These Chocolate Desserts at Delaware Restaurants Are Swoonworthy

Decadent chocolate desserts abound this Valentine's Day—and all winter long.

If there’s a sweet spot in frigid February, it’s the abundance of chocolate in restaurants and bakeries. However, chocoholics don’t wait until Valentine’s Day. “I am a huge chocolate person,” says Nicole Gianella, the pastry chef at Bethany Blues in Lewes. “We usually have at least one, if not two, chocolate desserts on our menu.”

Chocolate, discovered by the ancient Mayans, was a bitter-tasting beverage until the European elite and Colonial Americans added sugar. By the late 19th and early 20th centuries, there was a cornucopia of cocoa delights. Here are some time-tested favorites, along with where to find them.

Brownies

The humble brownie was born in 1893 when Bertha Palmer requested box lunches for ladies at the World’s Columbian Exposition. For dessert, chefs at the Palmer House Hotel in Chicago, which her husband owned, baked a chocolate square with an apricot glaze. (The recipe is on the hotel website.)

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By the 1920s, chocolate brownies had gone mainstream. Today, they’re a platform for innovation. Consider The Peach Blossom Eatery’s espresso-tahini brownie. 76 E. Main St., Newark; 715-3392; peachblossomeatery.com

The Backyard’s owner, Amy Rae, uses cocoa powder and chocolate. “They’re rich and so delicious,” says Rae, who also sells them at The Brush Factory in Lewes. “I’ve been dressing them up.” Take, for instance, her turtle brownie with caramel, pecans, chocolate and a touch of Henlopen Sea Salt. 211 Broadkill Road, Milton; 684-3440; backyardmilton.com

“PASTRY CHEFS at THE STATION on KINGS fill CHOCOLATE cupcakes with caramel, TOP them with caramel BUTTERCREAM, DRIZZLE them with more CARAMEL and SPRINKLE them with MALDON SALT.”

Since opening in 2007, Half Full has made brownies with milk, dark and semisweet chocolates and toffee-like salted caramel. “There’s a lot of rich stuff going on in there,” notes co-owner Ian Crandall. 125 Second St., Lewes; 645-8877; halffulllewes.com

Sea Salt, Chocolate and Caramel

This triumvirate of flavors is a fad that shows no sign of fading and pops up in various desserts.

For instance, Nicole DiMarzio of MomMom’s Cheesecakes (mommomscheesecakes.com) offers a dark chocolate–caramel–sea salt flavor, available by special order or at The Lighthouse Dewey Beach. 124 Dickinson Ave., Dewey Beach; 227-4333; lighthousedeweybeach.com

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Pastry chefs at The Station on Kings fill chocolate cupcakes with caramel, top them with caramel buttercream, drizzle them with more caramel, and sprinkle them with Maldon salt. 720 Kings Highway, Lewes; 645-0300; thestationlewes.com

For bite-sized versions, try Edie Bee’s, a Parisian–style confectionary shop with a case of eye-catching sweets. 115 Second St., Lewes; 645-2337; ediebeeslewes.com.

Truffles

Edie Bee’s also sells truffles, chocolates that share the same name as the fungus. Blame the bonbon’s shape, which resembles the delicacy that grows underground. A dusting of cocoa powder boosts the similarity.

Most truffles have a chocolate ganache center, but there are numerous styles. Take your pick at Govato’s Chocolates. 4105 Concord Pike, Wilmington; 478-5324; govatoschocolates.net

Mississippi Mud Pie

Not surprisingly, this dessert—a gooey collision of chocolate sauce, brownie, custard and crumbles—originated in the Magnolia State. Try a version with ice cream and peanut butter at Wilma’s in downtown Wilmington. 900 Market St., Wilmington; 400-7766; goodtimewilmas.com

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Mississippi Mud Pie originated in the South. Wilma’s in Wilmington, which specializes in New Orleans cuisine, makes a version with a brownie accented by peanut butter and topped with vanilla ice cream and chocolate syrup.
Mississippi Mud Pie originated in the South. Wilma’s in Wilmington, which specializes in New Orleans cuisine, makes a version with a brownie accented by peanut butter and topped with vanilla ice cream and chocolate syrup. Courtesy of Wilma’s.

Dolce Bakery and Coffee Shop’s clever variation, the Mispillion Mud Bar, has mini marshmallows and chocolate ganache. 36 N. Walnut St. or 100 Silicato Parkway, Milford; 422-5760; dolcebakery.com

Death by Chocolate

Bennigan’s, the old fern bar, holds the trademark for this ubiquitous sweet dessert. But that hasn’t stopped other restaurants from using the eye-catching term.

