How to Make Chocolate Ganache without Heavy Cream
Learning how to make chocolate ganache without heavy cream is possible! You can make a delicious chocolate ganache with milk. Watch our how-to video tutorial and grab the recipe below.
Can you make chocolate ganache without cream?
A few days ago, I was putting together a cake roll and I wanted to drizzle chocolate ganache over the top of it.
I gathered bittersweet chocolate, walked over to the fridge to grab the butter and cream, and my dream of a smooth, velvety chocolate waterfall was dashed. I was completely out of heavy whipping cream.
Traditional chocolate ganache is made with equal parts melted chocolate and heavy cream, but it doesn’t have to be made that way.
If you ever want to jazz up a dessert with a layer of decadent chocolate ganache, but you don’t have heavy whipping cream in the fridge, don’t panic! With just 3 simple ingredients that you probably have in your kitchen at this very moment, you can make your very own chocolate ganache without cream.
Making a chocolate ganache with milk
The price of cream is expensive, so I didn’t want to spend the money to buy it. I was feeling discouraged until I used my brain and realized that heavy cream is just milk with a higher percentage of butterfat in it. By using whole milk with butter added to it, a homemade version of heavy cream is created.
After I make homemade cream, I add it to melted chocolate to make chocolate ganache without heavy cream!
My culinary education is paying off! Woot woot!
How to make a chocolate ganache without heavy cream
Learning how to make chocolate ganache with milk is really simple. There are just two little things that are important to remember for the process:
- Chop or grate your chocolate into very small pieces.
If you skip this step, your chocolate will take too long to melt, and/or your butter and milk solution will get too cold, causing the chocolate to stop melting completely.
If that happens, don’t panic, it’s not the end of the world. You’ll have to re-heat everything over a double boiler. To avoid that problem, chop or grate the chocolate as finely as you can so it’ll melt quickly and smoothly for you.
- For the smoothest chocolate ganache, use high-quality chocolate.
I’m on a tight grocery budget, but when it comes to the taste and texture of chocolate, I spare no expense. You definitely get what you pay for.
I use bittersweet chocolate in most of my baked goods, mainly to keep the sugar content down, but also because I prefer the deeper flavor that dark chocolate brings.
- Splurge on the purchase of the butter, buying a brand with a high percentage of butterfat.
At roughly 3 bucks a pound, it’s not inexpensive, but spending an extra dollar per pound will get you great quality, high-fat butter.
American butter has more water in it than European butter does, so I spend my money on the European stuff. It makes baked goods tastier and frosting creamier. Look for a brand with at least 83 percent butterfat, and buy organic butter if you can afford it. The cows feed on grass instead of corn by-products.
Oh, and let’s not forget about how amazing real organic butter tastes in the creamy mashed potatoes!
Does chocolate ganache have to be made with dark chocolate?
No, not at all!
Ganache can be made using:
- milk chocolate
- semi-sweet chocolate
- bittersweet chocolate
- white chocolate
The important thing is to use real chocolate and not hydrogenated, oily, pretend chocolate.
However, the lighter the chocolate, the more butterfat it has in it, so you may need to add more milk to achieve a perfect chocolate ganache without heavy cream.
Finished chocolate ganache is very glossy in appearance and completely liquid. The higher the butterfat content, the less glossy the chocolate ganache will appear.
How to Make Chocolate Ganache without Cream (VIDEO)
Watch this quick, one-minute video tutorial to see just how easy it is to make chocolate ganache without heavy cream. Scroll down below the video to get a printable recipe and instructions.
Can I use chocolate ganache with milk to make frosting?
To thicken ganache enough to use it as chocolate ganache icing, place it into a refrigerator to chill and set more quickly. Or, simply leave it to sit at room temperature for an hour or so.
Either way, stir it every 10 minutes or so, until it thickens to the consistency that you want it to be. After it cools completely, the ganache should be thick and almost solid on the top, but soft in the center.
At that point, you will use an electric hand mixer or stand mixer with a whip attachment to beat air into the chocolate ganache.
