your local grocery store.

What’s whipped ganache?

A traditional chocolate ganache is an emulsion, which is a mix of a high-fat component with a less fatty component. In this case, the chocolate has a higher fat content than the heavy cream. Other emulsions include salad dressings, mayonnaise, hollandaise sauce, etc. This means that, like in those preparations, the danger in making ganache is that it can split. But I promise that if you follow all the instructions in this recipe, you won’t have anything to worry about. Once we make the ganache and it cools down to room temperature, we will whip it at high speed to get it lovely and fluffy. For the recipe to work, we need to use equal parts of dark chocolate and cream in weight. With this same recipe for ganache, you can also make ganache chocolate truffles! Less cream and it will be too thick, and with more, it won’t whip. 

What chocolate should you use for whipped ganache?

It’s important to use nice quality chocolate for a ganache to work. Low-quality chocolates have flavourings, added fat and thickeners that can affect the result of the ganache. You don’t necessarily have to use chocolate couverture, you can use a good chocolate bar or high-quality chocolate chips instead. You’ll notice the difference! For this dark chocolate whipped ganache, I like to use chocolate that has 65-70% cacao. Make sure it’s not milk chocolate but dark chocolate. With milk and white chocolate, the ratio of chocolate to cream changes noticeably! I made this whipped chocolate ganache for my almond chocolate cake and it’s a great fit. 

The hot spot in this recipe

With the whipped ganache, the temperature is really important. Once you make the ganache, we need to wait for it to cool down before whipping it up. If it’s hot, this is going to take a longer time and it might be too liquidy. If it’s cold, it will be quicker. You have to be careful because if it cools down too much, it could split when you whip it up. I prefer to let the ganache cool down on its own, but there are people who like to place it in the fridge in 5-minute intervals, stirring in between with a spatula. The problem with the fridge method is that if you forget about it or it becomes too cold, then it’s bye-bye ganache.

Uses for whipped ganache

Whipped ganache is essentially a chocolate ganache frosting with air incorporated into it. It has a lovely fluffy texture that makes it less intense when you eat it. You feel as if it melts away into nothing! It’s just a lovely texture and is perfect for chocolate lovers. Here are the different uses you can give it:

1. Cakes: It can be used to layer cakes, used as a cake filling and also to frost the outside or the top. It’s perfect for a soft chocolate cake.
2. Cupcakes: This whipped ganache is the perfect frosting for chocolate cupcakes. Place it in a piping bag and decorate the cupcakes as you like. A whipped ganache frosting is a lot less dense than just using regular ganache, making it extra delicious.
3. Profiteroles / Cream Puffs: It’s a great filling for different types of pastries. Just make sure that they have cooled down to room temperature completely before filling them or the ganache will melt.

How to make whipped ganache with dark chocolate step by step

Part 1: Make the dark chocolate ganache (with step-by-step photos)

Making a dark chocolate ganache is really simple. My easy chocolate ganache method involves heating up the cream on one side and the dark chocolate on the other. Then, you mix them both. I always use a large bowl and a spatula because I’m used to it and I prefer that to washing the alternative. However, if you have a hand blender, you can just blend the hot cream with the melted chocolate and it comes together in a second. There are different methods to make ganache and this is definitely my favourite:

1. Place the whipping cream and sugar (if using) in a small saucepan. 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.
2. Melt the chocolate in a medium 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 or double boiler over low heat. Make sure that the bottom of the bowl doesn’t touch the surface of the water if you use a bain-marie.
3. Remove the chocolate from the bain-marie if using. Add all the cream to the chocolate all in one go.
4. With a spatula, make small circles in the middle 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.
5. When everything looks evenly dark, scrape down the sides of the bowl and keep mixing until everything looks incorporated and shiny.

Part 2: How to make whipped ganache

Now that you have the perfect silky ganache to make whipped ganache, we have to wait. As I mentioned before, the temperature of the ganache needs to be just right before whipping. 

1. Let the ganache 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.
2. Once you get the desired consistency, beat the ganache at high speed using an electric mixer with the whisk attachment. You can also use an electric hand mixer. In this process, we’re aerating the ganache and it will also cool down more and thicken. If you’re using a stand mixer, you want to stop every once in a while to scrape down the sides and bottom of the bowl with a spatula. Stop when it looks really creamy and aerated.
3. Use the whipped ganache immediately. If you let it be for too long it will go hard. You can bring it back to its texture by beating it at low speed.