Welcome to the Cake Decorators Q&A

Hi, Can anyone Help!
I am wanting to make my Ganache without cream , I need it to set firm, any suggestions.
I am thinking of starting up my hobby Cake making business at home( I am in Australia) I need to get a Domestic cooking licence and my council requires that I do not use cream. If I want to use cream I need to get a commercial licence and this requires a full kitchen makeover. NOT what I want.

If I make the ganache with Butter instead of cream they will approve , But How long will this last out of the fridge?
They have aslo suggested not to use milk !!
any advice whould help.
Thanks Marylou

Hi marylou

I’m not sure why they would approve of butter and not heavy cream. Both ingredients contain water, one more than the other but both equally prone to spoilage if proper preparation and hygiene is not observed. To see information on cream take a peek here:
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Crea

Scroll right down in my blog here to find recipe for water ganache:
http://www.cakeflix.com/blog/how-to-make-chocolate-mud-cake

Water ganache can have a very short shelf life so if using I would suggest getting it tested. I haven’t worked on water ganache since I posted that blog, it’s something I’ve been meaning to do and which I will do now. I will post results after having samples tested at the food labs. However, I would also suggest that perhaps you make some of the water ganache in my recipe and have your local council test it. Your country’s laws are different to our laws, it’s possible they may not even accept a water based ganache. Ganche can similarly be made with fruit puree , butter and chocolate. Condensed milk, dried cream, ultra heat treated cream and similar products can all be used for making ganache safely. The products are just part of a whole process which needs to be considered. These are just some ideas for you to try and have tested out.
There is more information on shelf life of ganache in my blog here:
http://www.cakeflix.com/blog/the-shelf-life-of-ganache-by-madeitwithlove
Hope this helps.

Thanks for your help, I found a recipe on line for Butter Ganache, 3 part Chocolate to 1 part butter. It sets up really firm and is not much defferent to the cream ganache. not as smooth to work with but i am very happy with the results. i do not under stand the councils reason why butter is ok, may be it has less water.and can be left out of the fridge much longer.
thanks again.