Super Easy Chocolate Ganache

In case you’ve never had ganache before, it’s a silky-smooth, shiny, not-too-sweet layer of chocolate that can be found on cakes, cookies, cupcakes, marshmallows, graham crackers, strawberries, fingers, you know. Just about everything. This recipe is essentially, “equal” parts chocolate and cream.  Measure your cream by volume and your chocolate by weight and you can make any amount you like.  Add a little pat of butter for added richness and sheen.

Easy Chocolate Ganache

• Author: Sara Wells

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Description

Smooth and creamy, decadent chocolate sauce.  This recipe is essentially, “equal” parts chocolate and cream.  Measure your cream by volume and your chocolate by weight and you can make any amount you like.  Add a little pat of butter for added richness and sheen.

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Ingredients

8 oz. (by weight) semi-sweet or dark chocolate

8 oz (by volume, in this case 1 cup) heavy cream

2 teaspoons butter, optional

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Instructions

Place chocolate and butter in a glass or other heat safe bowl.

Heat cream in either the microwave or on the stove top until it’s steaming hot with bubbles around the edges, but not boiling.  Pour over the chocolate and let it sit undisturbed for 3-4 minutes.  Whisk until smooth.

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Notes

The ganache will be thin and pourable when hot, and thicken as it cools, so if it’s a little too thin for you, hang tight and it will be ready pretty quickly. When it’s completely cool, it will be thick and fudgy.  You may cooled ganache and turn it into frosting.  Store in an airtight container. You can reheat it to achieve your desired consistency or add more cream to thin.

What kind of chocolate should I use for chocolate ganache?

The kind of chocolate you choose is a matter of personal taste. Traditionally, ganache is on the slightly bitter side of the spectrum, so the Ganache Mafia might hunt you down if they discover you’ve used milk chocolate in your ganache. My feelings? Yeah, milk chocolate isn’t the traditional choice, but who am I to judge you and your chocolate choices? Chocolate is chocolate. It’s kind of like when my brother had kind of wild hair in high school and I told my parents that if that was the worst thing he was doing, things were in pretty good shape. If your options are milk chocolate or drugs, go for the milk chocolate. Feel validated enough?

What do you mean by equal parts?

What you want is equal parts chocolate and whipping cream. Before someone jumps on me, when I say “equal parts,” I don’t REALLY mean equal parts. You’re wanting, say, 8 oz. liquid (heavy cream) with 8 oz. net weight chocolate chips. So unless you’re going to do 1 1/2 c. heavy cream with a 12-oz. bag of chocolate chips, you’re going to need a kitchen scale.

Anyway, all you need to do is heat up the heavy cream till it’s hot with little bubbles around the edge, but not boiling.  Pour it over your chocolate and let it sit without disturbing for 3-4 minutes and then whisk until smooth.

If the ganache is on the thin side, wait a few minutes and then whisk it up again. It thickens REALLY quickly, so you won’t have to wait too long. When it’s “solid,” it will be more like fudge. You can use the solid form a little more like regular frosting or you can use it in its liquid state to drizzle over chocolate, pound, or angel food cake. It also works great as a fondue–just dip berries, cookies, pieces of cake, marshmallows, etc.

If you don’t use it all at once, you can store the leftovers in an airtight container and just heat it up until your ganache reaches the desired consistency.