This white chocolate ganache glaze is basically a ganache that is pourable in order to give cakes a nice coating and sheen. Consider glazing your favourite cake with this delectable white chocolate glaze or using my White Chocolate Macadamia Cake as a base instead.
What is Chocolate Ganache?
Chocolate ganache is a simple mixture of chocolate and heavy cream, that combines into a smooth mixture. People can use ganache to form truffles, glaze cakes, fill baked goods, make sauces, frost cakes, and more. The reason this combination can be so versatile is that you can use different ratios of chocolate and cream so that the ganache sets up differently.
Sometimes ganache recipes will include corn syrup as one of its ingredients in order to add some shine and sweetness. While you may like to add granulated sugars to a ganache for sweetness, corn syrup is preferred because it won't add a granular texture to a ganache.
Does Ganache Harden at Room Temperature?
A ganache sits at room temperature, it will gradually thicken and solidify. However, if you would like it to be firm enough to form truffles, you will need to chill it in the refrigerator so that the truffles are easy to shape.
Substitutions for White Chocolate
While this white chocolate glaze uses white chocolate, you could replace it with another chocolate if you like. Dark chocolate and semi-sweet chocolate are both wonderful for coating chocolate cakes and will create delicious glazes, perfect for coating cakes.
How to Make White Chocolate Ganache Glaze
Making this white chocolate ganache glaze is incredibly easy. The first step will be choosing the white chocolate you will use. While you could use white chocolate chips, good quality baking chocolate is the best option as it tends to have a better flavour and is a true form of chocolate compared with white chocolate. White chocolate in bar form contains cocoa butter whereas chocolate chips tend to include palm oil instead, resulting in them not being a true form of chocolate.
1. Once you have your white chocolate, chop it into small pieces and place it into a large bowl that is heatproof.
2. Next, you bring 1 cup of heavy cream to a simmer in a small saucepan.
3. Pour it over the chocolate. The heat from the cream will help the chocolate melt.
4. At this point, you can simply cover the bowl with a plate and allow it to sit until the chocolate has melted, about 5 minutes.
5. Then whisk or stir the mixture until all chunks of chocolate dissolve into smooth consistency. Alternatively, you can also place the ganache over a double boiler set over low heat, and whisk it until the white chocolate melts completely.
6. The ganache should cool slightly before you glaze your cake. However, it should still be a pourable consistency so that it will coat your cake in a smooth and shiny exterior layer.
How to Colour White Chocolate Ganache Glaze
Once you have made your chocolate ganache glaze, you can colour it if you like. To do so, I recommend that you colour it with gel food colouring, as this will allow you the most vibrant colour. Simply add a little at a time, whisking until you have a smooth mixture and have the colour you desire. Then, you can allow the ganache to cool slightly before glazing your cake.
How to Glaze a Cake with White Chocolate Ganache Glaze
Once your glaze has cooled slightly, you will be ready to coat your cake in that luscious white chocolate mixture. I like to start with a parchment-lined baking sheet that has a wire rack on top. This will allow you to catch any glaze that drips down the cake and make for easier clean-up. Then, place your cake (removed from the pan) on top of the wire rack. If you are using my White Chocolate Macadamia Cake recipe, at this point, it will be chilled and with a frosting of buttercream. However, if you are coating something like a mousse cake, you will have a significantly different cake to coat, but the process will be the same.
Simply pour the glaze over the cake, ensuring that it runs evenly over the top and at the sides. You can use a palette knife to help guide the glaze so that it covers the cake in its entirety too and smooth out the top if needed. Next, you can refrigerate it until set. However, if you would like to add a garnish, such as sprinkles or nuts like almonds before refrigerating the cake, you can add them at this point. The cake should be allowed to sit for at least a ½ hour to 1 hour until set. To serve the cake, it is best to slice it with a hot knife to achieve clean slices.
