White chocolate ganache for drip cakes

The best white chocolate ganache recipe for drip cake with step by step guide. Easy to make runny chocolate ganache and reliable recipe to use for drip cakes, cake decorating or drizzling on puddings.

This white chocolate ganache recipe for drip cakes is the perfect solution if you want to decorate your cake quickly. By choosing white chocolate you can easily colour it with edible food colours to achieve any cake decorating style you want.

I love making drip cakes because they are so forgiving. You can make any design you want, add any decoration in what looks like a random arrangement and get away with minor cake decorating disasters.

You can finish your cake with fresh fruit, make chocolate shards, whole chocolate bars or use modelling chocolate to add detailed decorations to your cake.

Why make this recipe?

• Great white chocolate ganache consistency and fluidity
• Easy to to add colour to suit your cake style
• Easy to make white chocolate ganache recipe

PIN & KEEP FOR LATER

MORE WHITE CHOCOLATE RECIPES

• White Chocolate Truffles (with condensed milk) >>
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What exactly is white chocolate ganache for drip cake?

Ganache is usually made from chocolate and something liquid. In this case we are going to use cream, but you could also use water, double cream or plant based cream etc and white chocolate.

This runny white chocolate ganache will be pourable, which makes it easy to use for cake decorating. It will also set fairly easily to stay on your cake even if it’s not in the fridge. The consistency will be a lot thinner than regular white chocolate ganache that I normally use for making my chocolate truffles or using as a filling for chocolate cakes.

My top tips on making this recipe successfully the first time round

Don’t overheat the white chocolate when you are melting it

Let the chocolate melt without stirring it (otherwise it might split)

Chill your cake before you use the white ganache to drip down the sides and on the top of the cake

Do the side drips first and then the top of the cake

Make sure that the white chocolate ganache is still at pourable temperature – around 32-37C (body temperature is perfect). If the white chocolate ganache is warmer than your hand, then it’s probably too hot.

What makes this recipe work

The ratio between the cream and the chocolate is very important. If you add too much liquid the ganache will slide down the cake too quickly. Equally if you don’t add enough liquid the ganache will be too thick and you won’t be able to pour it easily.

You will also need to check the cocoa solids content of your white chocolate bar or white chocolate buttons or callets you are using – the lower the cocoa solids content the less cream you might need as the white chocolate contains other ingredients (like vegetable oils etc.), which will make it thinner (more runny).

Any specialist equipment needed?

You might need either microwave or bowl set over hot water in a saucepan (bain marie) to warm up your white chocolate or the whole ganache if the ganache sets (or cools down) too quickly.

It’s also a good idea to use bowls that are suitable either for microwave (plastic or glass) or for heating over a hot water (stainless steel or glass).

If you are new to chocolate making, you might like to check your chocolate ganache with a digital thermometer before you pour it to make sure it’s not too hot (it should be around 32 – 37 C).

Most people don’t realise how ‘cold’ the chocolate needs to be before they start to decorate their cakes. You can check the temperature with your hand. If the piping bag or the chocolate feels hotter than your inner elbow or the back of your hand, then it’s probably too warm.

To pour your white chocolate ganache over your cake you might like to use a piping bag (no need for a piping tip, but keep the opening at 5-6 mm max). Using pipping bag will give you more of control over the ganache and help you to pipe the chocolate more accurately.

Time saving tip

My time saving tip is more about not rushing this job than about saving time.

If your chocolate is too warm and you use it, it will only drip down and you will end up re-doing the cake or not achieving the result you want. Take your time and don’t rush!

The white chocolate ganache needs to cool down a bit after it has melted and this can take up to 10-15 minutes.

Chocolatier’s Pro tip

Use good quality white chocolate to achieve a flawless finish. Cheaper white chocolates are not usually as runny as I’d like them to be, so it’s worth buying better quality white chocolate to make your cake look perfect.

If you want your white chocolate to be actually white, you will need to use white chocolate colour. Make sure that it’s suitable for chocolate use (e.g. it has to be in a powder form or oil based if it’s liquid – anything else will split the chocolate and make it look unsightly).

