Everyone needs an excellent buttercream frosting in their sweets-baking toolbox! Use this master recipe and go wild dreaming up your own flavours. Here’s ten scrumptious ideas to get you started.

Find the recipe on page 308 of Dinner.

This is a cookbook exclusive recipe!

This recipe is exclusive to my debut cookbook Dinner which includes a how-to video for every recipe. Just scan the QR code!

The recipe video below is for the base buttercream frosting recipe. Then add your flavourings of choice – quantities and directions are in Dinner!

Just to explain….

I know, it’s confusing! You’re so used to getting recipes on my website – there’s over 1,200 of them, after all. And here you are looking at a tasty recipe video and I haven’t provided the recipe. 🙀

I’m not just doing this to torture you, I promise.

This page exists to display the how-to video for this recipe which I exclusively created for my debut cookbook, Dinner. Every recipe in the cookbook has a tutorial video. To watch it, you simply scan the QR code with your phone or tablet and it will take you straight to the recipe video like the one shown above!

Curious about my cookbook?

• Read the cookbook overview

• Browse all cookbook exclusive recipes here

• Read the Cookbook Tales. Spoiler alert: there’s A LOT of dirty dishes!! And quite a lot of Dozer. 😂

Stay tuned for more on this page! Some cookbook exclusive recipes will have extra information added as well as extra tips. I am also looking at enabling comments for selected recipes so I can answer reader questions about cookbook recipes. I’m just a little snowed under during this launch period – book tours, getting 131 recipe videos out, launching the book overseas. Please bear with me! – Nagi x (10 October 2022)

The post Buttercream Frosting – 10 Flavours appeared first on RecipeTin Eats.

Chocolate Mirror Glaze – or Glacage Chocolat in French – is the most stunning of all cake glazes! Made with a simple mixture of cocoa, cream, sugar, water and gelatine, it’s used to make Mirror Cakes like this elegant Chocolate Glazed Mirror Cake with layers of chocolate cake and chocolate ganache.

No special equipment required – just a meat thermometer and strainer. (Yes, I said meat thermometer!)

Chocolate Mirror Glaze

If you’ve always wanted to but been too intimidated by the thought of producing beautiful French patisserie-style cakes, Chocolate Mirror Glaze is an excellent place to start because:

• It’s much easier than you think. It calls for patience above all else (you will read the words “cool” and “fridge” a lot!);

• You can use mirror glaze on virtually any cake; and

• You don’t need any specialty ingredients or patisserie equipment – just a meat thermometer and strainer!

It’s a great show-off cake, one that everyone oohs and ahhs over how shiny and reflective the glaze is – just like a mirror!

What makes Mirror Glazes shiny?

The ingredient that makes Mirror Glazes so shiny is gelatine. It makes the glaze set into a glossy, thin layer of what is essentially chocolate jelly. That might sound slightly unappealing but when executed properly, it functions as a very, very thin layer of soft jelly encasing a frosting or mousse of some sort underneath.

Since gelatine liquifies when heated and the glaze is so thin, the warmth of your mouth causes the glaze to instantly melt in your mouth when you eat it. So you don’t perceive a “jelly” texture and barely notice it is there!

In fact, I consider Mirror Glazes to be all for show and nothing more, and this is really the concept behind it. It will make a cake look impressive, but like most things in life, it’s what’s underneath that really matters!

What is Mirror Glaze made of?

A classic Chocolate Mirror Glaze is made of gelatine, water, cream, sugar and cocoa powder.

Some recipes use melted chocolate and condensed milk, but they aren’t as nice to eat. They make a yield a thicker, less elegant Mirror Glaze that’s also overly sweet. More on alternative Mirror Glazes below.

• Gelatine – while professional patisseries will use leaf gelatine, I opt for powdered gelatine because it’s more standardised globally, affordable and still yields perfect results. Leaf gelatine comes in different grades and strengths, and also economical ones are not always reliable (as I found out during the creation of this Mango Cheesecake!). Powder is easier and safer;

• Cream – pure cream is best, but thickened and heavy cream work as well. Full-fat power needed here – this is not the time to muck around with low fat alternatives!!!

• Cocoa powder – Dutch process(ed) cocoa powder is best, for intensity of flavour and a deeper dark colour. However, everyday standard cocoa works 100% perfectly here and is an excellent, more economical alternative; and

• Sugar – just ordinary white sugar.

No to condensed milk and melted chocolate in Mirror Glazes!

Some recipes call for melted chocolate and condensed milk instead of cream. This makes a thicker layer of mirror glaze which helps disguise more blemishes on the surface of the cake. But it’s not as nice to eat because it makes the glaze thicker than ideal (more like 4 – 5mm), so you perceive a bit of jelly texture.

Also it starts to lose its shine after about 36 hours – whereas this Mirror Glaze stays shiny for days and days!

The no-condensed milk recipe I present here was taught to me by a professional pastry chef who has worked in some of the finest restaurants in Sydney. It’s a more technically perfect method that creates a thin 2 – 3 mm layer (as it should be!) that literally dissolves in your mouth.

Mirror glaze actually isn’t hard to do if you follow some key tips that will ensure success, even if you’re a first timer. There are also some troubleshooting tricks to know which I have deployed many times!

More than anything, Mirror Glazed Cakes require patience. You will read the words “cool” and “refrigerate” a lot in the following sections!

How to Mirror Glaze a cake

In a nutshell, here is how to glaze a Mirror Cake:

1. Frost the cake with ganache or buttercream so it is as level and smooth as possible – see separate tutorial How to Make Frosting and Ganache Smooth on Cakes ;

2. Make the mirror glaze then let it cool so it doesn’t melt the frosting;

3. Pour the glaze over the cake and be mesmerised by the glistening curtain of chocolate that cascades across and down the sides of your cake!

4. Transfer the cake without messing up the glaze; and

5. Fix any blemishes using a couple of handy tricks.

Part 1: Frosting the cake

A flat, even cake surface is essential for beautiful smooth, flawless mirror glazes because the shiny nature of the glaze makes bumps and moulds highly visible. See this separate post for my directions: How to Make Frosting Smooth on Cakes.

Here’s a little preview of the technique: Piping the frosting on each layer and on the sides then spreading is the most efficient and effective way (another handy pâtissier technique I recently learned!):

No crumb coating required

Using this snail piping technique to apply the frosting or ganache means you don’t need to do a crumb coat first. Crumb coating is a cake decorating technique where a thin smear of frosting is applied all over the cake seal in stray crumbs before coating with a proper thick layer of frosting. It makes it easier to spread the frosting smoothly.

Best cake and frosting for Mirror Glazes

I’m using my Chocolate Cake with a chocolate ganache because it’s an elegant, classic combination with true wow-factor when combined with the mirror glaze – both visually when you slice it, and in flavour.

Cakes suitable for Mirror Glazes

You can use virtually any cake that has some density and stability. I would not recommend really airy, soft or fragile cakes (like Chiffon Cakes) because they will be difficult to handle and prone to easily denting.

