Custards, creams & meringues
ganache
ganache · A stable emulsion of hot cream into chopped chocolate, forming a smooth, glossy paste of extraordinary richness. The cream's milk fat and water phase disperse into the cocoa butter matrix of the chocolate, held together by the lecithin already present in couverture and by the mechanical agitation of stirring. Ganache is not a custard — it contains no eggs — and not a simple melt — it is a true emulsion that can be pourable, spreadable, or firm depending on the chocolate-to-cream ratio and the ambient temperature. It is the foundational chocolate component from which truffles, glazes, saucings, and decorations are built.
The formula
2 : 1 by weight (chocolate : cream)
The master ratio. 200 g couverture to 100 g heavy cream (35% fat minimum) yields approximately 290 g finished ganache — enough for a 20-cm cake glaze or 18–22 truffles. Ratios above 3:1 produce firm, sliceable ganache for truffles; below 1:1 it becomes a pourable sauce or glaze. This 2:1 ratio is the classical pivot point of French pastry.
Identity
- A true emulsion — cream droplets dispersed in cocoa butter, not a simple melt
- Must be made with couverture or high-quality chocolate containing cocoa butter, not compound coating
- The cream must be brought to a boil — scalding alone is insufficient to properly rupture the chocolate particle structure and enable emulsification
- The mixture must rest (3–5 minutes) after cream is added and before stirring begins, allowing heat to melt all the chocolate uniformly before agitation
- Must be stirred from the centre outward in an expanding circular motion — this mechanical action creates the emulsion
Ingredients
| Base | Dark couverture (minimum 54% cocoa solids, ideally 66–72%) | The cocoa butter in couverture carries the emulsion. Compound chocolate (cocoa butter substitutes) will not behave correctly. The higher the cocoa percentage, the richer and less sweet the ganache. |
| Liquid | Heavy cream (minimum 35% milk fat) | Fat content is non-negotiable. Lower-fat cream produces a loose, greasy emulsion that separates. UHT cream is acceptable; ultra-pasteurized cream whips differently but the ganache itself behaves correctly. |
| Fat | Unsalted butter (optional, added after ganache cools to < 35 °C) | Classical but not essential. 10–20 g butter per 100 g ganache improves gloss, shelf life, and mouthfeel. Omit for pure chocolate flavour or dietary reasons. |
Method
- 1Chop the couverture finely (3–5 mm pieces) and place in a clean, dry bowl. The finer the chop, the more uniform the melt and the faster the emulsion forms.Chocolate melts from the outside inward. Large pieces melt unevenly, and partially melted chocolate is difficult to emulsify cleanly. A fine chop also prevents lumps that cannot be stirred out.
- 2Bring the cream to a full rolling boil in a heavy saucepan. Immediately pour the boiling cream over the chopped chocolate in a single pour.Boiling (not merely scalding at 85–90 °C) ensures the cream reaches a temperature sufficient to fully melt the cocoa butter and rupture the surface tension of the chocolate particles, enabling emulsification. The temperature also sanitises the mixture and contributes to shelf stability.
- 3Cover the bowl and allow to rest undisturbed for 3–5 minutes. Do not stir yet.The resting period allows the heat of the cream to melt all chocolate pieces uniformly before agitation begins. Stirring prematurely — when only partial melting has occurred — produces grainy, lumpy ganache that cannot be corrected.
- 4Begin stirring from the centre outward in a slow, steady circular motion. Gradually expand the circle until the entire mixture is unified into a glossy, fluid paste. If adding butter, fold it in now while temperature is above 30 °C.The centre-to-edge stirring concentrates shear force at the point of contact, breaking cream droplets into smaller fat globules that coat and suspend the cocoa particles. This is the mechanical emulsification step. Rushing this step or stirring erratically creates an uneven emulsion prone to breaking.
- 5Strain through a fine-mesh sieve to remove any unmelted fragments or foreign matter. Cover the surface directly with plastic wrap (pressing it against the ganache) to prevent a skin from forming. Cool to room temperature before use, then refrigerate if storing.Straining ensures a perfectly smooth texture. Direct contact with plastic prevents condensation from forming on the surface — moisture is the enemy of finished ganache. Cooling at room temperature prevents thermal shock that can cause the emulsion to break.
