Bar One Ganache or Bar One Icing

Bar One, Butter, Chocolate and Double Thick Cream = Bar One Icing

This icing or frosting is absolutely delicious, and relatively simple to make, provided you know the basics of making a hot chocolate ganache. Although I have played around with the flavourants by adding the caramel and nougat from the Bar Ones or Mars Bars, I have found that by sticking to the basic ratios of a successful ganache, a successful ganache can be achieved - and, most importantly, replicated at will. 

There is one caveat: I cannot emphasize enough that you really do need to use heavy cream or double-thick cream. In South Africa, I have only found double-thick cream at Woolworths stores, though for those of you who live close to farms, go to your nearest farmer. If you use whipping cream it will be delicious, but it does not 'set' properly, and, hence you will be left with a thin chocolate sauce rather than a rich thick icing you can plaster on a cake. When we were living in Saudi Arabia, I found that a combination of "breakfast cream" with "whipping cream" worked wonders. I originally used it in a ratio of 1:1 and found it gave the required result, though, if anything, I'd use more breakfast cream than whipped cream. 

If, and only if, you cannot find double-thick cream but still want to make the ganache, then icing sugar can be added to help thicken and set the icing. The result is sweeter, and more like a buttercream frosting or butter icing. That is, it won't set as solid or firm, but is more than perfectly edible.

I recently re-tested the recipe, and it made me realise how long this ganache will take. The nougat and caramel in the Bar One or Mars Bar take long to melt, and you have to exercise patience. You may even find it worthwhile to melt the Bar One first in the microwave; the approach I adopt is to stick to the usual methodology (i.e., bain marie), but I know I have to be more patient. I also place the mixture in a bowl which I can keep beating up with an egg-beater to help disperse the nougat and caramel easily, since you never want to over-heat chocolate. So, again, this icing will take far longer to make than the hot chocolate ganache and involve more work - on the other hand, you are guaranteed that all that will remain from a party is a few tiny pieces of cake:

Mars Bar or Bar One Icing / Frosting / Ganache gets eaten so quickly I  seldom have time to document the cake

Recipe for Bar One Ganache / Icing / Frosting (can use Mars Bar) 

1 Tablespoon butter

3 Bar Ones or Mars Bars (each one used was 56 grams or 2 oz)

200 gram chocolate (7 oz)

180 ml double-thick cream (¾ cup) - though I have used up to 250 ml (1 ½ cups) with no problem in the setting thereof)

The above is a rough guide to the amounts required, you can make the icing thicker or thinner, more or less chocolatey, creamy, etc. The methodology is simple: cut up Bar Ones into tiny pieces, either by grating the chocolate (though it starts to melt on your fingers), or shaving it with a knife as shown below, until the requisite amount is available, and then add butter and cream and chocolate.

Shave chocolate for ganache with a large knife that is not too flexible

Melt in bain marie or in a microwave on 50% until all is completely melted (keep checking the caramel and nougat in particular unless you like crispy lumps in the final result).

A bain marie is a bowl over water; here a Kenwood mixer bowl is used 

I use the stainless steel Kenwood mixer bowl as the bain marie, since it means I can dry the bottom, then place it into the Kenwood mixer to help get that nougat dispersed throughout the ganache, without hurting my hands too much or overheating the chocolate.

Keep the flame on low, very, very low, since you never want to overheat chocolate. It assumes a number of crystalline structures and can, literally, fall apart on over-heating (still tastes divine, just the texture is all wrong).

Using the mixing bowl for this means the Bar Ones or Mars Bars are easier to beat up into the ganache / frosting / icing

Once mixture is completely melted but still cool, you can either beat it until it is very thick, which would make it a lighter colour and less spreadable (you will end up with a choppy effect when decorating). Alternatively, you can wait a while and then pour it straight onto your icing, and have it set on the cake, glossy and dark - just make sure the mixture is slightly tacky to the touch, that is, it is starting to set already, before starting to pour.

The ganache / frosting / icing is about to set and perfect for spreading when a knife leaves a mark in it 

Work from the middle of the cake out, using cake knife or spatula over the edges. Also, make sure you have placed overlapping pieces of parchment paper under the cake:

Parchment paper under the cake catches the drips from the chocolate ganache

Do not place one large piece under the cake, it will be difficult to remove. The papers mean that, once the icing has set, you can pull them away:

Any little drips of ganache do not spoil the effect of the paper

In the end, you have a professional, non-drip look to the cake, as shown in the marvellous marzipan modelling cake. It makes a delicious but very sticky icing – not the best for decorative effects - for those I'd use the hot chocolate ganache - but great for eating.

Bar One or Mars Bar icing / frosting / ganache as a base for marzipan modelled vegetable garden cake