Chocolate Ganache

Chocolate Ganache Glaze

Chocolate Ganache!!  How heavenly of a flavor you have!!  If you are a chocolate lover, ganache is for you!!  It is versatile, beautiful on any cake, and the taste is out of this world!  What is Chocolate Ganache?  It is the French word for heated cream and chocolate mixed together. Simple enough?  It is commonly used in truffles, fillings for layered cakes, and used as a glaze on top of almost anything.

How is Ganache made?  Ganache is made by heating heavy cream in a sauce pan until the cream begins to barely simmer.  When the cream has tiny bubbles around the edges of the pan, it is ready.  Overcooking the cream will result in a scorched flavor to the ganache.  As soon as the cream is ready, turn off the heat and add the chocolate.  The chocolate can be bittersweet, semisweet, or white.  The chocolate should be broken into very small pieces for it to melt easier into the cream.  Once the chocolate has been added, do not stir for two minutes.  This allows the cream and chocolate to assimilate.  Once two minutes has passed, gently stir with a whisk in one direction until the chocolate is completely smooth and shiny.  Stirring in one direction keeps the ganache from getting air bubbles.

The chocolate to cream ratios do vary a bit when making different types of Ganache.  If the chocolate is being used for truffles it is customary to use a 2:1 ratio of chocolate to cream.  If it is being used as a glaze or whipped filling for a cake it should be a 1:1 ratio of chocolate to cream.

Once the chocolate ganache is stirred and is shiny it should be placed in a bowl to cool.  If it is being used as a glaze to be poured over a cake or dessert it can be used when the temperature is between 86-91 degrees F or a tepid temperature.  For truffles the ganache will need to be covered and refrigerated until it is firm, whereas, if it is being used for a cake filling it can be chilled slightly and then whipped like cream in a chilled mixing bowl. 

With all the varieties of Chocolate Ganache, it is always a crowd pleaser!!


Penelope's Perfections caters Newport Beach, Costa Mesa, and Orange County areas

Wafer Paper Flowers

Take cake decorating to an all new level with wafer paper flowers and wafer sheets!!  Decorating a buttercream cake doesn't have to be limited to just using piped buttercream.

So what are wafer paper flowers?  Wafer paper flowers are made from wafer sheets.  These sheets are made from potato starch, water, and vegetable oil. They have little to no flavor which makes them perfect to use so they do not interfere with how the cake tastes!  Wafer paper comes in packs of 8 x 11 sheets and are white in color.  They can be used white or can be colored with food coloring on an edible printer.  The sky is the limit on the colors and designs that can be printed and used to make flowers!

So why use wafer paper flowers?  If flowers are part of the cake design, there are three choices: real flowers, sugar flowers, or wafer paper flowers.  Real flowers are always a great choice but can be expensive.  While nothing compares to Mother Nature, sugar flowers and wafer paper flowers can be created to look strikingly realistic.  Sugar flowers are made from a paste called gumpaste and fondant and is predominantly made of sugar.  They can be colored and dusted to look just like a real flower.  They work well on fondant and buttercream cakes but can be a bit heavy on buttercream cakes especially when using a large number of them.  Sugar flowers need to be anchored to the cake with floral wire or foam of a sort.  Wafer paper flowers are very light, hence the name, and can be attached to a buttercream cake with a dot of buttercream or piping gel.  They hold up well on buttercream and fondant icings.  Wafer paper flowers are quickly and easily made with no drying time compared to sugar flowers and cost much less than real and sugar flowers.

So when flowers are called for on a buttercream cake, why not try the hottest trend in floral decor, Wafer Paper Flowers!

Bleached Flour vs Unbleached Flour

Have you ever wondered when buying flour what the difference is between unbleached flour and bleached flour?  Is it the same?  There actually is a difference and each type should be used for certain baked goods.

Peony Wedding Cake

1. BLEACHED FLOUR

 Bleaching the flour -- the chemical method of adding potassium bromate, chlorine dioxide, benzoyl peroxide or chlorine gas during milling hastens the aging process. Aging the flour develops a stronger gluten that enhances the final product.  Besides quickly aging the flour, bleaching also changes its protein molecules, which isn't necessarily a bad thing. The lower protein of bleached flour results in baked goods that are lighter and more tender. For example, many bakers use bleached flour for cakes, pie crusts, pancakes and pastries. Bleached flour is also often used in baked goods where whiteness is a priority, such as angel food cake.  Cake flour is an example of a bleached flour.  Another benefit of bleached flour is the ability of the flour to retain more liquid than it normally would.  This is called a high-ratio cake flour.  If a recipe has a ratio of liquid ingredients that is higher than the ratio of flour, the bleached molecule component of the flour actually bonds with the liquid ingredients and "holds" its form. 

