One of my favorite easy things to dress up a cake is to do a chocolate ganache drip finish. Over the years, my ability to create the drip look has definitely grown, and I get tons of questions asking what my secret is. The truth is, chocolate ganache has definitely put me through the wringer before (especially white chocolate ganache, which used to be my absolute nemesis). After figuring out the perfect ratio for chocolate to heavy whipping cream and learning the do’s and don’ts of drip cakes, I’ve got it down to a science these days. And now you will too!
How to Make Chocolate Ganache for Drip Cakes
This chocolate ganache recipe has been my go-to forever, and it involves only two ingredients: chocolate and heavy whipping cream. There’s no need to be intimidated with this one. First, measure out the chocolate chips (or quality chocolate bar chopped into bits) into a glass or metal bowl. I like to measure these by weight for precision, but I’ve provided both metric and Cups measurements in the recipe below.
Next, bring the heavy whipping cream to a soft simmer in a saucepan over medium heat. Then, pour it over the chocolate and let it sit for about 30 seconds. This gives the chocolate a chance to soften up before whisking.
Whisk the cream and chocolate together until it’s uniform. It will look thin and resemble chocolate milk before it starts to come together, but keep whisking until it’s smooth.
Finally, let the chocolate ganache cool until it’s room temperature or slightly above. I recommend testing out a drip on an inverted glass to make sure it doesn’t drip too far (if it does, keep cooling it) or not far enough (if this is the case, warm it back up slightly in 5-second intervals in the microwave until it’s perfect drip consistency).
The type of chocolate you use will determine the amount of heavy whipping cream to incorporate for the perfect consistency. Although semi-sweet chocolate is the most common type I use for drip cakes, I’ve listed the ratios I use for all different types of chocolate below.
Although the recipe seems straightforward enough, there are quite a few tricks to learn before mastering the art of the drip. I’ve listed out a basic step-by-step tutorial and some troubleshooting tips below, but first, here’s a detailed video to show you how to make the recipe and everything you need to know about the technique I use for drip cakes:
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Chocolate Ganache For Drip Cakes
Ingredients
- 1 cup (185g) semi-sweet or milk chocolate chips, or a bar chopped up into bits
- 1 cup (240ml) heavy whipping cream
Instructions
- Place chocolate chips into a heat resistant bowl (glass or metal). If you’re starting with a chocolate bar, chop it into small pieces until they’re about the size of chocolate chips.
- In a saucepan over medium-high heat, warm heavy whipping cream until it just starts to simmer. I always look for small bubbles forming around the edge and a soft simmer starting in the middle. When it's reached this point, pour the cream into your bowl of chocolate and let sit for about 30 seconds.
- Whisk it together until it’s uniform in consistency and there are no bits of chocolate left on your whisk. Cool ganache at room temperature for 10-20 minutes, or until the ganache itself is room temperature or slightly above.
Notes
Tips For Perfect Chocolate Ganache Drip Cakes
Tip 1: Be Patient With The Cooling Process
Once you’ve whisked the ganache together, it’s crucial to let it cool on your countertop until it’s room temperature or slightly above, about 10-20 minutes depending on how cold your environment is. Trying to speed up this process by placing ganache in the refrigerator doesn’t usually end well – I’ve found that it cools unevenly, leading to thick, globby drips.
Cooling in the fridge also leads to the urge to stir it too often. Ganache (especially white chocolate!) does not like to be stirred too often, and the end result can mean that your whipping cream starts to separate from the chocolate. You’ll know that this has happened because the ganache will look grainy and dull, or even separated like oil and water. To fix situations like these, you’ll need to reheat the ganache to 92ºF to melt the fat crystals and re-whisk to bring it back together.
Tip 2: Make Sure Your Buttercream Is Chilled
There’s a science to this tip. Since molecules move more slowly at cooler temperatures (and warp speed at higher temperatures), it makes a lot of sense that you can better control how far the chocolate ganache drips when the buttercream is chilled. Make sure that after you do your final coat of buttercream, you chill the cake in the refrigerator for at least 30 minutes.
Tip 3: Always Do A Test Drip
When your buttercream is nice and chilled, do a test drip by letting the ganache run down the side of your cake. If it travels rapidly and pools at the bottom, your ganache is too warm. Continue to cool the ganache for another 5-10 minutes and try your test drip again. If it’s globby or doesn’t travel very far down the side of the cake, it’s too cold. Reheat the ganache in the microwave for about 10 seconds, stir, and try again. Repeat the reheating process as needed until you get the perfect consistency.
