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An 8" round cake covered with chocolate ganache frosting. Poured chocolate drips down the sides of the cake and piped chocolate ganache decorations cover the top.

Chocolate Ganache Recipe

An easy to make, versatile chocolate ganache recipe for an 8 inch, 3 layer cake. Can be poured when warm, used at room temperature for a dense filling or frosting, or whipped for an airy texture. 

Course Dessert
Cuisine French
Keyword Chocolate, Ganache
Prep Time 5 minutes
Cook Time 10 minutes
Total Time 15 minutes
Servings 20
Calories 349 kcal
Author Mikel @ Sweet Bytes

Ingredients

  • 35 oz dark chocolate 993 grams
  • 17 oz heavy cream 496 mL

Instructions

Traditional Method

  1. Chop chocolate and place in a large heatproof bowl. 

  2. In small pan, heat heavy cream to near boiling. Careful not to allow full boil, it will overflow.  

  3. Pour heated cream over chocolate and allow to sit for 5 minutes. 

  4. Stir the chocolate mixture slowly, blending cream and chocolate until no chunks of chocolate remain.  If you have trouble getting all bits of chocolate melted, you can microwave the whole mixture for 30 seconds at a time, stirring in between.

  5. Cover with plastic wrap laying directly on the surface of the chocolate to avoid condensation. Cool to desired consistency. 

Microwave Method

  1. Chop chocolate and place in a large heatproof bowl. 

  2. Pour cold cream over chocolate

  3. Microwave for 2 minutes, let rest in microwave for 2 more minutes. Success comes from doing this slowly. Do not let the mixture get too hot too fast. 

  4. Gently swirl cream back and forth in the bowl around the melting chocolate. The cream should start to look like chocolate milk. 

  5. Return to microwave for 1 minute at a time, resting for 2 minutes, and gently stirring and scraping the bowl in between each time until all chocolate is melted and cream is blended into the chocolate. 

  6. Cover with plastic wrap laying directly on the surface of the chocolate to avoid condensation. Cool to desired consistency. 

Recipe Notes

Ganache thickens as it cools. If it gets too cool, microwave for a few seconds to desired consistency. Store at room temperature for several days or in the refrigerator for a week.  Pairs well with Chocolate Cake.