ganache

American  

[guh-nahsh] / gəˈnɑʃ /

noun

1. a whipped frosting or filling made with semisweet chocolate and cream, used for cakes, pastries, and candies.

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ganache British  

/ ɡəˈnæʃ /

noun

1. a smooth mixture of chocolate and cream, used in cakes, truffles, and chocolates

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Etymology

Origin of ganache

First recorded in 1810–15; from French “jaw; fool, unintelligent person,” from Italian ganascia “jaw,” from Greek gnáthos (compare gnathic ( def. ) )

Explanation

Ganache is a specific type of chocolate frosting or filling for pastries. To make ganache, pour heated cream over chopped chocolate and stir gently until the chocolate is melted and the mixture is smooth and shiny. Warm ganache can be spread, dripped, or poured over cakes, into pie crusts, or even over ice cream. Cooled ganache can be rolled into balls to make chocolate truffles, a type of candy. The creamy mixture is said to have been created in France around 1850. According to the story, a chef's apprentice accidentally poured hot cream over chocolate and stirred it to hide his mistake. The chef called the apprentice — and the chocolate mixture — ganache, a French word meaning "imbecile."

Example Sentences

Pumpkin cake layered with a tart cream-cheese ganache, dipped in white chocolate and painted in orange sugar, from a celebrated confectioner.

From The Wall Street Journal • Nov. 15, 2025

In the technical challenge, bakers were asked to make a shortcrust base with a set white chocolate ganache, topped with their choice of complementary ingredients.

From Salon • Oct. 15, 2025

They are then covered in chocolate ganache and modelling chocolate, before an airbrush pen is used to sculpt the characters.

From BBC • Jul. 23, 2024

Salted caramel pistachio cake under a layer of matcha ganache.

From Seattle Times • May 21, 2024

I look it over: Sacher torte, pink champagne, crème de menthe, chocolate ganache.

From "Piecing Me Together" by Renée Watson