A mousse cake or a mousse layer is one that could be used without using frosting because the surface is already soft and smooth. But the mousse would need to be hard chilled overnight.

Frosting base for Mirror Glazes

Frosting is required to make the surface level and smooth for a flawless mirror finish. If you pour the Mirror Glaze straight on to a naked cake, it will be bumpy and grainy looking, and the glaze will also soak into the cake.

Any frosting that can be spread smooth to cover bumps on cakes, firms up when chilled and is dense enough so chocolate mirror glaze won’t sink or absorb into it when it is poured over.

Hence a fluffy meringue frosting, say, is no good. Nor is a light and fluffy mascarpone frosting. However, a buttercream frosting or chocolate ganache is perfect.

Here are some suggestions for frostings that will work under a Mirror Gaze:

• Chocolate Ganache – classic and elegant, this is what I used;

• Chocolate Buttercream or Vanilla Buttercream (this is in the Vanilla Cake recipe) – or any other Buttercream you want;

• My secret, less-sweet Fluffy Vanilla Frosting – essentially a less sweet, 100% smooth Vanilla Buttercream that firms up like butter when chilled;

• Swiss Meringue or French Meringue Buttercream.

How much frosting do you need?

As much as you would ordinarily use to fill and cover the sides and surface of a cake. Frosting recipes should provide that information!

How smooth and level the cake should be for Mirror Glaze Cakes

No matter what you are pouring the Mirror Glaze over, it needs to be as smooth and level as humanly possible because the light reflected by the glaze will emphasise imperfections that you never normally notice with regular cakes.

Check your cake by looking at it from the side. Little smears like you see on the side of the cake below don’t matter – the glaze will hide those as it runs over it. But what does matter are “hills” and dents. The light bouncing off the shiny glaze makes even the smallest mounds look so much bigger than they are! Mountains out of mole hills indeed …

Part 2: Making the Mirror Glaze

Making a mirror glaze is very easy IF you follow a few key tips that make all the difference between success and lumpy failure:

• How to avoid gelatine lumps and bubbles in the glaze; and

• How to achieve the perfect thickness and temperature so that when you pour it, it’s not too thin or thick, and doesn’t melt the ganache.

I’ve made all these mistakes, so you don’t have to!

Bloom gelatine powder

Gelatine is what makes Mirror Glaze shiny. It’s very simple to use and not expensive either.

There’s no need for leaf gelatine. Powdered gelatine works just fine and it’s readily available everywhere.

1. Bloom gelatine – put a small amount of water in a small bowl then sprinkle gelatine over.

2. Mix – it will set into a thick paste. Leave for 5 minutes so the gelatine crystals absorb the water. This is called blooming gelatine and it allows the gelatine to dissolve smoothly into mixtures. If you just added the powder straight into the glaze, you’d end up with lots of lumps.

Making the mirror glaze

1. Cocoa and water first – In a saucepan, whisk the cocoa powder and water to make a slurry / paste. I found this to be the easiest way to dissolve cocoa powder without whisking/mixing too much (which will create bubbles and ruins the finish of the glaze).

2. Then cream and sugar – Next, mix in a bit of cream to loosen the mixture, then add the remaining cream and all the sugar. Do minimal stirs, enough to just incorporate the cocoa slurry into the cream;

3. Boil – Bring to boil to dissolve the sugar, then take it straight off the stove;

4. Dissolve gelatine – Drop the gelatine in (it will have solidified into a rubbery disc);

5. Stir GENTLY – Gently stir to dissolve the gelatine lump. Do not stir vigorously and do not use a whisk, or you’ll create bubbles in the glaze which will tarnish the perfect finish! It will take a minute or two of stirring but it will dissolve.

Professional pâtissiers use a stick blender / immersion blender. By keeping the head and blades under liquid, it avoids bubbles getting into the mixture. However, this only works if you’re making large enough batches of glaze so the blender head is completely submerged. For a single cake, you’d need to use a milkshake container or large mason jar, then transfer into a saucepan. Honestly, just easier to mix cocoa and water first!

6. Glossy! The glaze should be shiny and glossy at this point, and hopefully bubble free. If you have bubbles, don’t fret! We can fix it in the next step. If you see a whitish foam on the surface, that’s ok too and is easy to deal with; just leave it for now.

Strain and cool

1. Strain – Slowly strain the liquid into a bowl, positioning the strainer such that you minimise the distance the liquid falls from the saucepan into the strainer, and also from the base of the strainer into the bowl. This will reduce the risk of bubbles being created during the straining process.

2. Cover & cool – Cover the mirror glaze with cling wrap, pressing so it touches the surface to prevent a skin forming. When you peel off the cling wrap once the Mirror Glaze is cool, it will peel off any white foam that I mentioned above not to worry about.

3. Cool to 30°C / 86°F – Leave to cool on the counter for 2 hours or until it reaches 30°C / 86°F. This is the perfect pouring temperature so it blankets the cake smoothly without drips, won’t melt the ganache and sets in a thin 2 – 3mm layer – the perfect thickness for a mirror glaze.

• If the glaze is too hot, it will melt the ganache and slide off the cake.

• If the glaze is too cold, it won’t spread smoothly and you’ll end up with drips on the side and lines from the pools of chocolate on the top.

You don’t need a fancy candy thermometer. Just use your trusty old meat thermometer!

4. Strain into jug – Once it reaches the target temperature, strain it into a jug ready for pouring over the cake. The purpose of this step is to remove any residual bubbles, any little bits of skin that formed while cooling, and any gelatine lumps that may have formed if it wasn’t properly dissolved.

Position the strainer and tilt the jug so you minimise the distance the liquid falls so you don’t create any bubbles. I manage this on my own, but it’s easier if you get a helping hand!

Part 3: Glazing!

Checklist before you start pouring to ensure you nail it!

• Your glaze is at 30°C/86°F (give or take 2 degrees);

• You strained into the pouring jug just before using it; and

• The cake was chilled for least 30 minutes.

You don’t need to possess an expert’s hand with the pouring action. You can start and stop pours and it will still end up smooth, though you will get the most flawless finish if you can do it in one motion.

1. Place cake on rack – Transfer the cake to a rack using 2 x kitchen knives or long palette knives (or one of each!). Slide them under the cake, then lift and shift (see below for steps – I use this same method after glazing);

2. Place rack on tray – Set the rack with the cake on a tray to catch the excess glaze drips;

3. Pour! Starting in the middle of the cake, pour in an expanding spiral motion outwards towards the edge of the cake, so the glaze spreads across the surface and down the sides. Pour with confidence! Don’t hesitate or do a thin stream. You want a steady pouring stream so you get a curtain of chocolate coating the sides of the cake rather than piddly little drips!

Do not touch the glaze once it is poured – anything that comes into contact with the glaze will leave a mark!

TOP TIP: Try to do it in one motion – that is, once you start pouring, don’t stop until all the sides are covered. This is the best way to ensure you get a perfect, flawless surface. If you need coat a patch you missed on the side, just pour down the edge of the cake only, to minimise risk of faint “puddle” lines on the top of the cake. Don’t worry, the surface will still be flat.

