White chocolate ganache is a luscious and creamy alternative to traditional buttercream, perfect for frosting and drip cakes. Its silky smooth texture and delicate sweetness elevates any dessert. Plus, it's super easy to make with just 2 ingredients, making it a go-to choice for both novice and experienced bakers.
White chocolate ganache is such a great alternative to buttercream. It's more stable (great for Summer cake recipes!) and less sweet, but it still has a creamy texture and great vanilla flavor.
This ganache is made with just 2 ingredients, white chocolate and heavy whipping cream. White chocolate can be challenging to work with since it isn't true chocolate. It's made with sugar, cocoa butter, milk, and vanilla.
There aren't any cocoa solids for stability, so my recipe uses more chocolate and less cream for the best texture!
Like my strawberry ganache, raspberry white chocolate ganache, and salted caramel ganache, this ganache starts soft and liquidy and firms up as it cools.
You can use it as a glaze or for drip cakes when it's warm, or wait for it to cool to use as an icing. It's delicious on this chocolate ganache cake, sandwiched between cookies, or spread on top of white chocolate cupcakes or brownies with white chocolate chips!
Jump to:
- Why You'll Love This Recipe
- Ingredient Notes
- Substitutions and Variations
- Ganache Ratio
- How to Make White Chocolate Ganache
- Expert Tips for Success
- How to Use
- How to Decorate Cakes with White Chocolate Ganache
- How to Use for Drip Cakes
- Storage and Freezing
- Frequently Asked Questions
- More Frosting Recipes to Try
- ๐ Recipe
- ๐ฌ Comments
Why You'll Love This Recipe
- This white chocolate ganache recipe is made in the microwave and is easy to make, just like this pistachio ganache. There's no double boiler required, only a couple heatproof bowls! The ingredients are whisked together by hand, so you don't need an immersion blender either!
- You only need 2 ingredients to make perfect ganache! You can find both at almost any grocery store.
- The texture is easily customizable. You can make the ganache thick and creamy for filling cakes, thin for a drip cake, or turn it into whipped ganache for frosting cakes and cupcakes.
Ingredient Notes
Here are notes about some of the ingredients used. For quantities and full instructions, see the recipe card below.
- White chocolate chips- White chocolate chips, melting wafers, or chopped white chocolate bars work best for ganache. Pure white chocolate baking bars are the best option, but this recipe is forgiving! Make sure to use high quality white chocolate. Cheap chocolate can be waxy and melt down strangely with an oily consistency.
- Heavy cream- Make sure the heavy whipping cream has at least 36% milk fat for the smoothest, creamiest emulsion.
Substitutions and Variations
- Add butter: For a more creamy consistency, rich flavor and some shine, add 1-2 tablespoons of cold butter while whisking when the cream is still hot.
- Whiten the ganache: White chocolate chips are a little more yellow than white. If the ganache turns out too yellow, add a few drops of white food coloring to brighten it up! You can also use white candy melts for a brighter color, but some people don't like the taste.
- Add flavor extracts: Add ยผ teaspoon of vanilla or almond extract for extra flavor.
Ganache Ratio
White chocolate has less cocoa solids than milk chocolate or dark chocolate. Cocoa solids give ganache its stability, so you have to use more chocolate and less cream for white chocolate ganache. I like a 3:1 chocolate to cream ratio for a creamy, more fudgy texture or a 4:1 ratio for a harder set.
An example of a 3:1 ratio is 3 pounds chocolate, 1 pound cream, but it can be scaled to make the amount of ganache you need.
For reference, I usually use a 1:1 ratio for bittersweet orย dark chocolate ganache and a 2:1 ratio for milk chocolate ganache. A 2:1 ratio also works great for whipped white chocolate ganaches, like this lemon ganache.
You can play around with different ratios and type of chocolate you use to see what works for you. Candy melts will result in slightly softer ganache while chopped chocolate will be firmer.
How to Make White Chocolate Ganache
If you're using a chocolate bar, finely chop it into small pieces before starting.
Step 1: Add the chocolate chips to a shallow heatproof bowl. Microwave for 30 seconds to soften the chocolate.
Step 2: Pour the heavy cream into a separate small heatproof bowl. Microwave for 55-60 seconds or until it's simmering on the sides. Don't bring to a boil, or it will curdle.
Pour the hot cream over the slightly melted white chocolate and let sit for 30 seconds.
Step 3: Whisk the cream and chocolate together until smooth. Cover with a piece of plastic wrap touching the surface of the ganache to prevent it from forming of skin that can make it grainy.
Chill the ganache in the fridge for 2 hours or until it sets. It will set faster in a shallow container like a cake pan.
Step 4: Once the consistency is like peanut butter, your ganache is ready to use as a frosting on cakes or macaron filling!
Expert Tips for Success
- Use heavy cream. Heavy cream has at least 30% milk fat, where half and half is only 15-18%. The ganache won't set up and will be a runny mess if you use half and half or milk.
