Prepare your tastebuds foodies, Chef DuVal Warner is dishing out a flourless chocolate cake recipe that’s so good, it’ll make you fall in love.
You may recognize Chef DuVal from the infamous Brandt Beef Experience that takes over the bay-side of Grand Tasting grounds annually. Perhaps you’ve even experienced his exquisite culinary and grilling skills at one of our specialty dinners with Ranch 45.
If you’re new around here, know that Chef is a long-time Friend of the Fest and one we trust implicitly to guide our foodies in the most delicious direction. So, we asked Chef to give us his go-to tips for cooking the perfect dinner at home – for date-night and beyond!
Chef DuVal recommends going with a straightforward meal so you spend less time in the kitchen and more with your company. Always go with the best quality ingredients you can source (like his favorite sustainably-sourced beef from Brandt Beef) and in-season vegetables. Lastly, be sure to end dinner on a sweet note with an irresistible dessert.
Lucky for you, Chef dished out his recipe for a scrumptious flourless chocolate cake. Warning, you just might fall in love!
Chef DuVal Warner’s Flourless Chocolate Cake
Ingredients:
- 1 Cup Dark Chocolate Chips
- 1/2 Cup Unsalted Butter (Plus extra for the pan!)
- 3/4 Cup Granulated Sugar
- 1/4 Tsp Salt
- 1 1/2 Tsp Espresso Powder
- 1 Tsp Vanilla Extract
- 3 Large Eggs
- 1/2 Cup Dutch-Process Cocoa Powder
- 6 Scoops Vanilla Ice Cream
- 6 Large Strawberries, Hulled and Sliced
- 2 Tbsp Powdered Sugar
Directions:
- Preheat oven to 325°F
- Butter the inside of a 6 cup large muffin pan
- Add chocolate chips and butter to a medium size microwave-safe bowl
- Heat for 20 seconds, stir and repeat until chocolate and butter are melted
- Add sugar, salt, espresso powder and vanilla extract, then mix to combine
- Place eggs in a stand-up mixer and mix on medium speed until smooth
- Add Dutch powder to eggs and mix until incorporated
- Fold in melted chocolate mixture
- Pour batter evenly into each cup of the large muffin pan
- Bake for 20 minutes or until toothpick inserted comes out clean
- Cool completely
- Place each cake to dessert plate, add a scoop of ice cream on one side, fan out one strawberry on top of each cake, and sprinkle with powdered sugar
About Chef DuVal Warner
Chef DuVal Warner is a Southern Virginia native, retired Marine, and graduate of the San Diego Culinary Institute where trained in classical French cuisine. He specializes in Southern-Fusion cuisine as well as smoking and grilling all meats. A qualified butcher, Chef DuVal is well versed in the various cuts of beef, fish, and poultry. He has much notoriety for his Southern Wednesday Meals at the Ranch 45, but none better than being awarded Best Chef in the Black SD Magazine 2020 Edition.
DuVal is the chef and kitchen manager at Ranch 45 in Solana Beach. A local eatery well known for it’s fresh and hearty flavors that feature high-quality, locally sourced ingredients. As the Ranch 45 team says, “By knowing our food, we can prepare our dishes in a way that lets the rancher, fisherman and farmer shine on your plate.”
