How hard is ganache to work with??

[Salad]

Just wondering how hard ganache is to make and ice a cake with for someone who has never used it before. I am after a smooth finish. Any tips and advice would be heplful too.
Thanks
xoxox

[Lilly-Pilly]

You can use ganache at differenent temperatures to achieve different looks. When its set its harder to make smooth, but if you wait for it to cool down you can then pour it over the cake while it is still soft and it will give you a nice smooth surface.
To decorate, put it in the fridge to harden it up, then you can pipe with it or write with it etc with a piping set.
I love it!

[Snacks]

Or you can just warm the knife while spreading. Works a treat. I don't find it difficult to work with.

[Salad]

awesome thanks girls, now whats a good recipe, I heard that you should use good quality chocolate, Is this true?

[Lilly-Pilly]

I usually use cadbury dark chocolate and full fat cream
Some recipes say to use 50/50, others say 1/3 cream to 2/3 chocolate
I usually do the 2/3 choc to 1/3 cream

[Snacks]

I usually do the 2/3 choc to 1/3 cream

Me too. I have only made a white choc one though, for my white choc mud. I just follow the recipe, but I'm pretty sure that's the ratio.
YES! Use good quality chocolate Makes all the difference. (Like using wine in your cooking, I'm told - use wine that you'd want to drink ) And same with mousse - I think a good chocolate mousse has GOOD chocolate in it!

[Roryrory]

I cheated and got my DH to ganache Flynn's cake - he is pretty handly with plastering so apparently it is the same-ish. Hot knife is best.

[Salad]

lol rory rory that cracked me up

[KatieRabbit]

I have major trouble with white choc ganache and no trouble at all with milk and dark choc. Thus, me thinks it has something to do with the cocoa fat content of the choc so a higher quailty one would work better (and taste yummier)....

[Bathsheba]

MasterChef's Julie Goodwin has her recipes in this months Womans' Weekly... her Celebration Cake has ganache.