Ganache Balancing: Understanding Functional Percentages

a bag of cacao barry ghana milk chocolate and it's ingredient percentages

Functional Percentages break down each individual ingredient into its functional components. Each ingredient is made of different components. In some cases, such as olive oil, the composition is very straightforward, whereas in other cases, such as heavy cream and chocolate, the composition is much more complex.

Composition Examples:

Olive Oil
100% Fat

Heavy Cream
36% Fat
6.3% Non-fat Solids
57.7% Water

Cacao Barry Ghana 40% Milk Chocolate
32.9% Cocoa Butter
7% Cocoa Solids
5.7% Milk fat
14.7% Non-fat milk solids
39.7% Sugar
0% Water

Ingredient Evaluation Critera

As you consider the ingredients in an existing recipe or one you are creating, some basic criteria can be used to evaluate the balance of functional percentages in a ganache. For chefs really looking to understand their recipe or dial in one they are creating, there are advanced criteria to factor in as well.

Basic Criteria:

% Water
% Sugar
% Cocoa Butter*

Advanced Criteria:

% dry cocoa solids
% dairy fat*
% liquid oils*
% total fat*
% MSNF
% Proteins
% Alcohol
Sweetness perception

As mentioned in a previous article, most—if not all—of this information will be available on the manufacturer's product data sheet and can also often be found via a quick internet search.

* Is it necessary to separate the different types of fat? One fat is not like the other, so the short answer is Yes; for ideal results, each different fat must be considered separately. For a longer answer, take a look at the article below.

Flavor & Texture

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a pie chart showing an ideal ganache formulation

Ideal Framed Ganache Formula

Based on information derived from trials, studies, proven recipes, and some good old intuition, the guidelines below will produce an ideally textured dark chocolate ganache intended for a framed filling. It will have great chocolate flavor and a reasonably long shelf life. Keep in mind that these numbers are not set in stone; you may have different parameters that you feel are ideal.

Total water content:	20% Maximum
Total sugar content:	35 - 30% maximum
Cocoa butter content:	10-33% (depends on format)
Dairy fat content	15% max
Total fat content	25-40%
Dry cocoa content	10-16% max

In the next article, we'll examine an example of a ganache recipe and evaluate it based on these percentages, breaking down each ingredient into its functional components and seeing how they contribute to the overall ingredient ratios.