2. UNBLEACHED FLOUR

 Unbleached flour is aged naturally by exposing it to air up to several weeks after milling. It contains higher levels of gluten, and its off-white appearance is a result of the absence of the oxidizing chemical additives. Unbleached flour can be substituted in equal parts for its bleached counterpart; however, the higher protein levels will change the consistency of the product. For example, while cakes and pastries baked with unbleached flour may suffer with a texture that is denser and heavier, unbleached flour is recommended for yeast breads. Cookies also generally fare well when baked with unbleached flour.  Bread is made with unbleached flour and has a higher protein and gluten content.

Choosing the right kind of flour can make a difference when making cakes, cookies, breads, and pastries!

How To Bake A Perfect Butter Cake in 3 Easy Steps

English Garden Wedding Cake

Baking a cake for a special event?  How do you bake the "perfect" cake?  Everyone wants their cakes to turn out to be moist, not dry, and have just the right texture!  It takes a few simple steps to ensure the cake tastes great!


1. Preheat!!!  The oven has to preheat or the cake will come out uneven and under cooked!  Let the oven preheat before the mixing begins.  It is a good idea as well to get a reliable oven thermometer to check the temp before putting the batter into the oven.  Some ovens especially electric will fluctuate 5 degrees or more which can over or under cook the cake and cause a cake disaster.  Adjust the oven to the correct temperature.  (Be sure to use a flour baking spray and line the pans with parchment paper circles for easy cake turn outs)


2. Measure Correctly!!! Volume measurements and weight measurements (ex. Cup vs. Grams) are both acceptable methods when measuring dry and liquid ingredients.  Measuring by grams and ounces is a more precise way than using a measuring cup.  When possible it is best to use weight measurements.  When the recipe does not have a weight conversion measurement, volume will be ok.  Make sure that when flour is measured by the "cup" that it is done correctly.  Stir the flour in the bag with a wire whisk and loosen it first.  Next use a spoon to scoop some flour into the measuring cup that will be the amount that is needed.  Never compact or press down the flour into the measuring cup.  After the cup is filled with flour, gently level off the top with a spatula or a knife.  This is the correct measurement for a cup of flour, not over filled.  Never scoop the measuring cup into the flour because it compacts and gives more than what the recipe calls for.  Having the right amount of flour is essential.  Too much and the cake will be dry and tough, too little and it will be runny.


3. Temperature of Ingredients should be at room temperature!!!  Butter, Milk, Eggs.  Having all the ingredients at room temperature helps with the consistency of the batter.  Creaming the butter works only when the butter is at room temp.  This is what gives the cake a light and fluffy texture. After the eggs are in and the last of the flour has been added, DO NOT over mix!!  Mix the ingredients only until they are incorporated!!  This is what causes a cake to be more dense than fluffy.   Last of all, bake at recommended time and temp and cook until a toothpick comes out clean.  Turn the cakes out of the pans in 10 minutes unless advised to cool in pans!

Buttercream or Fondant Wedding Cake?

As a bride-to-be, planning a wedding can be full of overwhelming decisions!   Choosing a wedding dress, the bridesmaids dresses, picking colors and the theme of the wedding, a venue, and the list continues!  All of these choices are necessary for a stunningly beautiful wedding day.  One of the most important choices is the wedding cake.  The design and the flavor of this centerpiece will make all the guests marvel at this creation of edible art!  So what is a bride to choose?  Buttercream or Fondant?  Here are a few tips to consider when choosing a wedding cake.




1.  What is most important to you, the flavor of the icing?  If the flavor of the cake is the most important then the choice should be buttercream.   Buttercream icing has endless possibilities for flavors.  Fondant can be flavored but has a less pleasant taste to most people.  The texture of buttercream is smooth and well, buttery, while fondant has a firm texture and is usually removed before eating the cake underneath.


2.  What type of decoration will the cake have?  Both fondant and buttercream are versatile to most all decorating styles while fondant does have the ability to withstand heavy decorations such as fondant drapes and fondant decals while buttercream will be predominantly piping and scroll work with ribbon and jewel adornment.


3.  What type of wedding is planned?  Indoor or Outdoor?  Buttercream does well indoors and out of direct heat and sunlight.  Fondant can withstand outdoor conditions but should not be in direct sun or heat as well.


Buttercream vs Fondant?  Whatever the decision, the guests will be amazed!!

8 Most Popular Wedding Cake Flavors

Black Ribbon Wedding Cake with Bling

Wedding cakes are an essential part of a wedding reception!  They range from simple to elaborate in design and from buttercream to fondant icing.  Besides being a beautiful centerpiece at the wedding reception, the cake should taste as good as it looks.  Choosing the right cake and filling flavors to compliment each other is one of Penelope's Perfections specialties!

1.  Vanilla Cake with Raspberry Filling

2.  Red Velvet Cake with Cream Cheese Filling

3.  Chocolate Cake with Chocolate Mousse and Raspberry Filling

4.  Vanilla Sponge Cake with Triple Mousse (white, dark, and milk chocolate mousse)

5.  White Chocolate Cake with Raspberry Filling

6.  Lemon Cake with Raspberry or Lemon Filling

7.  Coconut Cake with Coconut Cream or Lime Filling

8. Almond Cake with Chocolate-Hazelnut Bavarian Creme Filling