It may take up to 10 minutes before you see the mixture changing, but then it will become light and fluffy chocolate ganache frosting!
Ways to use Chocolate Ganache
You can use chocolate ganache to top cakes, candies, cookies, or even use it as a fruit dip or drizzle it over ice cream.
Now that you know how to make chocolate ganache without heavy cream, it’s time to whip up a batch!
How to Make Chocolate Ganache without Heavy Cream
RECIPE VIDEO
Ingredients
- 2 Tablespoons unsalted butter softened
- ¼ cup whole milk 2% and sweetened condensed milk will also work
- 4 ounces bittersweet chocolate finely chopped or grated
Instructions
- Place chopped or grated chocolate into a medium-sized, heatproof bowl and set aside.
- Place milk and butter into a small saucepan over medium heat. Cook 2-3 minutes, stirring occasionally, until butter has melted completely. Increase heat to medium-high and allow mixture to cook another couple of minutes until you see tiny bubbles around the edge of the saucepan. Do not allow the milk to boil or it will burn.
- Pour the hot milk into the bowl of chocolate and allow it to sit for 5 minutes, then stir until the chocolate has completely melted and the mixture is glossy and smooth.
- Use as is for a simple dessert topping over cake, ice cream, or cookies. For a thicker chocolate ganache, allow it to set room temperature for about an hour, stirring every 10 minutes. It will set up more quickly if it is refrigerated.
Video
Notes
- This recipe yields 1/2 cup of chocolate ganache without cream.
Pure genius, Becca! No more need for cream in this household. Also, do you find yourself buying butter by the crate? Because I totally do…hah! We just have to exercise moderation when it comes to eating recipes with the aforementioned butter. Or give it to our neighbors. Because let’s be honest…if your neighbors and friends are bigger than you, then that means you are skinny. 😉
I think you’re the genius one, Dave! I think God’s new commandment should be, “keep thy neighbors heavier than thyself” 🙂
Can you use Cocoa powder??
Indeed we do, Devi! It was awesome to learn this tip to making ganache without cream, because there are so many times when I want it and don’t have cream in the house! I hope you find it handy, too!
Hi, I dont consume sugar anymore. I use dates for my bakings. so for this ganache, can I add honey after combining the milk and chocolate chips? have you ever tried it? Thanks!
Hi Lina,
The only sugar that’s in this chocolate ganache recipe is the sugar content in the bittersweet chocolate, so to keep it sugar-free, you can use unsweetened chocolate. If you want to use some honey to sweeten it, I would suggest adding it to the butter and milk in the saucepan so that it can be well combined before adding the chocolate. Good luck!
You saved my life today!! (Sorta, I mean my cake decorating reputation life that is) I live far away from a grocery store and needed to cover a cake in ganache and this worked perfectly. Thanks so much for the easy instructions and pics, so very helpful!
Amy, I’m thrilled to know that you tried the ganache recipe and were happy with the results! Thank you so much for letting me know 🙂
This recipe works wonderfully for all my baked goods which require ganache!! Thanks a ton! I have stopped worrying if I really have cream anymore!!
Hearing that makes my heart happy, Megha! I happen to feel the same way. I always used to panic when I wanted to make chocolate ganache, wondering if I was going to have to run to the store for heavy cream. I love not having to worry about it!
Hi! it’s really expensive to buy heavy cream in our country. Thanks for this information! 🙂 i would just like to ask if i can use fresh milk with this recipe? it’s the only thing that we have on our fridge. thank you! 🙂
Hi Karina!
Heavy cream is expensive here in the United States as well. You can absolutely use fresh milk. As a matter of fact, you may have better results making the ganache with it, because fresh milk has more milk fat in it than the kind you buy at the store. My only advice is that you should refrigerate whatever the ganache is used for because the fresh milk isn’t protected from bacterial growth the way that homogenized milk is.
Good luck!
