Ever since I shared this recipe and tutorial for semi-sweet chocolate ganache drip cakes, I’ve gotten so many questions about making white chocolate ganache drip cakes. I’m so excited to share these tips with you because I know how finicky white chocolate ganache can be if you don’t get the ratio and timing just right. In fact, the first time I made it (using a super popular recipe that won’t be named) the ganache was so thin and runny that the drips just ran down the side of the cake and pooled at the bottom, even after cooling it to below room temperature! I have since experimented with white chocolate ganache to find the perfect ratio of chocolate to heavy whipping cream, and have found some handy tips for making it extra white and beautiful.
The first thing you need to know about white chocolate is that it’s not a true chocolate, meaning there’s a lack of chocolate solids and therefore doesn’t behave the same as semi-sweet, milk, or dark chocolate. Instead, it’s made from a mixture of sugar, cocoa butter, milk products, vanilla, and some sort of fatty substance called lecithin. Although I’ve never tried making white chocolate ganache with anything fancier than Hershey’s white chocolate chips, you can feel free to go as branded or non-branded as you want. Generic white chocolate chips or a white chocolate bar chopped into small pieces will work just fine.
With the absence of chocolate solids, the ratio of heavy whipping cream to white chocolate chips is going to be different than other ganache recipes. I’ve found a 3:1 ratio to be absolutely perfect (exact recipe below), meaning three parts chocolate to one part heavy whipping cream. Just bring the cream to an almost-boil, pour it over the white chocolate chips, whisk it together until it’s uniform, and you’re good.
Here’s a detailed video of the recipe, and you can continue reading below for all of my tips on working with white chocolate ganache:
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White Chocolate Ganache For Drip Cakes
Ingredients
- 1 Cup (190g) white chocolate chips or bar, chopped into bits
- 1/3 Cup (80ml) heavy whipping cream
- 1/2 tsp food color gel or whitening gel (optional)
Instructions
- Chop the white chocolate chips or bar as finely as you can and place it into a heat resistant bowl (glass or metal).
- In a saucepan over medium-high heat, warm heavy whipping cream until it just starts to simmer, whisking constantly. I always look for small bubbles forming around the edge and a soft boil starting in the middle. When it reaches this stage, pour the cream over the white chocolate.
- Whisk together until the ganache is uniform in consistency and there are no bits of chocolate left on your whisk. It can help to hold the bowl over the residual heat from the burner (once it's turned off) if you're having a hard time whisking everything together.
- Whiten or color the ganache (optional), then cool ganache at room temperature for anywhere from 5-20 minutes (depending on your kitchen environment), or until the ganache itself is slightly above room temperature. See the instructions for dripping a cake with white chocolate ganache + troubleshooting tips in the rest of this blog post below.
Notes
Tip 1: Whiten Your Ganache If It’s Too Yellow
The thing about white chocolate chips is that they aren’t exactly as white in color as they seem to be. To whiten the ganache, I swear by Americolor Bright White food color gel. It works like a dream every time, and you only need about half a teaspoon per batch of white chocolate ganache to get a perfectly bright white.
Some bakers like to use white candy melts in place of white chocolate chips to make white ganache, but I don’t like the taste of candy melts. So the whitening method is my favorite option.
Tip 2: 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, about 20-30 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 3: Chill Your Buttercream
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 white 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 4: Start With 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 5: Drip The Sides Before Filling In The Top
Whether you’re using a spoon to create drips (like I am!) or you’re into the squeeze bottle method, it’s best to drip the sides of the cake before filling in the top. Although it might be tempting to just dump all of the ganache on the top of the cake and let the drips fall where they may, you’ll have more control over the length of each drip by starting with the sides (after a successful test drip of course).
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.
And there you have it – everything I know about dripping cakes with white chocolate ganache. It’s a really good skill to have in your cake decorating repertoire, especially with how versatile white chocolate ganache can be color-wise. Adding a little food color gel can turn it any vibrant color of the rainbow! And whether you keep it white or color it up, I promise it’ll taste a million times better than candy melts.
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!
I’m trying to make white chocolate covered Oreos and am wondering if you think your ganache recipe will give me the liquidy consistency I need to dip the cookies and then solidify enough that I can stack a few cookies and not have them look sloppy. Thoughts?
Hi Jessica! For white chocolate covered Oreos I would just dip them in melted white chocolate. That way, the chocolate will dry firm on the Oreo instead of semi-soft (like ganache will). The melted white chocolate will be liquid enough for dipping.
Whitney, Thanks so much for this recipe! I look forward to using it on my buttercream cakes. It sure seems to be all the rage. My question for you is my 12 year old granddaughter wants a light turquoise drip on her favorite birthday cake recipe. I tried so hard to talk her into a buttercream icing with drip and sprinkles but her heart is set on her favorite (Southern Living ) cake and icing recipe. It is made with real whipping cream, cream cheese, powdered sugar and grandulated sugar and 10 Hersey’s chocolate candy bars chopped fine and folded in. Because of the whipped cream it has to be kept frigerated and then I sit out for about 15 minutes before serving. Do you think if I follow your instructions exactly that I could drip a cake that has chilled icing with the above ingredients or too risky?