Other Chocolate Recipes You'll Love:
Recipe
White Chocolate Ganache Glaze
Ingredients
- 226 g white chocolate (8 ounces) good quality baking chocolate is better than chocolate chips here
- 1 cup heavy cream also called whipping cream
Instructions
- For the ganache glaze, chop white chocolate into small pieces and place in a medium bowl. Set aside. Bring heavy cream to a simmer, remove from heat and pour over white chocolate pieces. Cover with a plate and let the mixture sit for 5 minutes, then carefully stir until a smooth ganache forms.*
- Let ganache cool until it is no longer warm to the touch (84°F/28°C) but still is pourable and hasn’t hardened.
- For covering a cake in ganache glaze, place a wire rack on a baking sheet. Put the buttercream frosted, chilled cake on the rack. This way excess ganache will drip onto the baking sheet and can be reused. Pour the white chocolate ganache glaze onto the chilled cake and let it also run down to cover the sides. Use an angled spatula to smooth out the top
- Let the cake sit for just a minute and scrape excess drip from the bottom edge, then move the cake (and rack) to the fridge to let it firm up. Store the cake in the fridge until ½ to 1 hour before serving. The ganache will be easier to cut with a hot knife.
Notes
Nutrition
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Random Questions
It's a mixture of white chocolate and cream, creating a glossy, pourable coating for cakes.
Use gel food coloring for vibrant hues. Add gradually, whisking until desired color is achieved.
White chocolate and heavy cream form the base of this delectable glaze.
Ensure a balanced ratio of chocolate to cream. Too much cream can hinder the setting process.
JD
This was a mess of a glaze that didn’t set a bit. Followed instructions exactly and it was just liquid disaster. Nothing to do with ganache. Texture and taste very similar to condensed milk.picture must have been taken at the time of pouring because no way the result looked like it, it all drips down, doesn’t stay on the sides.
Jennifer @ Leelalicious
Hi JD! I'm sorry this recipe didn't meet your expectations. You may have needed to allow the glaze to cool for longer which would have resulted in it being a thicker consistency so it wouldn't run off the cake. I also recommend using a high-quality white chocolate as some varieties don't include enough cocoa butter which helps with the set.
Sean
I think the ratios are off. I made this, and it never set. After looking at other recipes, the consensus is a 2:1 ratio of chocolate to cream, where as this is 1:1. It’s more of a glaze than an actual ganache, so the recipe is more of a misnomer
Regina | Leelalicious
This recipe is indeed for a glaze. I call it ganache glaze because unlike other types of glazes it doesn't have gelatin or other thickeners, just cream and chocolate like a ganache. And you are correct that typical ganache is a 2:1 chocolate to cream ratio. And you can pour that regular 2:1 ganache like a glaze while it is still a little warm. However, then you run the risk of melting the buttercream icing underneath, if using it on a cake for example. So this ganache glaze recipe is in a 1:1 ratio so that it is still pourable even when cooled to a point that it doesn't melt buttercream. It isn't as thick and doesn't set as hard as 2:1 ratio ganache, but with quality white chocolate it will still make a nice glaze coating.
Kandi
Hi , I just made this ganache. Poured it over my chilled caked and put it back in refrigeration for 2 hours. It has still not firmed up. Followed the directions to a T . Any thoughts?
Jennifer @ Leelalicious
Hi Kandi, thanks for your question! Usually, if a ganache doesn't set, the ratio of chocolate to fluid is the issue, but since you mentioned you followed the recipe exactly, I'm wondering if there could be an issue with the white chocolate you used. Some products might be labeled white chocolate but not contain any cocoa butter, such as white coating wafers. As a result, that type of confectionary would be unlikely to set this ganache properly. It could also be that you chose white chocolate that has a lower quantity of cocoa butter in it. I recommend using high-quality white chocolate such as Lindt in this recipe.
Kandi
Hi , and thank you for your reply. I did use Lindt white chocolate bars. Best I could find. I am gonna make another cake this coming week , and will try using 1/2 the heavy cream. I’ll let you know how it turns out.
Jennifer @ Leelalicious
Ok, thank you so much, Kandi!
Katherine
Can this be whipped to pipe on cupcakes please ?
Thanks
Jennifer @ Leelalicious
The component of heavy cream should allow you whip up the glaze so you can use it as a frosting. You would just have to let the glaze cool in the fridge to solidify before whipping it.