4. Transfer before it sets! The mirror glaze will start to set after about 10 minutes. So transfer the cake to a rack before it sets otherwise you’ll get little drags on the edge of the base where the you pick it up (the glaze sticks to the rack). See next section for how to transfer the cake.

Part 4: Moving the mirror glazed cake

The most-asked question when I shared a preview of this cake was, “How do you move it!?!?!“

I use the same method I used to move the cake on to the rack for glazing once the ganache is on, to shift the finished glazed cake to its serving platter: Using two palette or kitchen knives. Here’s how:

1. Palette knives or kitchen knives – Use either 2 long palette knives or 2 kitchen knives (or one of each, as I do!). Slide them under the cake about 1/4 of the way through – one from the left and one from the right;

2. Lift them at the same time then move the cake onto the rack/platter;

3. Push off with a 3rd knife – Once the cake is on the rack/platter, leave the shifting knives in place under the cake. Now get a butter knife or small palette knife to help slide each of the shifting knives out neatly without making the ganache/frosting/mirror glaze untidy; and

4. Voila! Tidy edges! (That’s just a smear on the cake platter you see in the above step photos.)

Part 5: Tidying up blemishes

Tidying up blemishes is a useful trick to have up your sleeve with Mirror Glazed Cakes because although we are after all seeking perfection here, life doesn’t always go to plan. For example, a poof of wind blowing through the house causing a single dog hair to settle on the otherwise flawless surface of the cake (yes, I’m glaring at YOU, Dozer!).

So here are some tips on how to rectify Mirror Glaze blemishes:

1. Wait until the glaze is set – Firstly, wait until the mirror glaze is set before attempting repair work otherwise you can make the blemish worse as the glaze is still runny;

2. Use excess mirror glaze left on the catching tray or leftover in the jug to patch up dents and crevices;

3. Smear it on / in the problem areas;

4. Heat a palette knife or butter knife with a blow torch, gas lighter, or a gently over a low stove – just briefly. Mirror Glaze melts super easily – you don’t need it to be hot. If it sizzles on contact with the mirror glaze, it’s too hot!

5. Wipe across messy patched up area – don’t be too slow and don’t do it repeatedly otherwise you may melt the ganache underneath!

6. Voila! It’s (practically) flawless!

Extra tips:

• Blow torching directly (or gas lighter) – mirror glaze melts easily, so just lightly waving the very tip of the blow torch flame over a blemish will smooth out any dents. It does leave a slight blemish so you won’t have a pure flawless finish, but at least it is subtle and smooth. Don’t get too enthusiastic with the blow torch otherwise you will melt off the mirror glaze and/or the ganache underneath!

• Decorations! Never hesitate to use a sprinkle of gold dust or a strawberry or gold leaf to strategically cover up blemishes!

This is what I used to decorate my cake: Gold leaf and gold dust, purchased from Woolworths in Australia (it’s our equivalent of Walmart in the US and Sainsbury’s in the UK). And no, they’re not there for the purpose of covering a million imperfections 😂

Freezing and refrigerating Mirror Glaze

It’s worth mentioning that the Mirror Glaze itself can be made ahead and refrigerated for up to a week or even frozen. It just needs to be reheating gently then stirred very gently until it is once again smooth and pourable, and then cooled to 30°C/86°F as required by the recipe.

Reheated Mirror Glazes will get bubbles in them in the stirring process. It’s inevitable, no matter how gently you stir them. But removing them is easy – just pass a blow torch or even a lighter lightly across the surface of the mirror glaze where the bubbles are, and watch in wonder as the bubbles disappear!

Also, the final strain of the Mirror Glaze into the pouring jug will strain out any nasty bubbles.

Storing Mirror Cakes

Once the Mirror Glaze has been applied, they seal the cake completely so they can be stored in the fridge and patisserie windows without having to cover them. Very appealing for practical purposes!

However, all too often, patisseries and cake makers prioritise the shelf life benefits and make the mirror glaze too thick and too rubbery. Hence the beauty of homemade – so we can make it properly!

Mirror Cakes don’t even need refrigeration as long as it’s cool – the glaze melts in warm temperatures above around 25°C/ 77°C. Because it’s been really cool/cold here lately in Sydney while I’ve been shooting/testing out this recipe ready for sharing, I’ve just kept it under a cake dome on the counter.

And in closing …

And with that – I have now shared with you everything I know about Mirror Glazes!!

I know that’s an enormous amount of information, but the actual execution of a Mirror Glaze is not that hard. It just takes patience – lots of cooling / refrigeration steps.

For me personally, this has been the single most well received cake by friends and family in the 6 years since I started this website. Not just for how professional and impressive it looks, but also for the flavour and how it eats. It looks so sinfully rich and yet it is not – because the Mirror Glaze is wafer thin, and the ganache layer is not that thick either.

And here’s some final words of encouragement I have to offer: So what if it’s not perfect?? Even if yours is a bit bumpy, the glaze will still be so shiny. Far more shiny than you can achieve with any other glaze or frosting. And more importantly, it is still going to taste 100% amazing! – Nagi x

Watch how to make it

Print

Chocolate Mirror Glaze

Recipe video above. Deceptively straight forward, it mainly takes patience! The 3 key things for a flawless, reflective mirror glaze are:

1. Smooth frosting and level cake – because bumps and dents show up on shiny glazes. See my tutorial for How to Make Frosting Smooth on Cakes;

2. Ensure the glaze is completely smooth (just follow my recipe); and

3. Ensure the glaze is at 30°C/86° so it spreads smoothly for a thin, flawless finish. Proper Mirror Glazes are no thicker than 3mm and are not made with condensed milk, for superior results (read in post for more info).

Inactive cooling time includes time to cool Chocolate Ganache though directions to make and spread are in separate recipes (see Ganache recipe and Smooth Frosting post).

Course Chocolate, Frosting, Sweet

Cuisine French, Western

Keyword Chocolate Mirror Cake, Chocolate Mirror Glaze, Mirror Glaze, Mirror Glaze Cake

Prep Time 1 hour hour

Cooling 5 hours hours

Servings 12

Calories 645cal

Author Nagi

Ingredients

• 1 x 20cm / 8" chocolate cake (2 layers) (Note 1)
• 2 batches Dark Chocolate Ganache (Note 2)

Gelatine for glaze:

• 2 1/2 tbsp water (just cold tap water)
• 4 tsp gelatine powder (Note 3)

Mirror Glaze:

• 2/3 cup water
• 2/3 cup cream , pure / regular whipping cream, better than thickened/heavy cream (Note 4)
• 1 cup cocoa powder , unsweetened, sifted (preferably dutch processed, Note 5)
• 1 cup + 2 tbsp white sugar , caster/superfine (Note 6)

Decorating (optional, as pictured)

• Gold dust and gold leaf , optional decorations (Note 7)

Cups – Metric

Instructions

Cake and Ganache Frosting preparation:

• Refrigerate cake layers for at least 1 hour until well-chilled (for easier handling). Then trim cake to make it level and frost cake with chocolate ganache so it's smooth and level (follow the tutorial in this post: How to Frost Cakes Smoothly).
• After the ganache is smooth and level, refrigerate for at least 1 hour before coating with Mirror Glaze.