- Weigh the ingredients. Weighing the ingredients in grams with a kitchen scale is best for accuracy. If you use too much cream, the ganache will be liquidy. Too much chocolate will make the ganache stiff.
- Chill it well. Make sure your ganache is chilled very well. If it hasn't chilled enough, it will be too thin and won't set properly. I recommend chilling it in the fridge because it takes longer to set at room temperature.
How to Use
- Use ganache as a rich and creamy filling between cake layers. I used it in this strawberry white chocolate cake, but it would also be delicious in this chocolate truffle cake.
- Spread over desserts, like this chocolate ganache cheesecake or ganache brownies, for a smooth and glossy finish.
- Swirl whipped ganache onto red velvet cupcakes or moist vanilla cupcakes for a decadent topping.
- Chill, roll into balls, and coat in cocoa powder or sprinkles to make truffles. A 4:1 ratio works best for truffle ganache; you can use it to make these bourbon truffles!
- Serve it warm as a dip for fresh fruits like strawberries or bananas.
- Add it to a piping bag and pipe between macaron shells.
- Warm the ganache slightly and drizzle over Black Forest ice cream or graham cracker ice cream.
How to Decorate Cakes with White Chocolate Ganache
To turn your chocolate ganache into a frosting with a buttercream texture, whip it on medium speed with a handheld mixer or in the bowl of a stand mixer for 2-3 minutes. Once it's light and fluffy, scoop it into a piping bag fitted with a decorative tip and frost away!
How to Use for Drip Cakes
You can also use the ganache as a glaze. Once your ganache cools to 90โ, you can pour it over the top of your frosted and chilled cakes. This creates a shiny, smooth coating!
Ganache needs to be the same temperature for drip cakes. I recommend starting with a test drip. Make sure your cake is chilled (cold cakes will stop the drips better), then spoon a little bit on the edge of the top of the cake and let it run down the side. If it immediately slides and pools at the bottom, your ganache is too warm. Cool the ganache for another 5-10 minutes and then test again. If it's thick won't drip down the sides of the cake, it's too cold. Microwave the ganache for about 10 seconds, stir, and try again until you get the right consistency.
Once you get the perfect consistency, you can continue spooning the drips on or add the ganache to a piping bag and pipe them on. Drip the sides first, then pour the remaining ganache on top of the cake. It should level itself out, but you can push it and smooth it out with the back of a spoon or a palette knife.
Storage and Freezing
You can leave ganache out at room temperature for 2-3 hours. It's much more stable than buttercream, so it's perfect for those hot, humid days!
After a couple hours, store in an airtight container in the refrigerator for up to 4 days. You can also store it in a bowl covered in plastic wrap. Make sure the plastic wrap is touching the surface so a film doesn't form.
Ganache is pretty shelf-stable since there's no water in it for bacteria to grow, but I like to refrigerate it to be safe!
When you're ready to use, warm it up in the microwave for 10-30 seconds to soften it if needed.
Freezing
Freeze the ganache for up to 3 months. Place it in an airtight container, then cover with plastic wrap and a layer of aluminum foil. Let thaw overnight in the refrigerator before using.
Frequently Asked Questions
Unlike milk and dark chocolates, which contain cocoa solids, white chocolate is made from cocoa butter, sugar, milk solids, and vanilla, giving it a creamy, off-white color and a sweet, mild flavor. Its higher cocoa butter content results in a smoother, creamier texture, and a lower melting point, making it great for ganaches and coatings.
Yes, you can color white chocolate ganache by using oil-based food coloring, as water-based colors can cause the ganache to seize and become grainy. To do this, simply add a few drops of oil-based food coloring directly to the ganache and stir until you achieve the desired hue.
Graininess usually happens when the cream and chocolate aren't emulsified properly. Usually this is caused by overheating the cream or not stirring enough. Using low-quality white chocolate can also contribute to this issue. To fix grainy ganache, gently reheat it while stirring to encourage the fats to re-emulsify. If needed, add a small amount of warm cream or butter and continue stirring until smooth.
More Frosting Recipes to Try
๐ Recipe
White Chocolate Ganache
Equipment
- 2 heatproof mixing bowls
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Ingredients
- 600 grams white chocolate chips or chopped white chocolate
- 200 grams heavy cream
Instructions
- Microwave white chocolate in a large heatproof bowl for 30-45 seconds to begin softening it.600 grams white chocolate chips
- Heat the heavy whipping cream in a medium bowl in the microwave for 1 minute or until scalding. Pour over the chocolate and let it sit for 20-30 seconds. Make sure the chocolate is fully covered.200 grams heavy cream
- Whisk gently, combining the cream and chocolate until smooth.
- For drip cakes, cool to 90ยฐF before using. For frosting, cover with plastic wrap touching the surface. Chill in the refrigerator for 1-2 hours until it thickens to a pliable, peanut butter consistency.
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