Name: Ganache
Yield: 3½ cups (800 g)
Ingredients: 1 1/2 cups (12 fluid ounces or 360 mililiters) heavy cream; 1 lb (454 grams) semisweet or bittersweet dark chocolate

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Ganache, or chocolate cream icing, is a pastry chef's staple. Use it to glaze a cake or, when it cools, whip it to a piping consistency.

Note: For White Chocolate Ganache, substitute white chocolate for semisweet or bittersweet dark chocolate.

Epicurious Editors' Note:

This recipe yields enough to glaze one cake, or more than enough to make one recipe of Chocolate Buttercream. To make a half recipe of the buttercream (enough to frost one cake), make a third of a recipe of the ganache, using 1/2 cup cream and 1/3 lb chocolate.

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