How To Make Red Ganache and Add a Pop of Red to Your Baked Goods For All Seasons: Easy Recipe

Ready to turn your chocolate ganache up a notch? Let’s add a pop of color—specifically red. With red ganache icing, your options are as endless as they are vibrant. Imagine blood-red treats for Halloween, love-infused desserts for Valentine’s, or holiday-ready Christmas creations. Our red ganache recipe is your new baking BFF.

If you’re here, you’re no stranger to culinary creativity. Baking is an all-year-round sport in your house and mine, too!

Whether you want to make a statement with buttercream or let your red ganache icing be the show’s star, today’s your day, let’s get into how to make red ganache icing!

Why You’ll Love This Easy Red Ganache Recipe

When you see ganache, you might not even know that it is ganache, but you might consider it tasty icing as it can be placed on a cake instead of buttercream or with buttercream! Yes, red ganache icing is a versatile recipe to learn. Today, I’m sharing what I know to help you make simple red ganache icing.

First, I will share why I love red ganache icing, and then I will share how to make the red ganache. Keep reading, and remember I am not a pro-baker; I am self-trained and learned a lot from my grandmothers and mom! I learned through watching and then trying.

• Simplicity Meets Elegance: The dripping red ganache recipe is straightforward but elevates your baking game to pro-level. When they see your masterpiece, people will think you’ve attended a culinary school!
• Hassle-Free Ingredients: Forget about scouring the aisles for exotic ingredients; everything you need for this red-colored white chocolate ganache recipe is readily available at your local grocery store.
• Time-Saving Tip: Go ahead and make the red ganache icing ahead of time. This is the kind of prep work that pays off when you’re in the baking zone.
• A Double Duty Delight: Chocolate ganache with red color serves multiple roles; it’s fantastic as both a filling and a frosting for cakes and cupcakes.
• Any Holiday, Any Time: The red hue makes this ganache versatile for every occasion—Valentine’s Day, Christmas, Fourth of July, Halloween; you name it!
• Baking Beyond Cakes: Once you get the hang of how to make red ganache, you’ll find it becomes your go-to for decorating not just cakes but also cookies, sweetbreads, and a variety of other baked goodies.
• Tailor-Made Consistency: This chocolate color drip ganache recipe allows you to adjust its thickness, catering to the exact needs of your culinary creations.
• Flavor That Pops: The red ganache combines sweet and creamy notes, taking your baked items to a level of sophistication without compromising on taste.

Pro-tip: To use red ganache icing as a frosting or filling, you have to let it thicken. You can achieve this by mixing it for an extended period or allowing it to sit at room temperature or in the fridge. Remember, the thickness also depends on your chocolate-to-cream ratio, so tweak it according to your needs.

Kitchen Essentials To Make The Red Ganache Icing

Before we jump in and learn how to make red ganache, you need to gather these kitchen essentials.

• Microwave-Safe Bowls: The MVP of the ganache game. You’ll need one to melt your chocolate and another to warm your cream. And why microwave-safe? Because we’re all about that efficiency, folks!
• Measuring Cup: Accuracy is critical in baking; the measuring cup is your trusty sidekick for nailing those proportions.
• Spoon or Fork for Mixing: Choose your weapon wisely. A spoon is great for stirring, but a fork can help you beat out stubborn lumps and smooth that ganache.
• Rubber Spatula: Last but not least, the rubber spatula is your go-to for scraping every last delicious drop of ganache out of the bowl.

Ingredients For The Red Ganache Recipe

The exact measurements for the red ganache icing are in the recipe card at the bottom of the post.

• heavy whipping cream
• meltable candy wafers or white chocolate morsels
• Red Oil Food Coloring *optional

How To Make Red Ganache Icing Overview

Creating a beautiful red ganache isn’t as complicated as you might think. If you’d like a quick summary of how to make red ganache, this section is the overview, whereas the recipe card at the end of this post has all the details for you.

Step 1: Begin by gently warming your heavy whipping cream in a microwave-safe bowl until it’s just short of boiling.

Step 2: Introduce some of the chocolate meltable wafers into the warm cream and incorporate them well with a stir.

Step 3: Add the remaining wafers, stirring continuously, to ensure a smooth blend.

