Disclaimer: 

This Guide is simply that a Guide, it has been put together from a variety of discussions in regards to ganache and may even include conflicting advice, this is because everyone has their own way of doing things and what works for some doesn’t always work for others.  As with many things on Cakes & More, we suggest you try things out to see what works for you!

The main issue when people first discover Ganache for cakes is that they think of ganache as the running pourable yummy chocolate.  This is ganache, but not the ganache we are talking about when we talk about the Planet Cake method or as a base for fondant.  The ganache we are referring to has a much higher ratio of chocolate to cream and sets hard, THIS is what gives you a nice even base for your fondant covering.  When using it to spread one might liken it to the consistency of peanut butter.

Ganache:

is known as a variety of icing, fillings and glazes for pastries and baked goods. It is typically made from chocolate and cream.

Ganache is normally made by heating heavy cream, then pouring it over chopped, dark chocolate. The mixture is stirred or blended until smooth, and can be enhanced with liqueurs or extracts.

Depending on the kind of chocolate used (ie couveture or compound), cream may need to be adjusted to reach the desired consistency. The portions of chocolate to cream vary depending on the intended usage of the ganache. Typically, ganache as most people know it is equal parts chocolate and cream this is used often as a pouring type glaze inside and outside of yummy cakes or on top of cupcakes. For a chocolate truffle base, twice as much chocolate as cream is typically used. For using under fondant, you might use up to three times as much chocolate as cream. Ganache can also be allowed to cool and whipped to increased volume and then spread to cover a cake. (from Wikipedia)

Uses:

Icing, fillings, truffles and other desserts.

Some extra ideas for use:

Warm ganache up in the microwave until runny and pour over icecream

Vanilla cookies filled with ganache

Straight from the bowl

Tips From Cake Friend Discussions:

• Cheaper chocolate ie compound has a higher water content, so you may need more choc to cream to reach the desired consistency.
• White chocolate is higher in milk solids so requires less cream again.
• Most people seem to prefer to use Dark or White Chocolate of course you can use Milk Chocolate.
• For our purposes most people recommend a ratio of 2:1 or 3:1 (Choc : Cream) for using under fondant.
• More specifically: eg 300mls cream to 600g choc (recommended for dark choc) or 300mls cream to 900g choc (recommended for white choc)
• But the type of chocolate and the weather can have different effects, so you may need to adjust it according to YOUR conditions.
• For Caramel Ganache – Try adding Caramel Top n Fill to White chocolate ganache
• You can also freeze ganache. It is good in the freezer for 2-3 months. (So don’t panic if you make too much)
• To add shine, adding butter, corn syrup or oil is recommended.

Types of cream people on the forum have used:

• Pouring cream
• Any cream that says for cooking on the side
• Double cream
• UHT cream (because it’s easy to keep in the cupboard!)
• Milk (further adjustment in ratios is required and it won’t whip as well)

Planet cake method:

From what we’ve gleaned:

They start off by brushing the cake with a syrup (link below) and then put the ganache on the cake – fairly thickly, they use this layer to “spack-filler” any imperfections in the cake.

Once it has been left to set – they use a hot knife to run over all the edges to get an exceptionally smooth surface. (Hot knife, dip a knife or spatula into hot water, wipe dry then use heated knife on cake to smooth)

The BIG tip that they give on their forum – is to let the ganache SET for at least 12 hours (overnight) at room temperature (air-set) they don’t have any trouble with their ganache melting under the fondant even in very humid climates and they put this down to the setting time.

Once set the ganache is brushed with the syrup again and a VERY thin layer of fondant is applied (about 1/4 inch thick!) gives lovely sharp corners AND able to cover odd shapes a lot easier!

You can also check out their new book, Planet Cake that also offers instructions on how to ganache a cake.

Syrup Link Suggestions from Planet Cake on Ganache and Food Safety http://www.planetcake.com.au/forums/viewtopic.php?t=239

Questions:

How long do you leave to dry?

If using the Planet Cake method suggested approx 12 hours / overnight to set. Otherwise until set or pop in the fridge/freezer to help it along, but leave it to come back to room temperature before covering with fondant or you may have condensation issues.

Does it need refrigeration or do you let it dry in a cupboard?

Can leave dark chocolate out if below 19 degrees, suggested to keep white choc ganache in fridge. Also can put in fridge or freezer to set if you do not have a 12 hour window.

Can ganache be used as a filling?

Yes, some people might alter the consistency, some don’t.

Can ganache be used for icing cupcakes?

Yes, again you might like to make add a little less choc to get a runnier mix to dip the cupcakes or try whipping or piping with it a slightly stiffer consistency

How do you make fondant stick to it once it’s set?

You can:

• brush with syrup
• spritz with water
• brush with some alcohol
• use sugarsyrup with a dash of alcohol

What is the consistency that I should be looking for?

Its fairly runny when its warm but after its been standing for a while it starts to set a little, It will set completely in the fridge and then to spread it on you need to warm it a little in the microwave, a peanut butter consistency might help you when gauging a spreadable consistency.  Also you will find that when stirring together it may take awhile for it to come together don’t panic, just keep stirring it will happen!