At Bethany Blues, for instance, Gianella wows customers with a Death by Chocolate cake with chocolate chips, whipped chocolate frosting and chocolate ganache. 18385 Coastal Highway, Lewes; 644-2500; bethanyblues.com

You don’t need a fork to enjoy the Death by Chocolate martini at Café Azafran in Rehoboth. Mixologist—and talented singer—Holly Lane blends chocolate vodka, crème de cacao and chocolate liqueur. She adds cream to make it frothy. “I wanted to create an adult version of the kids’ favorite: chocolate milk,” she says. “It really has a kick.” 18 Baltimore Ave., Rehoboth Beach; 227-8100; cafeazafran.com

Death by Chocolate inspired Holly Lane’s chocolate martini at Café Azafran in Rehoboth Beach. Lane, who can belt out a song while wielding a shaker, calls the libation “chocolate milk” for adults.
Death by Chocolate inspired Holly Lane’s chocolate martini at Café Azafran in Rehoboth Beach. Lane, who can belt out a song while wielding a shaker, calls the libation “chocolate milk” for adults. Photo by Deny Howeth.

Mousse and Pot de Crème

Reportedly, Impressionist painter and poet Henri Toulouse-Lautrec invented chocolate mousse, but Americans didn’t discover it until the 1892 food exposition in New York.

Of course, you will find chocolate mousse at Bon Appétit in Seaford, a French eatery. 312 High St., Seaford; 629-3700; bonappetitseaford.net

You’ll also spot it at Vincente’s Restaurant, which serves the mousse in a homemade sugar cookie shell. 5914 Kirkwood Highway, Wilmington; 543-6451; vicentesrestaurant.com

At Sweet Lucy’s Ice Cream & Treats, a chocolate tulip cup holds silky mousse topped with house-made brownies and croquants (French cookies). The shop also makes chocolate mousse cheesecake bars, which are “divine,” says owner Meg Hurst. 3201 Concord Pike, Wilmington; 477-0777; sweetlucyicecreamandtreats.com

Home Grown Café in Newark offers an Italian mousse, bodino, made with dark chocolate, salted caramel, whipped cream and roasted walnuts. 126 E. Main St., Newark; 266-6993; homegrowncafe.com

A mousse is light and fluffy with evident air bubbles. Conversely, pot de crème—invented in the 17th century—is denser and richer, so it comes in small portions in a vessel of the same name. Try it at Sonora Restaurant & Bar, where owner Melissa Ferraro might use Mexican chocolate and other fun flavors. 3 Chesmar Plaza; Newark; 525-6010; sonoranewark.com

Chocolate Cake

Chocolate cake wasn’t a dessert menu staple until the late 1880s, when chefs began using cocoa powder. Now, it comes in all shapes and sizes.

Get back to basics with the chocolate fudge cake—chocolate cake and icing—at Rosenfeld’s Jewish Delicatessen in Rehoboth Beach. 18949 Coastal Highway, Rehoboth Beach; 645-1700; rosenfeldsjewishdeli.com

Bluecoast Seafood Grill & Raw Bar’s classic layer cake features chocolate ganache and cream cheese buttercream for a dessert that will satisfy any sweet tooth. 30115 Veterans Way, Rehoboth Beach; 278-7395; bluecoastrehoboth.com

Not all chocolate is dark. The black-and-white layer cake at Bluecoast Seafood Kitchen in Rehoboth Beach is a luscious stack of chocolate cake, chocolate ganache and cream cheese buttercream with a crumb of white and dark chocolate.
Not all chocolate is dark. The black-and-white layer cake at Bluecoast Seafood Kitchen in Rehoboth Beach is a luscious stack of chocolate cake, chocolate ganache and cream cheese buttercream with a crumb of white and dark chocolate. Courtesy of SoDel Concepts.

For an innovative take, try Bardea Food & Drink’s flourless Rocky Road chocolate cake with milk chocolate mousse, toasted almonds, a dark chocolate Magic Shell and maca root-malt gelato. 620 N. Market St., Wilmington; 426-2069; bardeawilmington.com

Pastry chef Amanda Nichols was inspired by her grandfather’s favorite ice cream flavor. At Bardea Steak, she tweaked the cake recipe she created at her old Middletown bakery. The coffee-soaked sponge has layers of Gianduja cream and milk chocolate mousse and is served with cream cheese foam and raspberry purée. “Although it is slightly different from my original, it is still one of my favorite recipes,” she says. 608 N. Market St., Wilmington; 550-9600; bardeasteak.com

Lee Slaninko is well-acquainted with chocolate cake and cupcakes. The owner of Sweet Somethings Desserts in Little Italy features chocolate mousse cakes, flourless tortes and molten lava cakes. He’s particularly proud of his Black Forest cake—three layers of dark chocolate sponge, two layers of dark cherries and whipped cream. It’s topped with whipped cream, dark chocolate shavings and Oreo cookie crumbs. “It’s a really moist, juicy cherry cake with lots of chocolate,” Slaninko says.

In short, it’s a recipe for success. 1006 N. Union St., Wilmington; 655-7211; sweetsomethingsdesserts.com

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