Hello . Thanks for recipe . I hate buying cream when I can get a gallon of milk instead..lol ….I will be making a 2 layer cake for new years. Will this cover it ? Or should I double it ? … If I want it to be thicker can I add more chocolate or do you think its fine nough for a cake ?.. 1 more then if I whip it with hand blender it will be good for inside if cake ? .. thanks again Chef looking fowrward from you .. happy holiday and thanks in advance
Hi Rocky! If you want a nice thick layer of ganache, I think it would be best to double the recipe. To thicken the consistency is all just a matter of chilling it. When you first make this chocolate ganache, it will be completely liquid, like thick chocolate milk. The longer you let it chill in the refrigerator, the more solid it will become. Just stir it every 20 minutes or so until it’s the pouring consistency that you want it to be. To whip it up into a frosting, just take that well chilled ganache and use an electric hand mixer (or a stand mixer) and whip it on high speed for 3-5 minutes or until it’s nice and fluffy like frosting. Then you can put it into a pastry bag and pipe it between the layers of the cake.
I hope you have a great holiday and the best of success with your cake baking!
I am in the middle of making this chocolate ganache recipe. I did not have unsalted butter and had to use salted butter instead. I hope this works out.
No worries, Cathy! It will work fine, but as expected, your chocolate ganache may have a little salty undertone to it. Not a bad thing if you ask me. 🙂
It was wonderful. I got numerous compliments! Making another Choc cake with 7 inside & on top for tonight’s Bunco party!
THANK YOU!
Yay! That is such great news, Cathy. Thank you so much for coming back to let me know. Hope you enjoy the ganache just as much on the next cake!
I’ve made this once loved it now I’m putting it in the middle of a peanut butter cake. Making a Betty Boop cake for my Aunts 70th Birthday. And hope everyone likes it.
I’m so happy to hear that you love the ganache recipe, Michelle. I would love to see a picture of your Betty Boop cake, too. What a great way to celebrate your Aunt’s birthday! 🙂
I only have 1% Natrel fine-filtered milk. Do you think this recipe would work with 1% milk or will it turn out too watery? I want to frost brownies with it.
Ali, thanks for your question. I’ve never tried making this chocolate ganache with 1% milk, but you are correct that it has more water in it than 2% or whole milk. My suggestion would be this: If you want to use the ganache like a glaze rather than a frosting, make sure to chill it in the refrigerator for at least 15 minutes before applying it to the brownies. That being said, I think you might have better results if you make the chocolate ganache into a whipped frosting. To do that, chill it just like you would if it was a glaze, but leave it in the refrigerator for maybe 20-25 minutes. Then transfer the ganache to a large mixing bowl and use an electric hand mixer or stand mixer on high speed to whip air into the ganache. It may take a few minutes before you see it start to whip into a frosting consistency, but the longer you mix, the more you’ll whip into it. It’ll become a light and airy, delicious frosting. Good luck, and please let me know how it turns out for you!
Hey Chef Becca, I would love to drip this ganache over my already frosted cake. I live in the tropics and the temperature here can get quite hot, do you think it’ll affect the outcome of the drips?
Hi Tule!
Because ganache is made with chocolate, unfortunately, it won’t stay in a solid form at high temperatures for very long. My best advice would be to refrigerate or freeze the cake for 30 minutes or so before you apply the ganache. That will help it to “set up” more quickly and it will help it stay cool longer before it starts to melt.
can I use cocoa powder instead of solid chocolate?
Hi Maria,
Unfortunately, using cocoa powder won’t work. You need to use actual chocolate so that there’s something to melt.
Hi Chef,
Thank you so much for this. I tried I and it was amazzzzing poured over cake and strawberries.
I just wanted to ask, if spread over cupcakes, will it be ok to keep the cupcakes at room temperature without the ganache going off? I don’t usually like to put my cupcakes in the fridge as they tend to dry out.
How is this ganache to be stored?
Many thanks
Hi chef, thank you so much for this.. It was amazzzzing poured I’ve cake and strawberries.
I just wanted to ask, if spead over cupcakes as a glaze, am I ok to leave the cupcakes at room temperature without the ganache going off for a couple of days? I don’t usually like refrigerating cupcakes.
