Chocolate and sweet cream

Chocolate and sweet cream go hand in hand and are an indispensable combination for desserts. They are the two basic ingredients you need to make a really tasty cake, slice, topping or dessert in a glass. With just these two ingredients you can make a heavenly good chocolate cream. If you wish, you can also combine them with other ingredients to enhance and enrich their flavour.

Chocolate ganache

First, a little history. Ganache, or crème ganache, was originally a kind of chocolate truffle, first documented in France in 1869. It was named after Victorien Sardou''s popular comedy, Les Ganaches.

If you like to make desserts, then you must have come across ganache, as it is one of the basics of confectionery. It is indispensable for cakes, slices, desserts in a jar, pralines, cupcakes and other confectionery. One of its advantages is that it is absolutely simple to prepare and can be taken up by beginners, since success is almost guaranteed if the instructions are followed.

All you have to do is chop the chocolate coarsely, pour the hot sweet cream over it, wait a minute or two and stir until you have a uniform mixture. It is even better if you use chocolate that is in the form of chocolate drops. This is the case with all BAM chocolate, which you can find in the Mojačokolada.si online shop. The advantage of chocolate drops is that they melt very quickly. This makes it easier to prepare, as there is less chance of the cream becoming lumpy.

However, for a perfect ganache that is beautifully smooth and shiny, a few additional tips should be followed. When we make ganache, we are making an emulsion, i.e. we are mixing ingredients that are not compatible with each other. If you are interested in how to make the perfect one, then read on, as we will reveal the recipe later in this post.

Recipe for the perfect chocolate ganache

1. Put the cream in a small saucepan and heat it to 90 degrees. Make sure it doesn''t boil, as this will damage the proteins in it.
2. Next, add half of the hot cream to the chocolate drops, wait a little and stir with a spatula.
3. Then add the other half and stir vigorously with the whisk until all the chocolate is melted and the mixture is smooth and glossy.
4. If desired, butter can also be added to enrich the flavour.

This ganache can be used immediately as a topping for cakes, slices and other confectionery. Alternatively, it can be refrigerated for several hours, preferably overnight, and whipped into a smooth cream the next day. This way you get a beautiful cream that is perfect for filling cakes, jars, for drizzling on top of cupcakes or for various decorations and frostings.

Storage: Ganache can be kept in the fridge for up to 48 hours.

Dark or white chocolate

When making dark or white chocolate ganache, care must be taken with the proportions, as they vary. Use a 2:1 ratio for dark ganache and a 3:1 ratio for white ganache. In both cases, there is a higher proportion of chocolate than cream. White and milk chocolate contain much more milk than dark chocolate, so a white chocolate ganache would be much softer with a 2:1 ratio. Therefore, when using milk or white chocolate, add a smaller amount of cream than you would add to dark chocolate.

Cream to chocolate ratio

The ratio of chocolate to cream can always be adjusted depending on where and how the cream is to be used. If you want to use a dark chocolate cream for a drizzle or a coating, then use a ratio of 1:1. With the splash cream, we have to be careful that the ganache is quite stiff when we take it out of the fridge. It is best to leave it at room temperature for at least 10-15 minutes before putting it in the decorating bag.

If you want to decorate cupcakes or fill macaroons and pralines with ganache, then you can use a 2:1 ratio, i.e. twice as much chocolate as cream. This ganache should be put in the fridge overnight to set and whipped the next day to make it completely creamy and ready for piping. Before whipping, it should be left at room temperature for at least 15 minutes to soften a little.

A ratio of 1:2, i.e. twice as much cream as chocolate, is suitable as a topping for ice cream or for dipping fruit if you don''t have chocolate suitable for fondue.

Combination with other ingredients

As mentioned above, ganache is a great base for different types of custards. It can be added to fruit purees, peanut butter, enriched with rum, various liqueurs, herbs, extracts... You can also add a little salt to enhance the exquisite taste of the chocolate. However, be aware that adding other ingredients changes the texture of the ganache, so the amount of cream and chocolate should be adjusted if necessary.

One of the options for a fine chocolate cream is to make a dark chocolate ganache in a 3:1 ratio, i.e. three parts chocolate to one part sweet cream. Once all the chocolate has melted and cooled to lukewarm, add 300-400 ml of whipped sweet cream, which must be stirred in gently with a silicone spatula. This cream will be light and airy and very similar to chocolate mousse cream.

The best chocolates for ganache

In addition to the dark, milk and white chocolates already mentioned, ganache can also be made with chocolates of different flavours:

• BAM Strawberry Chocolate: impresses with its delicate pink colour and sweet strawberry aroma.
• BAM Honey Chocolate: milk chocolate with the addition of natural honey. The result is a divine chocolate with a milky, creamy and caramelly taste and a pleasantly sweet honey flavour.
• BAM Ruby chocolate: a special variety of cocoa beans, which have a natural pink colour, gives it a beautiful pink colour. The chocolate contains no colourings or flavourings and has a fruity and sour taste.
• BAM Orange Chocolate: white chocolate with added orange flavour.
• BAM GOLD, golden chocolate: premium white chocolate with caramel and caramelised milk. It has an intense caramel flavour with rich notes of toffee, butter, cream and a slight hint of salt.

The advantage of flavoured chocolates is that we do not need to add any additives to the ganache to achieve a different, richer taste. As the chocolates are already coloured, there is also no need to add colouring, which is another added advantage of these chocolates. The same ratio is used for the above-mentioned chocolates as for white chocolate, i.e. 3:1 (the higher the proportion of chocolate).