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What brand of chocolate do you prefer to use in your chocolate ganache for the Chocolate Cake to live for?

Fran's 10th Annual Valentines Spectacular

Fran Costigan - Fran's 10th Annual Valentines Spectacular

Recorded

This event was on February 3, 2026

Join renowned pastry chef Fran Costigan, Rouxbe’s Director of Vegan Pastry, for her 10th annual Valentine’s Day Spectacular, a live event celebrating indulgent-tasting plant-based desserts. Enjoy a showcase of sweet and savory treats perfect for couples, singles--kids too. Chef Fran will offer make ahead tips and consider dietary preferences during this fun and informative celebration of love and vegan delights. Register and send in your questions. Wearing red is optional.

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Question

Robin Rouse

What brand of chocolate do you prefer to use in your chocolate ganache for the Chocolate Cake to live for?

Answer

I really do bounce around. I've been using a chocolate for several years, that's called Bell Coad. And it is a Belgian chocolate from a company that I have worked with. The company is called Pures, um, that is available commercially or worldwide chocolate or one of the chocolate companies online, but there are many, many good ones. So for me, the taste matters because if you think about it, what is ganache but a percentage of chocolate, a percentage of a plant milk, maybe some flavor, maybe a little bit of salt and a drop of oil to keep it shiny. So the chocolate is really going to come through. And speaking of ganache, here is some that I made and took out of my freezer and you know, a ganache, depending on the percentage of chocolate, the percentage of liquid can be stiff enough to make center of a truffle or to glaze a cake. So there are many, but what I do prefer to use is a chocolate that is between either 70, 71, 72, 73%.

Fran Costigan

Director of Vegan Pastry

FranCostigan.com

Fran Costigan is internationally renowned as the authority on vegan desserts. Trained at the New York Restaurant School and Natural Gourmet Institute, Fran was a chef in both traditional and vegan pastry kitchens before moving into teaching over 20 years ago. A lifelong chocoholic and long time vegan, Fran’s latest book, Vegan Chocolate: Unapologetically Luscious and Decadent Dairy Free Desserts, (Running Press 2013) is for all who madly, deeply love chocolate desserts, whether or not dietary considerations are an issue. Her previous cookbook, More Great Good Dairy-Free Desserts Naturally (Book Publishing Company 2006) is the basis of the Costigan Vegan Baking Boot Camp Intensive®. For more information, www.francostigan.com.