Hi Everyone,

I have a cake due on Wed for a friend's birthday. In the past, she had tasted my double chocolate layer cake with Baked's Salted Caramel Chocolate Ganache icing. She loved it, and has requested this icing for her cake. However, the icing is very temperature sensitive (ie...it almost melts in your hands as it warms up). It does firm up nicely in the fridge, but softens very quickly at room temp. This is part of what makes it so tasty, but I am worried it will not be stable enough to stand up against the weight of the fondant. Has anyone had success in using Baked's ganache recipe under fondant (or a modified version of)? Should I attempt a modified version or just tell her I can't & go with regular ganache? Does anyone have advice as to what might make this icing so soft (I am thinking it could possibly be the chocolate/cream ratio, the whipping process, or possibly the addition of the butter)? Thank you in advance for your advice.

FYI, here is the recipe:

SALTED CARAMEL CHOCOLATE GANACHE (from Baked: New Frontiers in Baking)

Salted Caramel Whipped Ganache Frosting
450g dark chocolate
1 1/2 cup cream
1 tsp sea salt (if using normal salt use 1/2 tsp)
1 cup sugar
2 Tbsp light corn syrup
450g butter, room temperature, cut into around 1" cubes

1. Chop up the dark chocolate and place in a large heat proof bowl.

2. Make the caramel sauce: in a small saucepan, combine cream and salt. Bring to a low simmer and stir until the salt is all dissolved. Take off the heat. In another sauce pan, combine water, sugar and corn syrup and heat on medium high until the sugar is all dissolved and the mixture is an amber colour. Take off the heat, and add the warmed cream - be careful it will bubble up ferociously!

3. Add the hot caramel to the chocolate. Let it sit for a minute to melt the chocolate. Stir a little with a silicon spatula to make sure the chocolate is melted.

4. Beat the chocolate/caramel mixture on low/medium low until the mixture is cool. This is probably best done using a stand cake mixer. I have done it every time with my hand held mixer so it can be done! Although I do cheat a little and let the chocolate mixture cool until it is hottish-warm to touch before I start beating.

5. When the mixture has cooled, crank the beaters up to medium high and add the butter a couple of cubes at a time until light and fluffy and smooth. It might need a stint in the fridge to set up if it's a bit too oozy. And vice versa, if you have it in the fridge for ages it will harden but just let it warm up on the bench and it will be back to fighting shape.

I haven't used it, but I can look at this recipe and tell you how to modify it getting the same flavor but make it easier and little more firm. BUT - chocolate and butter have a low melting point. It will be fine with your fondant but yes, it will melt in your warm hands.

1. Chocolate to cream ratio is fine.
2. Make a traditional caramel, so omit the corn syrup and water, just add the cream as indicated.
3. Follow the rest of the recipe as written.

This should give you the exact same flavor but be a firmer ganache to work with.

Thank you, FromScratchSF! I will try this recipe with your modifications & post my results. I love the flavor of this, and a more stable version would be fantastic. BTW, I was just looking at your website, and your cakes are Amazing (with a capital A).