Make Mirror Glaze:

• Bloom gelatine: Place water in a small bowl. Then sprinkle gelatine across surface, mix just so all the powder is wet. Leave for 5 minutes – it will become like a rubber consistency. (This is called "blooming gelatine".)
• Whisk cocoa and water: Place cocoa and water in a medium saucepan then mix until virtually lump-free. It will be like a paste.
• Add cream and sugar: Add a splash of cream to cocoa mix and stir. It will loosen up. Add remaining cream and sugar, then GENTLY continue to mix to combine. Do not mix vigorously and do not use a whisk (Note 7).
• Bring glaze to boil: Turn stove onto medium high heat. As soon as it comes to the boil, remove from the stove.
• Dissolve gelatine: Add gelatine lump, then GENTLY stir until it dissolves and you have a smooth glossy glaze. (There may be some white foam, that's ok.)

Cool & Strain Mirror Glaze:

• First straining: Using a shallow bowl and small fine mesh strainer, strain the glaze into a bowl. Pour and position the strainer so the glaze falls the smallest distance possible. If you pour from a height, this creates bubbles = bad!
• Bubble check: Twist the bowl back and forth between your hands rapidly. This will make any bubbles rise and gather in the centre. If you see bubbles, see "Note 8: Bubble Troubleshooting".
• Cool glaze: Cover with cling wrap, pressing the cling wrap onto the surface of the glaze to prevent a skin from forming. Cool on the counter for 2 hours until it reaches 30°C/86°F. See Note 9 for overnight refrigeration.
• Second straining: Just before pouring over the cake, strain the glaze into a jug. As before, tilt the jug and strainer as you pour the glaze in to minimise the distance the glaze falls.

Glazing!

• Transfer cake to rack: Remove cake from fridge, transfer onto a rack. (See Note 9 for how I do it.) Place rack on a tray to catch excess glaze.
• Pour over mirror glaze: Starting at the centre of the cake, pour the glaze on, moving in an expanding spiral motion gradually towards the outer edge of the cake, to make the glaze spread across the surface and drape like curtain down the sides. For the most perfect surface, try to do it in one motion without breaking the pour. Pour with confidence in a thick stream rather than a thin drizzle (which might set too quick and leave drips).
• Ensure all sides are fully coated – if not, quickly do a little pour down the sides to coat the naked patches.
• Transfer cake to platter: Before the mirror glaze sets (takes ~10 minutes), move the cake to a cake platter (Note 9 again for my cake-shifting method).
• Fix blemishes – Use excess glaze on the tray and in the jug to fill gaps and tears. Then smooth over with a warmed palette knife (either lightly warm with a blow torch or dip into warm water and wipe). See video for demo.

How to Slice Cake Cleanly with Neat Layers:

• Fill a tall jug with warm tap water. Dip a knife in, then wipe dry. Make one slice into the cake.
• Clean knife, dip in warm water and dry again. Make your second cut to get your wedge. Pull wedge out and marvel at the perfect layers before continuing to cut more slices! See notes for storage.

Notes

1. Chocolate cake – The Chocolate Cake recipe I recommend is an excellent cake for a Chocolate Mirror Glaze Cake. The texture is tender but not too fragile for handling. It’s chocolatey, not too sweet, and looks and tastes sensational with the Ganache and Mirror Glaze. And importantly for first timers, the cake is a one-bowl, easy recipe and it stays moist for days – so you can break the Mirror Glaze up into stages over several days (if you want!)

2. Chocolate Ganache – You will need to make a double batch of the Dark Chocolate / semi-sweet chocolate ganache recipe in my Ganache recipe. You will end up with leftovers, it’s more about not having to recycle ganache mid-frosting which is messy. 

Use the recipe scaler on the Ganache recipe. Tap on servings figure and slide until the chocolate quantity becomes 500g/16 oz.

3. Gelatine powder – Just regular gelatine powder sold in little containers at the grocery store.

4. Cream  – Pure cream or what’s labelled “regular whipping cream” in the US is best and most classic, but it works just fine with thickened/heavy cream too (the glaze is a wee bit thicker, but it’s really not a problem).

DO NOT use: Light or low fat cream, cooking cream or long-life cream (ie. shelf-stable).

5. Cocoa powder – Dutch processed has a more intense chocolate flavour and colour, but is slightly more expensive. I recommend it for the best, most luxurious results. But the recipe works 100% perfectly with regular cocoa powder too.

6. Sugar – Caster/superfine sugar is best because the grains are smaller so you can be sure it will melt quickly. Regular / granulated white sugar is fine too but just double-check to ensure it’s fully melted before adding the gelatine.

7. Gold dust and gold leaf – Both are found in the baking aisle of Coles and Woolworths in Australia. Both totally edible!

8. Bubbles and lumps are the enemy of mirror glazes. So from this step onwards, every direction is designed to ensure the glaze stays perfectly glossy, smooth, lump-free and bubble-free!

Bubble troubleshooting – Bubbles are an issue with Mirror Glazes because the thick glaze means they don’t burst by naturally. They form by over-stirring and they particularly occur when reheating solidified mirror glazes. You either have to prick them on the surface one by one, OR lightly pass a blow torch across the surface which will instantly make them burst.

9. Moving cake (ie. frosted cake onto rack, then once glazed, from rack to serving platter) – See in post for step photos and video for visual demo. Use 2 x large palette or kitchen knives. Slide them under the cake, lift and transfer. Then use a butter knife to slide the palette knives out without disturbing the ganache or mirror glaze (video above is helpful to demonstrate this).

10. Glaze refrigeration or freezing – Cover with cling wrap contacting the surface, cool for 30 minutes on the counter. Then refrigerate overnight or freeze. If you freeze it, thaw first before reheating. Then reheat 30 seconds in the microwave on medium, gently stirring / breaking up jelly lumps. Microwave another 20 seconds, stir again, then in 15 second increments until it is liquid again. Reheating mirror glaze WILL create bubbles, so see Note 8 for how to remove them. Be sure to also do the Bubble Check by twisting the bowl back and forth quickly between your hands (described in Instructions).

11. Excess mirror glaze on tray – Mirror Glaze is essentially a chocolate jelly so eating it with a spoon is not that pleasant (hence why it should be a THIN layer!). So you won’t be tempted to eat it off the tray once it sets. However, if the tray is super clean, you can strain it and reuse it – see above for refrigerating or freezing. But the glaze needs to be clean and blemish-free!

