Ok, Ive done some research and I need more info, so please help....

Im making a Spice flavored cake, 2 tiers, tapered Square. I have never made this and dont know if I can. I work only in bc and I use INDYS recipe. Im told that Ganache will help stablize the cake so it doesnt fall over, how does this work with ganache and why?

2nd I can NOT ever work with melted choc, or fondant...we fight, its like watching a UFC fight! lol, so Ganache looks pretty simple, so Im going to attempt a white ganache, but can I put Indys recipe over that? will it change the flavor of the cake?

can I Just cover the cake in white gananche and no bc? and can I color my ganache to be pink and black?? Does it hold up in the heat? Im in Texas.
So that its my cake, thus not using bc?

and what is the best white choc. to use? This is the cake Im attempting to make, the shape more or less, design to change
http://cakecentral.com/gallery/1667735

Thanks everyone!

I just used ganache under fondant for the first time a couple of weeks ago. The idea behind it is that once ganache sets up on the cake it sorta forms a shell. Not a hard shell, but harder than just buttercream alone. That is what is nice about it under fondant, because it doesn't give or move around when you are smoothing the fondant over it.

You can use it for icing a cake alone. I'm not really sure about covering it with buttercream after that.

Unless you have the cake sitting out in the sun, then I don't see the heat being an issue. I'd still try to keep it in a cool environment if you can.

Ok, Texas Sugar....made it last night, let it sit on the counter over night, just checked it today and its still very creamy!

I did it exactly as I was told according to the recipe. But if tilt the bowel the ganache recipe moves so its still very liquidity.

HECK! Told you I could mess it up!!! lol I dont work well with fondant and melted choc.

I'm no expert, but when I did my cake I followed these instructions, maybe it will help you!
http://sugarsweetcakesandtreats.blogspot.com/2010/05/covering-cake-in-ganache.html
Good luck!

This is the texture of mine after sitting over night

http://www.joyofbaking.com/ganache.html

I have never ganached a cake before so I cant help much but some of your questions are answered in following videos, I found them very usefull

I have wanted to cover the ganache in BC but have been too scared to.....hopefully someone who has will let us know if it will work!!!

Anyone?????

What recipe/ratio of chocolate to cream did you use? Sounds like you didn't use enough chocolate or too much cream.

Poured ganache, the liquidy kind is a 1:1 ratio. For icing the cake with it you want a 2:1 ratio (chocolate:cream) measuring it out, so 16oz of chocolate to 8oz of liquid. That's for the dark and semi sweet chocolate. 3:1 ratio for white chocolate.

I used a recipe I found online called for 3/4 heavy crm and 7oz white choc

so after seeing the videos posted on here, Im thinking maybe not enough choc....What awesome videos from making the ganache to covering a cake with it!!!

Since Im Visual this was perfect to see!
Thanks so much for posting them!!! Im EXCITED AGAIN! lol

For white chocolate do 3:1. And you want to weigh your cream out, not just measure it.

So you would do 21oz chocolate to 7oz cream. Or something similar to it.

No, did exactly what the web page said:

3/4 cup heavy cream
7oz white choc

boil heavy cream, put wht choc in bowl, pour onced boil,let it sit and then slowly stir from in to out, let sit on the counter over night, covered with saran to touch ganache to elminate crust spots.

I saw the videos posted here by Michelle and I was like WOW!!! Thats what I want to do!!! lol

You need thicker chocolate to spread than the poured stuff, and the recipe you used sounds more like the poured stuff.

lol, Yeah it figures!!! ITS ME!!! things will go wrong. Im wondering if I can save this and just fix it and add more choc to it...hate to see it go to waste, what Im doing today is a PRACTICE run...since its my grand daughters 1st bday, I want things to go right. She has survived NICU and open heart....so I want it to be nice.

So today Im baking a strawberry and choc cake and doing the zebra cakes (inside the cakes), never done it before and I figured since Im making this I would also practice tapering the cakes and using ganache.

I can always take it down to the EMS stations where we work, they love FOOD!!! lol

I would try adding more chocolate in, that way you don't have to throw out what you have.

I just googled and it looks like 3/4ths cup is about 6 oz. So with the 3:1 ratio. You would have done 18oz white chocolate to 6oz cream. So I'd add 11 oz of white chocolate to it.

I'd probably melt the chocolate and then lightly heat the ganache you already have and mix the two together.

Thanks Texas Sugar!!!!! You know my daughter, Alex says mom if you cant do the tapered cakes its ok, just make them square cakes and do zebra on the outside.

But you know as a mom, you want to go overboard and do for your kids....and besides I learn new things too! And since I cant work with melted choc or fondant....I found this and thought just maybe I can do this!

I was just gonna bc the cake but the more I read found out that the cake can fall with just bc, but Indys recipe is a very good crusting recipe so thought maybe I can do it just like that. Im just running scared...lol, like always.

Don't give up on the ganache just yet.

Oh gosh Texas sugar!!!!...Im about to!!! I did as you said and added more choc. to the mixture...smoothed out well and all...well I thought it wont set just my luck, so I did not leave it on the counter, I put it in the refrig...I had things to do today so thought it will be ok.

Wrong, I came back home and its hard...I mean not solid rock hard but very very firm...cant really just spread it....know I can probably just zap it for 30 secs in the micro and it might work....at least I hope so!

lol!!!! but am beat today so not working with it anymore today. but Im near quitting on it...sigh.

Oh yes the fridge will make it hard. Either just leave it out on the counter for it to come to room temp or pop it in the microwave.

When I did mine it was a tiny bit on the thick side. So I took a bowl and put warm water in it, then put the other bowl in that for a while.