Hi Martha! You can totally use this drip cake tutorial with a whipped cream frosting. As long as the frosting is nice and chilled you’ll be good to go!
Will the drip be shiny or dull/flat?
Hi Stacy, the white chocolate drip has a little bit of shine to it, but it’s mostly like it is in the picture: more opaque.
hello, i just loved your explanation on this, i just want to be sure if it will work just as well over cream cheesse buttercream or if i should use a plain buttercream over the first to “receive” de ganache? Thanks in advance.
Hi Nelia! This recipe will totally work over cream cheese buttercream. Just be sure to follow the steps above as you would with a vanilla buttercream and you’ll be good to go.
Can I use white chocolate ganache over a cake covered with fondant?
Hi Ana! I have never tried dripping a fondant covered cake before, so I can’t recommend it. From what I have read on the internet, the chocolate ganache will make the fondant too sticky and soft. What’s recommended instead for dripping a fondant covered cake is royal icing. Here’s an article I found describing how to drip a fondant cake with royal icing: http://www.deliciouslyyours.com.au/baked—your-diy-blog/a-little-bit-of-drizzle-for-your-cake
Hello, this cake looks amazing, where I can buy this mix of funfetti which you used at the bottom of the cake?
Hi Emilia! The sprinkles are SprinklePop “Bewitched”: https://sprinklepop.shop/products/bewitched-sprinkle-mix
Thank you so much for this post! My first attempt at a white chocolate drip turned out exactly the way you described. I’m going to make your recipe today!
Yay! Let me know how it goes, Karen!
Thank you.
Will any gel color work. I was u see the impression the chocolate might seize if didn’t use powders it oil based colors.
Hi Sarah! Since ganache involves whisking chocolate together with heavy whipping cream (liquid), it changes the chemistry of the chocolate and won’t seize like it would if it were just plain melted chocolate when you add the food color gels. I always use Americolor for coloring white chocolate ganache, which are water-based gels, and it works just fine!
Hi hi. Question…. Can i make the drip a day in advance?
Hi Linet! You definitely can make the ganache a day ahead. See the recipe notes above for how to store it. You can also drip the cake the day before you add more decorations and store it in the fridge until you’re ready to move on.
One question … after placing the ganache in the sponge cake, do I have to put it in the fridge and when it is out of the fridge in the activity and it is hot it will melt?
Hi Janet, the ganache shouldn’t melt outside of the refrigerator unless it’s sitting above 85 degrees for several hours. It’s best to keep it in an air conditioned environment but it should be fine outside for a few hours.
Sorry, I have another question… How much chocolate do I have to use to drip a cake?
Thanks again!
This recipe makes enough to make two drip cakes, so you can either try halving the recipe or do what I do: make the full amount, drip the cake, save the rest of the ganache in an airtight container and store it in the fridge for a future drip cake (it’ll last two weeks).
Thanks again Whitney! Very useful tip!
Hello. Amazing cake Whitney!
I would like to make this ganache for a drip cake but would like it light blue. I’d prefere not to use whitener, do you know if adding blue color the ganache will turn green?
Thank you!
Hi Eva! To get a pure light blue, you’ll need to whiten the ganache first. Since the ganache is yellowish in nature, adding blue will make it more of a light green.
Ok, thanks a lot for your response. Then I will maybe try a dull shade of light blue since I prefere to avoid the whitener… it woukd make a light green or with a little chance, a light turquoise ganache.
I would like to couloir the drips gold. Can I paint over the ganache with lustre dust (mixed with solution)?
Hi Kassandra! I’ve never tried a gold drip before, but after a little research it sounds like painting on ganache won’t work (it doesn’t set hard enough). Instead, you’ll need to drip the cake with melted white chocolate or Candy Melts and refrigerate it afterwards to let the drip set firm. After that, you can use an edible gold paint to paint the drips. Here are my recommendations for edible gold paint: https://sugarandsparrow.com/metallic-gold-buttercream/
Thank you Whitney xx
The other option is to do ganache with a firmer ratio (4:1) and then also dye the ganache with yellow(ideal is gold food dye). That adds a hue of gold so when you’re covering it with gold dust, you don’t see white peeking through… it matches the gold dust 😉
Hello. This question is not really relevant, but what food dye did you use to get that colour of buttercream on the cake? I’m guessing you use americolor but I just would like to know what the name of the colour is because the colour is really amazing 🙂 Thanks in advance.
Hi Emma! I used Americolor Fuschia for coloring the buttercream. Here’s a link: https://amzn.to/2Xpjbp9
Ho Whitney, can i use heavy double cream instead of heavy whippjng cream here
Hi Jessica! Yes, double cream and heavy whipping cream are one in the same, so you could totally use that.