The good thing about a test drip is you’re able to see how the ganache will behave. That way you don’t have to commit until you like what you’re seeing.
Tip 4: Drip The Sides Before Filling In The Top
When I first started caking, my initial thought was to just dump ganache over the top of the cake and let it run down the sides naturally. If you’ve ever tried that before, you’ll know it doesn’t end up looking good. You’ll have a lot more control over the appearance if you start by dripping the sides until they’re aesthetically pleasing before filling in the top of the cake.
Try not to add too much ganache to the top when filling it in, because if you add any more to the drips you’ve created, it will make them travel farther than you’d like. Instead, try to use just a little ganache and spread it so that it just touches where your drips begin. The ganache on the top should self-level a bit, so don’t worry too much about getting it super smooth.
Tip 5: Don’t Touch Those Drips
If you’ve ever made a drip cake with ganache before, you’ll know that it’s a little sticky to the touch when it’s room temperature. When the drips have been refrigerated, they’re a little less fragile, but try not to touch the drips at all during the decorating or boxing-up process.
Chocolate Ganache Troubleshooting Tips
Since the consistency of your ganache is pretty much everything when it comes to a successful drip cake, I wanted to take a moment to talk about what to do if your drips are too thick or too runny. Most of the time, it doesn’t take a whole lot to bring your ganache back to ideal drip consistency. Here are some common problems and ways to solve them:
Problem 1: The drips are pooling at the bottom of the cake – this typically means your ganache is too warm, in which case I recommend to give the ganache 5-10 more minutes to cool down before attempting your next test drip on your chilled buttercream cake.
If you’ve let the ganache cool for a significant amount of time and the drips are still too runny, it means that too much liquid (heavy whipping cream) was incorporated into the recipe. To fix this problem, you’ll need to thicken the ganache with more chocolate. This will mean melting about 1-2 additional oz of chocolate in the microwave, warming the existing ganache to the same temperature as the melted chocolate, then whisking it all together before letting it cool back down to ideal drip consistency.
Problem 2: The drips are thick and gloppy – this means your ganache is too set (or too cold). To fix this, gently warm the ganache in the microwave in 5-10 second increments until it’s ideal drip consistency.
Problem 3: The ganache has split – this has never happened to me with this recipe, but if your ganache looks grainy or seized, it means that for some reason, the fat is separating from the liquid. To fix it, gently reheat the ganache in the microwave or over a double boiler to 92ºF to melt the fat crystals, then re-whisk to bring it back together.
Is there anything else you’d like to know about drip cakes? I’m certainly not an expert per se, but if you have more questions, let me know in the comments below and I’ll do my best to answer!
Hi,
I really like to weigh my ingredients when baking so that I am sure to have to correct proportions. Could you please give the quantities in grams?
Thank you! 🙂
Hi Kasia! The recipe already states the gram measurements: 1 cup (185g) semi-sweet chocolate chips + 1 cup (240ml) heavy whipping cream. Enjoy!
I have just made this for my first drip cake attempt. It has come out completely perfect! THANK YOU! X
So happy it turned out for you, Natasha! And glad to hear you had a great “first drip cake” experience 🙂 happy to help!
Hi Whitney!
I’ve been studying lots of your blog posts and am putting together my first ‘real’ cake this weekend! Is there any way to fix a ganache batch that is slightly too runny??
Hi Heather! So excited for you to make a cake this weekend! If the ganache is too runny, you can heat it back up in the microwave in 10 second spurts, stirring after each interval, until it’s hot enough to add and melt some extra chocolate chips. The only way to thicken it up is to add more chocolate.
Hi! I’m excited and nervous to try this method! Question: I want to add a flat fondant decoration over the ganache top after it has set (it’s going over a buttercream top). I didn’t see anything in the other comments about doing that. Will that work out? Also I have lollipops that I’ll want to stick through the ganache. Should I do that immediately, or wait til it sets -will it still be soft enough for the sticks to pierce the ganache?
