The Easiest Chocolate Ganache Tastes Like Heaven And Only Requires 2 Ingredients

Ganache may be difficult to spell, but making a batch of the chocolatey mixture doesn't have to be. A smooth, creamy upgrade for countless desserts, the luxurious French baking staple can come together with just two ingredients, one of which — as you may have already guessed — is chocolate. You can use any type you like, though it's most common to use either dark or semisweet, as both produce an intense chocolate flavor. Heavy cream is the second part of this perfect union, adding richness to ganache and giving it a soft texture.

The amount of each ingredient you need for ganache varies depending on what type of chocolate you're using and what the ganache itself is being used for, but the process of making it remains largely the same. First, heat your cream on the stove, then pour it over the chocolate. Allow the mixture to sit for a few minutes so the chocolate starts to melt, then whisk the ingredients together until the mixture has become a dark, smooth liquid.

In this form, the ganache can be used as a glaze for ice cream or pastries. After a little time in the refrigerator, however, the mixture will thicken up and can be used as a frosting or filling. You can even transform it into candies, like our dark chocolate ganache truffles.

Gathering the two ingredients needed to make a heavenly ganache is fairly simple. Determining how much chocolate and heavy cream are needed for the mixture, however, is a bit more complicated. As we've said, the amount of chocolate and heavy cream you use depends on what you're using the ganache for. To make a soft, silky spread that can be used as a frosting, for example, use a 1-to-1 ratio of ingredients by weight. Here's a simple trick for a thicker, fudgier ganache that can be turned into truffles: Just up the amount of chocolate so you instead have a 2-to-1 ratio. Conversely, mix 1 part chocolate and 2 parts cream to create a runnier, more pourable ganache that you can use as a glaze.

Finding the right chocolate-to-cream ratio for your ganache also depends on the type of chocolate you're using. Because sugar liquifies when it's heated, you'll want to use less cream when making a ganache with chocolate that has a high sugar content (such as white chocolate); this will prevent the mixture from coming out too thin. In this case, a white chocolate-to-cream ratio of 2-to-1 is fine, while a 1-to-1 ratio can be used when making a dark chocolate ganache because it contains less sugar. The sugar content of milk chocolate falls between the other two, so if you're making a milk chocolate ganache, try using a 1.5-to-1 chocolate-to-cream ratio.