Today I’m sharing a super easy, fabulously delicious two-ingredient ganache drip recipe!
Ganache sounds so sophisticated and fancy, doesn’t it? Before I became a “cake lady”, I never would have guessed how simple it is to make. Really, this ganache drip recipe has just two ingredients!
Beautiful drip cakes continue to be hugely popular and thankfully, this cake trend is surprisingly easy to achieve no matter what your level of cake decorating! The two ingredients that we’re working with are heavy cream and dark chocolate.
Since we are making a glaze suitable for a beautiful decorative drip, I’m going with a 1:1 ratio of chocolate to cream. This will give us an easily pourable (and drip-able) consistency.
If we needed a spreadable ganache frosting, I would use a 2:1 ratio of chocolate to cream for a semi-sweet or dark chocolate ganache.
Note that White Chocolate and Milk Chocolate play by different rules!
- When creating a white chocolate or milk chocolate ganache drip, you’ll want to increase your ratio of chocolate to cream. Otherwise, the resulting ganache will likely be too soft and runny. For a ganache drip, increase the ratio to 3:1. (This is the ratio that we used in our pastel Reverse Drip Cake video tutorial from our member section.)
Let’s get started!
Here are our key players: heavy cream, chocolate, and a scale. You’ll want equal amounts of chocolate and cream by weight.
This basic recipe calls for 10 oz (283 g) chocolate & 10 oz (283 g) heavy cream. This will give us plenty for a ganache drip around the sides of a cake as well as the top, plus a bit of leftover for glazing cake layers, a whipped ganache filling, or a little chocolatey snack ;0)
If you only need enough ganache to cover the top of a cake plus a ganache drip, you could get away with using 8 oz. of chocolate to 8 oz cream, but I’m always happy to have a little leftover!
My favorite way to make this simple ganache is in the microwave.
Simply pour the cream over a bowl of your chocolate, and microwave for about 1 minute.
*We used 10 oz chocolate and 10 oz cream. If you are using smaller amounts, you will not need to microwave this long.
Give it a stir. It’s getting melty but still needs more time!
After 30 more seconds in the microwave, the chocolate pieces had almost melted. I allowed it to sit for a minute before stirring so that it could melt a bit more.
I always try to stir by keeping my spoon beneath the surface of the ganache so that I won’t create too many air bubbles.
Almost ready! Just needs a bit more stirring.
Before you know it, with a bit of stirring the cream and chocolate mixture will suddenly transform into a luscious, silky smooth ganache!
The consistency is perfect for a ganache drip while still warm, and it is also perfect for glazing cupcakes.
As it sits, it will set up a bit but will remain soft. If it cools off before you have a chance to decorate your cake, simply reheat it in small increments until it’s reached the desired consistency.
We hope that you enjoy this sinfully delicious, EASY ganache! It’s always a crowd pleaser and is so beautiful when dripped and drizzled over cakes and cupcakes. Nobody has to know how easy it is to make, it’ll be our little secret!
Here’s a peek at this lovely ganache drip in action…
In the photo below, I’ve filled a disposable piping bag with our ganache and snipped the tip away so that the drip can easily be piped. If the ganache drip is warm, it should flow easily and fairly quickly. Apply slight pressure to create long drips as you work your way around the cake.
A cake turntable is optional, but helpful for rotating the cake as you work.
This ganache drip recipe also be transformed into a delightful whipped ganache! After making the ganache, press plastic wrap on ganache (to prevent skin from forming) and then chill in the refrigerator until thickened (but not firm). This may take up to an hour.
Check often so that it doesn’t become firm. Then whip with a hand mixer or whisk attachment until color lightens and consistency is fluffy. Do not over beat. Over beating will cause graininess.
Whipped ganache makes a wonderful filling for cakes and cupcakes, and I love to swirl it onto cupcakes also! Delicious!
Hop on over to find our amazing scratch Oreo Cake recipe, featuring this simple and easy ganache drip! SO good!: Scratch Oreo Cake Recipe
Finally, here’s our Ganache Drip in action! We created a quick minute-video when we decorated our DELICIOUS Mint Chocolate Chip Cake so that you could see how easily a ganache drip can be applied to a cake by just loading it into a piping bag, snipping away the tip, and giving it a whirl on the turntable! Oh the drama!
Ganache Drip Recipe
Ingredients
- 10 oz. (283g) Chocolate (Semi-sweet or Dark) We used Ghirardelli
- 10 oz. (283g) Heavy Cream
Directions
- Place your chocolate into a microwave safe bowl.
- Pour heavy cream over the chocolate and place in the microwave for 1 minute. (Times may vary, see our note below).
- Remove and stir. Microwave for 30 seconds more and when the chocolate has melted almost completely, allow it to sit for 1 minute more before stirring. Stir until you've reached a silky smooth consistency.
- *Microwave times may vary. If you are making a smaller amount of ganache, you will reduce the microwave time. If your chocolate hasn't melted after the 1 1/2 minutes recommended in the instructions, simply microwave in small 10-15 second increments until it has nearly completely melted. Let sit one minute, then stir until smooth.
Thanks for stopping by! Don’t forget to check out our full collection of FAVORITE cake and frosting recipes in our Recipes Section! As well as our ever-growing collection of free cake decorating tutorials in our Free Cake Tutorials Section!
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Excellent article, thank you for sharing it. Can I add sugar powder for thickening ganache?
Hi Panna, You probably won’t need to add powdered sugar. When ganache is first made it is pourable. As it cools to room temperature it begins to thicken, at this time you can whip it with your mixed and it will lighten in color and become fluffy. If you want to add powdered sugar. Allow ganache to cool about 2 hours. Sift the powdered sugar before adding. The powdered sugar will add sweetness to the ganache and lighten the color.