Hi Jennifer! Excited for you to try this. After dripping the cake, I would recommend placing it into the refrigerator for 5-10 minutes just to let it set up, then you can place your fondant decoration over the top and insert your lollipops. After the ganache sets, it’s still soft enough to add decorations/insert cake toppers.
Would it matter if I used double cream rather than heavy whipping cream?
Hi Flo! Double cream and heavy whipping cream are the same thing, just called by different names. Double cream will work perfectly 🙂
Hello- I would like to have colored drips- is it possible to just decrease the amount of the heavy whipping cream? Also- some other posts state that you put the cake in the refrigerator once done decorating. I am planning to decorate the cake on a Thursday night for a Saturday party- will this be ok i the frig? Do I cover it? The cake will have buttercream frosting with your drip recipe. Thanks!
Hi Kimberly! For colored drips, I would recommend using the white chocolate ganache version of this: https://sugarandsparrow.com/white-chocolate-ganache-drip-recipe/
As far as refrigerating, I always refrigerate my cakes after dripping them and your cake should be find if you decorate on Thursday night and keep it in the fridge until about an hour before the party on Saturday. You won’t need to cover it. Good luck!
Hi Kevin! Sorry the 1:1 ratio didn’t work out for you. Next time I would try 1 cup of chocolate chips to 3/4 cup heavy whipping cream. I think that ratio will work perfectly for you.
Great tips. I’m having such a hard time getting drips right! I think I’m perhaps too impatient, and not using quite enough cream in my ganache. Thanks for the help!
Hi Donna! It definitely takes patience, mostly getting the right ratio of cream and waiting for it to become the perfect temperature for dripping. I hope these tips help!
Hi! Thanks for the tips! I have a question, I use Italian meringue to cover the cakes since the buttercream in Venezuela is very expensive to make, so I wanted to know if it works just as well and if you also have to put it in the refrigerator
Hi Barbara! You can totally do a chocolate ganache drip on Italian meringue as long as the buttercream is chilled first. Just follow the instructions above (no extra steps necessary) and you’ll be good! I always store my cakes in the refrigerator until about an hour before serving, but refrigerating a ganache drip cake isn’t necessary. If you’re used to leaving them out at room temp after decorating, it’ll be fine!
Hi Lily, so sorry to hear about your chocolate ganache being too liquidy. While this is the ratio that works for me, it sounds like you need to try a ratio with less liquid to get better results. I would recommend trying a 2:3 ratio and use 1 cup chocolate chips to 2/3 cup heavy whipping cream next time.
Hi ,
You make it look so easy. Trying my first attempt with ganache. My question is I am using a whipped icing (not the white tub kind) is this a problem. I will be putting in fridge to set before attempting.
Hi Stella! I have never tried dripping a cake on whipped icing, but after a quick google search it’s totally possible. Just make sure that the icing is cold to the touch and the chocolate ganache is room temp before you drip . Here’s a great example of dripping ganache on a cake frosted with whipped cream icing: https://www.stylesweetca.com/blog/2016/1/25/chocolate-dipped-strawberry-cake-my-best-tips-for-drippy-cakes
At what’s stage can I place sprinkles on the drips?
Hi Christina! After dripping the cake, place it in the refrigerator for about five minutes to let the drips set slightly, then you can place the sprinkles. Here’s a more detailed tutorial on how to create a sprinkle drip cake: https://sugarandsparrow.com/sprinkle-drip-cake/
Hi! I’m getting ready to make a 5 layer drip cake for daughters birthday. I’ve never done it before but she wants one so badly so I’m giving it a shot!
My question is about the consistency of the white chocolate ganache after refrigerating overnight. I have to transport it about 45 minutes to the venue and im afraid the ganache will be sticky or wet. Has that ever happened to you?
I’ll be using a cake board and have built a box for it so it shouldn’t move too much. I wont have the use of a microwave to apply more ganache and it will have warmed up a bit from the drive. Too risky?
Hi Joanne! In my experience, after the white chocolate ganache has been set, it shouldn’t move at all or get too sticky, even during a 45 minute transport. My best advice is to keep the cake refrigerated until right before you leave, and make sure you build the cake box in such a way that the cake sides won’t touch the sides of the box. I think you’ll be good to go as long as your ganache is nice and set. Here’s the ratio and all my tips for white chocolate ganache in case you need them: https://sugarandsparrow.com/white-chocolate-ganache-drip-recipe/