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!
What white ganache recipe do you use for using as a firm base underneath fondant? Thank you.
Hi Karen! I don’t work with fondant much anymore, so I would look for a good white chocolate ganache recipe that can be used under fondant. It looks like this one might be a good recipe: https://veenaazmanov.com/cake-decorators-white-chocolate-ganache-recipe/
Can you do this with a cream cheese frosting?
Hi Elizabeth! Yes – you can absolutely do this drip on a cream cheese frosting. Just make sure the frosting is chilled until it’s firm to the touch before dripping the cake.
Hi Whitney, just wondering will this work on a cake with cream cheese frosting? Or will the flavors clash – if so, is there a different kind of ganache that would work better you could recommend? Thanks!
Hi Lorna! Cream cheese buttercream pairs wonderfully with this white chocolate ganache drip. I’ve made it before and it’s lovely!
Hello there! Could you tell me what consistency this ganache sets to? I’m trying to figure out if I can use it on my one year olds smash cake. Thank you!
Hi Melissa! It sets maybe a tiny bit firmer than peanut butter. It should be totally fine for a smash cake! I’ve used this recipe on a smash cake before and it went great 🙂 congrats on your little one turning one!
Hello, I had a question. If I was to color the ganache pink, will I need to whiten it first, or can I just start adding the pink?
Hi Emily! I would whiten the ganache first, since adding pink to yellow ganache results in more of an orange-pink color. If you want a true pink, add a little whitener first.
Hi! I tried this for the first time and it was great! Question: do you think it would hold up on an hour long drive? It is in the fridge now and will be served in 3days.
Hi Angela! I’m so happy this drip recipe was a hit! It will definitely hold up on an hour long drive. I would refrigerate it until you leave and then keep the air conditioning on in the car for the ride. Hope that helps!
What is the name and brand of those sprinkles?
Hi Indira! These were called “Bewitched” by Sprinkle Pop and sadly they don’t make this mix anymore! Here’s a similar one that I love though: https://amzn.to/3IrKRk5
Hi there , I’m doing a 2 tier drip cake at the moment , would it be better to drip the bottom tier once they are put together or before I put the top tier on ?. And is it best to keep the middle of the bottom tier free from drip icing. . I hope I’ve managed to explain that properly . Hope you can help . Thanks so much xx
Hi Jo! I would drip the cakes before assembling them and keep the middle of the bottom tier free from drip icing so that when you put the top tier on it doesn’t smoosh down the drip. Hope that helps!
I tried this recipe and it was amazing!! Thank you
Yay, Tishaniya! I’m so happy to hear that! Thanks for letting me know 🙂
Hi for this recipe what size cake did you use? .,
Hi James! The cake pictured is a triple layer 6 inch cake but this recipe makes enough to drip larger cakes than this, probably even enough for a two tiered cake.
Hi,I am Antonet from South Africa, thank you sooo much ….THIS WORKS!!!!
Yay, Antonet! I’m so happy to hear you had success with this recipe!
Worked perfectly for me. White choc ganache makes such pretty drip, not clumpy. I always need that reminder to be patient to wait for the right temperature, too. Thank you haha! I’ve tried other drip methods… candy melts, melted canned frosting… but white choc ganache is the most reliable and the best texture and taste in my opinion! Thank you!
I also used Colour Mill white food coloring and it worked very well!
que color es la crema … bello todo
Thank you!
Hi! This is a great recipe. I have just one question. Can I use milk instead of cream?
Hi Eli! My understanding is that milk doesn’t have high enough fat content to make this ganache the right consistency, so I can’t recommend anything other than heavy whipping cream.
Hi there! Very useful post, thank you!
One question, when adding the white Americolor food color gel, doesn’t the chocolate seize, since it’s water-based?
Hi Electra! Once the chocolate is whisked into the heavy whipping cream and all incorporated, the chemistry of the mixture changes in such a way that you can add a water based food color gel without the chocolate seizing. Hope that helps!