Cake Frosting Problem

[SHA]

When I make a cake and cover it with a chocolate sugar glaze (soft ball stage), it seems straightforward to take it off the heat for a few moments and then pour it over the cake to get a beautiful finish. However, I run into difficulty with a chocolate ganache. When I first mix it up, it seems too loose and looks like it will cover too thinly but then when I wait for it to thicken it becomes too stiff and I can't apply it for a nice looking finish - how do I tell when it is the right consistency - is there a certain temperature you can go by ?

 

[retired baker]

When I make a cake and cover it with a chocolate sugar glaze (soft ball stage), it seems straightforward to take it off the heat for a few moments and then pour it over the cake to get a beautiful finish. However, I run into difficulty with a chocolate ganache. When I first mix it up, it seems too loose and looks like it will cover too thinly but then when I wait for it to thicken it becomes too stiff and I can't apply it for a nice looking finish - how do I tell when it is the right consistency - is there a certain temperature you can go by ?

pour it as soon as the choc melts into the cream, its nowhere near as hot as boiled sugar.

 

[SHA]

I just want to make sure that I have a good formula for ganache - what do you bakers use ? How do you keep it from being grainy ?