Can I use chocolate ganache under fondant?

Below is the dark chocolate ganache recipe I often use for "ganaching" a cake prior to covering the cake with fondant . It is also beautiful and delicious all by itself, without the fondant!!

Why is it called after eight?

They got their name “after eight” because they were intend to be an after-dinner mint . “After Eight” mint chocolate thins are a confectionery product that are intended, as it's name suggest to be used as after-dinner mints. They were created in 1962 by Rowntree and Company Limited.

How long to leave ganache before fondant?

Then you need to let the ganache-covered cake set overnight at room temperature, or at the very least for a few hours . It will also slightly dry out the surface of the ganache, which makes a nice shell on the cake and helps you keep your nice sharp edges once you apply the fondant.

What is the difference between ganache and fondant?

Whipped chocolate ganache has a lighter texture and is great for desert cakes or layering cakes. Fondant is a rolled icing used to make the 'fancy' cakes, such as wedding cakes, sculptured and 3D cakes. You can have many different colours of fondant and some have different flavours too, for example, chocolate.

Do they have after 8s in America?

After Eights are sold across Europe and North America , and one billion After Eights are made annually. After Eights were originally made from dairy-free dark chocolate.

Have they changed After Eights?

After Eights were originally made from dairy-free dark chocolate. In 2002, however, Nestlé started adding butterfat to After Eights made at certain production facilities so as to increase resistance to chocolate bloom . This practice expanded to all production facilities in 2009.

How to eat after eight chocolate?

**Pairing:** After Eight Mint Chocolate Thins are perfect for pairing with your favorite hot beverage, such as coffee, tea, or hot cocoa . The combination of rich chocolate and refreshing mint provides a delightful contrast to the warmth of your drink.

What is better under fondant, buttercream, or ganache?

Both will work just fine , so if you're team American buttercream, then go for it! Finally, you must chill. ? Cold, firm cakes are the best canvas for achieving smooth fondant success whether you use ganache, meringue-based buttercream or a crusting buttercream.

What is best to put under fondant?

The purpose of buttercream is to make a perfect smooth surface in which the fondant can stick to, and all the buttercreams I've used throughout my career as a pastry chef all do that job perfectly fine. There may be a buttercream that you prefer and find easier to work with. By all means use that one.

Can you use ganache as a crumb coat?

Crumb coat . your cake using our Ready Made Ganache then pop it .

Can you drip ganache over fondant?

One of the reasons why we see drip cakes so regularly is because you can actually drip over all kinds of surfaces. Fondant, marzipan, buttercream, Enchanted Cream®, ganache, it all works . Just make sure your cake has nicely straight and smoothed edges, so that the drip can slide down in a nice tight line.

After Eight Brownies with Fondant and Chocolate Ganache (2024)

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These After Eight brownies have a decadent, fudgy brownie base. Then comes a thin layer of sweet, soft fondant. Topping it all off, is a rich chocolate ganache. If you are a lover of After Eight mints, look no further, as you have probably just come across your new favourite dessert.

I am no stranger to using After Eight mints in cakes, and I have a beautiful After Eight chocolate cake in my e-book, Baking with Spelt. That time, I used After Eights in the cake, and topped it off with chocolates that melted on top. This time around, it’s a brownie on steroids.

What are After Eights?

There is something very sublime about After Eights. Almost paper thin, they are square, filled with sweet, sugar fondant, and encased in rich, dark chocolate. Each chocolate comes in its own individual, silky wrapper, giving the sensation of eating something a little special every time you take one.

The official name of the chocolates is After Eight Mint Thins, but everybody and their dog calls them simply After Eights. First produced in the UK in the 1960s, the chocolate covered fondants were intended as after dinner mints. While that is still the case (and are often brought as a gift to dinner party in the UK), most people don’t need the excuse of a dinner party to scoff a packet.

What can I substitute for After Eight mints?

It pains me to realise that some of you could be living in a world without After Eights. However, that does not mean you need to miss out on these beauties. A quick Google search tells me that you can pick up After Eights on Amazon and British food online stores. In Canada, Walmart apparently stocks something very similar called Our Finest Dark Chocolate Mint Thins. For those of you in the US, Andes mints seem very similar to After Eight Mints, so would make a great substitution.