How should this ganache be stored?
Many thanks
Thank you for your comment, Sheila. I’m so glad to hear that you love the ganache recipe!
The answer to your question depends on what the average temperature is where you’re located. As you know, ganache is a thickened chocolate and butter mixture. The ganache shouldn’t ever completely melt, but if the temperature where you store those cupcakes is consistently above 75 degrees Fahrenheit, the chances are good that the ganache will certainly soften up. This may sound like a strange idea, but if you do live in a warm weather area, you could store the ganache-covered cupcakes in an airtight container at room temperature, but place a frozen ice pack underneath the storage container. It will help to keep everything inside the container nice and cool.
The ganache itself should be stored in an airtight container in the refrigerator. If it’s well sealed, it should stay good for a week or two. Obviously, if you open the container and see signs of mold, do not use the ganache. 🙂
Hello chef. I thought I was really lucky to find out your recipe, since we don’t even have heavy cream in our place. But, about the milk, can I use whole milk because skim milk is really expensive and really hard to find?
Hello Trang.
I’m sorry to hear that you do not have access to heavy cream where you live. A good substitute for it is “double cream” (available in the UK).
Heavy cream is milk with a very high percentage of fat (around 38 percent). In comparison, whole milk only has 3 to 4 percent fat. Without that fat content, chocolate ganache will remain liquid and never set properly.
If you’re unable to find anything with a high percentage of fat to use, my suggestion would be to make your own, using 2 parts whole milk (227 grams) and 1 part unsalted butter (113 grams). Bring that to a simmer (do not allow it to boil) and pour it over 340 grams of chocolate.
To answer your other question, you can use unsweetened chocolate, but I haven’t ever tried making chocolate ganache with it, so I can’t assure you that it would work properly. I am unsure how much sugar you would need to add.
I hope this helps you.
Unfortunately, I don’t have double cream, either. In my place, we only have whipping cream and they assumed it can replaced anything, so they don’t import other cream. Thanks to their lack of knowledge, I can’t find double cream anywhere. But I think I’ll try for butter and milk, as you said. I hope it will work.
Hey Chef, is this recipe can be used for drippings???
In my place there is no heavy cream …only fresh cream is available..
Hi Nashwa,
When you say “drippings”, I suspect that you’re referring to a chocolate sauce that would be used to decorate or garnish a dessert plate. I suppose that you could use chocolate ganache for that, but a traditional dessert sauce has corn syrup in it. Here’s a link to a recipe and instructions for making it: http://greatgrub.com/recipes/chocolate_glaze_for_plating_and_decoration
I’m not sure if you read the other comments under my chocolate ganache post or not, but someone else asked a similar question to yours about not having access to heavy cream. I’ll give you the same answer:
Heavy cream is milk with a very high percentage of fat (around 38 percent). In comparison, whole milk only has 3 to 4 percent fat. Without that fat content, chocolate ganache will remain liquid and never set properly.
If you’re unable to find anything with a high percentage of fat to use, my suggestion would be to make your own, using 2 parts whole milk (227 grams) and 1 part unsalted butter (113 grams). Bring that to a simmer (do not allow it to boil) and pour it over 340 grams of chocolate.
I hope that this helps you!
If you can whip the cream, no matter what they call it, I believe it has to be at least 30% or so fat. If it’s pre-whipped, they’ve probably added gelatin or other stabilizers. Google finds references to table cream (~20%), heavy cream (35-40%), and I’d assume light or whipping cream is in the middle. If they have a nutrition label, it should say how much fat is in the cream — 1 tablespoon of heavy cream (15 ml) has 6 grams of fat in it, so it’s roughly 40% fat (15 ml cream should be close to 15 grams).
Thank you for your helpful comment, Ken!
