Chocolate Ganache made with Butter is semi-sweet chocolate melted with butter to create a rich and shiny chocolatey topping, glaze, icing, or filling. Try my perfect chocolate cake to drizzle this perfect ganache on! You can find my traditional milk Chocolate Ganache here if you love the classic!
Chocolate Ganache Made with Butter
Many times, ganache is made with chocolate and cream. And, depending on the ratio of chocolate to cream, it can be as thin or thick as you need it to be. This ganache recipe is made without cream, but instead, with butter. I used a cup of semi-sweet chocolate and a stick of unsalted butter. I absolutely love the richness it brings to all my desserts. I plan to dip my butter cookies in this ganache for a holiday treat.
Ganache Ingredients
Chocolate: I used semi-sweet chocolate chips in this recipe. They are not too sweet and not too bitter. You could also use bittersweet chocolate, milk chocolate, or white chocolate to make the ganache.
Butter: As noted, butter is used in this recipe instead of heavy cream. With butter as one of only two ingredients in the recipe, I knew I had to use the best quality butter, so I opted for unsalted Challenge Butter. Challenge butter is made the old-fashioned way, churned fresh daily from the freshest milk and cream from happy cows at family-owned dairies since 1911.
Double Boiler Method for Melting Chocolate
To make the ganache, fill a pot about halfway full of water. Bring it to a simmer over low heat. Find a heat-safe bowl (glass or stainless steel) that can be set into the pot. Make sure the bottom of the pot is not touching the water. The steam is what will melt the chocolate.
Add the butter and chocolate to the heat-safe bowl. With the heat on low, use a rubber spatula to stir the chocolate until it is melted and smooth. You can cube the butter to melt it more evenly, but it is not necessary. Add the ganache to your favorite dessert like my Death By Chocolate Bundt Cake!
Can I Make Ganache in the Microwave?
Yes! To make this in the microwave, simply melt the chocolate and butter in a microwave-safe bowl. Heat up the ingredients in 30-second intervals, mixing after every 30 seconds, until melted. The ganache will still be delicious, but it will not be as shiny as using the double boiler method.
How to Refrigerate Ganache
If you don’t use all of the ganache on or in your dessert, it’s easy to store it to use later. You can store it in the refrigerator or even freeze it. To store ganache in the refrigerator, cover the bowl of ganache with plastic wrap. Label and date the plastic and store it in the refrigerator for up to 2 weeks.
When ready to use the ganache stored in the refrigerator, let it come to room temperature by setting it out for about an hour. You could also heat it up in the microwave in 20-second increments. Finally, you could go back to the double broiler method to soften it.
How to Freeze Ganache
To freeze ganache for longer storage, make sure it is in a freezer-safe, resealable container. Cover the container with plastic wrap; then, seal with the lid. Again, label and date the container; it will last up to 3 months.
When ready to use the frozen ganache, place the container in the refrigerator to slowly thaw overnight. Then, let it come to room temperature, heat it in the microwave (15-second increments), or use the double boiler method. Do not place thawed ganache back in the freezer. Instead, store thawed leftovers in the refrigerator for up to a week.
Chocolate Ganache Made with Butter
Ingredients
- 1 cup (168g) semi-sweet chocolate chips
- ½ cup (1 stick, 113g) unsalted Challenge butter
Instructions
- Fill a pot about halfway full of water. Bring it to a simmer over low heat. Find a heat-safe bowl (glass or stainless steel) that can be set into the pot. Make sure the bottom of the bowl is not touching the water. The steam is what will melt the chocolate.
- Add the chocolate and butter to the heat-safe bowl. With the heat on low, use a rubber spatula to stir the chocolate until it is melted and smooth. This takes about 5 minutes.
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What is the difference in the final product between using butter instead of cream? I live in a hot climate so both of these will have to be refrigerated.
Butter, once refrigerated will harden… harder than ganache made with Cream.
Having said that both will require reheating prior to usage, but butter ganache is considered more of a fat than the cream ganache so it is thinner and used more for glazing or pouring than a cream ganache.
I tried this in a microwave and boy I must have taken a left turn because the result was lumpy! I used margarine instead of butter. Where did I go wrong? Thanks.
Margarine isn’t butter.
Im sorry, this is hilarious! You have to follow instructions, that’s where you went wrong 😂
Can you use salted butter in this recipe?
I’m almost certain that’s up to you, it’ll just give it a slightly salty taste if at all.
Hello there, I did this with white chocolate and it split. I followed the microwave directions and ended up with a mess. I would like to try again, but would like to know what causes it to split and can it be saved if it does?
White chocolate is more sensitive to heat than semi-sweet chocolate, which is likely why it split. White chocolate contains cocoa butter, which can be more prone to separating if overheated. Here’s why it may have happened:
Overheating: White chocolate can easily overheat and become grainy or separate when exposed to high temperatures. The microwave directions for semi-sweet chocolate may have applied too much heat for the white chocolate to handle.
To prevent white chocolate from splitting, you can try the following:
Use a lower microwave power setting: When melting white chocolate in the microwave, use a low or medium-low power setting and microwave it in short intervals, stirring in between. This gentle heating process can help prevent overheating.
Stir frequently: Stirring the white chocolate regularly while it’s melting can distribute the heat more evenly and reduce the risk of overheating.
Be patient: White chocolate may take longer to melt than semi-sweet chocolate, so it’s important not to rush the process.
If the white chocolate has already split, you may be able to save it by doing the following:
Add a small amount of vegetable oil or cocoa butter: Gradually add a teaspoon of vegetable oil or melted cocoa butter to the split white chocolate and stir gently. This can help bring the mixture back together.
Continue stirring: Keep stirring the mixture gently until it starts to come together and becomes smooth again.
Reheat gently if needed: If the mixture remains stubbornly separated, you can try gently reheating it using a low microwave power setting or a double boiler. Be sure to stir continuously.
Keep in mind that while these steps may help salvage split white chocolate, there’s no guarantee of complete recovery, and the texture may not be as smooth as it originally was.
I have not tested this recipe with white chocolate so this is just an assumption on my part.
How would you do it yo cover a cake
Wanting to make a shelf-stable ganache that follows cottage food law regulations. I have a cosmic brownie recipe begging for some chocolate topping – will this set enough to stay put when sliced? Thanks!
At room temperature it may not be solid enough, but it will be if refrigerated first. 🙂
Great recipe, but question about making it thicker. If I want to use it on top of dessert bars as a layer that is soft & creamy, but a little more set, do you recommend using less butter? If so how much butter for 1 cup of chocolate? Thanks
Can I use this in place of buttercream on a cake?
Will the ganache cake be melted after leaving out of the fridge?