1. Ganaching Foam Dummies
Welcome to the Review Section of the Course!
In Zigzag Course we will be working with dummies. In a previous Origami Marble Course we have learnt to ganache dummies. You can rewatch the videos below to refresh your memory.
For this course I recommend preparing 2kg of ganache.
In Zigzag Course we will be working with dummies. In a previous Origami Marble Course we have learnt to ganache dummies. You can rewatch the videos below to refresh your memory.
For this course I recommend preparing 2kg of ganache.
Ganache Preparation
(the same ganache recipe we used for smoothing cakes)
(the same ganache recipe we used for smoothing cakes)
The ganache needs to be stabilized for 8 hours before using it. It can be stored up to 2 weeks in the fridge and up to 3 months in the freezer.
The ganache consists of only three ingredients and it is very important to use high quality ingredients. For the ganache you need to use real white chocolate with 28-30% cocoa butter content. You cannot substitute the chocolate with compound chocolate or chocolate melts. I personally use Callebaut W2 28% White Chocolate. You can use any white chocolate with 28-30% cocoa butter content.
For this course I recommend preparing 2kg of the ganache.
For this course I recommend preparing 2kg of the ganache.
List of necessary Ingredients:
- 1300g White Chocolate (couverture chocolate not compound chocolate)
- 200g Cocoa Butter
- 500g Heavy Cream 30-36%
List of necessary Equipment
- Microwave
- Hand Blender
- Bowl
- Silicone spatula
White Chocolate Ganache Preparing Instructions
- Melt white chocolate in a plastic bowl in a microwave. Microwave the white chocolate for 30 seconds (or 20 seconds if at a high temperature) then take the bowl out and give it a stir. Place the bowl back in the microwave and repeat the process of melting for 30 seconds, stopping, stirring and returning to the microwave until the chocolate has melted. Do not microwave the chocolate for more than 30 seconds, it will burn.
- In a separate bowl microwave cocoa butter until it is melted for a couple minutes. Do not need to stir it every 30 seconds, cocoa butter does not burn.
- Combine the melted chocolate and the cocoa butter and stir with a silicone spatula.
- Bring the heavy cream to boil on the stove or a microwave.
- Pour heavy cream over chocolate and cocoa butter mixture in 5 steps.
- Add one fifth of the heavy cream and stir with a silicone spatula until well combined. It is easier to combine by stirring in the middle of the bowl. On step 1 the mixture thickens (after stirring in the cream, check the temperature of the mixture, it should be above 35C, if it is lower than that, heat up the mixture. Make sure your cream is hot, it should be around 80C. When the temperature of the mixture is below 35C, the cream won't incorporate properly).
- Add one fifth of the heavy cream and stir with a silicone spatula until well combined. On step 2 the mixture gets more runny and starts splitting.
- Add one fifth of the heavy cream and stir with a silicone spatula until well combined. On step 3 the mixture gets grainy.
- Add one fifth of the heavy cream and stir with a silicone spatula until well combined. On step 4 the mixture splits: fat separates from the chocolate, it floats on top of the bowl.
- Add one fifth of the heavy cream and stir with a silicone spatula until well combined. On step 5 the mixture comes together and is smooth.
- Blend the ganache with a hand blender until smooth. Then cover the ganache with a plastic wrap and put in the fridge to stabilise for at least 8 hours.
FAQs
No, for the ganache you need to use only real white chocolate with 28-30% cocoa butter content.
No, dark and milk chocolate contain higher percentage of cocoa butter and the recipe that I provided won't work. You will need to adjust the ratio of all the three ingredients. I personally do not work with dark or milk chocolate. White chocolate ganache is neutral both color and flavor wise. It does not affect the flavor of the cake filling as much as dark and milk chocolate do and it can be colored easily in any color.
No, ganache needs to be stabilized in the fridge for at least 8 hours before using. Chocolate that is in the ganache stabilizes only after 8 hours. Ganache that has been stabilized for less than 8 hours in the fridge won't set properly on the cake.
You can substitute the cocoa butter with cacao butter. In my recipe I use the cocoa butter to make the ganache more stable. Excluding the cocoa butter from the recipe will result in less stable ganache that cracks, melts and does not set as fast. You can purchase cocoa butter in pastry supply stores, pharmacies and at health food and specialty grocery stores.