You can definitely use whole milk! Skim milk is too low in fat… whole milk has about 4% fat… 🙂
That’s good information to know, Steph. Thank you!
thanks for the recipe. I can’t get cream from the store because it’s 200 yards away. True, it is! Actually I like to use what’s already in the fridge or cupboard. Best wishes from Blue Mountains, NSW Australia
I’m so glad that you found the chocolate ganache recipe to be helpful. Thank you for being here!
Hi! Are these weight measurements? Thanks!
Hi Lindsay! Yes, the ingredient list for the chocolate ganache recipe is listed in weight measurements. However, it also includes a volume measurement right after each weight measurement. For example, 1 ounce of butter is equivalent to 2 Tablespoons. I hope this information is helpful. Please let me know if you need additional help, and I hope you enjoy the chocolate ganache!
I am going to make this ganchea for topping donuts. I am only worried that it will harden before dipping the donuts. But I am sure it will taste amazing. Wonderful recipe!!!!
Hello Shubha! I think the chocolate ganache will make a delicious topping for your donuts. It takes quite a while to set up at room temperature. The key is to pour the glaze while it’s still in liquid form, but after it’s cooled down a bit. After you pour it over the donuts, put them into a refrigerator for 15-20 minutes and I think that the ganache will set nicely for you. Thank you, and good luck!
Can I add liquid coffee to this recipe? If so would you recommend I reduce it separately before adding it to the ganache.
I think you could certainly add some liquid coffee to the chocolate ganache. It will add great flavor!
I don’t think it needs to be reduced at all. Just stir a tablespoon or two into the warm ganache. I wouldn’t add more than that, because the ganache may not set up properly if there’s too much liquid in it.
Good luck!
Can i just add milk and chocolates ..to make my topping for cupcake and no butter ??
N do we have to boil milk in pan directly with chocolates and then allow to cool it ?
Hello Kajal,
Unfortunately, you cannot make it with regular milk and no butter because the mixture needs fat in it so that it will set up. If you don’t want to use butter, you can make chocolate ganache with equal parts (by weight) of chocolate and heavy cream.
Good luck!
Ahhhhh no cream! I just tried this to use on my eclairs. It had little lumps of milk/butter fat at first but I just kept stirring and it came out smooth, shiny and delicious. I don’t think it would have poured on a cake really well but it was fine for dipping eclairs. Thanks!
I’m so glad to hear that the chocolate ganache without cream recipe worked well for you, Gale. Oooo, eclairs are my weakness. I bet they were delicious!
This is a good recipe. I used chocolate chips and microwaved the milk and butter for 3 minutes. At first I thought I messed it up but after starring it thickened up. Will this become hard or will it be some what soft.
I’m glad to hear that the chocolate ganache recipe was successful for you, Vickey! To answer your question, the ganache will not harden like a candy bar, but it will become a solid ganache rather than a liquid ganache. Chilling usually helps the ganache to set up (harden) more quickly, but if the temperature of the room is below 70 degrees F, it will even set up at room temperature.
Hi! it such a great recipe for me who out of heavy cream. what kind of milk do you use? is it full cream or UHT? which is better? thanks
Hello Bella,
You will have the best results making ganache without heavy cream if you use whole milk, because it has the highest amount of fat in it. I’ve also had success using 2% fat milk, but the ganache doesn’t harden very well that way, so it is best used as a dessert sauce.
Hello! I want to make this recipe to put on top of a cheese cake but I don’t have any chocolate. Could I use cocoa powder to replace it?
In many recipes I usually replace chocolate with 3tbsp cocoa + 1 tbsp butter = 1 oz of chocolate. I’m not sure if it will work with this recipe mostly because the butter is so important.
Ganache is basically stabilized chocolate, so unfortunately, creating the chocolate from cocoa powder won’t work for this recipe.
Ahh ok. Thank you
This sounds great! I want to make macarons with a ganache filling tomorrow, but I don’t have any cream … Do you think this recipe would work for this? Also, I only have (good quality) milk chocolate. Should I use different amouts of milk/butter/chocolate? Love from Holland!
Hello Rosa! Hope things in Holland are wonderful!