If getting hold of dark chocolate mint thins is not going to happen for you, you could easily chop up any dark chocolate and flavour your fondant with mint. It would taste exactly the same.

I love the simplicity of brownies, and their adaptability. You can literally throw whatever you like into the brownie batter, and it will taste awesome. I’ve made caramel brownies, marshmallow brownies, and even got all festive with my gingerbread brownies and brownie Christmas trees.

After Eight Brownies with Fondant and Chocolate Ganache

Servings 12 squares

Ingredients

Brownie:

100g (3½ oz) milk chocolate
6 (approx. 50g / 1¾oz) After Eight mints (see note 1)
150g (⅔ cup) butter
75ml (5 tbs) milk
90g (½ cup) brown sugar
90g (½ cup) white sugar
2 eggs
1 teaspoon vanilla
60g (½ cup) spelt flour (see note 2)
25g (3¼ tbs) cocoa

Fondant:

16 (approx. 140g / 5oz) After Eight mints (frozen)
2 tablespoons milk
100-150g (2-2½ cups) icing sugar

Ganache:

75g (2½ oz) milk chocolate
75g (2½ oz) dark chocolate
100ml (6¾ tbs) cream

Instructions

Freeze 16 After Eight mints (for the fondant and topping). They will freeze quickly, so they won't need to be in the freezer longer than 45-60 minutes.

Brownie:

Pre-heat the oven to 170°C (325ºF).
Grease and/or line a medium-sized pan or dish (mine is 25cm x 27cm / 9¾" x 10½").
Slowly heat the chocolate, 6 After Eights, and the butter in a pan, just until everything has melted. Remove from the heat.
In a large bowl, whisk the sugars together with the eggs, then add in the cooled chocolate mixture along with the vanilla.
Sift the flour and cocoa together, and stir into the wet ingredients, just until combined.
Pour the batter into the prepared pan.
Bake for around 25-30 minutes (see note 3)
Remove from the oven and allow to cool completely.

Fondant:

Remove the After Eights you popped in the freezer earlier, and using a food processor or blender, blitz until they are fairly fine.
Take half of the chocolate crumbs and set to one side. Put the other half back in the freezer until later.
Add the milk to a bowl and enough icing sugar to make a very thick paste.
Stir in the crushed After Eights you had set to one side. Leave until it has thickened even more (the fondant needs to be fairly spreadable but not runny).
Spread the fondant over the cooled brownie, and place in the fridge to set for about an hour.
When ready, slowly melt the milk and dark chocolate together with the cream. You can either do this carefully in a microwave, or in a Bain Marie .
Slowly whisk or stir everything together, then pour over the top of the fondant.
Take the remaining After Eight crumbs out of the freezer, and sprinkle over the chocolate/cream mixture.
Allow time to set (a further hour) then slice into squares and enjoy (see note 4).

Notes

If you can't get hold of After Eights, you can use any chocolate mint (I've included the weight of the chocolates I used to make it easier).
You can use spelt or regular flour for this recipe (just use the same amount).
The texture will vary, depending on how long the brownie is baked for. I baked this one for around 25 minutes, but if you would like a firmer consistency, bake it for the full 30 minutes.
Just for info purposes: my brownies were fudgy and quite difficult to slice prettily (which is important for my recipe photos). Therefore, I popped them in the freezer for an hour. The ganache doesn't firm up too much, but you get a cleaner cut through the brownie.

Disclaimer:

I have converted grams to cups/ounces/tablespoons using online converters. Although I have no reason to believe they are inaccurate, please be aware that I have not made the recipe with imperial measurements.

In addition, many ingredients are different in Europe compared to North America (and the rest of the world). I do all I can to offer possible alternatives and to ensure the best possible outcomes for everyone. However, results cannot always be guaranteed if you have not used the same ingredients, measurements or methods as me.

Lastly, I do everything I can to ensure that my recipes (and instructions) are accurate and easy to follow. However, I am human, and don't always get it right. If you notice anything strange, a mistake, or even a typo, please let me know in the comments.