This recipe is for the best French dark chocolate Ganache you have ever tried. The surprising part? It is incredibly simple to make. The ganache is rich, not too sweet, and decadently unctuous. This recipe does not call for sugar. The cream and the chocolate make the ganache so velvety and smooth, no sugar is needed! True decadence. With this recipe you will learn to make Dark Chocolate Ganache like a French Chef.
This Dark Chocolate Ganache Recipe is from Le Chef's notebooks when he was an apprentice at Michelin starred restaurants in France. It is truly a tried and true recipe.
Recipes that use chocolate Ganache
Mastering a rich, chocolate ganache is one of the building blocks of French Pâtisserie.
Once you know how to make this ganache you will be able to make a show stopper dessert at a moment's notice. Strawberries dipped in ganache? So yummy! A simple pie tart filled with ganache and chilled? Deserving of a French Pâtisserie! A cake topped with this ganache recipe graces our table every year for my kid's birthdays and last, but certainly not least - the famous Bûche de Noël, the hallmark of any French Christmas.
Ingredients
The key to this recipe is all in the quality of ingredients.
Le Chef's Wife Note: this recipe uses grams as grams are the most exact way to bake. I have also included cups where possible, however I highly recommend using a kitchen scale when baking for precision.
- 320 grams of dark chocolate (we use Valhrona 70% Dark Bittersweet Chocolate Callets) This equals very roughly 2 cups but I recommend using the scale!
- 50 grams of butter (about 3.5 tbsp)
- 473 grams of heavy cream (1 pint)
- 1 tbsp of Grand Marnier (or whichever liquor you prefer. Note this addition is optional - the Ganache tastes delicious without the added liquor)
Instructions
Take the cream out of the fridge 30 minutes before you begin the recipe to allow it to warm a little.
Put the chocolate and butter into a heat safe bowl. I use these glass duralex bowls.
Melt the chocolate. If you have a chocolate melt function on your microwave, feel free to use this. Or else use the bain-marie technique (put the chocolate in a double boiler - gently melt while stirring with a silicone spatula constantly over a few inches boiling water). Whichever way you choose to melt your chocolate, make sure to stop before the chocolate is fully melted, while there still are a few big chunks of chocolate left.
Stir with a silicone spatula (not a whisk!) to get all the chocolate clumps out. They will melt into the mixture.
Add the cream that has warmed to almost room temperature.
Continue to mix with the silicone spatula until the ganache is smooth and glossy.
Pour in the Grand Marnier and mix again.
Allow the ganache to cool before adding it to your dessert.
Voilà!
So simple and you have a beautiful French Dark Chocolate Ganache to serve as you wish!
*Le Chef's tip for a smooth, shiny ganache is to use a silicone spatula to stir instead of a whisk. A whisk adds air bubbles to the ganache which you don't want. You want it mirror smooth.
Chocolate Filling for Cake
This Ganache recipe makes a beautiful chocolate drip on the top of the cake but also is the best chocolate filling for cake. Generously spread the ganache between the layers of your cake for a decadent flavor.
Other French Dessert Recipes you will enjoy:
Mousse au Chocolat (French Chocolate Mousse made simple)
Le Chef’s Moelleux au Chocolat - the cake that made me fall in love...
Mousse au Chocolat (French Chocolate Mousse made simple)
The Best Lemon Sugar Crêpes Recipe
How to make Crème Brûlée like a French Chef
About Le Chef's Wife
Bonjour! I am Anina Belle. I translate the fancy cooking of my Michelin-star trained French Chef Husband, Le Chef, into easy to make dishes that busy people with no culinary training (like me!) can make at home. We have two young kids (5 and 2) and I have a full time job in hospitality in addition to this blog. I strongly believe that even busy people deserve to eat well at home.
I share our home cooking on Instagram, pinterest and tiktok. Sign up for my newsletter to be the first to receive my new recipes and have advance access to cooking classes. I look forward to cooking with you!
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The Best French Dark Chocolate Ganache
Description
This recipe is for the best French dark chocolate Ganache you have ever tried. The surprising part? It is incredibly simple to make. The ganache is rich, not too sweet, and decadently unctuous. The result is a glossy, brilliant ganache that is the perfect topping for cakes, filling for pies or a chocolate cake filling.
Ingredients
- 320 grams of dark chocolate (we use Valhrona 70% Dark Bittersweet Chocolate Callets) This equals very roughly 2 cups but I recommend using the scale!
- 50 grams of butter (about 3.5 tbsp)
- 473 grams of heavy cream (1 pint)
- 1 tbsp of Grand Marnier (or whichever liquor you prefer. Note this addition is optional - the Ganache tastes delicious without the added liquor)
Instructions
- Take the cream out of the fridge 30 minutes before you begin the recipe to allow it to warm a little.
- Put the chocolate and butter into a heat safe bowl. I use these glass duralex bowls.
- Melt the chocolate. If you have a chocolate melt function on your microwave, feel free to use this. Or else use the bain-marie technique (put the chocolate in a double boiler - gently melt while stirring with a silicone spatula constantly over a few inches boiling water). Whichever way you choose to melt your chocolate, make sure to stop before the chocolate is fully melted, while there still are a few big chunks of chocolate left.
- Stir with a silicone spatula (not a whisk!) to get all the chocolate clumps out. They will melt into the mixture.
- Add the cream that has warmed to almost room temperature.
- Continue to mix with the silicone spatula until the ganache is smooth and glossy.
- Pour in the Grand Marnier and mix again.
- Allow the ganache to cool before adding it to your dessert.
Voilà!
So simple and you have a beautiful French Dark Chocolate Ganache to serve as you wish!
Notes
*Le Chef's tip for a smooth, shiny ganache is to use a silicone spatula to stir instead of a whisk. A whisk adds air bubbles to the ganache which you don't want. You want it mirror smooth.
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