If it is pourable do you use a drip tray underneath – if it is spreadable what tool do you use?

You can use a pallette style knife. If you pour it definitely use a drip tray. Spreadable really with most anything pallette knife, knife, finger.

If the cake is white/vanilla – do you use milk/dark chocolate but wouldn’t it effect the taste?

Yes it does effect the taste so you have to consider the flavour combination you are going for.

If you use a dark chocolate and then fondant doesn’t it show through (or do you make the fondant thicker?)

The standard thickness of fondant is usually fine, as long as you’ve let it set you are usually pretty fine. Planet cake actually roll their fondant quite thin about 4mm so if it is coming through it is usually because you haven’t let it set.

Can I use ganache under BC?

It usually is replaces buttercream. You can mix ganache into your buttercream for another flavour combination. You can vary the ratio depending on whether you want it to be more ganachy or more chocolate buttercreamy a 50/50 mix is pretty yummy.

Doesn’t the cream go off when you leave the ganache out?

When you make ganache, you boil the cream, this alters the structure of the cream and once you add the chocolate to it, it can be kept much longer, you can pretty much ignore the use by date then. You can keep it out of the fridge as well, just think truffles, which is basically what ganache is, if it overly bothers you add a little liquor as this acts as a further preservative. You should still practice safe food practices at all times. If you want to hear it from the other “professionals” – it has been a topic on Planet Cake forum as well http://www.planetcake.com.au/forums/viewtopic.php?t=214

How do you make whipped ganache?

You make it, let it cool varies from 10-15 minutes on the bench to 6 hours or so in the fridge (you experiment), then whip it till it holds. If wanting to whip some that’s been in the fridge for a couple of days, either bring to room temperature or soften with a couple of short stints in the microwave. Whipped ganache is lighter and less dense, it also goes paler in colour due to the incorporated air and doesn’t stay glossy. Also incorporating air into it through whipping reduces its shelf life.

Sourced from Cake Friend Contributions on the old C&M Forum over many months and many discussions.

Do you have any additional tips in how you use Ganache?  Please share by leaving a comment, remember this is simply a guide and an ongoing discussion, the more information for people to use the better.

A cutting wheel in Cake Decorating is a tool used for cutting out or tracing around shapes in fondant, modelling paste, pastillage, marzipan and so on. It is used to help give your cut a nice clean edge, where other tools such as a knife or scapel might drag at the paste or leave a rougher edge.

Probably the most common or at least most well known tool used is the PME Cutting Wheel, it has two different sized wheels that can help you get into those nooks and crannies.

Some of the things you can use it for include cutting a line freehand, cutting out ribbon strips or tracing around a template (sometimes a paper template is all we may have!)

Another option is the Wilton Fondant Cutter embosser that has two cutting wheels and an embosser (which we will cover in another tools series).

But you can also use a pizza cutter, my one here has a straight and wavy edge. The pizza cutters however are quite large and not very dextrious for cutting out letters and the like. But they are good for large squares or ribbons or even cutting the fondant away from the edge of the cake.

As you can see many tools have more than one use!

You can buy a cutting wheel from most Cake Decorating Suppliers in Australia and Internationally, check out our Supplier Directory for your nearest supplier, although you can purchase from many of them online as well!

Remember you are only limited by your imagination! Have you discovered a very cool tool to do the same job, please share it with us by leaving a comment or contacting me through the contact page.

There are loads of tools out there, cheap and expensive, this new series will hopefully shed light on a variety of equipment.  You don’t have to agree with everything I say, it’s totally up to you to decide what is useful for you and what isn’t.  If you have any tips or tricks with the tool we discuss, please go ahead and post a comment!

Today’s tool is

Tweezers

As any woman knows there are different types of tweezers!  In Cake Decorating it bodes well to have several different types. Pointy ones, flat ones, bendy ones, they all serve a purpose dependant on your needs. They can make a cake decorator’s life much easier for those little things we can’t grab hold of and those nooks and crannies we can’t get our fingers into!

You can use them to do such things as

• Place small items on a cake
• Place small items on the side of a cake
• Pinching the bottom of items on a piece of wire
• Poke holes in models such as eyes

and so on!

The really big bonus is that they don’t have to cost a lot!  Always a bonus.

Inspired by my recent Cheap Shop, Cheap Tools, Getting Creative post I popped into Hot Dollar to pick up some ribbon and cupcake wrappers, and there I spied a packet of 4 different tweezers for the grand old price of $2.50.

My favourite ones are the angled ones they really help get into awkward positions with their little angled head.

Remember if you are using them to apply edible pearls or small items like that, the items need to set or you need a very light hand, I don’t have the light hand and have squashed many an item, so that’s my tip to go with this tool!

So go on pick some up today, you never know when you may need them!

Do you use tweezers in decorating?  What ones are your favourite?

When it comes to decorating, it’s important to have level and sturdy cakes. An undercooked cake may collapse and not taste very nice! Not all decorators are bakers and not all bakers are decorators, so we are always on the look out for those extra special tips and tricks that will get us results.

