This zingy lemon ganache is so easy to make. White chocolate combined with lemon juice makes a delicious citrus filling for all sorts of cakes and macarons. This ganache makes a great alternative to lemon curd for those times that you need a touch of lemon without the moisture.
I used to believe that you must at all costs keep water away from chocolate. I wrongly believed this was because chocolate (being oil based) would never properly mix with something that was water based. It was just science. But you know what, I was so wrong.
You can in fact mix chocolate with a water based liquid without it curdling. There’s even such a thing as water ganache. Today though, we’re making lemon ganache.
How to use lemon ganache?
Have you ever gone to add lemon curd to a tart, macaron, cake etc. but found it’s just too runny. There’s nothing more frustrating then having your hard earned baking work spoiled and soggy by a runny filling last minute. Lemon ganache makes a great alternative to lemon curd in these situations, as it’s still lemony fresh, but has a much creamier less “wet” consistency. Here’s a couple of my favorite ways to use this ganache:
- No bake lemon cheesecake: Whip the ganache together with some cream cheese, confectioner’s sugar and cream to make an easy no bake cheesecake packed with lemony flavor.
- Whipped Ganache Cupcake topping: Use your electric mixer to whip the ganache and pipe it on top of cupcakes. My personal favorite is topping banana cupcakes with whipped lemon ganache. The sweetness of the banana and lemon sourness balance each other out perfectly.
- Macaron Filling: Adding fruit curds and jams to macarons can be problematic, as the moisture from the filling can quickly make the macaron cookies too soft, not to mention that jams and curds are just too slippery to hold the macaron cookies together. Lemon ganache on the other hand will not make your macarons prematurely soggy, and has the strength to maintain the structural integrity of your macarons.
Ingredients
This lemon ganache is just so simple, you’ll need only 2 ingredients.
- Lemon Juice: Freshly squeezed, please. With such a simple recipe you really will taste the difference if you choose quality ingredients. So for this reason I highly recommend using freshly squeezed lemon juice.
- White Chocolate: use real white chocolate for this recipe. By this I mean, look for a white chocolate that contains cocoa butter. This will give your ganache has a rich creamy flavor, and ensure that the chocolate melts and easily combines with the lemon juice.
How to make lemon ganache
As promised, this recipe is so quick and easy, simply:
- Heat the chocolate and lemon juice in a microwave safe plastic bowl until the chocolate melts.
- Stir the mixture until the lemon juice and white chocolate combine.
Top Tip: Always use a microwave safe plastic bowl (instead of a glass/ceramic bowl) when heating chocolate in the microwave. Reason is that glass and ceramic will heat up in the microwave, which may cause you to accidentally overheat the chocolate. This in turn would cause the chocolate to burn and the ganache to curdle.
A plastic bowl will not heat up in the microwave the same way a glass or ceramic bowl would, making it easier for you to control the amount and pace which the chocolate heats up.
Make this ganache your way
This recipe yields a ganache that is soft and spreadable at room temperature and firms up in the fridge (to a scoopable consistency). To adjust the consistency of the ganache, you can either add a little more chocolate (for a firmer consistency) or cream (for a softer ganache).
Related Recipes
If you love this lemon ganache recipes, check out some similar ones on my site:
Lemon Ganache
Equipment
- Microwave
- bowls
- spoons
Ingredients
- 150 grams white chocolate
- 50 grams lemon juice
Instructions
- Place the white chocolate into a plastic microwave safe bowl and pour the lemon juice over the top.
- Put the bowl in the microwave and heat for 20 seconds (at 1000W).
- Remove the bowl from the microwave and give the mixture a good stir to help melt the chocolate. As the chocolate melts it should combine with the lemon juice and make a smooth ganache.
- If the chocolate has not yet fully melted, or you are finding it hard to mix it into the lemon juice, return the bowl to the microwave and heat for a further 10 seconds, then stir again.
I am glad my previous comment hasn’t been postedn because I was about to review it.
