Advice Please :) First Time Attempting Ganache
Decorating By SweetTreatsbyJess Updated 27 May 2010 , 8:51pm by abeane
I will be attempting to do a coconut cake with a ganache filling and frosting for my father's bday this weekend. Was wondering if I should be putting a layer of buttercream underneath the ganache to get that smooth look. Or would that throw off the taste? Also this probably sounds dumb but is "cream of coconut" the same this as "coconut cream". 
Thanks for taking the time to read my post!
I would do a smooth layer of buttercream and then pour the ganche over it. Thats what we have done several times at school. If youre worried about flavor do chocolate buttercream. Good luck sounds delicous. I dont know about the coconut for sure or not. I would assume so but I dont have a definitive answer.
Adding a layer of buttercream under the ganache will probably give you the smoothest look. I don't think it would throw off the flavor. You could even make a coconut buttercream (just sub coconut extract for vanilla).
Yes, "cream of coconut" and "coconut cream" are two different products. Cream of coconut (e.g. Coco Lopez) has added sweeteners. You can usually find cream of coconut in the same aisle as drink mixers or even at the liquor store because it is used in Pina Coladas.
Coconut cream is unsweetened and it is usually sold in the same aisle as coconut milk. I've never seen coconut cream in my local grocery store but they do carry it at the Asian market. HTH
ahh..yea I couldn't find it at my grocery store either. I ended up getting the cream of coconut thinking it may be the same. I guess I'll return and look else where. Do you think Walmart carries it? Thanks for the idea of making a coconut buttercream. I love it!!
I cover my cakes with ganache quite often and I NEVER put a layer of buttercream on my ganache cakes. 
It goes on perfectly smooth without a "layer of buttercream underneath".
If your icing with buttercream use buttercream. If your filling and icing with ganache use ganache.
You also want to use a 2:1 ratio. 12 ounces of semi-sweet chocolate to 1 cup of heavy cream. The ganache also has to "rest" for 24 hours before using. (at room tempature).
It will definetely be better w/o the buttercream. 
Hmmm. May be a matter of taste. Also, I'm not sure if you're asking about poured ganache over the top, or actually icing the cake with ganache. Sounds more like you're planning to use the ganache as icing. If that's so, then no, you don't need BC under it. Your ganache will spread like frosting (if you follow the procedure mawmawrobin suggests). You can use a hot bench scraper to smooth it, and even use a hot spatula to smooth it after it sets up.
If you're using poured ganache over the top, then yes, I'd ice it smooth with BC. Otherwise, your ganache will reveal all of the seams between layers, etc.
I was planning on whipping it for the filling. And pouring it over top as well. I suppose it is a matter of taste. I'll have to do some tests first..too bad I HATE coconut!! Maybe my husband will help me out 
Thanks mamawrobin for the tip to let it rest 24 hrs. I had read about the ratio but I don't remember reading that.
If you pour it over the top, you could use just a vanilla buttercream underneath, but tint it. Then pour the ganache over the top but stop so that the ganache just drips down the sides. Very pretty! Even for a guy. To me it just makes it look more chocolatey. It would look nice with normal chocolate bc too, as the ganache will be quite darker.
http://cakecentral.com/modules.php?name=gallery&file=displayimage&pid=1256254
Here's what I'm talking about.
I cover my cakes with ganache quite often and I NEVER put a layer of buttercream on my ganache cakes.
It goes on perfectly smooth without a "layer of buttercream underneath". If your icing with buttercream use buttercream. If your filling and icing with ganache use ganache.
You also want to use a 2:1 ratio. 12 ounces of semi-sweet chocolate to 1 cup of heavy cream. The ganache also has to "rest" for 24 hours before using. (at room tempature).
It will definetely be better w/o the buttercream.
mamawrobin... I agree with you, but should she do a ganache glaze to make it nice and shinny?, b/c if I am not mistaken, due to the ratio, the ganache will be thicker and not shinny enough, and she will ice the cake just as it was with buttercream? I am new at all these too, so I am asking for my self too
I'm doing my first ganache coat this weekend, if I bake my cake Friday night and make the ganache overnight to set, it should be fine to coat on Saturday morning, right?
Also for the ganache, I want to put it under fondant and use it for the filling. How do I "whip" it for filling without it hardening?
Sorry so many questions..any advice would be greatly appreciated!!!
I'm doing my first ganache coat this weekend, if I bake my cake Friday night and make the ganache overnight to set, it should be fine to coat on Saturday morning, right?
Also for the ganache, I want to put it under fondant and use it for the filling. How do I "whip" it for filling without it hardening?
Sorry so many questions..any advice would be greatly appreciated!!!
Yes it would be fine to coat on Saturday morning. I take out the amount I am going to whip for the filling and go ahead and whip and fill my cake. That way it has time to settle by the time the ganache is ready to smooth on my cake.
[mamawrobin... I agree with you, but should she do a ganache glaze to make it nice and shinny?, b/c if I am not mistaken, due to the ratio, the ganache will be thicker and not shinny enough, and she will ice the cake just as it was with buttercream? I am new at all these too, so I am asking for my self too
I use 2 tablespoons of butter when using the 2:1 ratio to make it shinny. I don't know if it's because of the butter or if it's because I use the hot knife method to smooth my ganache covered cakes but mine are shinny.
I was planning on whipping it for the filling. And pouring it over top as well. I suppose it is a matter of taste. I'll have to do some tests first..too bad I HATE coconut!! Maybe my husband will help me out
Thanks mamawrobin for the tip to let it rest 24 hrs. I had read about the ratio but I don't remember reading that.
