Chocolate Ganache for Drips, Glazes and Whipped Frosting

• Prep15 min
• Cook8 min
• Total1 h 55 min
• Serves24

Ingredients

• 400 g dark chocolate, 60 to 70% cacao, in pieces (bars or good-quality chips)
• 400 g heavy cream (1 2/3 cups)
• 1 pinch salt

Instructions

1. Place the chocolate pieces in the clean, dry mixing bowl and chop 10 sec/speed 8. Scrape down the sides and chop 5 sec/speed 8 more, until it looks like coarse sand. Small, even pieces melt at a low temperature without leaving lumps.
2. Add the cream and salt and melt 6 min/50°C (122°F)/speed 2, until smooth and glossy. Keeping it at 50°C (122°F) protects the chocolate: any hotter and the cocoa butter separates and the ganache turns oily.
3. If a few lumps remain, melt 1 min/50°C (122°F)/speed 2 more instead of raising the heat. If it looks oily or grainy, add 30 g (2 tbsp) milk and mix 30 sec/speed 4: that little bit of liquid pulls the emulsion back together.
4. For a glaze or drips: pour the ganache into a jug and let it cool 15 to 20 minutes, until lukewarm, about 32°C (90°F), slightly thicker but still pourable. Test one drip on the side of a cold frosted cake: if it runs to the bottom, wait 5 minutes; if it barely moves, warm it 10 seconds in the microwave. Pour it over the top or drip it from a spoon around the edge.
5. For whipped ganache frosting: pour it into a shallow dish, press plastic wrap onto the surface and refrigerate 1 to 1 1/2 hours, stirring every 20 minutes, until cold and thick like soft peanut butter but not hard. As it cools, the cocoa butter sets, and that is what holds the air when you whip it.
6. Scrape the chilled ganache back into the mixing bowl (no need to wash it), insert the butterfly whisk and whip 30 sec/speed 3.5, watching through the lid opening. Stop when it turns a lighter brown and holds soft peaks; if it needs more, whip 10 sec/speed 3.5 at a time. Overwhipped ganache turns stiff and grainy, and it keeps firming as it sits.
7. Spoon it right away into a piping bag with a large open star tip and pipe swirls on completely cool cupcakes. If it gets too firm in the bag, warm the bag in your hands for a minute.

Tips

• Milk and white chocolate have fewer cocoa solids, so they set softer and need less cream. For drips, glazes and whipping, use 300 g milk chocolate with 200 g cream (1.5:1), or 300 g white chocolate with 150 g cream (2:1). For truffles and firm fillings, use 250 g milk chocolate with 100 g cream (2.5:1), or 300 g white chocolate with 100 g cream (3:1). Melt them the same way, at 50°C (122°F), since they scorch more easily than dark chocolate.
• For dark chocolate truffles or a firm cake filling (2:1), melt 400 g chocolate with 200 g cream the same way and refrigerate 2 to 3 hours, until firm. Then scoop small balls, roll them between your palms and coat them in cocoa powder, chopped nuts or sprinkles.
• For flavor, add 1 tsp instant espresso powder, 1 tsp vanilla, 1/2 tsp ground cinnamon or the finely grated zest of 1 orange with the cream in step 2. For colored drips, make white chocolate ganache and tint it with gel colors: because ganache already contains cream, the gel blends in without making the chocolate seize.
• Ganache keeps 1 week covered in the fridge or 3 months in the freezer. To make it pourable again, warm it in the mixing bowl 3 min/50°C (122°F)/speed 2, adding 1 minute at a time if needed. Cupcakes with whipped ganache keep 2 days covered in a cool room, or 4 days in the fridge.