Step 4: If the mixture isn’t thickening to your preference, consider adding a few more wafers and continue stirring.

Step 5: For those using red meltable wafers, you may find the color appears more pink at this stage. Introduce a modest amount of red food coloring (discussed below because this is not regular everyday food coloring FYI) to achieve a more vibrant red.

Step 6: Stir until you reach your desired shade of red.

Final Step: Your red ganache is ready for its debut.

Easy Red Ganache Icing: The Jack-of-All-Trades For Baked Goods

If you thought Ganache was just a one-trick pony, think again. While it might be most famous as a luxurious icing or a decadent drip, there’s much more to this versatile treat, and I can assure you it’s not just red ganache icing.

Let’s break down the multifaceted roles red ganache icing can play:

• The icing on the Cake: Literally. Spread it smooth or whip it up to make your cakes look as good as they taste.
• Frosting with Flair: Want to give your cupcakes a professional touch? Use a piping bag to create intricate designs or a simple swirl on top.
• The Perfect Filling: Yep, this ganache isn’t just surface-level pretty. It can fill your cakes, cupcakes, and even your cannolis.
• Cookie Embellishment: You’ve tried sugar glaze and royal icing, but have you tried red ganache? Drizzle or spread on cookies for an added pop of color and flavor.
• Sweet Bread Accoutrement: Imagine freshly baked sweet bread with a layer of red ganache smeared on. Hungry yet?
• Chocolate-Coated Everything: You can even coat fruits, marshmallows, or pretzels. Chocolate-covered strawberries with red ganache, anyone?
• Coffee Companion: Stir a spoonful into your coffee for a delightful twist.
• Seasonal Baking: Let’s not forget its vibrant red makes it perfect for holiday themes. Christmas, Valentine’s Day, and Halloween just got much tastier.

From Love Spells to Spook Fests: Seasonal Versatility of Red Ganache Icing

When we’re talking about a jack-of-all-trades like red ganache, it’s hard to overlook its chameleon-like ability to fit into any holiday theme.

Here is how this vibrant concoction of red ganache icing can elevate your seasonal treats:

• Valentine’s Day: In the season of love, red ganache adds more than color; it’s an edible testament to passion, romance, and commitment. Think of a red ganache-topped cupcake as a love letter you can eat.
• Halloween: Flip the script, and the same red that symbolized love now portrays the eerie essence of blood for your ghoulish delights. Spooky cookies or a red-dripped cake can be the centerpiece of your Halloween table.
• Fourth of July: When paired with its blue and white counterparts, the red in your ganache becomes a salute to patriotism. Imagine a red, white, and blue layer cake as the grand finale of your Independence Day barbecue.
• Christmas: Finally, the red ganache can morph again to represent the joyful colors of Christmas wreaths, ornaments, and Santa suits.

Red ganache covers your baking, whether for rustic buffalo plaid designs or elegant red bows.

Melting Wafers And How I Create Colored Ganache

I created an icing that drips with colored ganache in red, but I could have made it any color. Easy! Getting the right shade of red boils down to your choice of melting chocolate.

Melting Wafers and the Art of Colored Ganache

Creating the perfect colored ganache starts with your choice of chocolate. While I’ve had success with semi-sweet and dark chocolate chips, getting that pop of red is a different ballpark. Don’t waste your creative juices wrestling with uncooperative hues.

Your safest bet? Red candy melt wafers, engineered specifically for this kind of culinary magic. But if you’re more of a maverick, white chocolate morsels are also a solid option—they’re like chameleons when absorbing colors.

Here’s the rub: even your first pass at red might appear a bit pink. Don’t fret. Adjusting the hue isn’t brain surgery, but you must be keen on using the right coloring. One wrong move, and you could face a meltdown—literally.

The Art and Science of Coloring Your Ganache

Changing the color of the wafers comes down to the necessity of oil-based food coloring.

Let’s drill down into the nitty-gritty: turning your ganache the kind of red that would make a fire truck jealous. Enter stage right, oil-based food coloring. This stuff is like the Swiss Army knife of the baking world.