No, you cannot, using heavy/whipping cream with low fat percentage will result in less stable ganache that doesn't set on the cake and cracks.
There are several reasons why it might take you long to mix the cream into chocolate and cocoa butter mixture :
- You did not add equal parts of the cream at every stage. As a result you have a lot of cream to mix at the last stage.
- How to fix: quickly stir with the silicone spatula until combined and blend.
- One of the three ingredients (cocoa butter, chocolate, heavy cream) cooled down. As a result different fat in those ingredients are repelling each other and are not mixing.
- How to fix: Heat up all the ingredients up to about 40C and mix.
- You did not properly stir after each addition of the cream. As a result you have a lot of unmixed cream floating on the sides of the bowl.
- How to fix: quickly stir in the center of the bowl with the silicone spatula clockwise until combined and blend.
No, you need to use a hand blender, because you need mix not whip the ganache.
White Chocolate Ganache Melting
Ganache needs to be stabilized for at least 8 hours before you melt it.
List of necessary Ingredients:
- Stabilized Ganache
List of necessary Equipment
- Microwave
- Silicone Spatula
- Blender
Ganache Melting Instructions
After stabilisation in a fridge, the ganache will be too hard to use for smoothing cakes, you will need to melt it.
How to melt the ganache properly:
How to melt the ganache properly:
- In a wide bowl put the amount of ganache you need. Microwave the ganache for 30 seconds (or 20 seconds if at a high temperature) then take the bowl out and give it a stir. Place the bowl back in the microwave and repeat the process of melting and stirring until you see that half of the ganache is melted and the other half is in pieces. When you see that the half of the ganache is melted, stop microwaving.
- Blend the melted ganache with unmelted ganache pieces using a hand blender until smooth.
- If your ganache is too thick for smoothing cakes, microwave it again for 10 seconds, stir with the silicone spatula and blend again. Repeat the process of microwaving and blending until you are happy with the consistency.
FAQs
Yes, you can. When using a double boiler, use a silicone spatula to keep scraping down the boil so the ganache on the side of the bowl doesn't burn. Also make sure there is no water getting into the bowl with ganache.
- If the ganache is viscous, it means that you oveheated the ganache.
- How to fix: add unmelted ganache to the overheated ganache , stir with the spatula, blend and microwave again. The ganache should be smooth like buttercream frosting.
- How to fix: add unmelted ganache to the overheated ganache , stir with the spatula, blend and microwave again. The ganache should be smooth like buttercream frosting.
- If the ganache splits after melting , it means you overheated the ganache.
- How to fix: stabilize the ganache in the fridge for 8 hours and then you can use it.
Yes, it is absolutely necessary to blend the ganache after melting. By blending the ganache with the a hand blender you mix stable and unstable parts of the ganache.
You can melt the ganache as many times as you need.
You can store the melted ganache up to 2 weeks in the fridge.
Ganaching dummies
To ganache a 20cm tall 13cm round foam dummy you need about 100 grams of the ganache.
To ganache a 14cm tall 12cm round dummy you also need about 100 grams of the ganache.
To ganache a 18cm round 16cm round dummy you need about 150grams of the ganache.
To ganache a 14cm tall 12cm round dummy you also need about 100 grams of the ganache.
To ganache a 18cm round 16cm round dummy you need about 150grams of the ganache.
List of necessary Equipment :
- Offset spatula
- Steel Scraper
- Plastic Scraper
- Turntable
- Damp cloth
List of necessary Ingredients :
- Melted white chocolate
- 300grams of ganache
- White food coloring
- Black food coloring
Ganaching Instructions
- To ensure that a dummy does not move or slip when smoothing, glue it to a cake board using ganache. Apply a small amount of the ganache to the bottom of the dummy and put the dummy on the cake board and push it down and rotate so that the ganache spreads evenly and the dummy glues to the board. Remove the extra ganache on the board using the scraper.
- Cover the hole on the top of the dummy to prevent the ganache from pouring into the hole when smoothing the dummy. Take a small amount of thick ganache and apply it to the hole and incisions on the dummy. Use thick ganache so it does not fall into the hole. Once you have covered all the holes and incisions, put the dummy in the fridge for about 5-7 mins until the ganache sets and the dummy is glued to the board.
