Ganache is equal parts chocolate and heavy cream. Semisweet baking chocolate offers a popular choice for ganache; milk and white chocolate are also options. Heavy cream creates a richer texture than milk or half-and-half. For a dairy-free version, use dairy-free chocolate chips and canned full-fat coconut milk or coconut cream.

Varying the consistency makes ganache versatile. Pour it while still warm over a cake for a mirror glaze and over ice cream as hot fudge. Cool it until slightly thickened, then whip it into cake frosting. Refrigerate until firm, then roll it into balls for truffles.

For something different, add a flavoring. Orange zest lends a citrus note, peppermint a bright zing, and espresso a mellow flavor.  

Choose the Chocolate

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White: This chocolate contains the lowest percentage of chocolate solids, the butter from the cocoa bean. When whipped, a white chocolate ganache makes a lush cake frosting or macaron filling. As a drizzle, it becomes a dip for fruit or pretzels. When allowed to thicken it serves as a truffles base. 

Milk: This sweet chocolate appears in many candy bars and has a higher fat content than dark chocolate. Because it is softer than dark chocolate, it gets mixed with less heavy cream. Milk chocolate ganache is a decadent addition to cheesecakes, cookies and cupcakes.

Dark: Semisweet baking chocolate (35–60 percent cocoa solids) is a good ganache choice because of its complex flavor and ability to melt smoothly with cream. Semisweet chocolate chips work well because they don’t need to be chopped; however, they might not melt as smoothly as baking chocolate.

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How to Make Ganache

Tip: Ganache becomes gritty when water gets into the mixture. Or, if ganache “splits” (chocolate and fat separate and mixture becomes oily), the chocolate may be overheated. Fix both ganache errors by stirring a few tablespoons of hot cream, a little at a time, into the ganache mixture.

3 Ways to Use Ganache

Whipped Ganache Fruit Dip

When whipped, ganache becomes fluffy and lighter in color and makes a delicious dip for berries, bananas, biscuits, crackers, pretzels and cookies.  

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How to Store Ganache

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Store cooled ganache in an airtight container in refrigerator up to 1 week or in freezer up to 1 month. Thaw in fridge. Before using, warm the ganache by placing it in a bowl set in a larger bowl of warm water; stir occasionally until ganache reaches desired consistency. Prevent water from getting into the ganache.