Techniques that matter
Emulsification
Ratio scaling
Seize-proofing
Variations & derivatives
Ganache montée (whipped ganache)France
Ganache is cooled to 4–6 °C and whipped like cream before setting. Classic ratio for fillings and mousses: 3 : 1 or 4 : 1 chocolate to cream. The higher concentration of cocoa butter firms the ganache enough to hold air.
Glace au chocolat (1 : 1 ratio)France
Equal parts chocolate and cream by weight produces a pourable, fluid ganache used as a cake glaze or sauce. This is the canonical formula for a pourable glaze — loose enough to pour, thick enough to cling. Add 10% glucose syrup for a shinier, more fluid result.
Pâte à truffe (3 : 1 ratio)France
Three parts chocolate to one part cream yields a firm, sliceable paste rolled into balls for coating in cocoa, nuts, or metallic dust. This is the canonical truffle base.
Ganache with aromaticsuniversal
In fusions and flavour infusions, the cream is simmered with vanilla pods, Earl Grey leaves, jasmine, coffee, or spices for 15 minutes, strained, reboiled, and then poured over chocolate. The fat carries fat-soluble aromatic compounds; water-soluble compounds are carried in the aqueous cream phase.
Milk ganacheFrance
Substitute heavy cream with whole milk for a lighter, softer ganache. The lower fat content produces a looser emulsion that may require slightly more chocolate to achieve the same firmness.
White chocolate ganacheuniversal
Made with white couverture (no cocoa solids, only cocoa butter) and the same 2:1 ratio. White chocolate has no tannins to balance sweetness, so cream is often reduced slightly or a pinch of fleur de sel is added. Used for fillings, bonbons, and decorative work.
Used in these dishes
Substitutions
- Heavy cream (35% fat) → Coconut cream — Coconut cream produces a stable ganache with tropical notes. Use within 2–3 days for best flavour; the coconut fat can go rancid. Works for dairy-free applications but the mouthfeel differs noticeably.
- Dark couverture → Milk chocolate — Milk chocolate contains added milk powder and more sugar, reducing cocoa butter concentration. Reduce cream slightly (170 g cream per 200 g milk chocolate) or the ganache will be too soft. Flavour intensity drops significantly.changes result
- Heavy cream → Water — Do not. Water does not provide the fat phase necessary for emulsification. Adding water to chocolate produces seized, gritty paste, not ganache. Even boiling water poured over chocolate will seize it.changes result
Troubleshooting
Grainy, gritty texture with visible unmelted particles
Chocolate was not fully melted before or during stirring. Insufficient resting time, insufficient heat, or poor-quality chocolate with incompatible cocoa butter. → Reheat the ganache gently in a bain-marie to 40–45 °C, stirring until smooth. Strain through a fine-mesh sieve. If particles persist, pass through a tamis.
Ganache is too thick to pour or spread
Too much chocolate relative to cream, or the ganache has cooled below its working temperature (cocoa butter crystallises and hardens below 20 °C). → Add warm cream (40–50 °C) gradually, stirring until desired consistency is reached. Alternatively, reheat briefly over a bain-marie.
Ganache is too thin and will not set
Insufficient chocolate — the cocoa butter phase is overwhelmed by the cream's aqueous phase. Also caused by using low-fat cream or failing to bring cream to a boil (incomplete emulsification). → Add finely chopped chocolate in small increments, stirring to incorporate fully before adding more, until the emulsion thickens to the desired consistency.
Ganache separates (oil pools on the surface, greasy texture)
The emulsion has broken — cocoa butter and milk fat have separated. Usually caused by excessive heat after formation, stirring too vigorously after the emulsion set, or insufficient cocoa butter in the chocolate (poor-quality couverture). → Reheat gently to 45 °C and whisk briskly to re-emulsify. If this fails, the ganache is salvageable as a sauce by whisking in 1–2 egg yolks over a bain-marie and continuing as a chocolate crème anglaise base.