Water ganache is just water and melted chocolate and makes the best drips!
Water ganache is ganache made with water instead of cream. The taste is still just as good but with no added dairy. You might make water ganache for a few reasons. Maybe you ran out of cream, maybe you have cottage laws in your area that prevent you from using fresh dairy. Maybe you're looking to make a vegan version of ganache. Whatever your reasons are, water ganache acts just the same as regular white chocolate ganache and is great for making those pretty drip cakes.
A long time ago, back when I was still Artisan Cake Company, I blogged about a very straight-forward recipe called water ganache for my heart of gold drip cake. I mostly made it just to show that ganache can be made with any type of liquid, not just water.
Even though people saw with their own eyes that you can make ganache with water, I would still get that question, "doesn't water seize the chocolate?"
So I decided to make a video demonstrating how cream actually acts very much like water in that it is mostly water with a very small amount of fat. If you were to add a little bit of cream to some melted chocolate it would seize up just as if you added a little water to the melted chocolate. The way you make it into "ganache" is by adding more water so that the liquid to chocolate ratio is correct.
How to make your drip cake gold
You can paint over ganache with metallic luster dust mixed with everclear or lemon extract or you can color your ganache with candy coloring made especially for adding color to chocolate. I like to add some yellow, orange and a touch of black to my chocolate to make a dirty brown color that resembles the tones of gold so if I miss a spot while painting, you can't really tell. Make sure you let your drip set in the fridge until firm before painting.
I like to use everclear because it is a high proof alcohol and evaporates very quickly, leaving behind a very high shine. Make sure when you are combining your alcohol with the metallic dust, you only add enough liquid to make a thick, paint-like consistency. If you add too much liquid you will not get good coverage. Also make sure the type of dust you are using is a high-shine. I like the super gold from truly mad plastics which is non-toxi and has the best shine in my opinion.
If you are looking for fully edible metallics check out the gold from rainbow dust metallics or edible artist decorative paints metallics.
Pink strawberry drip cake
I recently experimented with making strawberry buttercream using dehydrated strawberries for flavoring and really like the finish it gave my strawberry cake. I thought what better way to finish this off than with a pretty pink drip. I hardly ever color anything with just one color. To get this nice natural strawberry pink, I used pink chameleon colors from artisan accents with a touch of yellow. Doesn't it remind you of melting strawberry ice cream? Yum!
How to make a white chocolate ganache drip
The traditional way of making a ganache is to heat the cream until it is about to boil and then pour it over the chocolate and let it sit for about 5 minutes. The cream softens the chocolate which you can then whisk and combine together to make ganache. This works really well with milk or dark chocolate but not as well with white chocolate ganache. The reason is that white chocolate isn't actually chocolate. It's just cream, sugar, cocoa butter and vanilla and in some cases other ingredients that act as stabilizers.
So if you where to use the same ratio of cream/white chocolate then your ganache would never set and would be very soupy. Some people say that a 4:1 ratio (four times as much white chocolate as cream) works but I prefer even less liquid for a drip.
- To make your white chocolate ganache all you have to do is measure out 6 oz of white chocolate (I prefer Guittard white chocolate wafers but wilton candy melts will also work great. Just avoid using white chocolate chips because they do not melt very well) and 1.5 oz of heavy whipping cream.
- Melt your white chocolate in a glass bowl either over a double boiler or in a microwave until softened. For me it was about a minute.
- Add in your heavy cream (room temp or warmed slightly in the microwave) and stir to combine and all chocolate is melted
- At this point you can color your ganache
- Wait until your ganache has cooled to about 95 degrees before you try to pipe it over your chilled cake or the drips might run too far down your cake.
How do you do a white chocolate ganache drip on a cake?
Some people like to use a spoon to put the ganache onto the cake but I find that I have more control if I use a piping bag or a bottle. You could even use a plastic bag with the tip cut off if you really had to. The key to making the ganache drip look really good to alternate big drips with little drips. This makes a really pretty pattern and looks very natural.
Once you get drips all the way around the cake, you can fill in the center with more ganache and then smooth it out with a spatula, completing that seamless drip look.
Easy drip cake ganache recipe using water
The process for making ganache with water instead of cream is basically the same. The only difference is you want to use slightly less water than cream. For my recipe, I use 6oz of Guittard white chocolate wafers and 1 oz of warm water and then stir until combined. I still let it cool to 90 degrees before piping. This is technically a 6:1 ratio so when it sets, it is very firm.
You could also use this ratio to make a white chocolate ganache for the outside of the cake.
You can color your water ganache the same way we colored the ganache made with cream. Store ganache in the fridge for up to a week or freeze for up to a year. Cakes that have ganache on them do not need to be refrigerated.
