My Favourite Chocolate Ganache Recipe — The Two-Ingredient Secret Weapon Every Baker Needs

My Favourite Chocolate Ganache Recipe — The Two-Ingredient Secret Weapon Every Baker Needs

Ganache is one of those best-kept secrets in baking that seriously should not be a secret. 

It's a two-ingredient wonder — heated and stirred until it's silky, smooth, and a beautifully rich, glossy colour. It's quick, it's easy, and it is uniquely versatile. We're talking layering between cake layers, covering cakes and cupcakes, drizzling over donuts, using as a dipping sauce for strawberries or churros, pouring over brownies and ice cream, or even dressing your Christmas pavlova. The list is genuinely endless.

Chocolate ganache should not be a secret — it should be in every household's baking arsenal. And after today, it will be in yours.

What Chocolate to Use

I know there are lots of recipes that tell you to use specific chocolate chips or a particular type of chocolate. Honestly? I've never had a problem with any chocolate I've used — I just tend to use one I love. For this recipe I used Nestlé Milk Chocolate and regular pouring cream.

The one thing I will say: chocolate chips and compound chocolate don't always melt as thoroughly as a good quality slab chocolate. If that happens, don't panic — just give it a quick blitz with a hand blender, being careful not to incorporate too many bubbles.

The Recipe — 2:1 Ratio

I always keep it simple with a 2:1 ratio — 2 parts chocolate to 1 part cream. This gives you a rich, thick ganache that's perfect for most uses.

For a basic batch (enough to cover a large bundt cake):

• 80g pouring cream
• 160g good quality chocolate, chopped into small pieces

Method

1. Warm your heatproof bowl in the microwave for a few seconds (don't ask why — this is just how I've always done it!).
2. Add the cream to the warm bowl and heat in the microwave for about 1 minute until warm but not boiling.
3. Add your chopped chocolate (or chocolate chips) to the warm cream.
4. Let it sit for 30 seconds — the warm cream will start melting the chocolate.
5. Begin stirring slowly and gently. Be careful not to stir vigorously or you'll incorporate bubbles. It will come together — keep going!
6. Before you know it, the chocolate and cream will have combined into a smooth, glossy ganache.
7. Let it cool before using. For cakes and cupcakes, I like to wait until it reaches a peanut butter consistency — thick enough to hold its shape but still pourable and spreadable.

Tips & Tricks

• Chop your chocolate into smaller pieces before adding — this helps it melt more evenly and quickly.
• Let the chocolate and warm cream sit for a full 30 seconds before stirring — the cream does a lot of the work for you.
• If your chocolate doesn't melt fully, give it a quick blitz with a hand blender, being careful not to create bubbles.
• Cool the ganache considerably before piping onto cakes or cupcakes — if it's too warm it will run right off.
• For a thinner ganache (great for drizzling over brownies or ice cream), use a 1:1 ratio instead.

What to Use It On

• Cakes and layer cakes
• Cupcakes
• Donuts
• Brownies (pour it straight over the top — incredible)
• Ice cream
• Christmas pavlova
• As a dipping sauce for strawberries, churros, or sugar cookies
• Literally anything that needs chocolate 

The Bundt Cake

The chocolate bundt cake pictured was made using our Vanilla Cake & Cupcake Baking Mix — the very same mix that comes in our Cake Kit. It bakes up beautifully in a bundt tin and pairs perfectly with this ganache poured generously over the top.

Grab the Flour and Dough Vanilla Cake & Cupcake Baking Mix from our online store and give it a go — delivered anywhere in New Zealand and Australia.