Q&A for How to Make Ganache

Definitely! Microwave your chocolate and heavy cream together in a microwave-safe bowl in 30-second spurts. Make sure you fully agitate the chocolate so it can fully melt together with the cream.

Ganache can curdle if you used too high a temperature to make it. It might also occur where the ratio of chocolate to liquid is not properly balanced, so make sure to follow the ingredient amounts carefully. It can be saved though! To try to save the ganache, add the curdled ganache to a blender or food processor, add a tiny amount of boiling water to the mixture and process or blend it on high (if you have to do it by hand, stir as fast as you can). The idea is to recombine the ingredients and the hot water as quickly as possible. In most cases, this will save it sufficiently for use.

Ganache has several uses: It can be used as a filling for chocolate truffles, as a filling or coating on cakes/cupcakes and other baked goods and as a filling in various non-chocolate candies. It can be added as a filling to cookies or used as one of the layers in desserts like trifle or tiramisu. Ganache can also be used as a dip for fruits like blueberries, strawberries and sliced pieces of fruit.

Ganache is a chocolate emulsion, usually made from a mixture of chocolate and cream. More cream to chocolate makes for a creamier, softer and looser ganache, while more chocolate to cream makes a firmer ganache that hardens when refrigerated. Ganache can be made using butter as well (this makes for a richer texture) and flavorings like extracts, oils and finely chopped nuts can also be added. It is also possible to make dairy-free ganache for those unable to consume dairy products.

A good trick to try is to cut the chocolate as finely as possible before you add it to the cream. This will ensure that it melts into the cream quickly. You might find it helpful to check out the wikiHow: How to Shave Chocolate for tips on cutting the chocolate sufficiently fine. Another important aspect is to ensure that the cream has been sufficiently warmed before adding the chocolate pieces, as this will also ensure that the chocolate melts.

Don't replace the cream, as cream has a higher fat content which is needed for ganache to work.

Nothing. The cream is needed for the ganache to turn out right.

No. Your ganache would be too thin and not set.

Heavy whipping cream is the best; it's the only one I use. Makes perfect ganache every time.

Godiva chocolate liqueur is a good one for truffles, but there are so many great flavors.

Add orange zest or orange essence to your ganache. If you just want it to be the color orange, use food coloring.

Overheated chocolate will become hard and unusable. Also if water gets into the mixture it can cause the texture to change irreversibly.

By decreasing the amount of white chocolate added to the ganache, and by reducing the amount of sugar.

You can. Put coconut cream in the fridge and use only the hard white top. Use a kitchen mixer to whip.

White chocolate will produce a liquid ganache; it will probably be runny. If you want to use white chocolate, cool the ganache in a fridge or freezer to thicken it.