How to make a dairy-free water ganache
White chocolate (even melties) contain dairy. If you want your ganache to be 100% dairy-free then you would need to use dairy-free white chocolate.
You can watch this video tutorial on how to make the different types of ganache for drip cakes including how to paint the drip gold.
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Recipe
Ingredients
White Chocolate Water Ganache
- 6 oz white chocolate I prefer guittard white chocolate wafers
- 1 oz warm water
Dark Chocolate Water Ganache
- 6 oz chocolate I use guittard semi-sweet chocolate
- 1.5 oz warm water
Instructions
Instructions
- Melt your white chocolate in a glass bowl over a double boiler or in the microwave. Do not over-heat
- Stir in your water until combined and smooth. Add in colorings as desired.
- Let cool to 90 degrees before piping onto the cake or if using to frost your cake, let thicken to peanut butter consistency before using.
Video
Nutrition
CH says
I made this with dark chocolate chips using the measurement given for a dark chocolate ganache and following the directions for the white chocolate ganache given in this recipe. I melted the chocolate and added warm water. When I used it (probably about an hour later) it was so thick so I tried heating it up, it never reached the right consistency, and it melted the frosting on my cake a bit. What did I do wrong?
Marcela Vazquez says
Can I use cocoa flavored candy melts with the same ratio ? Thanks
Elizabeth Marek says
Yes you can
Jacqueline M Andra says
Do you color the water prior to mixing with chocolate or can you color with the gel colours after you make the ganache?
Elizabeth Marek says
You can add color at any time
CH says
For a dark chocolate water ganache can I use chocolate chips (dark)? Thanks
Elizabeth Marek says
Yes you can
Mariyam says
Can I half the recipe and use ? 3:1 Chocolate:water ? Like 85g:14g ? I am using compound white chocolate. Hoping to get a quick reply. Thanks in advance 😊
Elizabeth Marek says
You still need to use 6:1 for compound chocolate. To half the recipe you would cut all the ingredients in half, not change the ratio. So it would be 3 ounces of chocolate and .5 ounces of water.
Sahana says
Hi Liz, I would like to use the water ganache as a decoration for a cake, but I was wondering if i was going to make an 8 inch cake with 3 layers would I have to double the recipe? I was also wondering how you can prevent your ganache drips from rippling, is there a specific temperature the cake has to be or an amount of time the cake has to be chilled please give your tips. My last question is for the water ganache we can use any type of gel food coloring right?
Elizabeth Marek says
You don't need to double the recipe, make sure you cake is very cold and your water ganache is about 90ºF before dripping. You can use any kind of food coloring.
Michelle says
It works great and tastes amazing... But.. Mine got really thick really fast and its no longer useable as a drip. How can I fix that? I tried giving it heat again but it didn't work...
Elizabeth Marek says
Sounds like you burned your chocolate by heating it too hot.
Lisa says
Don’t have much experience with ganache, but does adding water to the melted chocolate not cause the chocolate to seize up? Thanks in advance.
Elizabeth Marek says
If you watch the video I explain why it doesn't seize.
Lizanne Schmidt says
Oh my goodness. It couldn't be easier. Works PERFECT! I used cheap melting chocolate (since I'm still practicing) and it still worked and taste great. I used my own measurements but stuck to the 6:1 ratio. Thank you Liz!
Mirza says
Would you use the same ratio of h20 to chocolate for a dairy free ganache for filling french macarons? I want it to be soft at room temp
Elizabeth Marek says
Im not sure if the ratios would end up exactly the same, I would do a small test first to see if its the consistency you want.
Isabella says
What if u put to much water in
Elizabeth Marek says
I would add more chocolate until the ratio is correct again
Shruthi says
Hi Liz,
Can I make a milk chocolate drip with the same concept? I have milk compound chocolate and was thinking if the ratio used for dark chocolate can be used here as well?
Elizabeth Marek says
Yes you can but I would probably reduce the water to twice as much chocolate as water
Jillian says
Hey Ms. Liz.
I had a problem with the ganache drips actually sliding down the cake after I had finished and it had set. I kept the cake in the fridge because I had to transport it later. Is it because it was chilled after I put the drip on and the condensation made it slide? The drip was on top of your ermine butter cream. ❤️
Elizabeth Marek says
The ermine buttercream is most likely the issue, the ganache should not slide after you put the drip on
Sarah Wynn says
Awesome
Suzy says
Hi love your tutorials. I live in Brampton, Ontario; Canada. Can I use candy melts? Also how do I make and use chocolate ganache to cover a cake? How do I become an elite member and is there a cost?
The Sugar Geek Show says
I prefer candy melts for this recipe. You can become an elite member by signing up on http://www.sugargeekshow.com/become-a-member Yes there is a cost to the membership site 🙂