Chocolate Ganache

A good ganache recipe is useful for a variety of desserts. My version has only two ingredients - and you can make as much or as little as you need. Cooled to room temperature, the ganache can be drizzled over cakes or pastries. But when the room temperature ganache is whipped, it becomes a dreamy fluffy mixture - perfect for icing a cake.

This will make enough frosting to cover a two-layer cake. The ganache will only be as good as the chocolate used. You can use chocolate chips, but make sure they have a high cacao ratio - I use 72% cacao bittersweet.

12 ounces heavy cream (1½ cups)
12 ounces bittersweet chocolate, broken into small pieces
 
Heat the cream in a medium saucepan. Do not let it boil. Remove from heat. Stir in the chocolate pieces and stir until the chocolate has melted and the sauce is evenly colored. Let cool to room temperature. When cooled, the ganache can be drizzled over a cake.
 
To use as frosting: Allow the sauce to cool to room temperature (do not refrigerate!), two or three hours. Use an electric mixer to whip the sauce at a high speed. After three or four minutes, the ganache will begin to firm-up, and the color will slightly lighten. Continuing whipping at a high speed but check every thirty-seconds or so until the ganache reaches your desired firmness.
 
Try this frosting over my White Butter Cake.