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Rich, silky, and indulgent, you’ll love this easy Chocolate Ganache recipe. You only need two simple ingredients and a couple of minutes and you’ll have a smooth chocolate ganache in no time.
At first glance, you might think that chocolate ganache is a lot of work but trust me when I say it’s super easy! Once you’ve made this yourself, you’ll see why I love making chocolate ganache and adding it to my desserts. You’re going to want to make a large batch as it can be easy to get away with taste testing this before using it!
If you love chocolate recipes, you shout try my Molten Chocolate Lava Cake or my Double Chocolate Chip Muffins. They are absolutely delicious!
Why You’ll Love This Chocolate Ganache
- It only requires two ingredients. All you need is some chocolate and heavy cream. That’s it!
- It goes with everything. Use it on a cake or cupcake instead of frosting, drizzle it over some chocolate truffles, dip your strawberries in it, drizzle it on top of a bowl of ice cream, and more!
- It’s easy. Follow my step by step photos alongside the instructions and you’ll have your own chocolate ganache in no time!
What You’ll Need
- Semi-sweet chocolate baking bar
- Heavy cream or heavy whipping cream — do not substitute for half-and-half or whole milk.
How to Make Chocolate Ganache
- Chop your chocolate: Finely chop the chocolate into small pieces. Place the chopped chocolate in a medium-sized, glass or metal, heat-safe bowl.
- Heat the cream: Pour the cream into a small saucepan and heat over medium heat just until the cream begins to bubble and simmer. Do not let the cream come to a boil.
- Combine and stir: Pour the cream into the bowl with the chocolate and let it sit for 2 minutes, giving the chocolate time to melt. Then, using a rubber spatula, gently stir until all of the chocolate is melted into the cream and the mixture is blended and smooth.
- Optional: If using the ganache as a glaze, let it sit for 1-2 minutes to thicken ever so slightly before pouring over your favorite dessert. If using the ganache as a spreadable filling, let it sit for 5-10 minutes, stirring it every minute or so, before spreading.
Tips and Notes
- Use a good quality chocolate baking bar for making ganache. Avoid using chocolate chips, which won’t melt to the ideal consistency for a smooth ganache. If you MUST use chocolate chips, make sure they are high quality chocolate chips.
- The smaller the pieces, the more easily the chocolate will melt. A large, serrated knife is a great tool for easily chopping chocolate into smaller pieces.
- If you have extra chocolate ganache leftover, you can store it in the fridge to keep it fresh for up to 4 days. Bring it down to room temperature before using it.
Uses for Chocolate Ganache
- Ganache is very versatile and can be used in seemingly endless ways. Use it to glaze or fill cakes or cupcakes, dip fruit, fill pastries, decorate brownies or bars, top ice cream, fill or garnish pies or tarts, and more.
- To pipe chocolate ganache: let the ganache cool for about 1 hour before filling a piping bag fitted with a piping tip and piping the ganache onto cupcakes or other desserts.
- To make whipped ganache: let the ganache cool for about 1 hour, then use an electric handheld or stand mixer to beat the ganache at medium-high speed to create a light and airy frosting.
- This recipe uses a 1:1 ratio of chocolate to cream (equal measures of each) to create a glaze that is thick yet pourable and perfect for glazing the top of a cake or spreading between cake layers. This ratio can be altered to create different consistencies. For chocolate truffles, you’ll want a firm ganache, so a 2:1 ratio of chocolate to cream (for example, 8 oz. of chocolate and 4 oz. of heavy cream) is recommended. To make a chocolate ganache sauce (with a consistency similar to chocolate sauce), a 1:2 ratio of chocolate to cream (for example, 4 oz. of chocolate and 8 oz. of heavy cream) is best.
FAQs
A ganache is melted in liquid like cream whereas frosting is usually made with butter. Chocolate ganache also has a runny liquid consistency whereas frosting has a thick consistency.
If the chocolate isn’t melting, either the chocolate wasn’t chopped into small enough pieces or the cream wasn’t warm enough to melt the chocolate (or both). Be sure to chop the chocolate into very small pieces and warm the cream just until simmering so that the chocolate will melt fully, creating a smooth ganache.
The microwave does not warm your heavy cream as evenly as your stove top does. If your chocolate is not melting into the cream, do not add it to the microwave, instead place it into a double boiler to warm the cream up to melt the chocolate.
Do not let any water come in contact with the chocolate. Water causes chocolate to seize, and when this happens the chocolate will become gritty and will not melt. I suggest starting over if your chocolate ganache has seized. While some may recommend adding in oil to loosen the chocolate, I don’t want to have oil in my ganache!
More Chocolate Treats You’ll Love
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How to Make Chocolate Ganache
Ingredients
- 8 oz. semi-sweet chocolate baking bar
- 8 oz. heavy cream or heavy whipping cream
Instructions
- Finely chop the chocolate into small pieces. Place the chopped chocolate in a medium-sized, glass or metal, heat-safe bowl.
- Pour the cream into a small saucepan and heat over medium heat just until the cream begins to bubble and simmer. Do not let the cream come to a boil.
- Pour the cream into the bowl with the chocolate and let it sit for 2 minutes, giving the chocolate time to melt. Then, using a rubber spatula, gently stir until all of the chocolate is melted into the cream and the mixture is blended and smooth.
- If using the ganache as a glaze, let it sit for 1-2 minutes to thicken ever so slightly before pouring over your favorite dessert. If using the ganache as a spreadable filling, let it sit for 5-10 minutes, stirring it every minute or so, before spreading. (See Recipe Notes below for other uses).
Notes
- Yields 1½ cups.
- Use a good quality chocolate baking bar for making ganache. Avoid using chocolate chips, which won’t melt to the ideal consistency for a smooth ganache. If you MUST use chocolate chips, make sure they are high quality chocolate chips.
- The smaller the pieces, the more easily the chocolate will melt. A large, serrated knife is a great tool for easily chopping chocolate into smaller pieces.
- If you have extra chocolate ganache leftover, you can store it in the fridge to keep it fresh for up to 4 days. Bring it down to room temperature before using it.
