Why does my ganache keep breaking?
I'm making truffles, and my ganache keeps coming apart. The chocolate acts like it's overheating, but it's not. I've confirmed the temperature of the water in the double boiler several times, and the chocolate never exceeds 120 degrees. Here's my recipe:
20 oz of chopped chocolate (72%)
1 3/4 cups cream
1/4 cup Cognac
2 tbsp Butter
splash of espresso powder
I'm making this in a double boiler, as I find it usually turns out smoother. I don't know why this recipe isn't working today, I've made it twice and it's failed both times, though I've used the recipe many times over the years.
The only difference is the cognac, but I've used other liquid as flavoring. Is there something in liquor that changes the melting properties of chocolate? The liquid is going in with the chocolate, so it's not seizing.
I've destroyed $40 of Valhrona today, so needless to say, I'd like to know why this is happening.
Best Answer
I found an answer in McGee's 'On Food and Cooking: The Science and Lore of the Kitchen'.
The basic ganache is 1:1 chocolate:cream (by weight). With lots of chocolate the emulsion can come apart.
In 'Keys to good cooking' McGee describes how to restore a failed ganache. You put it over a double boiler and when it reaches 33ºC y stir it vigorously. If that fails, start with a smaller batch, just like you'd recover mayonnaisse.
McGee recommends letting it sit on the counter to cool slowly overnight.
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Quick Answer about "Why does my ganache keep breaking?"
The cause of the split ganache is due to the amount of total fat and fluid ratio in the ganache. In the future you can reduce the total fat content in your recipe by cutting butter and replacing with milk or going with a lower fat chocolate.How do you keep ganache from breaking?
Basic Tips for Preventing Oily/Split/Grainy Ganache:Why does my ganache keep splitting?
Ganache usually splits if the cream is to hot or if you mix it too soon before all the ingredients have had time to come to a similar temperature. Try rotating the bowl as soon as you pour the cream to get it into all the nooks and crannies.How do you fix a cracked ganache cake?
Leave it in the box to come slowly to room temperature for about 15 minutes so it doesn't get such a big temperature difference shock. I've had this happen to me with a cake covered in dark chocolate which I brought out of the freezer. Luckily I managed to remove the ganache bit by bit, warmed it up and reapplied.How do you stabilize ganache?
Heat the cream Pour over the chopped chocolate and let stand for 5 to 10 minutes to allow the hot cream to melt the chocolate and to allow the overall temperature to reduce because emulsions like ganache form better at 90 to 110\xb0F. The higher the fat content of the cream, the richer and more stable the ganache will be.How to FIX a Broken Chocolate Ganache | 3 Common Problems | DallasChocolateClasses.com
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Answer 2
A 1:1 ratio is probably a cake frosting ratio, not a truffle ratio (although it could be for molded or even piped truffles). If you're hand rolling your truffles, though, a 1:1 ratio is going to be difficult to work with.
A couple of ideas:
You say you're keeping the temperature under 120 degrees, but 120 is very hot for ganache. You might want to try the technique of heating only the cream and then pouring it slowly over finely chopped chocolate. Let the cream sit on the chocolate for a minute or so and then stir slowly.
How are you adding the liquid flavoring? If you're adding it quickly or before the ganache has combined, that could be the issue.
Answer 3
I came looking for prevention - frequently happens to me too, without alcohol (in the truffles; I haven’t noticed that a glass of wine in me makes a difference). I do have a works-every-time solution, at least: mayonnaise method, per Alice Medrich: regardless of the amount of ganache you are trying to fix, bring 3-4 Tb cream to a simmer. Pour it into a clean bowl and whisk in a few Tb of the broken ganache until the mixture looks smooth and thick. Continue to whisk, gradually adding the rest of the broken ganache, as though you were making mayo.
Also works with full-fat canned coconut milk, in case you’re using that instead of dairy milk for vegan truffles.
Answer 4
The way I've rescued a ganache is to use an immersion blender to pummel the mixture... it's amazing how it can turn a grainy, oily mixture into a perfectly smooth, shiny ganache. Always give this a go before throwing away a mixture.
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