If you want to use this ganache recipe as a filling for French macarons, I think it will work brilliantly. Just be sure to let it get semi-soft before you start to whip it. For the best results, use an electric stand mixer with a whisk attachment. Don’t be afraid to over mix… whip a lot of air into it so that it’s light and fluffy. Using high quality milk chocolate is perfect for this recipe. I wouldn’t change the amounts at all.
Best wishes!
I just made boston cream mini cupcakes last night and needed a chocolate topping. Since I cut the tops to fill the cupcakes, spreading frosting was not an option….enter Ganache! I used this recipe, obviously because I didn’t have heavy cream and it worked like a charm! Tastes great, stirs to a nice smooth finish. Thank you for this easy-peasy-tastes-great recipe!
I’m so happy to hear that you enjoyed the ganache recipe, Maria!
Thank you so much for sharing this. I made it successfully on the first try! I always love ganache but very hesitate to make it because of how rare and expensive heavy cream here in my city.
This is a big saviour for when I need to make a ‘fast’ drip cake to bring to family/relatives event. I mean, you could never go wrong with a drip cake right 😉
Here’s my cake using your ganache recipe https://www.instagram.com/p/BbL0PO0DKPB/
I am SO thrilled that you like the ganache recipe, and oh my goodness… your cake is absolutely GORGEOUS!
This was a great success, reminded me of when I was a child. I will share it with my 83 years young mother who lost her recipe and does not desire internet. The amount was exactly what I needed for a pound cake. Previous recipes always left me with too much excess and expensive with the heavy cream . Thank you for sharing.
Nancy, your sweet comment made my day! I’m so happy that you and your mom enjoyed the chocolate ganache recipe!
Hi
Can this recipe be done with white chocolate if I would like a white frosting?
Also, is this ganache’s consistency suitable for frosting layer cakes or pouring over cakes etc?
Thanks
Hi Ada! Yes, this method will work for white chocolate ganache, using the same proportions as you do for regular or dark chocolate ganache. To make any ganache suitable to use as frosting requires that it be whipped. When ganache is first made, it will be completely liquid. As it chills, it will start to thicken and set up. You can speed the process by placing a bowl of ganache into an ice water bath, or you can refrigerate it, stirring every 20-30 minutes until it thickens to the point that it can be whipped using a whisk attachment on a stand mixer. You will need to whisk on very high speed for approximately 5-7 minutes before you will see it start to become light and fluffy. Be patient… it will happen! 🙂 Be sure to keep the whipped frosting refrigerated to avoid it from loosening up. Good luck and enjoy!
This recipe also works really well for white chocolate ganache???? i absolutely will use this recipe for every drip cake that ivm going to make???? thankyou so so muchh
Can i use evaporated milk instead of cows milk?
Evaporated milk is simply cow’s milk with about 60% of the water removed from it. I’ve never attempted to make chocolate ganache using evaporated milk, but if you are successful in doing so, please let me know! You’ll certainly still need to add butter to the milk per my recipe. Good luck!
Hi, please what kind of milk can I use, is it evaporated or powdered milk?
Hi Halima,
You will want to use full fat milk from a cow, goat, or sheep to make this recipe. You can use powdered milk if it is first mixed with water according to the directions on the box. Unsweetened evaporated milk might work, but I have not personally tried it, so I’m unable to guarantee success with it. Good luck!
Dear Chef,
Thank you for your recipe. I checked the evaporated I have on hand. It says:
FAT 8.5 per 100ml / 2.6 (4% RI) 30ml per serving
of which saturated 5.8 per 100 ml/ 1.7 per 30 ml
* can I use this evaporated milk?
* I intend to use this ganache for stiff thick coating under fondant. it is summer time here in the middle east.
Thank you very much! 🙂
Hello Dyoren!
Personally, I have never used evaporated milk to make ganache, but based on the information you have provided, I think it is safe to say that you can use your evaporated milk as a replacement for the whole milk called for in my chocolate ganache recipe. The more fat content there is in the finished ganache, the thicker and more stable it will become after resting. If it is going to be used under fondant, I think you might have better results if you allow the ganache to cool/set and then determine if it is thick enough for use on the cake. If not, you could whip it into frosting, apply it to the cake, then refrigerate it until the frosting sets up.
