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 had a question, if I made ganache today and use it on a cake then had extra for another cake that I was doing the next day could I leave it out? Would it get hard and if it got hard what would I do? Re-warm it? Also if my ganache takes forever to cool and I need it ready on a cake urgently, would it hurt to put it in the fridge Thank you
Hi Raelynn! You can store extra ganache in an airtight container in the refrigerator for up to two weeks. When you’re ready to use it, reheat it in the microwave in 10 second increments, until it’s ideal drip consistency again. If you’re in a rush to cool the ganache you can try cooling it in the refrigerator to speed up the process. Hope that helps!
What type of buttercream works best when using a drip? American or Swiss meringue?
Hi Emily! Both work equally great with a drip as long as the buttercream is chilled before dripping the cake.
when warm and mousse-like at room temperature. While warm
I just wanted to tell you that your clear instructions and tips were perfect! I followed everything you suggested and my first ganache drip was a huge success! I was so worried my first drip would turn out messy and it was the exact opposite thanks to your recipe.
Hi Elizabeth! I am so happy to hear that!! Truly makes my day that the drip worked out perfectly on your first try 🙂 thanks for letting me know, I’m so proud of you!
Hello,
If I make this recipe and once the drips is done on the cake, can I able put them in fridge and it’s won’t get hard? It’s will be nice soft Chocolate Ganache?
Thank you
Hi Lisa! I refrigerate my drip cakes all the time. The ganache will set, but will still be soft.
I have waited about 40mins and the ganache is so running almost like a hot chocolate and I followed the recipe exactly how it should be. Any tips on how to thicken it or tips for next time?
Hi Brittany! It sounds like you ended up with too much liquid in the chocolate, but it’s an easy fix! Heat the mixture back up either in a saucepan, microwave, or double boiler and add 1-2 Tablespoons of chocolate chips. Whisk until the chocolate chips have melted completely, then cool back to room temp. It will thicken as it cools.
I only make cakes for my daughter and a friend but my neighbor asked if I’d make her one but she wanted the drip. I was so worried and watched so many tutorials and looked at so many recipes. I followed yours to a T and it came out perfect!!!! Thank you so much for making it so easy! The video was a huge help!
Yay, Tracie! I’m so glad that this tutorial helped! Congratulations on nailing the drip!
How can i make the cake from your foto? it is purple and looks lovely! Please could you send me the link to the recipe of cake, buttercream frosting, purple colour buttercream recipe? I really want to make the cake exactly as on the pic 🙂
Greetings from the Netherlands!
Karem
Hi Karem! Here are the links to make the cake in this photo. The cake is vanilla (but any of my cake recipes will work for the cake part): https://sugarandsparrow.com/vanilla-cake-recipe/ the buttercream is vanilla: https://sugarandsparrow.com/vanilla-buttercream-recipe/ and I used AmeriColor Electric Purple for the color: https://amzn.to/3zrpAFE
I’m doing your ganache drip this week… would putting the ganache in a plastic bottle with a nozzle work or a pastry bag? Or is the spoon the best?
I love using either a spoon or the piping bag! I’ve never tried a plastic bottle before, but I know some bakers who swear by it. My advice would be to do the test drip with a spoon and if the consistency looks good, keep dripping with the spoon or transfer the ganache to a piping bag for piping the rest of the drips. Hope that helps!
Beautiful cake!! Would this amount be enough for a 10″ round cake?
Hi Abby! Yes, it would be more than enough for dripping a 10 inch round. Enjoy!
Hi…
I am planning to make ganache, and also planning to use it for whipped frosting…..so in the case of whipped ganache we have to take same measurement, just change the ratio of cream to 2/3 of the given measurement… kindly confirm if I am getting this right. Also, if we plan to store ganache more than 2 weeks, should we keep it in freezer and for how long can we keep it.
Hi Reshma! For the whipped ganache, I use a 2:3 ratio (for example, 2/3 cup whipping cream to 1 cup chocolate). You’ll let the ganache cool completely until it’s peanut butter consistency and then whip it with your stand mixer to create a frosting texture. I’ve never tried freezing ganache before but I read online that you can freeze ganache for up to 3 months. Hope that helps!
Hello, I just made your ganache for the chocolate drips, and I put it in the fridge overnight to use later. The chocolate didn’t set hard. I’m still able to swirl it in the bowl. Is this normal? Or should I put it over with double boiler and add more chocolate ?
Thanks!
Hi Shelley! The ganache will still be mixable at room temperature, but should set to the consistency of peanut butter in the refrigerator. Hope that helps!
Ok thank you! I ended up adding a bit more chocolate to get that peanut butter consistency 🙂 very happy with the results!
Have you ever painted your drips?
I haven’t! But I have seen it done with this recipe before. Not quite sure what they used to paint though so it would take a little research and experimenting.
Hi am going to finish my moist choco cake with tis drip
Thanks a lot
Yay, Rey! Enjoy!
Hi!
I’m going to attempt a semi naked cake with a ganache drip based on your tutorial. If I prepare the cake the night before and do the drip, can I cling wrap it, once I let the drips set? I’m worried about the cake absorbing other smells but I don’t think I have an air tight container tall enough.
Thanks!
Hi Michelle! I wouldn’t cling wrap it just because it might mess up the ganache drips. Instead, just make sure there isn’t any strong smelling food in your refrigerator and if there is, put that food in an airtight container. It takes a lot of time in the refrigerator to absorb scent so I think you’ll be totally fine overnight.