12. Mirror Glaze Cake Storage:

• The glazed cake can remain on the counter if the room temperature is 22°F/72°F or lower (mirror glaze melts when too warm). Otherwise, refrigerate – you don’t need to cover an uncut cake because the mirror glaze seals it!
• Using the Chocolate Cake, this Mirror Glaze Chocolate Cake is perfect for 4 days, and still excellent on Day 6 (the cake is really moist).
• The Mirror Glaze will remain shiny and sparkly for days – unlike ones made with condensed milk which lose their shine after a day or so.

Nutrition

Calories: 645cal | Carbohydrates: 5g | Protein: 3g | Fat: 6g | Saturated Fat: 4g | Polyunsaturated Fat: 0.2g | Monounsaturated Fat: 2g | Cholesterol: 15mg | Sodium: 9mg | Potassium: 122mg | Fiber: 3g | Sugar: 1g | Vitamin A: 194IU | Vitamin C: 0.1mg | Calcium: 19mg | Iron: 1mg

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The post Chocolate Mirror Glaze appeared first on RecipeTin Eats.

This is a post that explains how I spread buttercream frosting and chocolate ganache on to cakes so it’s (nearly!) perfectly smooth – on both top and sides!

Smooth buttercream frosting or ganache on cakes

There are various reasons why you might want a perfectly smooth frosting on a cake. Maybe you’re simply wanting a pristine, smooth cake surface for your cake decoration. Or perhaps you need an immaculately even base for a flawless Mirror Glaze.

So today I’m sharing how I do it. Yes, I will be pulling out some speciality cake decorating equipment. But no, they aren’t essential. They just help to frost cakes faster.

So don’t worry if you don’t have all the equipment listed – I provide alternatives that I used to use myself up until a few months ago!

What frosting to use

Both buttercream and chocolate ganache are suitable for this tutorial. For the buttercream frosting, you can use any flavour you want, as long as it has enough structure – ie. not too loose. Both my Chocolate Buttercream and Vanilla Buttercream recipes are suitable for this tutorial. (Note the Vanilla Buttercream is in the Vanilla Cake recipe).

What cake to use

You can use any cake you want. I’m using my Chocolate Cake with a dark chocolate ganache in this tutorial because it’s an elegant, classic combination. Especially once finished with a Mirror Glaze – which is why I want a smooth surface on this cake! And the, ummmm, “icing on the cake” (yeah I went there): The cake is a dead easy one-bowl miracle creation that’s intensely chocolatey, ultra-moist and has a long shelf life.

My classic Vanilla Cake pictured below would also be ideal. Bonus: You are unlikely to need to level it because it comes out near perfectly flat!

Part 1: Frosting the cake

1. Level the cake – just slice off the mounded top of each cake using a serrated knife. Using the side of the cake as a guide, it’s honestly easier to eyeball it rather than fussing with cake levellers;

2. Flip the cake upside down to frost it, so you’re working with a nice level surface. Use a cake spinner if you’ve got one because it will make frosting faster, but it’s not essential. I’ve been frosting cakes all my life without one up, until 2 weeks ago! (PS This is the one I got – very sturdy and non slip which is what you want. No point getting a rocky cheap plastic one. Here it is on Amazon US. These are not affiliate links.)

3. Pipe on the chocolate ganache in a swirl – this is the easiest, fastest way to frost a cake so it’s nice and level. Trust me – dolloping a giant scoop of ganache on the cake is much harder!!

4. Spread the top ganache to fill the gaps. No need to be perfect here because it’s the filling layer and will get levelled/squished when you put the next cake layer on.

5. Top with next layer then pipe ganache all around the sides, from the base right up to the top edge;

6. Pipe ganache on surface in the same coil pattern, right to the very edge;

7. Smooth roughly – use a small palette knife (or butter knife) to smooth it out but don’t bother trying to make it ultra smooth at this stage. We’re going to refrigerate it to make the ganache easier to work with to make it beautifully smooth 👍🏼

8. Refrigerate for 1 hour to make the ganache firmer – this will make it much easier to make it smooth!

Part 2: Making it smooth!

1. Smooth surface – Remove the cake from the fridge. If you refrigerated overnight or for hours, then let it soften for 5 to 10 minutes before working with it. Then use a a combination of large and small palette knives, or really anything flat and fairly long so you can swipe it across the surface of the cake to level it out as best you can. I use a combination of a large and small palette knife. The large is good for big surface area levelling, but the small one is much easier to work with for better control;

2. Smooth sides – Smooth and straighten the side of the cake using a cake scraper, if you have one. Otherwise use anything with a straight edge – I used to use a ruler 😂 (it still works!);

3. Tidy corners – run a small palette knife lightly around the rim on a 45 degree angle, then smooth this out on the surface and side of the cake. This is also your chance to ensure the cake is perfectly round from overhead.

4. Check at eye level – The best way to check how smooth and level your cake is by looking at it from the side.

KEY TIP: The easiest way to make the sides and surfaces smooth is when the buttercream or ganache is slightly on the firm side, cold out of the fridge. So if you handle it for too long and it starts getting soft again, just pop it back in the fridge briefly.

The time it takes for the ganache or buttercream to get too soft to work with depends on how warm your kitchen is – it can be 10 minutes in winter to 3 minutes at the height of summer inside my house!

Part 3: Moving the frosted cake

Here’s how I move cakes neatly when I need to take extra care – using two palette or kitchen knives. The example shown below in the step photos and in the video is a Mirror Glaze Cake:

1. Palette knives or kitchen knives – Use either 2 long palette knives or 2 kitchen knives (or one of each, as I do!). Slide them under the cake about 1/4 of the way through – one from the left and one from the right;

2. Lift them at the same time then move the cake onto the rack/platter;

3. Push off with a 3rd knife – Once the cake is on the rack/platter, leave the shifting knives in place under the cake. Now get a butter knife or small palette knife to help slide each of the shifting knives out neatly without making the ganache/frosting/mirror glaze untidy; and

4. Voila! Tidy edges! (That’s just a smear on the cake platter you see in the above step photos.)

And there you have it. Now you have a beautiful cake with smooth frosting or chocolate ganache, ready to decorate as you wish!

Oh – and I can’t sign off without giving you a little preview of that Mirror Glaze in action….

It seems strange to write a post without inserting a recipe, but there doesn’t seem to be much value in writing out the above steps in a recipe card.

Perhaps I’m wrong. If you want me to abbreviate the steps in a recipe card – perhaps even with the photos – drop a message below and I’ll do it! – Nagi x

Life of Dozer

This is not one of his cuter habits (it’s a really windy, blustery cold day today and it’s blasting into the house!).

The post Smooth frosting or ganache finish on cakes appeared first on RecipeTin Eats.

Chocolate ganache is the ultimate secret weapon for all things sweet because it’s dead easy to make, incredibly versatile and adds a luxurious touch to anything it graces. Spread on cakes as chocolate ganache frosting, pour over sundaes, make fancy drips, or roll it to make truffles!

What is Chocolate Ganache?

If you’re new to chocolate ganache and wondering what chocolate ganache actually is, this is going to be a life changing moment for you!

