Firstly, an apology. The image above has probably put you off your cornflakes.
If you're wondering, I promise it's sanitary.
To put you out of your misery, this is what happens when you try a new ganache recipe and overheat the chocolate.
Basically, I've been doing some experimenting in the kitchen. Thankfully, nothing is being tested or eaten by anyone but me, so the wet turd above didn't go any further than me and the bin. Actually, I tell a lie: I didn't even try it. That oily texture and revolting consistency was warning enough.
As any baker knows, it's rare to get something right first time and that's why so many people stick with tried and tested recipes.
But I can't do that. I want to keep improving, especially when it comes to the range of freefrom products I can offer.
On this occasion, I was trying out a dairy-free chocolate ganache recipe which involved a lot of expensive dark chocolate (yet another reason not to do kitchen trials: there's only so far you can justify the £££).
I honestly thought I'd been careful. At one point, it looked as though the ganache could be saved. However, after trying all sorts of remedies (for the record, the trick of adding warmed milk doesn't help), I binned a tenner's worth of gunge.
Undeterred, I gave the recipe another go, and thank goodness, because I do believe I've found the ultimate in delectable ganache that also happens to be vegan.
That bowl in the background? Yep, that's the bad ganache skulking in the corner like the thirteenth fairy. The good ganache is proudly silky and made only from coconut milk and dark chocolate. It also tastes divine underneath fondant on a cake, which is exactly where it went in my baking trial.
Have you got a bad chocolate story? Do share it below!