Whipped Chocolate Ganache (For Frosting and More)
This 2-ingredient whipped chocolate ganache makes a fantastic frosting for cakes, cookies, and more. Rich, easy, the best!
Want a great alternative to chocolate buttercream frosting or salted caramel frosting? Make whipped chocolate ganache! This light yet rich frosting is buttercream's simpler cousin, needing only melted chocolate and heavy cream, with no extra sugar. It's dreamy on any gluten free chocolate cake or batch of oat flour chocolate cupcakes, and I love it on a tender gluten free butter cake. Make it dairy-free, too!
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What You'll Love
- Soooooo chocolatey. There's no skimping on chocolate here - a 1:1 ratio of chocolate to heavy cream ensures that this frosting is super luxurious and full of chocolate flavor.
- Novice-friendly. Don't worry if you're not an expert frosting or icing-maker yet - this is a pretty foolproof frosting that's almost impossible to mess up. Plus, it doesn't need too many steps to make. Even better? It tastes fancy enough to rival even the most finicky of meringue frostings.
- Rich but not over the top. There's a peculiar magic that happens here - intellectually, I know that heavy cream can be, well, heavy. But when it's combined with the chocolate and whipped to peaks, it becomes so fluffy and light. Thus, it is definitely a rich frosting yet somehow doesn't feel like too much! Like I said: magic.
Ingredients Needed
Here are the quick ingredients that go into this frosting. Make sure to scroll down to my recipe card at the bottom of this post for the full ingredient amounts and instructions!
- Cream - Use heavy cream here for the best results. I don't recommend substituting milk or half-and-half; you want the real stuff.
- Semisweet chocolate - Any brand will do. I use what I have, which often tends to be chocolate chips, but feel free to chop up a favorite semisweet or dark chocolate bar, too.
Step-by-Step Instructions
Here's an overview in photos of how to make whipped ganache frosting:
1. Heat cream: Heat the cream until almost boiling, then pour it over the chocolate in a bowl.
2. Rest: Let the hot cream melt the chocolate for about 5-10 minutes undisturbed, then whisk to combine.
3. Chill: Place the mixture in the fridge and chill for about 1 hour. This is how it will look after it's chilled.
4. Whip: Using an electric mixer, whip the ganache to your desired consistency.
Tips & Recipe Notes
- Make sure the chocolate fully melts. This is THE most important step in this recipe. Let the chocolate and cream sit together for at least 5 minutes before whisking. This will ensure the chocolate is melted fully and creates an ultra-smooth frosting.
- Use fresh cream. Because the ingredients list is short, please use good-quality ones! This means cream that's fresh, preferably not too close to its sell-by date.
- Chill. If you have loads of time, you can let the cream and chocolate mixture cool on the counter to room temperature, then whip it. But, I find that it whips more quickly if it's been chilled in the fridge first - and I never have enough time to let it naturally cool! So, pop it in the fridge to speed up the process.
- Use it fresh. You can store the ganache frosting for a couple of days in the fridge, but it will change in consistency. Because this is such an easy recipe, I always make a batch fresh and use it right away.
- Different chocolate. Feel free to use this method with other chocolate varieties, such as milk chocolate or white chocolate.
Make it Dairy-Free
It's so easy to make a dairy-free ganache! I prefer to use coconut cream (not coconut milk) in place of the cream. Just heat according to the recipe directions and use it exactly the same way you'd use cream. For chocolate, try a dairy-free brand of chocolate like Enjoy Life or Guittard dark chocolate chips.
How to Use Whipped Chocolate Ganache
- Cakes - This is a fab recipe to use on all kinds of cakes, like my oat flour chocolate cake, oat flour vanilla cake, classic gluten free pound cake, or gluten free chocolate chip cookie cake ... and more.
- Cookies - Add a little frosting to gluten free sugar cookies, oat flour sugar cookies, or gluten free shortbread !
- Quick breads - Turn these humble loaves into dessert with ganache frosting! It's delicious on gluten free pumpkin bread or oat flour banana bread.
More Easy Chocolate Recipes
Happy baking! If you make this recipe, I'd love to know. Please leave a comment below, reach out with any questions, and tag me on Instagram @Cucina Nicolina ❤️
Whipped Chocolate Ganache
Ingredients
- 2 cups heavy cream
- 12 ounces semisweet chocolate , chopped or as chocolate chips
Instructions
- Place the 2 cups heavy cream in a large pot over medium heat and heat it until it slightly bubbles around the edges (you don't want to boil it). Transfer the cream to a large bowl, and add the 12 ounces semisweet chocolate. Let it stand for 5 minutes to melt the chocolate, then whisk until completely smooth.
- Chill the ganache in the fridge for up to 1 hour, until slightly firm and cool. Using an electric mixer, whip the ganache (similar to making whipped cream) until reaching your desired consistency (shorter for loose whipped ganache, longer for firmer ganache).
Notes
- Make sure the chocolate fully melts. This is THE most important step in this recipe. Let the chocolate and cream sit together for at least 5 minutes before whisking. This will ensure the chocolate is melted fully and creates an ultra-smooth frosting.
- Use fresh cream. Because the ingredients list is short, please use good-quality ones! This means cream that's fresh, preferably not too close to its sell-by date.
- Chill. If you have loads of time, you can let the cream and chocolate mixture cool on the counter to room temperature, then whip it. But, I find that it whips more quickly if it's been chilled in the fridge first - and I never have enough time to let it naturally cool! So, pop it in the fridge to speed up the process.
- Use it fresh. You can store the ganache frosting for a couple of days in the fridge, but it will change in consistency. Because this is such an easy recipe, I always make a batch fresh and use it right away.
- Different chocolate. Feel free to use this method with other chocolate varieties, such as milk chocolate or white chocolate.
- Dairy-free: Use coconut cream for the cream and non-dairy chocolate for the chocolate.