Made with just cream and any chocolate you want (dark, milk or white), chocolate ganache is a rich chocolate concoction that can be used as a sauce, frosting, glaze, filling or for dipping.

When it’s warm, it’s pourable. When it’s cool, it’s spreadable. And when it’s cold, it’s rollable.

And when you eat it, in any of those forms, it’s heavenly. It literally melts in your mouth!

What to do with Chocolate Ganache

This amazing chocolate magic has a seriously impressive list of things it can be used for! Here are just a few examples:

• A Hot Fudge Sauce for pouring over towering ice cream Sundaes;

• A dipping sauce for things like Churros;

• The ultimate luxurious chocolate frosting to spread onto cakes and cupcakes – such as in this Chocolate Ganache Fudge Cake;

• As a filling between cake layers;

• As a perfectly smooth frosting base for a Chocolate Mirror Glaze;

• A drippy-style glaze or drizzling over things;

• Whip it to make whipped ganache so it’s airier and less rich, so you can pipe it sky high onto cupcakes;

• As a filling or topping for pastries and tarts (like this Salted Caramel Chocolate Tart);

• For piping decorations; and

• Rolling into balls to make truffles.

I mean, look at that list. I did not exaggerate when I said it can literally be used for anything!

What goes in Chocolate Ganache

All you need is chocolate and cream to make chocolate ganache. You can use any of the three types of chocolate your heart desires – dark, milk or white chocolate. But there are some important rules of thumb to follow for the best results.

Best chocolate for Chocolate Ganache

• Cooking chocolate – You must use cooking chocolate sold in the baking aisle, not eating chocolate. Cooking chocolate is made so it melts smoothly. Eating chocolate simply does not melt properly – it ends up grainy and lumpy;

• White, milk or dark/semi-sweet can be used – my favourite is dark / semi-sweet (typically between 40 – 50% cocoa, rich chocolate flavour, best ganache texture, not as sweet as milk chocolate);

• Avoid bittersweet chocolate or any chocolate > 60% cocoa – not sweet enough and the cocoa flavour is too intense for ganache unless you add glucose or sugar, which this recipe does not cater for because it is “just” a simple chocolate ganache recipe!

• Blocks that you chop up yourself melt better and more smoothly than chocolate chips or melts sold in packets. Chips and melts do work – but might need a quick extra zap in the microwave if you find they don’t melt fully; and

• Chocolate chips are SAFER for first timers (like Cadbury, Nestle, Tollhouse) – these are intentionally made so they are safer to work with, plus you don’t have to chop them. In Australia, look for bags labelled “melts” (pictured below) which are specifically designed to melt well. So if you are new to using chocolate, don’t hesitate to use chips or melts – they still yield excellent, smooth, super chocolatey results.

Best cream for Chocolate Ganache

• Heavy / thickened cream, pure cream, whipping cream and heavy whipping cream can be used;

• 30% fat or greater cream must be used (the above creams all are). If it’s less than 30% fat, the ganache won’t become firm once cooled, it will be too runny; and

• No low fat cream or cream alternatives I typically offer in other recipes (such as evaporated milk or half and half) will work for chocolate ganache unless you change the quantity of liquid to chocolate so the chocolate thickens.

How much cream to use in Chocolate Ganache

The amount of cream required will vary depending on which chocolate you use because dark chocolate is firmer than white chocolate. So we use more cream for dark chocolate and less for white chocolate to achieve the same ganache consistency:

Note: The above table is to demonstrate the chocolate-to-cream ratios only. In the recipes, I have standardised the amount of ganache the recipe makes using any of the above three chocolates. So you won’t see 250g/8oz chocolate for all three recipes, only for the dark chocolate one which I consider to be the baseline recipe.

How to make Chocolate Ganache

And here’s how to make chocolate ganache (spoiler: it’s dead easy and totally effortless)!

1. Chop chocolate into small pieces. The smaller the better, to guarantee a smooth melt;

2. Heat cream on the stove or in a microwave until hot and steamy but DO NOT let it boil. If it boils, it is too hot and may split the chocolate. If your cream gets too hot, set aside to cool then reheat;

3. Pour hot cream over chocolate in a heatproof bowl. Poke/push chocolate under the cream as best you can. You can easily do this for dark chocolate ganache because there’s enough cream, but with the milk chocolate and white ganache, there isn’t enough cream to fully cover it;

4. Stand 10 minutes uncovered. Why uncovered? Because if you cover it, condensation drips into the chocolate and might cause it to split*. I found this out the hard way!

5. Mix to combine the cream and chocolate until it becomes a smooth and glossy chocolate sauce. At first, it may seem like it won’t combine – just keep mixing, it will happen! Also don’t use a whisk – it aerates the mixture too much and you end up with bubbles in the ganache. If this happens, it will fix itself when the ganache thickens as it cools, but if you’re using it as a pouring glaze, it’s not ideal;

6. Marvel at the shiny river of chocolate ganache you’ve just made! Now it’s just about getting the right consistency for its intended purpose (here’s some ideas). On to the next section!

*Note: Most everyday baking chocolates are made to be more stable so they shouldn’t split even if you accidentally get a bit of water in it. But typically, the more expensive the chocolate, the more prone to splitting it is! So it’s better to be safe than sorry. 😇

And here’s a photo of the milk chocolate and white chocolate ganache after they have cooled down and thickened.

Different consistencies for different applications

Immediately after you’ve made it, ganache will be runny, warm and shiny. To make it thicker, you just need to cool it down. The cooler it gets, the thicker it gets – and it loses its shine. If you refrigerate overnight, it gets so thick you can roll it to make truffles!

• Warm and runny – use as a dipping sauce or hot fudge sauce to pour over ice cream, or anything!

• Cooler but still runny – a thicker runny consistency, this is perfect for pouring over cakes to get a smooth thick finish, creating drips down the side of cakes, or spreading onto cupcakes so you get a nice smooth frosting. Note: Once Chocolate Ganache cools down after pouring it on, it loses its shine. If you want a shiny chocolate glaze, you need to use a Chocolate Mirror Glaze;

• Cooled to room temperature – it will thicken to a soft, peanut butter consistency, making it perfect to use as a filling in cakes, and frosting the sides and top. It will look and spread like chocolate buttercream.

It can even be used for decorative piping around the edge of cakes. You could do big swirls on cupcakes – but I think you’ll find it’s too rich for that. It’s better to whip it first for that purpose – see below for Whipped Chocolate Ganache.

• Cool out of fridge but still malleable – this is a good temperature for spreading onto cakes when you want a super smooth surface because it’s easier to work with to make it smooth. You may want a smooth coating if that’s specifically the look you are after, or because you need an immaculately smooth base for a Mirror Glaze, as pictured below. It’s just easier to work with when it’s that little bit firmer like this.

Just to be clear – the surface of the cake pictured below is chocolate ganache. The glossy chocolate being poured over it is Mirror Glaze! Mirror Glazes are shiny and reflective when they set, whereas Chocolate Ganache is only shiny when warm and pourable. It becomes matte when cooled (as pictured on the cake at the top).

