Why You Should Never Skip The Butter In Chocolate Ganache

Ganache is the silky chocolate sauce drizzled on cakes and makes up the tender center of soft chocolate truffles and plenty of pastries. Ganache works wonderfully as a secret ingredient for saving cracked cheesecake and is a genius component of restaurant quality hot chocolate. The melted confection is usually composed of solid dark chocolate and a liquid like cream or water. However, a little bit of butter really boosts the multi-purpose emulsion (no surprise). Butter improves the overall taste, texture, and appearance of chocolate ganache.

In general, when added to sauces (sweet or savory), butter adds a little extra luster. It's what makes restaurant soups and sauces look (and taste) so luxurious. The creaminess from a bit of butter contributes depth of flavor and gives ganache a glossy appearance that will elevate all your bakes. Simply follow your favorite ganache recipe and finish the sauce with a little cubed butter.

If you're shopping for your ganache ingredients, there is a definitive ranking of grocery store butter brands you should absolutely keep in mind. A good quality butter can be a worthwhile investment for the future of your tastebuds and really makes all the difference when it comes to flavor and texture. It is also best to reach for unsalted butter versus salted to stir into your ganache. Unsalted butter is usually the standard in baking. It allows you to control the overall flavor and the level of saltiness. While a little salt contrasts well with the sweet richness of ganache, it's typically best to measure salt out yourself for more precise flavor.

Cubed butter also works particularly well for sauces, caramels, and bakes. Cubed butter disperses quickly and mixes into sauces and batters evenly. You can pour your completed ganache over cakes and cupcakes, drizzle it over pies, or layer it in elevated no-bake dirt cakes.