We discuss baking cores and baking strips in a post on the blog called How to get Cakes to Bake Evenly (particularly larger ones) but we still get alot of specific questions about the Baking Strips particularly the home made variety, so I’ve decided to post the Baking Strips information by itself as well, AND whilst needing to make some new ones recently, I nabbed my camera to take a few pictures, while I did them.

Remember you can’t go to wrong with these, and anyway that you prefer to do it, then you should do it that way, there’s no right or wrong way, only that which works for you! You can also use newspaper or paper towel, (some people even use old wet towels) again whatever you prefer!

Home Made Baking Strips

Remember cooking time may increase BUT much more level, evenly baked, moist cakes are the result.

Other cake friends recommend using an an old towel cut into strips and folded in half lengthwise, wet it and wrap it around the tin before pouring in the batter.

The scientific explanation comes courtesy of cake friend Jules

“You are right about the even temperature across the cake – the edges cook faster as they are in contact with the tin/bakeware – this explains the volcano and cracking effect one can have with cakes as all surfaces cook faster than the middle – the middle of the cake needs to expand as it cooks and breaks thru the cooked cake causing the cracks. So if you are able to spread the heat more evenly we can achieve the perfectly flat cake and no humping – the drawback is no sampling as we don’t need to cut off the bump.”

Many cake friends have tried the home-made versions and many have been very surprised but also happy with the results.

You can buy ready made versions from Wilton and Maggi, you don’t need to cut them to size, you just continue wrapping and you need to rewet them to extend their life.

How do you do yours? We love hearing all the different ways that people do things, remember there’s no right or wrong way only the way that works for you!

Home Made Baking Strips info sourced courtesy of Forum Member Contributions
How I choose to do my Home Made Baking Strips, sourced courtesy of me.

Gum Tragacanth

A natural product that was used all the time in modelling paste. It went “out of favour” so to speak due to the instability in the Middle East years ago (and still!) which made/makes availability extremely limited, and the cost… Expensive!

Gum Arabic

Another natural product that you might see around – more used in food production processes but can be substituted.

CMC (Carboxy Methyl Cellulose)

A chemically created product – created as an alternative to Gum Tragacanth. It is cheaper and more readily available. It is sold under MANY brand names such as Cellogen, Tylose, Tylopur etc. Just like coffee, Nescafe, Moccona, Pablo, it’s still all coffee!

Common Questions:

Are all the different CMC’s the same ?
All these products are slightly “different” and you may find you prefer to use different one’s for different uses, or you might like one for all the things you like to do, it might mean experimenting!
There are different grades of CMC so if you find it too gritty you might need to source it from a different shop.

Is the artificial CMC better than Gum Tragacanth?
CMC will produce a product that is whiter than when gum tragacanth is used – although CMC can sometimes have a gritty texture – for fine petals some people still prefer to use Gum Tragacanth.
However most decorators now prefer CMC over Gum Tragacanth for 3 reasons:-

• It is much cheaper
• It can handle humidity better
• It dries quicker

What is the price of Gum Tragacanth?
Check prices and shop around prices have ranged previously from $18 for 100 grams at one supplier to $30 for 70 grams at another, sometimes it’s the market and sometimes it just pays to shop around!

What is the price of CMC?
It should be cheaper than Gum Tragacanth. Some suppliers include:

Bakery Sugarcraft has CMC Tylose available – 150grams for $8
Cake Decorating Central has CMC Blended – 62.5grams for $8

What is the ratio of CMC to fondant for modelling?
1 teaspoon per 500grams of ready made fondant – just flatten fondant slightly – make a dip in the middle, add CMC powder and knead in well until combined.
People with ‘warm’ hands may need to increase the amount of CMC to 2 teaspoons.
Also in times/areas of high humidity – an increase in the amount of CMC – will assist with possible problems.

How do you make CMC Glue? (for sticking things to cakes and joining)
1 teaspoon of CMC (Tylose or other)
3 teaspoons of hot water

Put into a clean herb/spice container. Shake. You will not get rid of all the lumps – but don’t worry. Miagically they will disappear by next day. Keep in the refrigerator. It lasts for ages. One member usually makes a new batch every year.

If you make a large batch, then decant small amounts so that you don’t contaminate the larger batch by dipping and re-dipping.

Do you add anything else other than the CMC (or Gum Tragacanth) to fondant to make flower paste or modelling paste?
People do use just the CMC and the fondant for modelling but to get finer details and also for flowers you will find a Paste that combines a few extra ingredients much easier to work with.

What things can assist with humidity when using flowerpaste or modelling?

• Increasing the amount of CMC (slightly) in the mixture.
• Using a de-humidifier such as Closet Camel (those tubs you buy from the supermarket to remove the damp from the air in your cupboards).
• Silica gel satchets – found in packaging boxes – see your local electronics store.
• Kitty Litter (although some cake friends have expressed concern that as this has a CAT attracting component – might not be best to leave around with your kitties!)
• Fat-Soak may be a more suitable product (available at BBQ stores or Bunnings) similar composition to Kitty Litter without the cat attracting qualities.

Specific information sourced by Pam
Questions and responses sourced by forum members contributions