Ingredients & Possible Substitutions

White chocolate

White chocolate is still chocolate, but white chocolate bars can vary in quality. It’s not so much about the taste in this recipe, but more about the ingredients. Please don’t use any white chocolate substitute for this recipe as it’s very unlikely that it would work.

The cheaper the white chocolate bar is the less cocoa butter there is and more milk powder, sugar and oil forms the chocolate bar. This means that the chocolate is less stable and melts a lot quicker, it’s easier to burn and takes longer to set.

With a bit of practise, you can make ganache suitable for cake dripping from any white chocolate, just be prepared to adjust the recipe a little depending on what type of chocolate you have.

Type of white chocolate to use

• White chocolate coverture, such as Callebaut Callets
• White chocolate bar – any quality bar, such as Green & Blacks White Chocolate
• White (or coloured) candy melts, such as Wilton Pure White Candy Melts

Cream

I usually use double cream (heavy cream), because it’s thick and tastes really great. Use only double cream (also called heavy cream) for the best result.

If you are thinking of using single cream or plant based cream, you will need to change the recipe slightly as these are going to be more liquid than the double cream. Use 2-3 tablespoons less than in my recipe and only add more if the ganache feels too thick.

The white chocolate ganache cream to chocolate ratio

To make the perfect white chocolate ganache for drip cakes you will need to measure out both ingredients carefully. Depending on what type of white chocolate and cream you use I find that 1: 2,5 ratio is about right.

This, for example means 100 ml (1/2 cup) of cream and 250 grams (1 1/2 cup) of white chocolate or 50 ml (1/4 cup) of cream and 125 grams (3/4 cup) of chocolate.

How to make a runny white chocolate ganache

Chop the white chocolate bar in to smaller pieces

Bring the cream to boil

Pour over the white chocolate

Let the cream to melt the chocolate

Stir gently (when cold)

Add colour if using and gently stir in.

Use to drip over your cake (sides first then the middle of the cake)

How to use the white chocolate ganache to drip your cake

Crumb coat your cake and apply the final layer of buttercream (or whatever finish you are using – fondant, modelling chocolate or naked/semi/naked cake finish)

Chill the cake in the fridge (the longer the better, but at least until the outside of the cake feel cold to touch.

Start at the ‘back’ of your cake in case you make a mistake (by the time you get to the front of the cake you’ll be a pro!)

Start on the side of the cake and make the first drip. Judge how quickly the ganache runs down the cake and then either warm up the ganache (if it’s too thick and doesn’t run) or leave to cool down even more if it’s too hot.

Finish the cake by filling the top with the ganache, making sure that you gently spread the ganache or tap to get an even layer.

Leave to set in the fridge before adding the rest of your decorations.

What type of cake finish can you use the white chocolate ganache on?

• Buttercream cake finish
• Fondant cake finish
• Semi-naked cake
• Naked cake finish
• Chocolate modelling cake finish
• Set chocolate ganache finish (for example dark chocolate ganache)

How else you can make this recipe?

• Make it dairy free – use plant based or dairy free cream
• Make it more fluid – add more cream
• Make it less fluid – add more chocolate or use less cream
• Infuse it with flavour – add food flavouring or infuse the cream with herbs, teas before you add it to the chocolate

What else you can you use white chocolate ganache with ?

Just because this is a recipe made for drizzling on cakes, it can be also use for making chocolate truffles (add more chocolate to make the ganache a little firmer), drizzle on puddings, ice-creams or cake. If you end up with an extra white chocolate ganache, keep it in the fridge and use it later.

USE WHITE CHANACHE AS TOPPING FOR THESE RECIPES

• Chocolate Crunch (Brownies) >>
• Chocolate Sorbet (Dairy free ice-cream) >>
• Chocolate Oats Pudding >>

Batch size

This basic white chocolate ganache recipe is enough for 6 inch round cake (you might have some leftovers to practise or use for another desserts).

Scaling up this recipe

Simply double or triple the amount of the ingredients to make enough white chocolate ganache for large cakes.

Troubleshooting tips

What to do if your white chocolate ganache is too runny

Once your white chocolate ganache cools down it should be still a fairly runny consistency. You can test it on the back of the cake and do one drip to see how fast the drip goes down. It shouldn’t run all the way down (unless you pour a lot of chocolate down).

