Made with white chocolate, heavy cream, instant coffee, and butter, this coffee ganache is a stable, smooth, and flavorful filling that can be used in so many ways to elevate your homemade desserts.
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Why You Will Love This Coffee Ganache Recipe
Rich and creamy: The right proportion of heavy cream and white chocolate creates a silky texture that's perfect for spreading or piping.
Coffee infusion: Instant coffee granules dissolve seamlessly into the cream, infusing every bite with a rich coffee flavor.
Versatile and stable: This ganache can be used as both frosting and filling. Its stability makes it perfect for piping beautiful cupcake hats and other decorative elements.
Easy to make: With only 5 simple ingredients and straightforward instructions, you'll have a delicious ganache ready in no time.
Looking for more delicious filling and frosting recipes? Then, you should try making tangy Lemon Curd, rich Salted Caramel, or refreshing Raspberry Coulis.
Tips for Perfect Ganache
Don’t overheat the cream: Overheating can cause the moisture in the cream to evaporate making your ganache thicker after setting.
Blend for smoothness: If you want an ultra-smooth ganache, don’t skip the immersion blender step.
Allow to stabilize in the fridge: After preparing the ganache, refrigerate it for at least 6 hours or overnight. This allows the ganache to firm up and reach the ideal consistency for spreading, piping, whipping, etc.
Ingredients You Will Need
White chocolate: Choose high-quality white chocolate for the best results.
Heavy cream: You will need heavy whipping cream with at least 34% fat content.
Coffee: Instant coffee granules dissolve easily and provide a robust coffee flavor. Alternatively, you can use espresso powder.
Salt: Enhances the flavors and balances the sweetness.
Butter: Adds a smooth, glossy finish and stability to the ganache. Use slightly softened unsalted butter.
Step by Step Instructions
- Prepare the Chocolate: Place the white chocolate into a heatproof bowl. Make sure the pieces are small and evenly sized to ensure they melt uniformly.
- Heat the Cream: In a saucepan, combine the heavy whipping cream, instant coffee, and salt. Heat over medium heat until the mixture starts to simmer. Remove from heat and whisk thoroughly to dissolve the coffee granules completely.
- Combine Cream and Chocolate: Pour the hot cream mixture over the chopped white chocolate. Let it sit for a minute to allow the chocolate to soften. Then, stir gently until the chocolate is fully melted and the mixture is smooth and homogeneous.
- Add the Butter: Allow the mixture to cool slightly until it's warm to the touch. Add the butter and stir until fully incorporated. For an extra smooth ganache, use an immersion blender to blend the mixture until there are no lumps of chocolate or butter remaining.
- Refrigerate: Cover the ganache with plastic wrap, ensuring the wrap touches the surface to prevent skin from forming. Refrigerate for at least 6 hours or overnight to allow the flavors to meld and the ganache to set.
- Ready to Use: When you're ready to use the ganache, take it out of the fridge and stir until slightly softened. Transfer it to a piping bag for easy application, or whip it for about a minute until soft peaks form if you prefer a fluffy texture. Be careful not to overwhip!
Creative Ways to Use Coffee Ganache
Cake filling: This ganache is stable enough to use as a cake filling. Spread it between cake layers and apply it as a crumb coat for a rich, coffee-infused flavor. Refrigerate before frosting your cake with your final frosting (do not use this ganache for the final frosting).
Macaron filling: Pipe it into macarons for a delicious twist as I did with these Coffee macarons.
Cupcake topping: This ganache is stable enough to pipe it onto cupcakes.
FAQ
Pour the ganache into a container and cover it with plastic wrap, ensuring the wrap touches the surface. Then, close the lid and refrigerate for up to 4 days.
Yes, you can freeze ganache for 2-3 months! Transfer the ganache to an airtight container and cover it with plastic wrap so it touches the surface. Then, cover with the lid and freeze. Alternatively, you can use freezer bags or Ziplock bags. Remove as much air as possible from the bags before freezing the ganache to prevent freezer burn.
Recipe card
Coffee ganache
Equipment
- Digital kitchen scale
- Saucepan
- Heat-proof bowl
- Rubber spatula
- Immersion blender optional
- Plastic wrap
Ingredients
- 150 g white chocolate
- 150 ml heavy whipping cream
- 1 teaspoon instant coffee
- ½ teaspoon salt
- 30 g unsalted butter softened
Instructions
- Place the chocolate into a heatproof bowl.
- Pour the heavy cream into a saucepan and add the instant coffee and salt. Heat the cream over medium heat until it starts simmering. Remove from the heat and whisk to dissolve the coffee granules.
- Pour the cream mixture into the bowl with the chocolate. Stir until the chocolate has melted and the mixture has a homogeneous consistency. If still hot, allow it to cool down until warm to the touch.
- Add the butter and stir to incorporate. Additionally, you can blend the mixture with an immersion blender to ensure there are no pieces of chocolate and butter left.
- Cover the ganache with plastic wrap, ensuring the wrap touches the surface, and refrigerate for a minimum of 6 hours or overnight.
- Take the ganache out of the fridge and stir until slightly softened. Then, transfer it into a piping bag and pipe it, or use it as desired. You can also whip this ganache for 1 minute or until soft peaks form to achieve a fluffy texture. Be careful not to overwhip it!
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