re: Working with Chocolate Ganache

Hi Laura!!

I use ganache in all my cakes as opposed to buttercream and it’s fantastic to work with and tastes awesome!

Just ensure your ganache has set to a peanut butter consistency before applying to your cake; you don’t want it too runny or too hard (or it will tear your cake apart). I generally leave it out on the bench overnight to set or stick it in the fridge a little to harden up. If it goes too hard, you can microwave for 5-10 second bursts to soften.

You don’t need to fridge the cake after it’s ganached unless perishable fillings are added (e.g. fresh fruit) or you need to firm it up a little. Just keep in mind that if the cake has been in the fridge and you then cover it immediately with fondant, condensation may form. When the cake comes out of the fridge, just allow it to come back to room temperature before touching it and covering with fondant and it will go back to normal. That should also help ensure you don’t have lots of air bubbles.

I’ve kept ganache out of the fridge for a few days before and it’s fine (I live in Syd, Australia) – since the cream is brought to boiling point when you initially make ganache, that stabilizes the cream so it’s no longer considered an item that needs to be refrigerated.

It really is fantastic to work with and very easy to make. I’ve only had white chocolate split on me once (the cream was too hot) but otherwise I’ll continue to use it for all my cakes.

I agree with Hajnalka, Inspired by Michelle has some fantastic video’s that will help you out immensly and there’s some good notes on the Sharon Wee Creations blog :

http://weelovebaking.blogspot.com.au/2013/04/the-low-down-on-ganache-guest-post.html

Sorry to have written an essay (this is my first post on here!), hope this helps a little :)