Quite a while ago, I made some ganache for a cake (I used a 50/50 recipe) and froze the leftovers. I made way too much.
I was wondering if it can be thawed, melted & then whipped for a cake filling?
Do I need to add anything to it?
Tips on how to do it? I read somewhere that you melt it in a double boiler & add softened butter, but how much? I probably have about 3-4 cups of ganache. I's new to this, so any tips are greatly appreciated.
Also, how long do you think ganache will last frozen? I stored it in a deep round Tupperware (real Tupperware) container & I think I put saran wrap over the top of the ganache inside the sealed container. It's been in there quite a while, but I know it hasn't been a year yet.
You should be able to let it thaw, I wouldn't melt it though. Bring it to room temperature and then use a mixer to whip it into something similar to buttercream frosting. That is what I do and it works out perfect. As to how long it will keep, I wouldn't think that you would want to keep it for over a year, less actually. The best thing I can think of is taste it and see if it tastes ok. I made some and froze it into ganache fudge...kept it in the freezer and ate it right from there (otherwise got too soft). MMMMM my family was in heaven. I hope this helps out.
You should not melt it after thawing because this will probably cause it to separate and then you will have to use a tempering technique to smooth it out again. You can whip the ganache as is after thawing and it should whip up OK. 1:1 ganache is soft enough that almost any beaters will be able to plow through it without difficulty. If you have enormous amounts (>2 cups), you'll probably want to use a stand mixer like a KitchenAid if you have one, or if you don't have a stand mixer, divide it into smaller batches and then mix.
Ganache in itself will last a long time frozen properly - that is, in a sealed container with no air gaps. It should be OK for a year, minimum. However, you did make a mistake in choosing a Tupperware container and Saran wrap. Chocolate is notorious for being able to absorb odours and storing ganache inside plastic, or wrapped in plastic film, means that it'll probably have a "plasticky" taste to it. I use glass jars to store ganache so that there's no risk of flavour absorption. I also make sure that these jars were never used to store pickles, mayonnaise, tomato sauce, salad dressing, garlic, and other foods with strong, dominant flavours.
What you might want to do is scoop out the center part of the ganache after scraping the top off. The part of the ganache not in contact with the plastic and not within, say, 1 cm of the plastic surface will probably not have suffered much odour absorption. As for the rest, test it. If it tastes OK, you could use it and if not you can discard it.
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