Lemon Ganache
This lemon ganache is bursting with bright citrus! It's the perfect filling for macarons, cupcakes, and cakes.
Servings: 2 cups
Calories: 65kcal
Ingredients
Lemon Ganache
- 250g finely chopped white chocolate or white chocolate chips 1 1/2 cups
- 80g heavy whipping cream, room temperature 1/3 cup
- 2 Tbsp lemon zest - zest of 2 lemons
- 60g lemon juice - juice of 2 lemons 1/4 cup
- yellow gel food coloring - optional
Equipment
Instructions
- This lemon ganache filling needs about 4 hours to set, so I recommend making it before whatever dessert you want to fill it with! It can also be made up to a week in advance. I usually make it the night before.
- Place 250g of white chocolate in a medium-sized bowl and set aside.
- Pour 80g heavy cream into a heat-proof bowl and heat in 15-second intervals in the microwave until it just begins to bubble (this usually takes me about a minute). If you don't have a microwave, heat the cream over medium-high heat in a saucepan until it starts to bubble and steam.
- Pour the heavy cream over the white chocolate. Make sure all the white chocolate is submerged beneath the cream. Let the mixture sit for a couple of minutes.
- Zest 2 large lemons into the white chocolate/cream mixture, then juice those lemons and add 60g of fresh lemon juice to the mixture. If desired, add in a small drop of yellow gel food coloring. This ganache is naturally a light-yellow color, but I usually add a bit of coloring to give it a brighter yellow color.
- Use an immersion blender or a spoon to mix the ganache until the mixture has come together and is smooth. Press a piece of plastic wrap flush against the ganache and place the bowl in the fridge to chill for about 4 hours. If you want to accelerate the cooling process, stir the ganache in 15-minute intervals.
- When you're ready to use this ganache, place it in a piping bag fitted with a large round piping tip. It should be thick enough to scoop into the piping bag and hold its shape. If you made it in advance and it's really firm coming out of the fridge, let it sit at room temperature for about 30 minutes before using it. I love to fill my lemon macarons and lemon poppy seed cupcakes with this ganache, but the sky is the limit. Fill your favorite desserts and enjoy!
Video
Notes
Note: The lemon zest does give this ganache a bit of texture, but it's worth it for the amount of flavor it adds!! If you need to make silky-smooth lemon ganache, you can use 2 tsp of lemon extract in its place, but the flavor will be different (I much prefer the flavor of lemon zest over lemon extract!).
Recipe Yield:
This recipe makes about 2 cups of ganache. This is enough to generously fill about 30 macarons. You can double or triple this recipe to fill more macarons if needed, but it will need more time to set. For reference, I usually pipe my macarons with a diameter of 1 3/4 inches, so they're about the size of a standard macaron.Tips for Making the Best Lemon Ganache
- Make this lemon ganache before you make the dessert you want to fill it with. This will give it time to set.
- Measure your ingredients with a kitchen scale. You really need to be precise with this recipe.
- Use good-quality white chocolate. It will make the ganache taste better and give it the best possible consistency.
- Use heavy cream or heavy whipping cream, not milk or half and half. You need a high-fat percentage to allow the ganache to come together and have a smooth texture.
- If possible, use an immersion blender to make sure your ganache turns out silky smooth!
- If you notice bits of unmelted white chocolate in the ganache once it's combined, heat it in the microwave for another 15 seconds, let it rest for 30 seconds, then give it another stir. Repeat this process as needed until all the chocolate is melted and the ganache is smooth.
- To make dairy-free lemon ganache, use coconut cream in place of the heavy cream in this recipe.
Making This Lemon Ganache in Advance & Storage Tips
This ganache can be made up to a week in advance, and I usually make it the night before and store it in an airtight container or in a bowl sealed tightly with plastic wrap. If you make it in advance and it's a little bit too firm to pipe, let it sit at room temperature for about 30 minutes to soften slightly. Macarons filled with this ganache should mature for a few hours or overnight in the fridge before being eaten. This gives them time to develop the best texture and taste. Refrigerate desserts filled with this ganache for up to 5 days in an airtight container. Freeze desserts with this filling for up to a month in an airtight container.Nutrition
Serving: 1 | Calories: 65kcal | Carbohydrates: 8g | Protein: 1g | Fat: 4g | Saturated Fat: 2g | Polyunsaturated Fat: 1g | Cholesterol: 5mg | Sodium: 14mg | Sugar: 7g