Dark Chocolate Terrine (Terrine au Chocolat)

Rich and decadent, dark chocolate terrine dessert is the ultimate sweet treat for chocolate lovers. Shaped like half-spheres and drizzled with caramel sauce, it's a crowd-pleaser at any party. On top of it, it's gluten-free!

Chocolate terrine

Chocolate terrine (terrine au chocolat or terrine de chocolat) is a French flourless chocolate dessert shaped into a loaf cake. It can be made with different kinds of chocolate: dark, milk, or white.

Dark chocolate terrine is made with pure chocolate (no cocoa powder added), where good quality chocolate is the key. It tastes like a flourless chocolate cake, lighter than fudge but richer than dark chocolate mousse.

The classic chocolate terrine is made as a terrine cake, but I had some fun shaping the dessert like half-spheres. I even tried a bunny silicone mold to make an amazing Easter dessert.

Ingredients

For ingredients and detailed instructions, refer to the recipe card below.

• Dark chocolate: Use a high-quality 70% cocoa dark chocolate like Scharffen Berger dark chocolate or Valrhona dark chocolate. Couverture dark chocolate is another great option.
• Granulated white sugar or caster sugar.
• Large eggs at room temperature.
• Heavy cream or heavy whipping cream with at least 30% fat content. Use double cream if you're in the UK.
• Gelatin sheets with a strength of 200 bloom.
• Meringues: Use store-bought meringues or make meringue cookies yourself. Follow the recipe for meringue mushrooms to make meringue kisses.
• Icing sugar: Make it out of granulated sugar using a coffee grinder or powdered sugar.

How to make chocolate terrine step-by-step

Step 1. Melt dark chocolate cut into pieces in a bain-marie or water bath, occasionally stirring with a rubber spatula, and let it slightly cool.

Step 2. Soak gelatin sheets in cold water for 5 to 10 minutes. Break the meringues into small pieces.

Step 3. Separate egg whites from the yolks. In a large bowl, beat egg yolks with granulated sugar until soft peaks.

Step 4. Whisk egg whites in a separate bowl of a stand mixer fitted with the whisk attachment or an electric mixer until firm peaks.

Step 5. Bring heavy cream to a boil. Remove a saucepan from the heat, add the drained gelatin, and mix.

Step 6. Pour this mixture over the melted chocolate and combine it with a rubber spatula. Add pieces of broken meringues and gently mix.

Step 7. Fold the egg yolk and sugar mixture into the cooled chocolate mixture with a rubber spatula.

Step 8. Fold the beaten egg whites carefully into the chocolate mixture (photo 6).

Step 9. Pour the preparation into a silicone half-sphere mold, smooth, cover the top with cling film, and place it in the freezer overnight.

Step 10. To make the caramel sauce the next day, heat icing sugar with water in a saucepan over low-medium heat to get the brown caramel.

Step 11. Remove the saucepan from the heat, add the soft unsalted butter in pieces and hot heavy cream, always mixing (be careful with splashing!) Heat the mixture for a few seconds and take it off the heat.

To serve, turn the terrine out of the mold and let it thaw for 30 minutes in the fridge. Pour the caramel sauce on top of each dessert and serve immediately.

Expert Tips

1. To eliminate concern about eating raw eggs, use pasteurized eggs. Consuming raw eggs is not advisable for pregnant women and babies.  
2. To make the chocolate terrine shaped like a cake, double the recipe. Pour the chocolate mixture into a terrine mold (or a nonstick loaf pan) lined with a plastic film. Refrigerate the dessert overnight (do not freeze it.) On the day of serving, remove the dessert from the mold/pan, cut it into thick slices, and serve it with caramel sauce.
3. Use a hot knife to get clean, thin slices.

Recipe variations

While dark chocolate terrine is a traditional dessert, you can give your classic a creative spin.

• Milk or white chocolate terrine: Replace dark chocolate with milk or white chocolate.
• Chocolate terrine with speculoos: Add broken speculoos cookies to the terrine mixture and fill the mold.
• Chocolate and prune terrine: Add chopped prunes, soaked in water or alcohol of your choice, for a few hours.
• Use a classic French terrine mold - a special loaf-shaped container with a weighted press (cover) that shapes the dessert from all sides. Or replace the terrine pan with a simple loaf tin covered with aluminum foil.

Storing

Store chocolate terrine refrigerated for up to 3-4 days. Don't freeze it again.

But you can keep the frozen dessert in the freezer for up to two months. Bring it to the refrigerator for 30 minutes before serving.

Recipe FAQ

Love chocolate desserts? Try these next!

• Chocolate ganache cake
• Chocolate sponge cake
• Royal chocolate cake Trianon
• Nutella Swiss roll
• Fondant au Chocolat

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Recipe card

The nutritional information has been calculated using an online recipe nutrition calculator such as Verywellfit.com and is intended for informational purposes only. These figures should be used as a general guideline and not be construed as a guarantee.

The recipe was adapted from the Gourmand magazine. It was originally published on April 02, 2019. The recipe has been revised to include improved content and photos.