Think twice before reaching for your usual food colors. Oil-based coloring is the only wingman you need in this high-stakes game, especially when dealing with high-fat foods like chocolate or candy melts. Trust me, you don’t want to learn this lesson the hard way.

Color Red Ganache Icing Like a Pro

The type of wafer you choose can make or break your project. If you’re going for ease, stick with white chocolate. They’re blank slates ready to take on whatever color you choose, no questions asked.

If you’ve ever tried to dye dark chocolate, you know it’s like putting lipstick on a pig—tough and rarely worth the hassle.

Make Your Red Ganache More Red

So you’ve started with red melting wafers, but your ganache still looks like it’s blushing? Don’t worry; it’s nothing a dash of the right oil-based food coloring (#ad) can’t fix. A few drops of trusty oil-based food coloring can elevate your hue from “meh” to “marvelous!”

You Can Also Flavor Ganache

We’ve been talking about the visuals, but what about the taste buds? Did you know you can add a flavor (#ad) punch to your ganache? I’m talking next-level stuff here, folks.

The Golden Rule: Oil-Based Flavor Extracts Only

• If you want to add some zesty orange or a hint of mint to your ganache, reach for oil-based flavor extracts.
• Oil-based flavoring (#ad) is your BFF here; anything else is like inviting a bull into a china shop—disastrous.

Why No Love for Water-Based Extracts?

• Water-based flavors are a no-go; they’ll turn your beautiful wafers into a sad, separated mess. Stick to oil-based.

Pro Tip: LorAnn’s Super Strength Flavors

• These bad boys pack a punch. They’re like the Hulk of the flavor world—small but mighty.
• They’re 3-4 times stronger than your regular extracts, so a little dab’ll do you.
• Perfect for hard candy, cakes, cookies, and your show-stopping ganache.
• Bonus: They’re kosher, gluten-free, and made in the USA. You can feel good while your taste buds are dancing.

Not only can your easy red ganache icing be as red as a Valentine’s Day heart, but it can also taste like one, too—sweet and full of surprises!

What Melting Wafer Options Do I Often Use?

To make my red ganache icing, I’ve been around the wafer block, folks, and tested, tried, and honestly—eaten a lot. So, which ones are the crown jewels in my baking empire?

Ghirardelli Chocolate Melting Wafers

• Why I Ghirardelli (ad): These are the Beyoncé of wafers. Always flawless, never disappointing. They melt like a dream, and the flavor? Richer than Elon Musk.

Nestlé White Chocolate Morsels

• Why I Nestle: Nestlé’s white chocolate morsels are like the trusty sidekick you can always count on. Need to melt them, mix them, or snack on them? They’ve got your back.

Wilton Brand Melting Wafers

• Why I Wilton: These are your reliable, everyday go-tos. Think of them as the Honda of wafers—solid, dependable, in hobby stores, and they get the job done.

Can’t Find the Right Color? Go White!

Again, when I make red ganache icing, I use red wafers; when I make chocolate, I use brown; I keep it easy, but if you can’t find the wafer you need to make a red ganache icing or a purple ganache or whatever color, buy white!

• Look, we don’t live in a perfect world. Sometimes, the shade you want is as elusive as a four-leaf clover. When that happens, go for white and color them yourself. It’s like buying a blank canvas; you’re the artist, so go wild!

Now You Can Make My Chocolate Ganache Icing Blood

Ever watch a horror movie and think, “Wow, that fake blood looks delicious?” No? Just me? Well, with suitable wafers and a dash of culinary artistry, you can make ganache that’s both a visual and tasty spectacle. Call it kitchen alchemy or edible magic; it’s bloody good either way.

Boom! There’s your wafer rundown. Now melt, mix, and master that ganache like the culinary wizard you are.

Make sure to come back + tell me if you used my red ganache icing

Make Red Ganache Icing with The Recipe

 

Dana’s family is throughout Sicily: Palermo, Cefalu, and Messina, and her husband’s family are throughout Rome to Spigno. Dana draws upon her travel writing life, time spent in Italy with their families, her Nonna’s recipes and time in her kitchen, and her previous “Chef” life to update old family recipes into easier everyday recipes. Dana uses today’s hottest appliances to create easy everyday recipes and to keep Italian food simple without losing every recipe’s authentic flavors and tastes.