Making a batch of ganache can make your desserts taste so much better. This chocolate sauce can be useful in so many different ways.
You might have made the sauce with a specific purpose, but perhaps you made too much. When you have a lot of leftover ganache, what are you supposed to do with it?
The sauce should be good for a while, and that means that throwing out the leftovers would be a waste. Are there good things that you can do to make use of it?
Keep reading to learn about the best options.
1 – Share it
Sharing the chocolate sauce with friends and family members might be the most practical way to ensure that you use it up in time. You might not be able to eat all of it yourself.
One person can only handle so much ganache. If you have friends and family members using it as well, it’ll get used up much faster.
Perhaps you can even give some of the chocolate sauce away. Put some into a container and give it to a friend so that they can use it in whatever way they see fit.
You might have neighbors who would enjoy using the it. Simply think of those in your life who might be interested in helping you with the rest of it.
Sharing the chocolate sauce with others will be a practical way to ensure that it doesn’t go to waste. If you can’t find anyone to share it with, you’ll still be able to utilize it in various ways.
2 – Use the Ganache as Dip
You can use the ganache as a dip so that other desserts will taste delectable. There’s a good chance that you made it for a specific purpose such as putting it on cookies.
Even if you don’t want to bake more cookies, the chocolate sauce will be tasty. You can have other desserts and dip them in the sauce.
You might wish to make other types of cookies. Perhaps you’d like to dip certain types of fruit in it.
Many people love dipping strawberries in chocolate sauce. You have all sorts of options that you can look into.
Don’t throw out your leftover ganache when it’s perfectly good. You can use it as a dip for various treats until it has been used up completely.
3 – Ice Cream Topping
It should come as no surprise to hear that ganache makes for a wonderful ice cream topping. You could buy some ice cream from the store and use your homemade ganache as a topping.
Simply pour some of the chocolate sauce over the ice cream once it’s in a bowl. You can add other toppings as well such as sprinkles, cherries, or various types of candies.
If you love eating ice cream, this will be a simple way to use up the remaining chocolate sauce. Be sure to buy a type of ice cream that tastes good with chocolate on top.
Standard vanilla ice cream will work out nicely, but you can use the ganache on many other types of ice cream as well. For many people, this will be an ideal way to use up the leftover ganache.
4 – Turn it Into Fudge
Have you thought about turning the chocolate sauce into fudge? By now, the consistency of the chocolate sauce should be thicker.
It’ll be easy to pour the sauce into a cake pan so that it can be set up. You might also wish to stir in some nuts to make it taste a lot like standard homemade fudge.
The chocolate sauce will wind up tasting a lot like fudge when in this state. You can simply eat it as a dessert by itself if you go this route.
This is a good option since you don’t need to do much to use the chocolate sauce in this way. Simply allow it to set in a cake pan and then enjoy it until it has been finished.
5 – Truffles Are an Option
Making the chocolate sauce into truffles will also be an option. As mentioned above, the sauce should have hardened a bit so that it’s like a soft fudge.
You can scoop out the chocolate a little at a time and roll it into balls. These balls can essentially be turned into truffles.
Roll the chocolate balls in toasted coconut or cocoa powder. After doing so, you’ll be able to enjoy the truffle balls as a dessert dish.
It’s easy to do this and it’ll allow you to enjoy ganache in a different way. If you’d like to make some truffles out of your chocolate sauce, it’ll be easy to get it done.
6 – Create Chocolate Mousse
Creating a chocolate mousse out of the ganache will be easier than you might think. You simply need to thin it out a bit by using heavy cream.
Once you do this, you’ll be able to whip it up and turn it into chocolate mousse. Chocolate mousse is a fair bit different from ganache, and that can make you enjoy it in a different way.
You don’t want to get sick of eating the ganache as is. Whipping it up and making it chocolate mousse is one solution to that problem.
Chocolate mousse can be used as a topping and in many of the same ways as ganache. It’ll simply have a different taste, consistency, and vibe.
7 – Make Cupcake Filling
Another option that’s worth looking into involves making cupcake filling. Cupcakes are amazing desserts that the whole family will enjoy.
If you have a fair bit of leftover chocolate sauce, turning it into cupcake filling will be simple. It’ll make for excellent cupcake filling, and everyone will happily eat it up.
Turning leftover chocolate sauce into a batch of cupcakes will surely be a hit in your household. It won’t take an abundance of effort either.
This is simply another way to avoid wasting ganache when you make too much. Eat the cupcakes up once you’re done and you’ll be glad that you decided to utilize the leftover sauce in a unique way.
8 – Freeze the Sauce
Of course, you don’t have to turn the chocolate sauce into a different type of dessert. You could simply freeze it so that you can use it at a later date.
For many people, this will be the most practical choice. You can put the leftover chocolate sauce in a freezer-safe container.
Ensure that you write the date on the container (or on a label that you stick to the container). This will allow you to know when to use it.
The ganache should stay good when frozen for up to two months. You’ll want to try to finish it off before it reaches the two-month mark.
So long as you keep an eye on things, it’ll be easy to use the sauce before it goes bad. That’s why putting the date on the container is such a good idea.
Make Just Enough Chocolate Sauce Next Time
It’s generally not going to be wise to make way more ganache than you need. You never want things to go to waste.
The ideas above are great for helping you to use the leftover sauce, but some people might not want to eat too much dessert. If you’re worried about calories or keeping desserts as special weekend treats, you might not be able to use these ideas.
This is why it’s imperative to only make as much ganache as you need. Try to portion things out and make a batch of sauce that will be just enough for you.
If you’re making it for the entire family, making bigger batches will be sensible. Otherwise, you might want to stick to making smaller batches.
Final Thoughts
You’ve learned about many different ways that you can utilize ganache. When you make too much chocolate sauce, it’s possible to use it up by turning it into different desserts.
You could use it to make chocolate mousse. It’s also easy to enjoy it in fudge form or to turn it into cupcake filling.
Of course, the chocolate sauce will make a great dip. You can dip other treats such as cookies in it.
Some people even like dipping fruits such as strawberries in ganache. There are so many good options.
Being able to eat the remaining ganache will ensure that you aren’t wasting anything. No one likes throwing out perfectly good food.
Remember that you have the option to freeze the ganache and use it at a later date. It can stay frozen for up to two months without going bad.
Do your best to use the chocolate sauce instead of throwing it out. In the future, you might want to be careful not to make more than necessary.
Of course, you might like the idea of being able to use it in different ways. It can be fun to eat different desserts, but just don’t go overboard.
Sarah is the founder of Baking Kneads, LLC, a blog sharing guides, tips, and recipes for those learning how to bake. Growing up as the daughter of a baker, she spent much of her childhood learning the basics in a local bakery.
Margaret Brown
Tuesday 31st of October 2023
Thanks this was really helpful! I am going to get fruit and cupcakes now