I use ganache for 90% of my cakes. Dark and milk chocolate is a ratio of 2/1 with white chocolate being 3/1. I heat my cream until just boiling then add my chocolate in, stir until well combined and smooth. Make sure it’s off the heat! Then I cover with a clean towel and let sit for several hours at room temperature, no stirring!!! Once it’s set I give it a whip up with a knife and it’s good to go, should be a toothpaste like consistency. I never set my ganache in the fridge, I find it hard to bring back to a working consistency. But if I have to make it in advance, I bring it back to temp with short burst in the microwave.
Once your cake is ganached, it will safely keep out of the fridge for a 4-5 days. Once you put fondant on and it’s sealed, it will stay fresh for weeks, as long as you have not used fresh cream in between your layers! I usually ganache between the layers too.
I always ganache, then let the cake sit overnight, at room temperature to properly set the chocolate before covering in fondant. To get the fondant to stick, I dip a pastry brush in hot water and brush all over the ganache.
As a general rule, my cakes never see the inside of a fridge :-)
Ganache is pretty much all we use in Australia, I am trying to master buttercream!
Jelena, Perth West Australia
