Ruby Chocolate Ganache

This ruby chocolate ganache is a creamy indulgence and takes classic ganache to a new level! Ruby ganache has a naturally pink color, sweet, fruity taste, and decadently rich texture. It’s perfect to glaze, frost, and fill cakes, cupcakes, and other treats.

Homemade ruby chocolate ganache

After sharing these delicious ruby chocolate chip cookies, I still had some left and thought to try my hand at another ruby chocolate recipe. And so, this pink ganache came to be.

Ruby ganache has a creamy texture and rich chocolate flavor that are indulgent and decadent in the best way. And though pink chocolate might be a splurge, the recipe requires only 2 ingredients and comes together in mere minutes.

I love ganache to dress up cakes, cupcakes, or cookies. However, ruby chocolate ganache is so good you might not care so much about any baked goods, but instead just grab a spoon and dive in.

When I researched for this post, I found that no dedicated recipe for ruby chocolate ganache exists on the internet. Time to change that! I hope you’ll love ruby chocolate ganache as much as I do and find my tips and instructions helpful.

Ingredients

• Ruby chocolate is the star in this easy ganache recipe. The chocolate has a natural pink color and a fruity, slightly sour taste (a little like raspberries.) I recommend ruby chocolate chips because they melt smoothly and are easier to chop. Of course, you can also use a ruby chocolate bar to prepare this recipe. You can find more info on ruby chocolate below.
• Heavy cream: Be sure to use a cream with a fat content of 30% or greater – otherwise, the ganache won’t set once cooled. Heavy cream, whipping cream, and heavy whipping cream work great. Low fat cream (e.g., evaporated milk or half-and-half) is not suitable for ganache.
• Pink food coloring (optional): Ruby chocolate gives the ganache a soft pink color. If desired, you can accentuate the pink color with a few drops of pink gel food coloring.

Variations

• Whipped ruby chocolate ganache: Whipped ganache is fluffier and great for piping. To make it, beat the ganache with a mixer for 3 to 5 minutes until lighter and increased in volume.
• Flavor extracts: Feel free to aromatize your ruby chocolate ganache with baking extracts like vanilla extracts, strawberry extract, raspberry extract, or cherry extract. Add 1/2 to 1 teaspoon.

What is ruby chocolate?

• What it is: Next to white, milk, and dark chocolate, ruby chocolate is 4th type of chocolate made from ruby cocoa beans and invented by Swiss chocolatier Barry Callebaut. It has a striking pink color and is sold in the form of bars and wafers.
• Taste: The aroma is similar to white chocolate but has a pronounced fruity note that tastes a little tangy and reminds me of berries. The texture and consistency are comparable to milk chocolate.
• Where to buy: Whole Foods is offering ruby chocolate bars, and Trader Joe’s is selling ruby cacao wafers, but availability might vary from market to market. The most convenient and accessible option is to order ruby chocolate online. You can find both ruby chocolate bars and ruby chocolate chips on places like Amazon. I highly recommend the ones from Callebaut.

How much cream to use

If you have made ganache before, you probably already know that the amount of cream varies depending on the type of chocolate you’re using. For example, dark chocolate is firmer than white chocolate and requires more cream than a white chocolate ganache.

I experimented quite a bit with this recipe and found that a ratio of 3:1 ruby chocolate to cream works best overall. In case you want to make a ruby chocolate ganache glaze, you might get away with a 2:1 ratio.

Instructions

1. Chop ruby chocolate

• Chop the ruby chocolate into small pieces. The smaller the pieces are, the smoother the ganache will turn out. I recommend this step even for ruby chocolate chips.
• Put the hot chocolate into a medium-size mixing bowl.

2. Heat heavy cream

• Heat the heavy cream in a small saucepan on the stovetop until warm and steamy but not boiling. Boiling cream can be too hot and split the chocolate, so you want to avoid that.

3. Pour hot cream

• Pour the warm cream over the ruby chocolate in the mixing bowl.
• Use a spoon to push the chocolate under the cream.

4. Let melt

• Let the bowl sit for 10 to 15 minutes uncovered to give the warm cream time to melt the chocolate.

5. Mix

• Using a spatula or spoon, stir until the chocolate mixture becomes smooth and glossy. It may take a few minutes. Simply keep mixing until the melted chocolate and cream are thoroughly combined. Your ruby chocolate ganache is ready!

Tips

• Heat the cream gently. You want the cream steaming and slightly simmering. Chocolate is fickle and can split or seize if you add boiling hot cream.
• Don’t use a whisk when mixing the chocolate ganache. Whisking will aerate the mixture and can lead to bubbles.
• Leave the ruby ganache uncovered as you let it sit. Otherwise, condensation will drip into the bowl and could cause the ruby chocolate to split.
• Fix lumpy or grainy ganache. If the chocolate doesn’t fully melt, you’ll end up with a grainy or lumpy ganache. No worries though, there’s an easy fix: Warm the ganache in the microwave set to medium for 20 seconds, and then give everything a good stir.
• Adjust the consistency according to your needs. Ganache thickens as it cools. Warm, runny ganache is perfect as a dipping sauce or sauce for ice cream. Cooler, slightly thicker ganache is ideal as a glaze for cakes or cupcakes. Cooled ganache has a thick consistency similar to peanut butter, perfect to frost a cake. Chilling the ganache in the fridge overnight will result in a firm texture that you can roll into ruby chocolate truffles.
• Avoid making chocolate ganache on hot days. The ganache will not set and start to melt at temperatures above 85°F / 30°C.

How to use

• Sauce for ice cream and desserts.
• Dip for fruits or churros.
• Glaze to pour over pound cake or dip cupcakes in.
• Frosting for cakes and treats.
• Filling for cookies, macarons, tarts, and other pastries.
• Rolling into truffles.

Storage instructions

• Room temperature: Ruby chocolate ganache can be stored at room temperature for up to 3 days, but only if the ambient temperature is below 70°F / 21°C.
• Fridge: The recipe will last in the refrigerator for up to a week.
• Freezer: To freeze, transfer the ganache into an airtight container and put plastic wrap/cling film directly onto the surface. Freeze for up to 3 months. Allow thawing in the fridge overnight.