• Firmly cold out of fridge – after an overnight chill, it will be so firm you can scoop it up and roll balls to make truffles!

Whipped Ganache

This is a good way to make ganache fluffier so it tastes less rich and dense, making it suitable for piping onto cupcakes and spreading generously over cakes as you would with Chocolate Buttercream.

To make whipped chocolate ganache, place a bowl and the whisk attachment of your beater or stand mixer into the fridge to chill. The reason for this is to keep the ganache cool while whipping (the whipping generates friction, which in turns warms the ganache causing it to melt and soften).

Place ganache into your chilled bowl and whip it like cream. It will lighten in colour and increase in volume. Then just use as you would chocolate buttercream – pipe or frost onto cakes and cupcakes!

PIPING note: Whipped ganache doesn’t have the same piping integrity as chocolate buttercream, so you can’t pipe flowers and roses, and you can only use basic piping tips. Even with the Wilton 2D closed tip pictured below, I started getting raggedy edges as I continued piping. It’s best to use a basic wide, star tip.

Note however, while whipped ganache can be piped, it is not as stable as Chocolate Buttercream. Depending on the quality of the chocolate you used, the piped frosting might split and look untidy. In truth is generally better used for spreading rather than piping.

Spreading Chocolate Ganache so it’s smooth

There are various reasons why you might want a perfectly smooth Chocolate Ganache frosting on a cake. You might desire a pristinely smooth cake surface for your cake decoration, or you require a perfectly even base for a flawless Mirror Glaze.

To learn my tips, see this separate post: How to get a Smooth Frosting or Ganache Finish on Cakes.

Chocolate Ganache Tips & Troubleshooting

Ganache is one of those things that are fundamentally really easy but have a few pitfalls that can catch you out. Here are my tips and tricks to help you sidestep or solve them!

• Chips and melts are safer than chocolate blocks – the chocolate chips and melts like Nestle, Cadbury and Tolllhouse sold at everyday grocery stores in the baking aisle are intentionally made so they are more stable and easier to work with than block chocolate. So if you are new to working with chocolate and want to be 100% sure you nail it, I recommend using chips or melts instead of chocolate blocks (though note that even the chocolate blocks sold at supermarkets are

• Couverture chocolate which is a high class chocolate used by chocolatiers, patisseries and fine dining restaurants. Of course high couverture chocolate yields superior results – but it’s costly and more fickle to work with. So if you are new to working with chocolate and want to be 100% sure you nail it, I recommend using chips or melts instead of chocolate blocks (though note that even the chocolate blocks sold at supermarkets are ;

• Cream too hot – chocolate is a fickle thing and it really hates liquids that are too hot. It will make this phobia known to you by splitting or seizing or becoming grainy. To avoid this, heat the cream up gently to just before a boil, when it’s nice and steamy and starting to simmer, but not boiling rapidly. If your cream starts boiling, let it cool down fully then start again;

• Lumpy ganache – if your ganache is lumpy due to chocolate bits that aren’t fully melted (what do you mean, you didn’t chop it finely enough??😱), this is not a big deal. Just pop it in the microwave for 20 seconds on high, stir for a while, repeat as necessary until smooth;

• Grainy ganache – this is different to when chocolate bits didn’t fully melt. It’s occurred because the cream was too hot. But fear not, it’s fixable: Try 20 seconds in the microwave followed by a mix, repeating as necessary. If after 3 attempts it is still grainy, use an immersion blender/blender stick – this will force it into smooth submission!;

• Split ganache – when you see streaks of oil, this means the ganache has split. This happens because either the cream was too hot, OR you somehow got water into the mixture (eg. bowl wasn’t dry). But this too is fixable. Heat up 2 tablespoons of milk until warm (NOT boiling!) then whisk in 1 teaspoon at a time (using a handheld whisk) until it comes together. Don’t add too much otherwise the ganache will become too thin;

• Ganache is too thin – after cooling, if it’s too thin for intended purpose, then melt the ganache in 30 second increments in the microwave. Melt some more chocolate separately and whisk it in until smooth. Cool and re-use;

• Ganache is too thick – thin by whisking in warmed cream. I am very cautious and use 1 teaspoon at a time – because it is a pain if you make it too runny then you have to thicken it!

• Speed up cooling process – transfer into a small shallow tray, cover with cling wrap but so it’s not touching the surface. Always cool to room temperature first, then refrigerate once fully cool (otherwise condensation will form and the water might split your ganache); and

• Ganache is not practical for super-hot weather – ganache is best consumed at room temperature for the best eating experience, so it melts in your mouth. It’s just not as nice eating cold chocolate! Because of this, it’s not practical to make ganache if it’s super hot where you are – say 30°C/85°C or warmer – because it will just melt before it comes to room temperature after storing in the fridge.

Below is what ganache looks like when it’s too warm. It doesn’t hold its shape, it kind of oozes – albeit slowly. It’s also sticky and doesn’t crust over like glazes. Not very suitable for frosting cakes.

How to store chocolate ganache

• Room temperature for 3 days – up to 23°C/73°C or so, inside. Chocolate ganache is, after all, chocolate, so it will melt in hot temperatures. So refrigerate it if it’s warmer than that;

• Fridge – a week or the expiry date of the cream you used – whichever is shorter;

• Freezer – three months or so.

How to freeze and thaw Chocolate Ganache

Place fully cooled chocolate ganache in an airtight container and smooth the surface as best you can. Then cover with cling wrap, pressing down so it covers the surface. Place in freezer for up to 3 months (probably even longer ok!).

To thaw, leave overnight in the fridge. Dab off all condensation from the surface with a paper towel before mixing. If it splits, fix it using the warmed milk method I described above in the troubleshooting section.

And with that, I have said my piece! Who knew there was so much in my head that I had to share about a simple chocolate ganache!😂

It really is a fabulous secret weapon to have up your sleeve that you can use to instantly make virtually any dessert ultra-luxe. Here’s a quick link back to a long list of ideas for things you can do with it! – Nagi x

Watch how to make it

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Chocolate Ganache

Recipe video above. Made with just cream and chocolate, ganache is a baking staple with many applications that adds a spot of instant luxury! A pourable fudge sauce when warm, for glazing cakes or making drip decorations, to a spreadable and pipable frosting when cool, or for making truffles when cold (use this recipe for truffles). The possibilities are endless – here's just a few ideas!

While it is simple to make, things can go wrong if made without care. So follow the directions and read the Key Points below.

Makes 2 cups / 500 ml – enough to frost 1 layer cake (top and sides), smear onto 12 cupcakes, or sauce for 6 to 8 sundaes.

2 layer cakes (filling, sides and top) – double the recipe (click on servings and slide). Slightly more than you need, but better to be safe than sorry!

