Ganache
Control Within the Limits
We left you with a mess
In the last lesson we deliberately changed our ganache. Different inclusions moved it in different directions — some softened the structure, some thickened it, and some introduced new textures that changed the smoothness of the base. Today we talk about what happens next.
You have a flavor you like, but the structure of the ganache may have moved away from what you originally wanted. Every fix from here has to hold both in mind at once.
How do we bring the structure back into balance while keeping the flavor you intended?
There are almost endless ways to do this. For this lesson we keep it simple: two possible moves per inclusion.
Four ways to move a structure
Most of the time these adjustments come from adding something, or more of something, that changes structure without dramatically altering the flavor. The goal is not to memorize fixes — it is to understand the role each adjustment plays.
Add fat
Dairy, animal and vegetable — use the fat that reaches your goal.
Add chocolate
More structure to set against a softening inclusion.
Change the form
Same flavor, delivered as a liquid, a powder, or a paste.
Change the process
Not an ingredient at all — when and how you add it.
Stepping backward is not failure
Sometimes at this stage you will discover that the issue you're trying to solve can't be resolved with additions. That doesn't mean you failed. It means the problem may be coming from an earlier decision.
Some flavors need time.
In the previous lesson I asked you to taste the bourbon truffle after twenty-four hours. Hopefully all of you noticed the liqueur flavor became stronger over time. That one needed time, not a structural change.
Some never come through.
Others may never read the way you expect — like a white wine in a dark chocolate truffle. The right move there is to reconsider the flavor you are introducing and the chocolate you want it to work with.
Three problems, two solutions each
For each inclusion we tested last lesson, here are two ways to move the structure back toward the texture we want for a hand-rolled truffle. Each solution has its own positives and negatives.
- 53% chocolate
- 64 g
- 2% milk
- 16 g
- Unsalted butter
- 4 g
- Raspberry jam
- 12 g
Add more chocolate and see if the structure holds
This is effectively the same as reducing your jam — you are using more chocolate to eat up the structure of the raspberry jam.
- 53% chocolate
- 72 g
- 2% milk
- 16 g
- Unsalted butter
- 4 g
- Raspberry jam
- 12 g
These are tools, not rules
There isn't one perfect way to make a truffle, and there isn't one path to the result you want. What we discussed today are ways to understand how structure moves when something new enters the ganache. How and when you use them depends on the truffle you're trying to create.
The best move is to adjust the structure — add fat, add chocolate, change the form, change the process.
The better move is to step back and reconsider the inclusion or the approach entirely. That is part of refining what you're building.
Test in small batches. Learn small. Build big.
On the peanut butter I would actually run both fixes together — that is what we did at Bizz and Weezy. The powdered sugar and the cooled integration let us greatly increase the amount of peanut butter in a truffle.
Story Time · the truffle that almost wasn't
You learned a lot today, so no experiment this week. Instead, a story about a truffle I nearly threw away.
Chipotle Gouda.
I once decided I wanted to make a savory truffle, and of course I didn't pick something simple. Cheese, chocolate, smoke, sweetness — every element seemed to fight the others. It quickly became the truffle I almost abandoned. At one point I had done nearly sixty different versions of it. Some were too greasy, some too fatty, some too sweet. No matter what I did, I hated the result. Eventually I stopped working on it entirely and put it aside for a couple of months. When I came back and looked through my notes with fresh eyes, I was finally able to build a version I was actually proud of. And yes — the Chipotle Gouda truffle still exists. Maybe someday I'll show it to you.
Don't give up on an idea. But don't be afraid to walk away for a while.
Sometimes stepping away is exactly what creates the space you need to solve the problem. Sixty versions only helped because they were written down — keep your tests where you can read them again months later.
Record your outlier
Every adjustment in this lesson is an outlier off a formula you already have. Record it as its own test so you can tell which change actually solved the problem.