Well, the recipe works well in the end, but it takes some patience and some balance…
Let me explain: the ganacge is very soft, almost runny, even after putting the bowl in the fridge for a while. I had to include extra shea butter to try and make it thicker, and even then the upper shells would glide off.
But after a night in the fridge, the macaroons were looking – and tasting ! – great !!! Unlike a ganache montée (where you add whipping cream to whip up a chantilly), it won’t add softness to the shells, so if you bake dry macaroons, they will remain so.
Hi there, Firstly, thank you so much for taking the time to review my recipe and add such detailed comments, this really does mean the world to me. I’m so glad to hear that your macarons tasted great – even after a little trial and tinkering with the recipe.
I’ve made this recipe dozens of times, and as you’ve found it is quite runny before it has set. However it does sound like your batch was more runny than usual, perhaps this is due to chocolate composition differing by brand or country.
In the future if you find ganache doesn’t firm up, you can add more chocolate to increase the ratio of chocolate to liquid. Adding butter is a good option too as it will encourage your ganache to only set partially, so you can cool it in the fridge, and it won’t become completely solid.
If you’re feeling impatient and want to fill your macarons straight away with this ganache, I have had success piping the ganache on one side of the macaron shell, then placing the half macarons in the freezer for 5 minutes, before putting the second shell on top. This way the ganache semi sets before the top shell is placed onto (reducing slippage).
Thank you again for taking time to give feedback on my recipe – wishing you a very happy holiday season!
this is AMAZING.
I didn’t see a recipe for lemon ganache, at least not the amount of lemon juice or white chocolate. What would be the ratio for a cheesecake. I plan on pouring ganache over my cheesecake. Thank you.
Hi Janet,
This ganache is quite runny when its first made, but after being stored in the fridge overnight it will set very firm. You may find it a little too firm for a cheesecake topping.
I’d recommend adding 25 grams of butter to the recipe (aka 1 part butter, 6 parts chocolate, 2 parts lemon juice). Before removing your cheesecake from the tin, pour the ganache over the cooled cheesecake. Cover with cling film and store the cheesecake in the fridge overnight, to allow the ganache to set.
The next day, the ganache should have firmed up, but still be soft enough to cut through with a knife for serving.
I’d love to hear how you go, please do let me know 🙂
Does this ganache require refrigeration after it’s made?
Hi Kate,
Depending on what you plan to use this ganache for, I would recommend you pop it in the fridge to set before using it.
For example, if you were to use it as a macaron filling, I would recommend letting it set in the fridge.
If you were going to use it as a filling in a tart or pie, I’d recommend pouring it into the pie base and then letting it set prior to serving.
I’ve just come across your recipe and would like to know if it would set up hard enough to go under fondant for the bottom of a two tier cake please?
Hi Dawn, I haven’t trialed using this recipe under fondant, so would love to hear how you go.
Do be aware that when you first make this ganache is it quite soft, and requires some time in the fridge to firm up.
I would recommend ensuring the ganache has set before applying fondant.
Is this ganache good for a Yule log filling and drizzle on top?
Hi Susan, this lemon ganache would work great as a drizzle over a yule cake, just make sure it’s warm so it has a nice runny texture. I’m not sure if it would make a good filling as it could be tricky to get the texture right. It might be better to make a filling of half lemon ganache and half mock swiss meringue buttercream, so the filling is light airy and easy to roll. You can find my favorite recipe for Swiss meringue buttercream on my blog, here: https://theniftybaker.com/mock-swiss-meringue-buttercream/
Hi! Can this ganache be baked as a filling, say in a pastry?
Hi Arianna, I’m not sure if this ganache would work well baked in a pie filling, as this isn’t something I’ve tried before. I would love to hear how you go.
can I use it as a drizzle on pound cake?
Hi Stan, yes this lemon ganache would be perfect for drizzling over a pound cake, that sounds delicious! Just make sure the ganache is warm and it’s texture will be nice and runny – perfect for drizzling. Enjoy!