There are several ways to thicken runny white chocolate ganache.

One way is to add more white chocolate to the ganache, if you have extra white chocolate left and you don’t mind making large batch of the chocolate ganache. Chop the white chocolate into small pieces and add them to the ganache, stirring until fully melted and combined. Heat only if necessary as you don’t want to make the chocolate too hot (it might split).

Another way is to add a small amount of cornstarch to the ganache (for this recipe use one teaspoon to start and only add more if needed). Mix the cornstarch with a small amount of cream to make a thicker paste, then add it to the ganache and stir until fully combined.

You can also chill the ganache in the refrigerator for a few minutes to help it thicken, but make sure that the temperature is still about 32-37 C before you use it. If you chill down the white ganache too much it will set/thicken eventually, but when you put it on the cake it will melt a lot quicker than if it’s the correct thickness in the first place.

If the ganache is still too runny, repeat the process until you reach the desired consistency.

What to do when your white chocolate ganache splits

This usually happens when you start to stir your white chocolate ganache too quickly and too soon when the mixture is still too hot.

1. Leave the mixture to cool down completely
2. Add tablespoon of cold double cream
3. Gently stir in
4. The white ganache should return back to being smooth

if this doesn’t work

1. Heat up a tablespoon of glucose, honey or golden syrup in a microwave for about 10 seconds at a time, until it’s nearly boiling
2. Mix in a tablespoon of the split white chocolate ganache
3. Return the glucose/honey/golden syrup mixture back to the split ganache
4. Very gently and slowly blend the mixture in
5. The ganache should return back to being smooth

What to do when your white ganache burns

Depending on how burned the chocolate is you might be able to save the chocolate around the burn (if the burning happened for example in the microwave).

If you rescue any chocolate that way, use it for something else, like baking chocolate brownies, chocolate cakes, add it to your breakfast chocolate porridge or even just making hot chocolate drink.

White chocolate absorbs the burning ‘flavour’ quite a lot, so it won’t work for any delicately flavoured recipe.

If you are using microwave and you notice the white chocolate starting to burn, you might be able to save it by taking out the middle chocolate and carrying on with the recipe. If in doubt, taste the chocolate. If it taste burned, use it for something else.

How to colour white chocolate ganache for drip cakes

White chocolate is actually not white, so if you want to make sure that it does come out white, use a little bit of white chocolate colour. It has to be a product suitable for chocolate use, either specific chocolate white colour or white powder colour.

You can make the ganache any colour you like. Adding a tiny bit of food colouring will go a long way and using gel colours will ensure that you are not going to add too much water in.

Bear in mind that because of the slight yellow tint to the white chocolate, you might end up with a green colour when you use blue. You can counteract this by using the white colour first.

If you are familiar with chocolate candy melts, you can also use coloured chocolate melts to make the chocolate ganache as chocolate candy melts stay runny for quite a white after you melt them.

How to flavour white chocolate ganache

If you want the white chocolate ganache to compliment the cake itself flavourwise, you can easily use food flavouring or even infuse the cream before adding it to the white chocolate.

Flavours that work well with white chocolate include: lemon, coffee, elderflower, vanilla or other more delicate flavours.

Can this recipe be made in advance?

Yes, you can make this white chocolate ganache in advance. Make it and keep it in the air tight container for up to a week in the fridge. Warm up the white chocolate ganache very gently before use.

How to store white chocolate ganache for drip cakes

Store in air tight container and re-heat gently before you use it. Once on the cake, keep the whole cake in the fridge and eat within 3-5 days or so.

How to re-heat runny white chocolate ganache

You can carefully re-heat the white chocolate ganache with 2-3 5 seconds burst in a microwave and by string it in between.

You can also re-heat the ganache in a bowl set over a simmering (or hot only) water in a saucepan.

Don’t over heat the ganache and make sure that the temperature is fairly low (32-37 C) before using on the cake.

Why not stay in touch…

I hope you enjoy making this recipe and if you do, I’d love to know what you think! Let me know in the comments below or find me on Instagram or Facebook and add the hashtag #cocoaandheart so that I can see your post.

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Magdalena

This recipe was originally written on 15 March 2021and last tested and updated on 29 April 2023