I wish you success and great results!
Hi, I would like to use the ganache to fill moulded chocolates. Would this recipe work? Would I need to change any ratio? Hoping to use evaporated milk. Thanks
Hi Naz,
To make chocolate candies, you will need to use melted chocolate that has been tempered. Unfortunately, this ganache recipe won’t work for that purpose.
Can I use this ganache recipe for truffles would it set enough?
Hi Janette,
I’m sorry to say, you cannot use ganache for the exterior of truffles. However, chocolate ganache is very often used in the center of chocolate truffles. The exterior of chocolate truffles is usually a combination of melted chocolate and shortening.
Can you use this ganache recipe for frosting or for spreading on a cake using 2% milk instead of using a higher fat milk. If not, is there another way to make ganache frosting?
Hi Chloe,
Absolutely! Look just underneath the video in my post. That’s where I explain how to use chocolate ganache without heavy cream to make chocolate ganache frosting. 🙂
So if I did this recipe and maybe added a little bit of corn syrup would it be okay to use on the outside of cream puffs I made?
You don’t even need to add corn syrup to the ganache, Jen. The ganache will thicken as it cools and sets up. Just leave it at room temperature and stir every 15 minutes or so until it’s the consistency you want to drizzle with.
Would it be possible for this recipe to work for 1 cup chocolate and 1 cup milk and butter mixture?
Absolutely, Chloe. As long as the ratio of chocolate to butter/milk stays the same, you can use the recipe to make any quantity of chocolate ganache you need.
I finally tried this recipe but it didn`t work out. I did everything the recipe told me, but it turned out runny. I put the ganache in the fridge for like about 2 hours, because I was planning to do a ganache frosting, but it still turned out to be runny. I don’t know what I did wrong.
Oh no, Chloe! I’m so sorry to hear that the recipe didn’t turn out for you. Not being there with you when you made it, I can’t say for sure what the problem was, but there are two possible reasons. The first is that the butter you used has a lot of water in it. All butter has a small amount of water, but it can be really high in American butter, especially the less expensive brands. I’m not certain if you read the notes in my blog post, but I do suggest using European butter.
If you used low fat (1% or skim) milk or nut milk, there would be a high percentage of water. In order for the ganache to set up, you do need a certain amount of fat to help it thicken.
Thanks for the reply. How would you know I there is less water in the butter or not? Also, What type of butter did you use?
Chloe, unfortunately, unless you’re a scientist, it’s impossible to know how much water content the butter you’re using has. The only way I can tell that there’s too much water in butter is by trial and error. If you melt butter in a pan and it sputters a lot, that’s usually a sign of high water content.
That being said, it’s a known fact that all non-organic American brands of butter have less butterfat and more water than European butter does.
Some brands (like Plugra) have the butterfat content listed on their package. The FDA standards say that American butter must have a MINIMUM of 80% butterfat, while European butter is required to be a minimum of 86% butterfat. That’s a huge difference!
In the recipe post, I mention that I like to use KerryGold brand, but I recently learned that most organic brands of American produced butter also have a higher fat content. So if you don’t want to purchase European butter, I would suggest buying organic butter from a local dairy farm or use a nationally known organic brand like Organic Valley.
Thank you very much Bec. It was great helping me with the problem. Thanks!!
This worked brilliantly.. heated up the milk and butter in the microwave instead. Many thanks!
Thank you very much for your help Bec. Another quick question that I would like to ask is: Would Foremost unsalted butter be good for this recipe? Other kinds of butter are really expensive like the European style and even the Organic ones so do you think it would be a good idea using Foremost butter?
Chole, I completely understand the desire not to use European butter… it really is expensive!
I’ve never used butter from Foremost Farms, but I just visited their website and learned that they have two different varieties of unsalted butter. One is the minimum required 80 percent butterfat, but they also sell an 82% butterfat unsalted butter. While that is still lower than the 86% that European butter has, it’s worth trying! I’m sure it must be labeled as 82% butterfat on the package.
