This Rum Chocolate Ganache recipe consists of heavy whipping cream, dark chocolate, and just a splash of rum. Feel free to mix and match in your own liquor preference. Just make sure that you use high quality ingredients because you will be able to taste the difference here!
Dice, chop, shred, or otherwise make your chocolate smaller. Add to a large heat-safe bowl.The finer the pieces, the smoother consistency your ganache will be. I left mine still pretty coarse for this recipe. The pieces are about as large as you can go with this and it will still turn out. I was just being lazy! Which is kind of an oxymoron given that I made 3 different cheesecakes in 24 hours because I was feeling it for my birthday. But you do you!
Heat heavy whipping cream until warm, but not boiling.I did this on the stove and stirred constantly until heated. You can likely do this in a microwave. Although I haven't had a microwave in a decade and haven't the foggiest idea how they work any more. Just make sure that it doesn't boil, foam, or curdle.
Immediately pour cream over chocolate in the bowl you've prepared.
Whisk the cream constantly, making sure to scrape the sides and incorporate in all of the chocolate.
Stir in liquor and mix for 2 minutes. The ganache should be smooth, shiny, and the texture of hot fudge.
Let cool at room temperature until it reaches the consistency that you need it for.Chocolate ganache will harden as it sets. It will still be delicious at any temperature! Although, if you want to keep it runny enough to pour over something like cheesecake? You're going to want to use it in about 10-30 minutes. Otherwise, it will be too warm and runny or too cool and hard to pour.
Tips, Tricks, & Notes
You can refrigerate ganache. It will harden. Although it will become soft and silky again when warmed. Let it warm at room temperature for a few hours or reheat very slowly on the stove.
High quality chocolate does matter here. If you're finding that the taste is a little lackluster, it's almost entirely depending on the quality of the chocolate. So, this is a time to splurge on something that you find delicious. It helps if it's 60-75% cocoa and has quality cocoa butter. Quality chocolate will typically have a smoother consistency and better texture than baking chocolate.
Although chocolate ganache will also work still work with just about chocolate. Just keep in mind that you're diluting the chocolate with heavy whipping cream. This means that a dark chocolate will taste more like a milk chocolate, milk chocolate will taste more like a white chocolate, and a white chocolate will pretty much just taste like pure cream.
The less cocoa butter, the runnier the ganache will be as well. If you're having trouble getting the chocolate to set, use less cream or chocolate with a higher amount of cocoa butter.