Ganache Ratio

Ganache is fundamentally an emulsion of chocolate and cream, and the ratio between them determines whether it sets firm enough to roll into truffles or stays pourable enough to glaze a cake. This calculator starts from four base ratios tied to intended use: 2:1 chocolate:cream for firm truffle centers, 1:1 for a pourable glaze, 3:1 for a stiff filling that holds its shape, and 1:1.5 (more cream than chocolate) for a soft, whipped-texture ganache. It then adjusts the chocolate side of that ratio by a type factor, because chocolates aren't interchangeable gram-for-gram — dark chocolate's higher cocoa butter content means it firms up more per gram than milk or white chocolate, so a factor of 1.0 represents standard dark, while lower factors like 0.8 (milk) or 0.7 (white) increase how much cream is calculated relative to chocolate to reach the same final texture. Once the adjusted ratio is set, your total desired batch weight is split proportionally into chocolate and cream grams.

On top of the core split, the calculator suggests optional additions scaled to the batch: 5% butter for glossier shine and 3% liqueur for flavor, both common professional touches rather than strict requirements. Truffle yield assumes about 15g per finished truffle and glaze servings assume 30g per cake slice, both rough kitchen approximations rather than exact counts. The one thing to watch: the chocolate type factor is a simplification of real fat-content differences between brands, so if your specific chocolate's cocoa butter percentage differs notably from the dark/milk/white defaults, you may need to nudge the factor to match your actual results.