Course Frosting, Sweet

Cuisine Western

Keyword chocolate ganache, Ganache

Prep Time 5 minutes minutes

Cook Time 2 minutes minutes

Cooling 4 hours hours

Servings 2 cups (500 ml) ganache

Calories 267cal

Author Nagi

Ingredients

Dark Chocolate Ganache:

• 250g/ 8oz dark chocolate or semi-sweet chocolate block (up to 50% cocoa, Note 1)
• 1 cup thickened / heavy cream , pure cream or whipping cream (Note 2)

Milk Chocolate Ganache:

• 375g/ 12 oz milk chocolate block (Note 3)
• 1/2 cup thickened / heavy cream , pure cream or whipping cream (Note 2)

White Chocolate Ganache:

• 400g / 14 oz white chocolate block (Note 4)
• 1/3 cup + 1 tbsp thickened / heavy cream , pure cream or whipping cream (Note 2)

Chocolate Truffles:

• See Chocolate Truffles recipe (less cream for firmer ganache)

Cups – Metric

Instructions

Chop chocolate:

• Using a sharp knife or serrated knife, finely chop the chocolate. Then scrape it all into a heatproof bowl – including all those little powdery shards!

Make Ganache:

• Heat cream: Place cream in a small saucepan over heat or in a heatproof jug to microwave. Heat until hot and steaming but DO NOT let it boil – it might cause the chocolate to split or go grainy. (Note 6)
• Pour cream over chocolate: Pour hot cream over chocolate, then spread chocolate out so it's as evenly covered by cream as possible. Cream will not fully cover white or milk chocolate, that's OK.
• Wait 10 minutes: Leave for 10 minutes. Do not cover (Note 7).
• Stir until smooth: Using a rubber spatula or spoon, stir until cream and chocolate are incorporated and it's silky smooth. (Note 8 about lumps)
• Milk & white chocolate only: Because there is less cream, the chocolate may not fully melt. In which case, micrwoave for 20 seconds, stir gently, then microwave again for 10 seconds and stir – this should be enough to fully melt the chocolate. (Note 5)
• Troubleshooting: If your ganache splits (ie. oil streaks) or is grainy, or it's too thick or thin, see above in post for how to fix these problems.
• Cooling: If cooling your ganache (to spread, pipe or whip), cool it uncovered for 30 minutes. Then cover with cling wrap and press so it contacts the surface (so you don't get a skin forming) and continue to cool.

How to use:

• Pourable / dipping sauce / pour glaze – allow to cool for 15 minutes on the counter until it's still runny but pourable. Use as required – pour over cakes as a thick chocolate glaze, over sundaes, into bowls to use for dipping, or to make drip decorations.
• Spreadable frosting – cool to a spreadable peanut butter consistency. Cool 30 minutes on the counter then EITHER 4 hours in the fridge, stirring every now and then for even cooling, OR refrigerate overnight and then leave to soften on counter for 15 – 20 minutes.
• Whipped Ganache – Place bowl and whisk attachment in fridge for 20 minutes. Place ganache in bowl then whip on high for 2 minutes until it changes to a pale brown colour and it's fluffier. Smear or pipe onto cakes and cupcakes.
• Truffles – cool overnight in the fridge until firm. Use this Chocolate Truffles recipe.
• More ideas and uses – Click here: What to do with chocolate ganache !

Notes

Key points:

• The lighter the chocolate (ie. white vs milk vs dark) the softer it is, so the less cream you need.
• You MUST use cooking chocolate, ie. chocolate purchased from the baking aisle, NOT regular eating chocolate (it doesn’t melt properly).
• For troubleshooting tips and “gotchas”, see in post.

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1. Dark chocolate – called “semi-sweet chocolate” in the US, this has a great, rich dark chocolate flavour with enough sweetness to make a perfect ganache frosting or for truffles. It’s less sweet than milk and white chocolate.

• Quality – The better the chocolate, the better the ganache. Plaistowe in Australia is the best you can get at everyday stores. Cadbury blocks are a near second. In the US, Ghiradelli is an excellent option – I stock up when I visit!
• Cocoa % – Anything up to 50% cocoa is great. If it’s higher then 60% cocoa (like 70% cocoa – called “bittersweet chocolate”), it is not sweet enough to use for ganache unless you add glucose or sugar (which is a different recipe).
• Melts or chips intended for melting work fine too, but blocks tend to be better quality. Plus you’re able to chop them finer than chips, so melt better for a smoother ganache.
• Dark chocolate ganache is the most common ganache you see in patisseries and used for fancy cake decorations. I also like it best for its flavour and texture. It is the most luxurious and creamy.

2. Cream – must be >30% fat in order for the ganache to thicken as required. Thickened cream, heavy cream, pure cream, whipping cream and thickened whipping cream will all work. Low fat does not work, don’t try!

3. Milk chocolate is softer and sweeter than dark/semi-sweet chocolate and typically has 12 – 20% cocoa. Because it’s softer than dark chocolate, we need less cream. See Note 1 about chips and melts instead of block.

4. White Chocolate is the softest and sweetest, so we use the least amount of cream. See Note 1 about chips and melts instead of block.

5. Finish melting  – because less cream is used for white and milk chocolate, it may need a little extra help at the end to fully melt the chocolate. Just depends how finely you chop the chocolate, the chocolate itself, warmth of your kitchen etc.

6. Cream – if you accidentally bring it to a boil, take off the heat and let it cool, then reheat. If cream is too hot, it may split the chocolate (especially true of expensive chocolate which doesn’t have stabilisers in it).

7. Condensation is water and can make chocolate split. While cheaper chocolate blocks, chips and melts are engineered to be more stable, expensive / good chocolate (which has a more pure flavour and texture) is far more sensitive to water and other foreign liquids that can make ganache split or go grainy.

8. Bubbles or lumps?  If you see little lumps, check to see if it’s unmelted chocolate bits or if they are just bubbles – bubbles will disappear as it cools. If there are unmelted chocolate lumps, microwave ganache for 20 seconds, stir, and repeat as necessary until fully melted and smooth.

9. Troubleshooting for split/grainy/too thin/too thick – see in post for how to fix.

10. Storage – at room temperature on cooler days: 2 days. Fridge: 1 week. Freezer: 3 months. Fully cool before storing in an airtight container. If ganache is warm/hot, condensation will form and water may cause it to split when reheated.

Freezer – cover surface with cling wrap (so it contacts the surface), then store in an airtight container. To thaw, leave overnight in the fridge, then use a paper towel to dab away any condensed water on the surface before mixing.

Reheat to make it runny – microwave in 30 second increments or set over a saucepan of hot water.

11. Nutrition – just bit more than a carrot stick (this is for dark chocolate ganache, assuming 1 batch serves 8)

Nutrition

Calories: 267cal | Carbohydrates: 16g | Protein: 2g | Fat: 22g | Saturated Fat: 13g | Cholesterol: 42mg | Sodium: 14mg | Potassium: 183mg | Fiber: 2g | Sugar: 10g | Vitamin A: 452IU | Vitamin C: 1mg | Calcium: 37mg | Iron: 2mg

Life of Dozer

Just can’t take him seriously in his Counting Sheep PJs…..😂 (But highly practical for holding in all that sand in his fur!)

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