There are countless recipes for ganache cake toppings available online. However, almost all of them involve expensive ingredients, which, moreover, can only be found in specialty bakeries.

I suggest you try this simple ganache recipe made with readily available ingredients; it's best suited for a finishing coat rather than a smoothing layer on desserts. The result is a smooth, mirror-like, and delicious top layer. It can be used not only for topping cakes, but also for filling macarons, croissants, or éclairs.

Recipe with step-by-step photos

Chocolate ganache made from cocoa powder

The taste of the resulting ganache depends largely on the quality of the cocoa powder. Be sure to choose a product with a distinct chocolate flavor and aroma, as well as a rich, dark color. Making this type of ganache is not difficult, but you must strictly follow the recipe and monitor the temperature of the ingredients.
Nutritional value per serving
542 kcal
  • Proteins: 4.9 g
  • Fats: 52.5 g
  • Carbohydrates: 34.5 g
*Nutritional value is calculated per 100g of ingredients
  • Total time:
  • Complexity:
    A simple recipe.
  • Number of servings: 1

Ingredients

Servings
  • Sugar
    200 G
  • Water
    65 ml
  • Water to dissolve gelatin
    70 ml
  • Cocoa powder
    65 G
  • Cream 33%
    130 G
  • Gelatin
    12 G

Preparation

Step 1
Chocolate ganache made with cocoa powder - photo

Prepare all ingredients. Water and cream should be at room temperature.

Step 2
Cocoa ganache - step 2

Pour in the gelatin and leave until it swells, this process takes about 15 minutes.

Step 3
Cocoa Ganache - Step 3-1

Pour the remaining water into the sugar and place the saucepan on the fire.

Step 4
Cocoa Ganache - Step 3-2

Stirring constantly, we achieve complete dissolution of sugar in the syrup.

Step 5
Cocoa ganache - step 4

Add sifted cocoa to the saucepan and bring the mixture to a boil again.

Step 6
Cocoa Ganache - Step 5-1

Pour the cream into a clean container and heat it to a very hot temperature, but do not allow it to boil.

Step 7
Cocoa Ganache - Step 5-2

Add gelatin to hot cream and stir until completely dissolved.

Step 8
Cocoa ganache - step 6

Combine both mixtures: pour cream and gelatin into the cocoa syrup and mix everything until smooth.

Step 9
Cocoa ganache - step 7

Be sure to blend the resulting glaze. Do this carefully, at a 45-degree angle, to avoid introducing air bubbles.

Step 10
Cocoa ganache - step 8

Cover the finished ganache with cling film and place in the refrigerator to mature for at least 6 hours.

Step 11
Cocoa ganache - step 9

Heat the thickened glaze in pulses in the microwave or in a double boiler.

Step 12
Cocoa ganache - step 10

Strain the ganache through a sieve to remove excess air bubbles.

Step 13
Cocoa Ganache - Step 11-1

When the glaze has reached a temperature of 28-29 degrees, we can cover any cake with it, which is best frozen first to prevent condensation from forming on it.

Step 14
Cocoa Ganache - Step 11-2

Chocolate ganache made from cocoa powder is ready!

Similar video recipe: Chocolate ganache with cocoa and milk

If for some reason you don't want to use cream, you can try another popular dessert coating: chocolate ganache with milk. Some pastry chefs also call it glaze or fondant. This recipe takes very little time to prepare, making it a popular choice when unexpected guests arrive.

Both of these recipes differ from the basic principles of classic ganache, using cocoa powder instead of real chocolate. But this has its charm: you can always adjust the consistency of the resulting cream by adding more or less liquid ingredients. This ganache makes an excellent coating for cakes and sweet pies with various fillings: sponge cakes, honey cakes, Prague cakes, and so on.