The sort of ganache you will make depends on what you want to use it for. It’s a question of proportion between the chocolate and heavy cream. These proportions are based on weight.
– Layer cake filling and thick glaze: 1:1, equal parts chocolate and cream.
– Chocolate truffles: 2:1, two parts chocolate to one part cream.
– Soft icing and pourable glaze: 1:2, one part chocolate to two parts cream.
1. Weigh out the amount of chocolate called for in your recipe. If you aren’t following a recipe, start with a small amount and make more as needed.
2. Based on the ratio chart above and how you’re intending to use the ganache, weigh the amount of cream needed for the ganache in a separate bowl.
3. Pour the cream into a double-boiler. It just needs to get hot. The cream is ready when you can place a finger in the cream and keep it there for 3 to 4 seconds. Turn off the flame and remove the cream from the stove.
4. Chop the chocolate into fine pieces while the cream is heating.
5. Scoop the chocolate into the cream. Stir gently to distribute the chocolate through the cream and then let it sit for a few minutes to give the chocolate time to soften and melt.
6. With a spatula or wooden spoon, stir the ganache. At first it might look spotty and broken but keep stirring until it comes together in a creamy mass.
7. Cool the ganache:
– If you plan on pouring the ganache over a cake, pie, or pastry, it will need to be loose enough to flow but thickened enough to stay on the pastry.
– To whip the ganache for frosting or for layer cake filling, cool the ganache until it is thick, but still soft, and then beat in a stand mixer or with a hand held mixer, until the ganache is fluffy and has lightened in color, about 1 or 2 minutes.
– To use the ganache make truffles, you may need to set the pan in the refrigerator so the ganache cools. Remove the pan every 5 minutes or so and stir so that the ganache cools evenly. As the chocolate begins to stiffen, stir it more frequently — it will go from soft to very hard quite suddenly. If this happens, soften the ganache over gently simmering water, stirring until you’ve reached the right consistency again.