Either way the outside will soften/melt first so keep that in mind.

In the vidoes posted the woman says she makes the ganaches, puts it in the fridge overnight and then lets it come to room temp the next day. This can take several hours. Once the ganache has come to room temp she microwaves it for 30 seconds at a time, stirring in between, checking for the right consistancy (should be like peanut butter). The smaller the amount of ganache the less you should nuke because it will melt faster.

Follow sugarsweetcakesandtreats tutorial as one other cc'er had said. She is angelfood4 here on cc. I have done 2cakes in chocolate ganache, one of which is posted in my pics (it's the 2 tier dots with "s" on top). I would not think that bc ontop of ganache would work well but if you wet it a bit it can be covered in fondant. Good luck!

Texas Sugar...wooo hooo!!! I have the most beautiful smooth, soft ganache!!! *finally*....

so I baked a practice cake to try the tapering...and since it was a practice lets play cake, I I used a reg. cake box...lol, and I was so excited that I just started to ice it in ganache...lol, go figure it started to have pieces fall off...BUT ITS TAPERED SOME!!!!

I baked 2- 6" cakes and one 8" and started to just cut on it. So maybe I can pull this off....IF I chill it and put ganache in between the cakes...now I need to find out if ganache can go under bc.

Okay I have a question -- do you put a crumb coat of buttercream underneath the ganache?

I'm no expert but I'll tell you, I LOVE ganache!! It tastes divine, is easy to work with, and adds stability. I've had so many people tell me my chocolate cake is the best they've had and I don't tell them the real secret is that it's covered in ganache. I've never put buttercream with it and I do put a real thin layer to crumbcoat before I put the main layer on. Here's the instructions I follow:

http://www.artandappetite.com/2009/11/ganache-instead-of-buttercream/

Thank you for the site, i Only work in bc. Dont like fondant and cant seem to work with it, i after reading was told ganache holds cakes better when you carve them. Thats why i asked if it could be used under bc. I didnt know i could only ice in ganache! Ive asked everyone if it could be tinted to color and no replies back. Also the cake is for a party outside in Texas heat. I tried doing a tapered cake and it was not even. The party is in 10days. Would be nice to get a fondant look!

Here's a post from someone who colored ganache along with a photo of their cake:
http://cakecentral.com/cake-decorating-ftopic-11682-0-days0-orderasc-.html

Thanks for posting! ....I did find a person who colored ganache, its on the wall this morining and the cake looks awesome!!!!
look below
http://cakecentral.com/gallery/2041044/

Now my next step is making a tapered cake! I tried it on a practice cake and its not leveled, and it started to crumb on me. Now what may have caused it is....

I didnt chill my cake, my cakes stuck to my pans when baking, I didnt have crisco and since it was a practice cake I DIDNT THINK...and used Pam spray...so I started with a flimsy cake.

BUT HOW IN THE HECK DO I LEVEL IT AND HOW IN THE HECK...DO I TAPER IT SO THAT ITS EVEN???!!!!
Im closer than I was last week...lol but running out of time, party is next week.

What I have going against me: I work in bc only, I live in Texas, the cake is outside for at least 2hrs in shade. thats why I wanted the ganache thought maybe I would have a chance...

That is a very cute cake - my daughter saw me checking it out and said she wants one just like it for her birthday.

For the cake sticking issue, what do you normally grease your pans with? Have you tried using the flour-crisco-oil mixture (1:1:1)? I like it because you brush it on the pan and can make sure there are no missed spots. I kind of go overboard and use that mixture and then also spray with pan spray. The cakes come out cleanly every time.

For the leveling, you could try indydebi's (I think it's her anyway) technique. Stack cardboard circles high enough to raise your cake above the rim of the cake pan and wrap them together with cellophane. Set them inside the cake pan and then set your cake back in on top of them. Use the top rim of the cake pan as your guide and a long knife that reaches all the way across the pan and just cut straight across slicing the top of the cake off. Does that make sense? Indydebi could probably explain it better.

For the crumbling issue, did you use just a cake mix or was it a recipe like WASC that used the mix as an extender? I have no idea as far as the tapering goes but I'm sure someone here can help you out. Good luck!! I hope it all works out for you!

I do ususally do crisco and flour, BUT...when I decided to try it was like midnight, and I was out of it, so I used only pam spray...that was my fault...

no, didnt make sense to me...IM THE ORG. CAKE DUMMY...lol, sorry, as to my recipe I just used a strawberry and choc. cake. Was trying to get the zebra effect inside the cake also....when you slice it.

My daughter wants the cake to be SPICE CAKE!!! for little girls being full of spice....I know it needs to be a dense cake, was wondering if I could put pudding into it....?

I think she is putting me to a test!!! Yes, its a beautiful cake!!! But like I said, Im a newbie, I work in bc only, I dont carve, never used ganache until I just made it for the first tme, and cant stand fondant!!! lol...but the flowers and ribbons will be fondant at least.

Im dreading this!!! lol

In Sharon Zambito's dvd, she does not use b/c before ganache. She starts with the peanut butter consisitency ganache, and goes from there. Her cakes are so smooth as always. She lets the ganache sit overnite and then then cakes after she ganaches them and smooths them and then puts fondant on the next day, etc.

Well I only work in bc, and thats part of the problem...lol

This was last nights practice cake, strawberry and choc. with white choc ganache in between...I stopped because my cake is not leveled and my sides are not even, so I gave up...so close but yet so far away!!!

gonna end up with just plain old square cakes I think, Im losing faith...
heck pic. wouldnt attach...lol, probably because its so ugly!!! LOL!!!