It was a bad ganache week!

The first cake I did was a donation...my ganache was lumpy and I thought it was okay but once I poured it, I realized it was very unprofessional looking. No time to redo it, esp since I was doing it for free. Looking back, I wish I had!

Anyway so used the same batch of ganache a few days later for a paid cake....got it nice and smooth in the microwave this time. Poured the cake, it was perfect! Shiny and smooth as glass. Decorated it.

This morning pulled it out and its full of tiny cracks like shattered glass!!!! I thought maybe the decorations on top affected it, but thinking back I had a sheet cake do this to me once before. I used a noncrusting buttercream underneath this cake. I don't know if my fridge was too cold or what?! I gave the customer a bit of her money back for it. I did tell her it kinda looked like "cobblestone" so not too bad for the theme of the cake, but had this been a wedding cake I would have had a BAD day! I need to figure out why my ganache is doing this. Its not like I've never used ganache before....most of the time it works just fine!!!!

My final picture is in my photos...I'll post a closeup of the cracks here.

hmmmm that's weird....I've never had that happen with ganache before either.

I don't refrigerate though, maybe it was your fridge temp being too cold. I wonder if you had hit it with a warm blow dryer if the cracks would have smoothed out.

I thought about it, but the cracks went through to the icing so I was afraid the icing would ooze out.

Its only happened a couple of times..I guess it could be a very cold fridge temp...? Something is happening to make the chocolate contract too much?????

Here's a no-fail pour choc. glaze recipe (if you want to try a new recipe):

In a bowl melt in microwave or over hot water bath:
1 1/2 pounds of chopped chocolate (I use Callebout)
1 pound of butter, chopped up

(Melt slowly so it melts evenly, otherwise you will get little lumps.)

When it is melted, whisk together until smooth and add:
4 Tabl. Corn Syrup
1/2 cup HOT water

Whisk until smooth. When it is warm, NOT HOT, pour over a crumb coated cake. You can keep this in refrigerator for a couple of weeks, and warm in microwave until liquid.

Hope this helps next time.

The cracking happened to me once before too. The only thing I could think of at the time was that the frige must have been too cold also. From then on, when I use ganache I always turn the knob back one before I put the cake in.

Also, when I'm pouring ganache, (you probably do this too) I always run it through a strainer before I pour it over the cake, gets rid of all the lumps.

Is it possible that it got too hot the second time you microwaved it? Chocolate does strange things when it is over cooked. Just a thought.

Kitagirl... I love that look! I'd bet if you wanted to recreate it, you could not do so a second time. It looks like antiquing. If I had been the customer, I would not have been at all upset to have received that cake!

Sorry, can't help you with why it happened... just liking the look!

Kitagrl hurt your reputation? I don't think so. Your work is absolutely flawless and beautiful, and I'm sure your reputation speaks for itself. By the way, I saw the cake in you avatar in PA at Let Them Eat Cake, with the dog and they were definitely the best by far.

was there a reason for refrigeration? like a perishable filling?

Your cracks resemble my cake pops if the cake is too cold and the warm ganache/chocolate is poured over them. As it sets up, it cracks from the cake coming to temperature.

I typically don't ever put my cakes back in the fridge/freezer after it comes out (I freeze after baking). So, i'm not a total expert with that.