Salted Caramel Ganache
This salted caramel ganache combines white chocolate with my homemade salted caramel sauce for the perfect sweet-salty balance. Smooth and silky, it’s ideal for coating or layering between cakes, filling macarons and sandwich cookies, or swirled through your favourite brownie batter or vanilla ice cream. Honestly, the uses are endless! Salted caramel chocolate ganache is one of those deliciously silky ganaches that every home baker should master. It’s quick and easy to make with simple ingredients that will elevate all your favourite desserts!
The wonderful thing about this salted caramel ganache is that it’s so easy to make and so versatile! While most chocolate ganache recipes are made with your chosen chocolate and heavy cream, this ganache is made using white chocolate and homemade caramel sauce. There’s no candy thermometer required and the whole process will take just 15 minutes to make. Keep it in the fridge until your ready to use it, or freeze for later.
Why We Love This Recipe
- It’s super versatile and can be used in so many applications, from layering between your favourite chocolate cake to swirling it through ice cream.
- The flavour and texture of the ganache is just so good, you could eat it straight from the jar!
- The recipe is super easy and requires no special skills or equipment! While I do use my stand mixer, it can also be made with a hand whisk or immersion blender.
- It freezes beautifully, so it can be made ahead and used when required.
Recipe Ingredients
for a full list of ingredients, see the recipe card below
- Homemade salted caramel, which uses caster sugar, heavy cream, unsalted butter and a pinch of salt flakes Or try a store-bought version ( you will have to get it really hot though!).
- White chocolate: couverture chocolate is best, but Lindt or another high quality eating chocolate will work well. Do not use chocolate melts, white chocolate chips (unless it’s couverture callets) or compound chocolate for this ganache.
How To Use Salted Caramel Ganache
There’s so many ways in which you can use this ganache -here’s some of my favourites:
- Salted caramel macarons: simply fill your macaron shells with this ganache, rather than just salted caramel. The filling is extra silky and delicious!
- Swap the lemon icing in your Yo Yo Biscuits for salted caramel ganache, for a super rich and delicious sandwich cookie.
- You can use it as a caramel filling to sandwich any of your favourite cookies, but this will work especially well with Empire Biscuits, Brownie Cookies and Snickerdoodle Cookies.
- Spread an even layer of ganache between layers of Chocolate Cake or use it to coat the entire cake. It can also be used as a filling for cupcakes, or added to Buttercream for a delicious caramel topping.
- Swirl it through Brownies before baking -try it with my favourite Brownie recipe for a classic caramel-chocolate duo!
- Layer it in my Raspberry Chocolate Tart, replacing the raspberry with salted caramel ganache.
Substitutions and Variations
- You can make a few flavour variations of this salted caramel ganache by following the variations in the caramel sauce recipe. Vanilla caramel made with added vanilla extract, brown sugar caramel, bourbon caramel or spiced caramel -there’s so many ways to mix up the flavours in this rich chocolate ganache!
- Make a caramel milk chocolate ganache simply by swapping the white chocolate for milk.
How To Make This Ganache
Step 1:
In a medium saucepan, heat the sugar and water over medium heat.
Stirring occasionally to combine, cook the sugar and water on low. Watch as the sugar melts, until the mixture becomes lightly golden brown. This can take 10 minutes.
Step 2:
Carefully add the cream in a steady stream, stirring with a rubber spatula to prevent burning. Be careful, as the mixture bubbles up.
Step 3:
Remove from heat and add small cubes of the butter, using a whisk to ensure a smooth caramel. Stir through the salt flakes, then transfer to the large bowl of a stand mixer.
Step 4:
Add the chopped chocolate to the hot caramel and mixture.
Step 5:
Mix on low speed, using a paddle attachment until smooth
Step 6:
Pour into a shallow dish and cover with plastic wrap touching the surface, until you’re ready to pipe it between cookies and macarons, or you can use it straight away in cakes and brownie. Or store in the fridge for snacking!
Expert Baking Tips
- While you don’t need a thermometer for this caramel, you do need to watch it! If the colour is too light, there won’t be enough caramel flavour. If you let it get too dark, the caramel will be bitter. You’re looking for a lovely light golden brown colour. As soon as it reaches light golden brown, add the cream to stop it cooking.
- When the cream is added to the hot, melted sugar it with bubble up and steam, so be careful! Use a long wooden spoon or rubber spatula to stir the mixture, distancing you from the mixture. And because it bubbles up, I avoid using a small sized saucepan (medium will give it room to bubble).
- Using unsalted butter means we control the amount of salt in this recipe. Don’t want salt? Simply leave it out and make a caramel white chocolate ganache instead.
Storage Tips
Room temperature: In an airtight container, or covered with plastic wrap, until you’re ready to use it. Otherwise:
Fridge: In an airtight container, stored in the fridge and will last up to a week. Bring chilled ganache back to room temperature and pop it in the microwave for 10 seconds, if necessary.
Freezer: In an airtight container for up to 3 months. Defrost in the fridge, then heat in the microwave on 10 second bursts until it reaches the desired consistency.
Salted Caramel Ganache
Ingredients
- 250 grams caster sugar
- 75 ml water
- 120 ml heavy cream room temperature
- 200 grams butter cubed
- 1 tsp sea salt flakes to taste
- 250 grams white chocolate lindt or couverture is best
Instructions
- In a medium saucepan, heat the sugar and water over medium heat.
- Stirring occasionally to combine, cook the sugar and water on low. Watch as the sugar melts, until the mixture becomes lightly golden brown. This can take 10 minutes
- Carefully add the cream in a steady stream, stirring with a rubber spatula to prevent burning. Be careful, as the mixture bubbles up.
- Remove from heat and add small cubes of the butter, using a whisk to ensure a smooth caramel. Stir through the salt flakes, then transfer to the large bowl of a stand mixer.
- Add the chocolate to the caramel and mix low speed, using a paddle attachment until smooth.
- Pour into a shallow dish and cover with plastic wrap touching the surface, until you're ready to pipe it between cookies and macarons, or you can use it straight away in cakes and brownie. Or store in the fridge for snacking!
0 Comments