You are mixing together ganache, that luxurious mixture of hot cream and melted chocolate, and suddenly, it doesn't look good. Instead of being smooth and creamy, it becomes grainy. Or it turns into buttery chocolate chips. Can this ganache be fixed?
Absolutely. Almost any “broken” (or “split”) ganache can be resurrected with the addition of one simple ingredient. But first, let's find out why ganache breaks – so you can avoid this outcome in the future.
Food photography and styling by Liz Neily
How to make ganache
A classic ganache is made from just two ingredients: hard chocolate and heavy cream. Typically, chopped chocolate (dark OR milk) and steaming hot heavy cream (about 180°F) are combined in a heatproof bowl. After waiting about five minutes for the chocolate to soften and partially melt, the mixture is stirred until completely smooth. This is. (Learn more about making great ganache here: How to make ganache.)
So what could go wrong? Chemistry.
The science of ganache
When very hot cream (just under a simmer) is poured over the chocolate, the mixture becomes a soft, pourable substance somewhere between solid and runny. Physical chemistry defines this as an emulsion: a smooth mixture of solid or semi-solid particles suspended in liquid, the solids being so disintegrated that they are no longer recognizable as their individual selves.
How does emulsification occur? In the familiar case of the oil-and-vinegar salad dressing, rapid shaking or shaking breaks the oil (and other semi-liquids such as mustard or honey) into small droplets that are suspended in the vinegar or other liquid, creating a dressing of soft and thick. .
PJ Hamel
However, in the case of ganache, it's the heat that breaks the chocolate down into its component parts (sugar, fat, and cocoa solids). The sugar is melted and combined with the water in the heavy cream to create a liquid syrup, and this syrup holds tiny particles of milk protein and cocoa solids in suspension, plus droplets of fat: In other words, it becomes a emulsion.
Unlike stronger emulsions, which often include stabilizers (think egg yolk in a vinaigrette dressing), ganache can be hard. If something goes wrong, the emulsion “breaks” – and suddenly the fat, cocoa and their liquid syrup separate. Outcome? An oil, grain and/or globule ganache – in other words, nothing you want to pour over one cake or cold and form in Tartuffe.
PJ Hamel
Why does ganache spoil?
There are two common reasons for ganache spoilage:
Too little liquid: Using chocolate with a very high cocoa content (over 70%; eg, very dark bitter chocolate) means that your ganache will have very little sugar (which melts to form liquid) and a lot solid chocolate. The result: The solids draw out the liquid, leaving the ganache thick, tough, and grainy.
This imbalance between solid and liquid can also occur if the percentage of heavy cream in the chocolate is too low. One part cream to two parts chocolate, by weight (ie, a ganache with 33% cream) will produce a thick ganache, one suitable for hard truffle or cookie filling. Dipping below this percentage, especially if you're using a high-cocoa chocolate to begin with, can cause your ganache to break: There's simply too much solid chocolate and not enough liquid.
PJ Hamel
Too much heat: Maybe you decided to make your ganache in a pot on the stove and let it simmer. Or maybe you tried to get rid of those last bits of unmelted chocolate by reheating the mixture in the microwave.
Know this: Chocolate hates getting too hot! High heat first separates and then fuses the three elements of chocolate – sugar, cocoa and fat. Instead of settling quietly into a liquid emulsion, cocoa and fat accumulate in small tight clusters, refusing to disperse. If you've ever made ganache that suddenly turns gooey and greasy, high heat is probably the culprit.
A less common way to break up ganache is to add cold heavy cream to hot or warm ganache in an attempt to thin it out. The cold turns the fat solid and encourages the cocoa particles to clump together. If you want to thin your ganache, make sure the liquid you add is warm!
PJ Hamel
How to fix broken ganache
You'll find any number of broken ganache recipes online, from both amateur and professional bakers. And most end up in these two solutions:
If your ganache separates because the liquid ratio was too low and chocolate and cream became grainy and oily, mix with hot tap water (about 90°F to 95°F). Add the water gradually, starting with a teaspoon and stirring vigorously between additions, until you see the ganache start to become soft and cohesive again. Continue beating until the mixture is completely smooth, adding more hot water only as needed.
If your ganache spoiled due to high heat, follow the same process: Add hot water little by little, stirring vigorously all the time. In this second case, it may seem counterintuitive to add hot water; Isn't the heat what got you into trouble in the first place? But it works: just that small amount of added water gives the cocoa pieces and fat globules room to maneuver. They quickly dissolve into the syrup and sink back into a blissful emulsion. The result: perfectly smooth ganache.
Why water, not cream?
We like this water fix because it doesn't add fat to the ganache. A broken ganache is already fighting fat globules prone to clumping; why add fuel to that fire when what you're looking for is just more liquid? Sometimes, the simplest solution really is the best.
John Sherman
Now that you know how to handle ganache, check out some of our favorite recipes using it: pasta, Chocolate Caramel Cake with a drizzle of ganache, and Decadent Chocolate Truffles.
Cover photo by Mark Weinberg; food styling by Liz Neily.
