This white chocolate cherry ganache has a rich, creamy texture that goes perfectly with all your favorite desserts. Made with white chocolate, heavy cream, and freeze-dried cherries, it has the perfect balance of tart and sweet. It's delicious paired with so many flavors, from lemon to chocolate, and is super easy to make!
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Why You'll Love This Recipe
- Smooth and creamy texture- This ganache sets up into a thick, spreadable consistency from combining rich heavy cream with high-quality white chocolate.
- Made with freeze-dried cherries- Rather than using fresh cherries or cherry juice, this ganache is made with freeze-dried cherries that are blended into a powder. It gives the ganache a natural cherry flavor and vibrant pink color.
- Super versatile- You can drizzle the ganache on ice cream while it's still warm, use it as-is to fill cakes and pastries, or whip it into a fluffy frosting for cakes and cupcakes, including this lemon cherry cake!
For more fruity ganache recipes, try this strawberry ganache or raspberry ganache!
Ingredient Notes
- For the ganache, you can use white chocolate chips or chopped white chocolate bars. A good-quality white chocolate bar will give you the best, smoothest results, but this recipe is flexible. Just avoid super cheap chocolate because it melts unevenly and can leave the ganache feeling greasy.
- I used freeze-dried tart cherries from Trader Joe's, but sweet cherries work too! I personally like adding โ teaspoon of almond extract, vanilla, or Kirsch (cherry liqueur) to enhance their flavor, but it's totally optional.
- Use full-fat heavy whipping cream with at least 36% milk fat for the smoothest, richest ganache. Lower-fat options like half and half won't set up properly and makes the texture thin and soupy.
Note: You can make this recipe with semi-sweet or milk chocolate for that classic chocolate covered cherry flavor, but the ganache will be thicker and better for truffles rather than cake or macaron filling.
For the full list of ingredients and measurements, see the recipe card below.
Expert Baking Tips
- Measure in grams. White chocolate ganache is all about ratios, and even small measurement differences can change the texture. Using a kitchen scale ensures you get consistent results every time!
- Chill until thickened, not rock solid. Refrigerate the ganache until it reaches a thick, peanut butter-like consistency. If it's too cold and firm, let it sit at room temperature briefly before using or whipping.
- For whipped ganache, don't overwhip. Once the ganache lightens in color and becomes fluffy, stop mixing. Overwhipping can make it grainy.
Step by Step Instructions
Step 1: Pour your white chocolate chips into a large bowl. Blend the freeze-dried cherries into a fine powder, then sift it into the bowl through a mesh sieve.
Step 2: Heat the heavy cream in the microwave for 1-2 minutes until it begins to simmer around the edges. Pour the hot cream over the white chocolate and let it sit for 1 minute.
Stir the ingredients together until smooth. It will look clumpy at first but eventually comes together into a thin, creamy sauce. The cherry powder might clump, but we'll take care of that in the next step!
Step 3: Blend the ganache with an immersion blender until the chunks of freeze-dried cherries are totally smooth. You can use a regular blender if you don't have an immersion blender.
Step 4: Place a piece of plastic wrap over the bowl, making sure it touches the surface of the ganache to prevent a skin from forming.
Step 5: Chill the ganache for at least 2 hours or until it thickens to a consistency similar to thick peanut butter. At this point, it's ready to use as a filling. The longer you chill the ganache, the firmer it gets.
Step 6: Once chilled and spreadable, whip the ganache on medium-high speed with a hand mixer to turn it into a light and airy frosting!
Storage
Store the cherry ganache in an airtight container in the refrigerator, or cover the bowl with plastic wrap pressed directly against the surface. It keeps for up to 5 days.
It will firm up quite a bit once chilled, so let it sit at room temperature for about an hour before using to soften.
If needed, you can warm it in the microwave in short 10-second bursts, stirring between each until smooth. Be careful not to overheat it because it might split!
More Ganache Recipes to Try
๐ Recipe
White Chocolate Cherry Ganache
Equipment
- 1 immersion blender or regular blender
- 1 Electric hand mixer for whipping ganache
Need Metric or US Customary Measurements?
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Ingredients
- 315 grams white chocolate chips
- 17 grams freeze-dried cherries
- 200 grams heavy cream
Instructions
- Add the white chocolate chips to a large, heatproof bowl and set aside.315 grams white chocolate chips
- Pulse the freeze-dried cherries in a food processor or blender until they form a very fine powder. Sift the powder through a fine mesh sieve directly over the chocolate to remove any larger bits.17 grams freeze-dried cherries
- Pour the heavy cream into a microwave-safe measuring cup and heat for 60-90 seconds, or until it's steaming and just beginning to bubble around the edges. Do not let it boil.200 grams heavy cream
- Immediately pour the hot cream over the white chocolate and cherry powder. Let the mixture sit undisturbed for 1 minute so the chocolate begins to melt.
- Using a rubber spatula, start mixing in small circles in the center of the bowl, then gradually widen the circles. This helps the ganache emulsify properly. The mixture may look separated or clumpy at first. Just keep stirring gently and it will come together into a smooth, glossy ganache.
- Use an immersion blender to blend the ganache until completely smooth and silky, keeping the blade fully submerged.
- Press a piece of plastic wrap directly against the surface of the ganache to prevent a skin from forming. Refrigerate for 2 hours, or until thickened to the consistency of thick peanut butter. The longer it chills, the firmer it will become.
- At this stage, the ganache can be used as a cake or macaron filling. For a whipped frosting, beat with a hand mixer on medium-high speed for 2-3 minutes, just until lightened in color and fluffy.
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