Description
Ina Garten’s dark chocolate terrine with orange sauce delivers a luxurious dessert experience from French culinary traditions. Rich chocolate layers complement silky citrus notes, offering guests an elegant finale to memorable meals.
Ingredients
Scale
- 340 g (12 oz) fresh cranberries, rinsed and picked over for stems
- 1 Granny Smith apple, peeled, cored, and diced
- 200 g (7 oz) granulated sugar, plus 1 tbsp
- 100 g (3.5 oz) light brown sugar, lightly packed
- 2 extra-large eggs, at room temperature
- 125 g (4.4 oz) all-purpose flour
- ¼ lb (1 stick or 113 g) unsalted butter, melted and slightly cooled
- 60 ml (2 fl oz) sour cream
- 60 ml (2 fl oz) freshly squeezed orange juice
- 1 tbsp (2 oranges) grated orange zest
- 1 tsp pure vanilla extract
- 1–1/8 tsp ground cinnamon, divided
- ¼ tsp kosher salt
Instructions
- Oven Preparation: Heat oven to 325°F (170°C) and lightly grease a 10-inch (25 cm) glass pie dish to prevent sticking.
- Fruit Mixture: Combine cranberries, apples, brown sugar, orange zest, orange juice, and cinnamon in a medium bowl, allowing flavors to meld and intensify while preparing the remaining components.
- Batter Creation: Whip eggs at medium-high speed for two minutes until light and fluffy. Gradually blend in granulated sugar, melted butter, vanilla extract, and sour cream until smoothly incorporated.
- Batter Refinement: Gently fold flour and salt into the mixture at low speed, ensuring a silky, uniform consistency without overmixing.
- Cake Assembly: Spread the fruit mixture evenly across the prepared pie plate, then carefully pour the batter over the top, completely covering the fruit layer. Dust the surface with a delicate blend of remaining sugar and cinnamon.
- Baking Process: Bake for 55-60 minutes, watching for a clean toothpick test and bubbling fruit edges, which indicate the cake’s perfect doneness.
- Finishing Touch: Remove from oven and allow to cool slightly, letting flavors settle and intensify. Serve warm or at room temperature for the most delightful culinary experience.
Notes
- Optimize Fruit Preparation: Let cranberry-apple mixture sit for 10-15 minutes to intensify flavor complexity and allow natural fruit juices to develop.
- Master Mixing Technique: Whip eggs at precisely medium-high speed for exactly two minutes to achieve optimal aeration and lightweight cake texture.
- Control Batter Consistency: Fold flour gently and minimally to prevent gluten development, which could create a dense, tough cake structure.
- Baking Precision Matters: Check cake doneness by inserting toothpick at 50-minute mark; slight moisture at tip indicates perfect moisture retention for a tender crumb.
- Prep Time: 15 minutes
- Cook Time: 55 minutes
- Category: Desserts
- Method: Baking
- Cuisine: American
Nutrition
- Serving Size: 8
- Calories: 380
- Sugar: 42 g
- Sodium: 50 mg
- Fat: 20 g
- Saturated Fat: 12 g
- Unsaturated Fat: 8 g
- Trans Fat: 0 g
- Carbohydrates: 46 g
- Fiber: 2 g
- Protein: 4 g
- Cholesterol: 80 mg