Protein powders like Versawhip are one of the most useful ingredients you can use in your ganache recipes.
Especially when you are developing vegan or dark chocolate ganache recipes, whose emulsification is trickier because they lack milk proteins.
In this blog, let’s explore why and when I add protein to my ganache recipes.
1. When You Make a Vegan Ganache 🌱
Usually, when people make vegan ganaches, they think they’re only losing the creamy mouthfeel or the buttery/milky flavor that dairy adds to fillings.
If you formulate your recipe well and keep the right fat percentage (through coconut fat, vegan butter, or oils), the creamy texture will take care of itself.
The real problem is that when you remove milk protein (the greatest emulsifier) from your recipe, your emulsion becomes weaker. This is why vegan fillings split after you let them sit for a while, even when you hand-blend them well.
The solution here is at the beginning of this newsletter: add 1% of the total weight of the recipe in soy protein and hand-blend.
Your vegan fillings will be soft, creamy, and emulsified now.
2. When You Make a Dark Chocolate Ganache 🍫
White and milk chocolate fillings have milk proteins. Dark chocolate doesn’t.
That’s why emulsifying a dark chocolate ganache is trickier. The extra fibers from the non-fat cacao solids and the reduced amount of milk proteins are the reason why.
How can you fix that? You guessed it: Add 1% of either milk, egg white, or soy protein to your dark chocolate filling.
However, there’s a second reason why I add protein to my dark chocolate ganache.
Protein increases the flow of the ganache by relaxing it. So by adding some to my dark chocolate ganache, the ganache becomes more “fluid,” and I can pipe it faster and easier.
In summary, next time you’re having a hard time emulsifying or piping your dark chocolate or vegan ganaches, add a little protein to them.
Do you tend to use protein in your recipes? I would love to hear what other uses you’ve found for it.
Take care!
-Melissa