If you going to pour your ganache over your cake and not ice it then you don't want to let it rest for 24 hours. When I pour ganache I let it cool to about 90 degrees maybe 35-40 minutes and stir well and pour over the cake and smooth gently with a spatula kind of guiding it down the sides of my cake. AND...yes, it's perfectly fine to do this on a buttercream iced cake. I misunderstood what you meant in your first post. 
I understood you to mean that you were going to crumbcoat with buttercream and then ice with ganache. 
Sorry for any confusion....
[mamawrobin... I agree with you, but should she do a ganache glaze to make it nice and shinny?, b/c if I am not mistaken, due to the ratio, the ganache will be thicker and not shinny enough, and she will ice the cake just as it was with buttercream? I am new at all these too, so I am asking for my self too
I use 2 tablespoons of butter when using the 2:1 ratio to make it shinny. I don't know if it's because of the butter or if it's because I use the hot knife method to smooth my ganache covered cakes but mine are shinny.
Yes the butter makes a difference b/c of the fat, I have a recipe with oil instead.
Another question, I was making the ganache last night, b/c I want to try to use under fondant, I boiled the heavy cream, poured it, and waited about 2 minutes to stir, but it got really lumpy, and i had to put it over a double boiler to finish melting... why do you this happened? I used the nestle semi sweet chocolate chips. thanks
[mamawrobin... I agree with you, but should she do a ganache glaze to make it nice and shinny?, b/c if I am not mistaken, due to the ratio, the ganache will be thicker and not shinny enough, and she will ice the cake just as it was with buttercream? I am new at all these too, so I am asking for my self too
I use 2 tablespoons of butter when using the 2:1 ratio to make it shinny. I don't know if it's because of the butter or if it's because I use the hot knife method to smooth my ganache covered cakes but mine are shinny.
Yes the butter makes a difference b/c of the fat, I have a recipe with oil instead.
Another question, I was making the ganache last night, b/c I want to try to use under fondant, I boiled the heavy cream, poured it, and waited about 2 minutes to stir, but it got really lumpy, and i had to put it over a double boiler to finish melting... why do you this happened? I used the nestle semi sweet chocolate chips. thanks
I had this happen too. Only mine didn't get grainy until the next morning. I just remelted it in the microwave by doing it in 5-10 seconds spurts till it melted enough to stir it again. Once it hardened it was fine.
Be sure to do the microwaving in spurts and not all at once. You will not get the same effect thinking one long zap will help. I don't know why, but short spurts work, long ones don't.
[mamawrobin... I agree with you, but should she do a ganache glaze to make it nice and shinny?, b/c if I am not mistaken, due to the ratio, the ganache will be thicker and not shinny enough, and she will ice the cake just as it was with buttercream? I am new at all these too, so I am asking for my self too
I use 2 tablespoons of butter when using the 2:1 ratio to make it shinny. I don't know if it's because of the butter or if it's because I use the hot knife method to smooth my ganache covered cakes but mine are shinny.
Yes the butter makes a difference b/c of the fat, I have a recipe with oil instead.
Thanks !! I had put mine in a double boiler and stirred for EVER !
Another question, I was making the ganache last night, b/c I want to try to use under fondant, I boiled the heavy cream, poured it, and waited about 2 minutes to stir, but it got really lumpy, and i had to put it over a double boiler to finish melting... why do you this happened? I used the nestle semi sweet chocolate chips. thanks
I had this happen too. Only mine didn't get grainy until the next morning. I just remelted it in the microwave by doing it in 5-10 seconds spurts till it melted enough to stir it again. Once it hardened it was fine.
Be sure to do the microwaving in spurts and not all at once. You will not get the same effect thinking one long zap will help. I don't know why, but short spurts work, long ones don't.
ahh..yea I couldn't find it at my grocery store either. I ended up getting the cream of coconut thinking it may be the same. I guess I'll return and look else where. Do you think Walmart carries it? Thanks for the idea of making a coconut buttercream. I love it!!
I'm not sure if Walmart carries coconut cream. If there's an Asian market in your area that's going to be your best bet. Otherwise, you may consider using a cake recipe that calls for cream of coconut instead of coconut cream. I have used the following recipe (I think it's originally from Bon Appetit) and it's pretty delicious, although I found myself wanting more coconut flavor:
2 3/4 cups all purpose flour
1 teaspoon baking powder
1/2 teaspoon baking soda
1/2 teaspoon salt
1 3/4 cups sugar
1 cup (2 sticks) unsalted butter, room temperature
1 cup canned sweetened cream of coconut (such as Coco Lopez)
4 large eggs, separated
1 teaspoon vanilla extract
1 cup buttermilk
a pinch of salt
Preheat oven to 350°F. Butter and flour two 9-inch-diameter cake pans with 2-inch-high sides. Whisk flour, baking powder, baking soda and 1/2 teaspoon salt in medium bowl to blend. Using electric mixer, beat sugar, butter and cream of coconut in large bowl until fluffy. Beat in egg yolks and vanilla extract. On low speed, beat in dry ingredients and then buttermilk, each just until blended.
Using clean dry beaters, beat egg whites with pinch of salt in another large bowl until stiff but not dry. Fold beaten egg whites into batter.
Divide cake batter between prepared pans. Bake cakes until tester inserted into center comes out clean, about 45 minutes*. Cool cakes in pans on rack 10 minutes. Run small sharp knife around pan sides to loosen cakes. Turn cakes out onto racks and cool completely.
*Bake time may vary. Check cake for doneness after 30 minutes.
Quote by @%username% on %date%
%body%