Classic ganache

Usually ganache has equal weights of chocolate and cream. This will firm up completely in the fridge and you can even use it to roll little balls to make chocolate truffles. You can add a liquor of you choice to flavour it. I have often made ganache with soy cream to get a lactose free version and it works very well. You can make ganache also with white chocolate. I don’t like white chocolate, so I have not tried it. But if you don’t share my aversion to white chocolate you could give that a try.

Ingredients

• 200 g dark chocolate
• 200 g heavy cream (or soy cream)

Directions

1. Chop the chocolate and place in a heat proof bowl.
2. In a saucepan, heat the cream until almost boiling.
3. Pour the hot cream over the chocolate and let sit for 5 to 10 minutes.
4. Stir until completely mixed and you have a shiny thick chocolate sauce.

The ganache will set as you let it cool. If you want to pour it over a cake to get a nice drizzle effect it will reach the correct consistency probably within an hour (keep testing whether the consistency if right). After about 2 hours it will have reached spreading consistency and you can use it to fill and frost a cake.

Whipped ganache

This is a lighter creamier version that is great for filling cakes. I used it in my  carrot layer cake. It has a different chocolate to cream ratio that will result in a softer ganache.

Ingredients

• 200 g dark chocolate
• 400 g heavy cream (or soy cream)

Directions

1. Chop the chocolate and place in a heat proof bowl.
2. In a saucepan, heat the cream until almost boiling.
3. Pour the hot cream over the chocolate and let sit for 5 to 10 minutes.
4. Stir until completely mixed and you have a shiny thick chocolate sauce.
5. Let cool until you have a very thick sort of sauce. This will take about 1.5 hours.
6. Beat with an electric mixer until thick and airy. You can place it in the fridge to let it set a bit more before frosting.