Super Simple Chocolate Ganache

Count me in as someone who thought making chocolate ganache was a time-consuming, difficult task, something that require special training. I now know differently.

Ganache is a chocolate glaze, created from pieces of semi-sweet or dark chocolate blended with cream. Proportions can differ based on what the ganache will be used for, with butter often added to create a glossier finish and/or corn syrup to increase the sweetness without the crystallization sugar can cause.

The ganache I made used just two ingredients:

• 1 12-ounce bag of semi-sweet chocolate chips
• 1 1/2 cups of heavy whipping cream

Using these two ingredients, I made a smooth, glossy, delicious ganache, ready to pour onto a chocolate cake in less than 10 minutes.

Here’s how to make it:

Empty the bag of chocolate chips into a medium bowl.

Heat the cream in the microwave right in the measuring cup, making sure to stop just as it begins to boil (you do not want it to boil over – very, very messy!). Likewise, the cream can be heated in a saucepan on the stove – remove from heat just as it begins to boil.

Pour the hot cream over the chips and let the chips and cream sit for two minutes.

Place a wire whisk into the center of the bowl and slowly blend the cream with the chips from the middle out as they melt. Keep the mixing slow so bubbles are not created in the mixture.

When the chips and cream are thoroughly blended together, let the ganache sit for 3 – 10 minutes to thicken. I waited four minutes before pouring mine over the cake I had baked earlier. The longer the ganache sits, the thicker it will become.

• Any leftover ganache can sit out at room temperature for a couple of days in a sealed container. A spoonful added to a cup of coffee creates a delightful mocha!

• Ganache can be refrigerated until firm, and then rolled into balls for truffles.

• Fill two layers of vanilla cake with vanilla pudding and then pour ganache over the top for a tasty Boston Cream Pie.

• Use thick, liquid ganache to top cakes, petit fours, dip cookies, or coat chocolates. Cool, thick ganache can be whipped to create a spreadable frosting.

Who knew something so delicious could be so simple to make?