Food & Cooking Recipes Dessert & Treats Recipes Chocolate Ganache Frosting 5.0 (1) This three-ingredient frosing is ultra-chocolatey. Close Credit: Johnny Miller Prep Time: 5 mins Cook Time: 5 mins Total Time: 30 mins Servings: 24 Yield: 4 cups Jump to recipe Our chocolate ganache frosting recipe is made with only three basic ingredients: bittersweet chocolate, heavy cream, and light corn syrup. Even better, it doesn't require any special equipment and cooks for only five minutes. The rest of the time is spent letting the chocolate gently melt into the heavy cream mixture, then stirring as the mixture cools. While a traditional ganache is made with just chocolate and cream (or butter), corn syrup is added to this frosting to make it shiny and spreadable, and keep it from completely hardening. Use our chocolate ganache frosting on your favorite cake or your next batch of cupcakes. 14 of Our Most Decadent Chocolate Cake Recipes Ganache vs. Buttercream They're both rich and versatile, but ganache and buttercream differ when it comes to their ingredients and flavor. Ganache is made by slowly melting chocolate in hot cream or butter, then stirring until the mixture comes together. The result is a dense, decadent coating that can be used for everything from glazing cakes and cookies to making truffles. How sweet it is depends on the type of chocolate used, rather than adding sugar. Buttercream is made by beating butter with confectioners' sugar until thick and blended, then adding cream or milk and any flavorings. It's far sweeter than ganache with a pronounced butter flavor. For a sweeter ganache, you can use semi-sweet chocolate in place of the bittersweet called for in this recipe. Troubleshooting Achieving the perfect consistency can be tricky with this frosting; if it becomes too firm to spread, reheat it in a heatproof bowl over a pan of simmering water until it begins to melt around the edges, then remove from heat and stir until smooth. Directions Heat cream and corn syrup; pour over chocolate: Place chocolate in a large heatproof bowl. Bring cream and corn syrup just to a simmer over medium-high heat; pour mixture over chocolate. Let stand, without stirring, until chocolate begins to melt. Gently stir chocolate into cream: Beginning near the center and working outward, stir melted chocolate into cream until mixture is combined and smooth (do not overstir). Refrigerate, stirring every 5 minutes: Refrigerate, stirring every 5 minutes, until frosting just barely begins to hold its shape and is slightly lighter in color. Use immediately (ganache will continue to thicken after you stop stirring). Storage Ganache frosting can be refrigerated in an airtight container for up to one week. Freezing For longer storage, ganache can be frozen for up to one month. Let it thaw overnight in the refrigerator or for a few hours at room temperature. You can also microwave it in 30-second bursts, stirring well after each one, until ganache is softened. Ideas for Using Chocolate Ganache Frosting There are so many ways to use this rich and decadent frosting, including: Spread onto a classic chocolate cake or yellow cake As a glaze for homemade donuts As a topping for cookies and macaroons Drizzled over almond biscotti Rolled into balls to form chocolate truffles More Frosting Recipes to Try: Vegan Chocolate-Ganache Frosting Perfect Seven-Minute Frosting Our Favorite Cream Cheese Frosting Vanilla Frosting Easy Chocolate Frosting Mascarpone Frosting Updated by Esther Reynolds Esther Reynolds Esther Reynolds is an experienced recipe developer, recipe tester, food editor, and writer with over a decade of experience in the food and media industries.