This simple recipe and technique will give you the perfect white chocolate ganache drip for your cake – every time!
Ratio of Cream to Chocolate for Drip Cakes
White chocolate ganache drip has plagued me for awhile. My first time making it I used way too much cream. It ends up that a regular chocolate drip and a white chocolate drip are totally different and for white chocolate, you need a much smaller amount of cream. While a normal chocolate drip recipe is a 1 to 1 ratio of chocolate and cream, white chocolate drip is typically 1 part cream to about 2 or even 3 parts chocolate.
Temperature of White Chocolate Ganache Drip
The second mistake I made was not letting the chocolate cool to the correct temperature. It should be about 85-95 degrees Fahrenheit. This can take 15-30 minutes to cool down. I highly recommend an instant read thermometer to get it just right. Side note: this is one of my favorite kitchen tools – they’re cheap and use can use them for anything from candy making to cooking meat to the perfect temp!
Tips for the Perfect White Chocolate Ganache Drip:
- Chop all of the chocolate into small pieces. If you don’t, it can sometimes take awhile to make sure it gets fully melted and incorporated into the cream. If you have pieces of unmelted chocolate, you can use a plastic spatula to press against the side of bowl to break it down. Then, reheat until it’s all combined. You can also use a regular or immersion blender to mix if there are pieces of unmelted chocolate. Then reheat for 10-15 seconds until smooth.
- For a white chocolate drip, use a ratio of 1 part cream to at least 2 parts chocolate. I’ve gotten my best results with all or most of the chocolate being chocolate melts rather than white chocolate chips.
- Be patient when letting the chocolate cool. It takes longer than you think, normally between 15-30 minutes to cool down to the right temperature.
- Use a candy or instant read thermometer – this is key to getting the chocolate the right temperature. You want it between 85-95 degrees Fahrenheit.
- Make sure the cake is cold. Keep it in the fridge and take it out right before you are going to add the drip. This helps slow the drip falling down the side of the cake.
- To get the drips exactly how you want them, put the chocolate use a pastry or plastic bag with a medium size tip and drip around the edges of the cake, and then fill in the top.
Coloring White Chocolate Drip
Coloring a white chocolate drip is super easy! Since the white chocolate chips actually have a slight yellow color to them, if you want a bright white drip you’ll need to use white food coloring. For regular colors, you can add gel food coloring just like you would for buttercream frosting or royal icing. Sometimes it helps to use an immersion blender to get it perfectly smooth and combined.
Decorating Drip Cakes
The nice thing about a drip cake is once you master the drip you can decorate however you want. You can add more buttercream, macarons, or sprinkles. For the pictured cake I used Liv for Cake Pink Champagne cake recipe, with my Swiss Meringue Buttercream frosting and topped with Rose Gold Chocolate Covered Strawberries and Champagne Marshmallows.
Other Drip Cakes:
White Chocolate Ganache Drip
INGREDIENTS
- 2 tbsp white chocolate chips finely chopped
- 1/2 cup 100 g candy melts, chopped
- 3 tbsp heavy cream 43 g
Instructions
- Chill frosted cake
- Chop the chocolate into small pieces
- Add to microwave safe bowl and add heavy cream
- Microwave for 20 second intervals, stirring in between each interval, until all the chocolate is melted.
- Once melted, let sit for 15-30 minutes, until it reaches 85-95 degrees fahrenheit
- Either pour over cake, spreading towards the outside of the cake so it drips or add to a pastry or plastic bag with a medium trip and drip around the edges, then fill in the center and smooth with a spatula.
- Put back in the fridge to chill until ready to finish decorating.
Notes
- Chop all of the chocolate into small pieces. If you don’t, it can sometimes take awhile to make sure it gets fully melted and incorporated into the cream. If you have pieces of unmelted chocolate, you can use a plastic spatula to press against the side of bowl to break it down. Then, reheat until it’s all combined. You can also use a regular or immersion blender to mix if there are pieces of unmelted chocolate. Then reheat for 10-15 seconds until smooth.
- For a white chocolate drip, use a ratio of 1 part cream to at least 2 parts chocolate. I’ve gotten my best results with all or most of the chocolate being chocolate melts rather than white chocolate chips.
- Be patient when letting the chocolate cool. It takes longer than you think, normally between 15-30 minutes to cool down to the right temperature.
- Use a candy or instant read thermometer - this is key to getting the chocolate the right temperature. You want it between 85-95 degrees Fahrenheit.
- Make sure the cake is cold. Keep it in the fridge and take it out right before you are going to add the drip. This helps slow the drip falling down the side of the cake.
- To get the drips exactly how you want them, put the chocolate use a pastry or plastic bag with a medium size tip and drip around the edges of the cake, and then fill in the top.
- This recipe is adapted from Preppy Kitchen
Nutrition
Other Cake Decorating Techniques:
Maman de sara says
I make chocolate ganache but not with white chocolate, thanks for sharing.
Mimi says
Mmmmm, I can’t believe how simple this white chocolate drip recipe is – and it looks just the way I would want it to be!
April says
Saving it for sure – I need to have a good recipe to make solid white chocolate drip, and this one will work great!
Celeste says
When I was a child I couldn’t eat chocolate so my mom always gave me white chocolate, so now it’s a favorite of mine. This cake is so beautiful. I would love to have one.
Fred says
This will make for a great birthday cake for my five year old! The white chocolate adds a special twist to this cake. Thanks for sharing!
Kelly Anthony says
The cake in your pictures is absolutely stunning. I’m saving this post for when I make a cake next. The chocolate drip takes the cake to the next level.
Jenni LeBaron says
I’ve always wondered how bakers were able to get that perfect chocolate drip on cakes and other desserts so I’m pleased that you wrote such a comprehensive guide to make this attainable to do!
Jere Cassidy says
Great tutorial. I have problems working with white chocolate so this is super helpful
Stine Mari says
I’ve never tried making a chocolate drip using white chocolate, but now I know all the pitfalls without doing them myself, so thank you very much for that! Just one question, candy melts aren’t easy to get a hold of here in Norway, what would you do instead? 🙂
Danielle Wolter says
this is just perfect for dipping strawberries in! i’m definitely going to try this out for when my mom comes to visit next month.