Thanks for the reply Bec! But, I think the type of butter you’re talking about is Foremost Farm butter. But the butter that I was talking about was Foremost Dairies Unsalted butter, which is way different than Foremost Farm butter that is 82% fat. I found the nutrition of Foremost Dairies Unsalted butter. I hope this nutrition chart helps because I’ve been wanting to do this recipe for a long time. ?
NUTRITION FACTS
(14 G) ; Serving Per Container Not Availa ; Calories 100 cal; Calories from Fat 100.40
Amount Per Serving % DV
Total Fat 11 g 17 %
Saturated Fat 7 g
Trans. Fat 0.6 g
Polyunsaturated Fat 0.4 g
Omega 3 40 mg
Monounsaturated Fat 3.0 g
Hey Chole,
Again, what you’ve posted here is nutritional information, so it’s not going to help determine what percentage of butterfat the butter has. I believe the only place you’re going to be able to find the information you are looking for is on the company’s website. I’m sorry that I’m unable to help you. At this point, you may just want to buy a pound of the butter and try it. As I mention in this recipe post, trial and error is how I ended up finding a brand of butter that works for me.
I hope you have a chance to make the recipe and that’s a success for you!
Thank you very much Bec. You have helped me with all the questions that I have been asking myself lately. Thanks!
This was a great option for me to make chocolate ganache without having any heavy cream on hand! I ended up using whole chocolate milk from a local dairy… which turned out perfect! It was a little on the runny side initially but set up nicely after being in the fridge for a little.
This was wonderful! I can’t get to the store very often right now, so substitutions are the name of the game. This came out perfectly. No one even knew!
Made this as frosting for a single layer chocolate cake. I used 2% organic milk, lactose free, because my husband has lactose intolerance. Used Organic Valley grass-fed butter and Enjoy Life semi-sweet mini chips which contain only cane sugar, unsweetened chocolate and cocoa butter. Tastes great but would not whip into a stiff frosting. Stayed soft, even after 10 minutes. Bowl and whisk attachment went back into the fridge and will try again later.
Where did I go wrong?
Heavy cream is what makes a ganache whip. So since they recipe calls without any heavy cream… well it’s not going to whip into a stiff frosting. This is more for a ganache that you are looking to pour over something, dip or spoon. It will set and stiffen a bit but being able whip it definitely will be a challenge and much of that thickening fluff action you are looking for is the heavy cream in action.
You have to let it get to room temp then slowly whisk it. I prefer to just use a regular whisk instead of anything electric it gives you more control. Then if it doesn’t stiffen put it in the fridge for a bit then whisk again, and it should start to stiffen.
Brilliant! Quick and easy! Also very easily adaptable to add something a little extra in, I added some caramel for something a bit different, but you could easily use something like peanut butter as well.
Maybe a little instant coffee to make it espresso ?
Thank you for this great idea! I did not use the exact amount of ingredients as described because it would be too runny for my liking, I wanted to whip up the ganache.Here in the Netherlands the heavy Cream contains 35% fat. So I just figured out how much heavy Cream I usually would need for a ganache, calculated how much of that was 35% and used that amount of butter and 65% of milk. I followed your directions and after the ganache had set it easily whipped up into a dense mousse. It tasted great, as if I had used heavy Cream.
*high fat* milk and butter. Gonna try it later 😉
Yes you can add direct hot milk but its nott a substitute for butter
I’ve made ganache many times but because I didn’t have whipping cream I tried it- was amazing!!! I used it to fill my all butter pastry tarts. Fantastic!!
Thank you so much for this amazing recipe. You saved my sister and I when we ran out of heavy whipping cream but needed ganache. This worked perfectly for thick drips on cakes and seemed to harden fairly quickly.
I have a question: Can I use almond milk in this recipe?
Wonderful!
It came out in a good smooth consistency and the taste was chocolatey and sweet
Thank you so much!