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How to Make Chocolate Ganache

Prep Time: 5 minutes
Total Time: 5 minutes
Servings: 12 servings
Calories: 178kcal
Author: Shinee
Here's everything you need to know to make a perfectly smooth chocolate ganache. Master this ultimate pastry element to elevate your baking to the next level.
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Ingredients

  • 1 cup (240 ml) heavy whipping cream
  • 8 oz (240 g) semi-sweet chocolate Note 1
  • 1/4 teaspoon coarse kosher salt
  • 1 tablespoon unsalted butter softened, optional, Note 2

Instructions

  • Roughly chop chocolate with a sharp knife and place in a arge bowl.
  • Heat heavy whipping cream in a microwave for 1-2 minutes, or until hot. (Alternatively, you can heat the cream on stovetop until almost boiling, but not quite to a boil.)
  • Pour hot cream over chopped chocolate and let it sit for good 2-3 minutes.
  • Add salt and whisk the mixture gently from the center, stirring in one direction and slowly incorporating cream into the chocolate, until it's nice and smooth, about 2 minutes. (NOTE: As you stir the mixture, it’ll go through a few stages. At some point, it’ll look questionable, and you may wonder if you had messed up somehow. But don’t you worry; it’ll come together in just a little bit. Keep stirring gently until the mixture is glossy smooth and flawless.)
  • TIP: If ganache is smooth for the most part, but you notice some solid chocolate in it (especially if you’re using chocolate chips), you may need to heat it up gently. Here’re 2 ways to go about it: 1. Microwave it in 30-second increments at 50% power, stirring each time, until all the chocolate is melted. 2. Or place the bowl with ganache over double boiler and gently heat the ganache until all the chocolate is melted.
  • To add some shine, you may stir in butter, if desired.
  • When ganache is warm, it's quite runny, which is perfect for glazing or drizzling. Ganache thickens as it cools, if you want more frosting-like texture. You can also reheat it in a microwave in 15-second increments at 50% power to make it runny again.

Notes

Yields: 1.5 cups of ganache, enough frosting for 12 cupcakes, or cover one 9-inch cake.
Storing Tips: 1. Store ganache in the fridge for up to 5 days. 2. You can also freeze ganache in an airtight container for up to 1 month. Thaw in the fridge overnight.
Note 1:  Use the best quality chocolate you can get. My go-to is Ghirardelli semi- or bittersweet chocolate bars. You can use chocolate chips to make a ganache. BUT keep in mind that chocolate chips contain stabilizers to hold their shape at high temperature (think, chocolate chip cookies!), which makes them harder to melt. Check out this post for white chocolate ganache.
Note 2: Butter not only adds a nice shine to ganache, it also makes it ultra-soft, which is especially great if it's used as a frosting.

Nutrition

Calories: 178kcal
Carbohydrates: 10g
Protein: 2g
Fat: 15g
Sugar: 7g
Sodium: 58mg