- While the dummy is in the fridge, get the ganache ready. When texturing, always smooth the cake or the dummy according to the colour of the texture. Since we are going to have a white and black marbled texture, smooth the cake with grey ganache. To colour 300 grams of the ganache grey, add half a teaspoon of powdered white food colouring and blend until it dissolves. Then I add a little bit of black food colouring, on the tip of the teaspoon and blend again.
- Once the dummy is glued to the board you can start smoothing it. Ganache the dummy on a turntable and to keep the dummy from sliding off, cover the turntable with a damp cloth or a silicone mat or anything that creates friction. For smoothing the dummy use medium thick ganache. I pour the ganache on top of the dummy. Using the offset spatula I spread the ganache over the top of the cake. Hold the spatula on top of the cake at a slight angle with your right hand, and rotate the turntable with your left hand. To smooth the dummy quickly and evenly, it is important to keep all the tools straight and parallel to the dummy.
- Once you smoothed the top of the dummy, spread the ganache over the sides of it. Place the spatula parallel to the side of the dummy, making sure the whole surface of the spatula is resting on the side of the dummy, and turn the turntable. Move down the spatula as the ganache slides down. When smoothing, turn the turntable continuously.
- Once you spread the ganache over the top and the sides of the cake, smooth the sides using a tall scraper. Rest one edge of the tall plastic scraper on the cake board, and turn the turntable. Put the extra ganache back into the bowl and continue smoothing. Hold the spatula straight so that one of its edges is resting on the board and the other edge is resting on the side of the cake. And turn the turntable. The ganache on the dummy takes much longer to set. So, when smoothing the side of the dummy, do not push the scraper too hard. If you push it hard you might scrape off too much ganache. I remove the extra ganache and continue smoothing. This is what the dummy looks like after smoothing. I spread the ganache over the top and the sides of the dummy. I can see that the dummy is not perfectly straight but I will stop smoothing it now because the ganache has not set yet, it is still very soft. Smoothing the dummy with the soft ganache is a very long and tiring process. The soft ganache won't set on the dummy, it will only get more elastic. And we won't be able to smooth the dummy with sharp edges. So instead I
- Once you spread the ganache over the surface of the dummy, put the dummy in the fridge for about 7-10 mins until the ganache sets. Do not put the dummy in the fridge for longer, because the ganache will set too hard and it will be difficult to smooth.
- Once the dummy is chilled and the ganache has set, scrape off the extra ganache.Hold the dummy with one hand to keep the dummy from sliding. Place the scraper on the cake board and by putting pressure on it scrape off the extra ganache. Once you smoothed the bottom side of the dummy, move up and smooth the middle part of the dummy. Since you are holding the dummy with one hand, it is important to work fast, so that the ganache does not melt from the heat of your hand. Remove the extra ganache with stroking movements. Always clean the scraper, putting back the extra ganache into the bowl.
- Once you smooth the side of the dummy, smooth the top of it. Place the scraper straight on top of the dummy, not at an angle. And scrape off the extra ganache. It is important to hold the scraper straight to make sure the top is even. We need to place the scraper so that both ends of the scraper are resting on the surface of the cake. If one side of the scraper is hanging, the other end that is resting on the surface of the dummy will scrape off the ganache.
- Once you smoothed the top of the cake, remove the ganache crumbles one the edge of the cake. To do that place the scraper on the side of the dummy and turn the turntable. And put the crumbles back into the bowl. The dummy is smoothed and ready to be textured. I used about 100 grams of the ganache to smooth the second tier.
FAQs
You can glue several dummies together using a double sided tape or hot glue.
We need a hole in the centre of dummies for a central dowel. If there is no hole in your dummies, you can prick it using a central dowel. If you do not want to use a central dowel, you do not need to prick a hole.
To get a certificate of completion you need submit photos of your cake within the time you have access to the course material. You need to submit photos of your cakes and the decoration.
Please attach photos of your smoothed dummies below to get a feedback.
Please attach photos of your smoothed dummies below to get a feedback.
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