Valentine's Day Desserts

Whether you are hosting a huge Valentine’s Day party or planning a romantic dinner for two, Valentine’s Day desserts are an important part of the evening. Here are some delicious Valentine’s Day dessert ideas that will satisfy any sweet tooth:

French Vanilla Sweetheart Cupcakes:

Ingredients:

• 1 ½ cups self-rising flour
• 1 ¼ cups all-purpose flour
• 1 cup (2 sticks) unsalted butter, softened
• 2 cups sugar
• 4 large eggs, at room temperature
• 1 cup milk
• 1 teaspoon vanilla extract

Directions:

Sift together the dry ingredients and set aside. Cream the butter and sugar together using a mixer. Add the eggs (one at a time), milk, and vanilla. Stir in the dry ingredients. Prepare a cupcake pan with cupcake liners and fill each one about 3/4 full with the batter. Bake 20 - 25 minutes at 350F. Allow to cool completely before frosting and adding decorations.

Chocolate Cake:

Ingredients:

• 2 cups of flour
• 1 ½ cups whole milk
• 2/3 cup granulated sugar
• 2/3 cup dark brown sugar
• 2 tsp. vanilla extract
• 1 tsp. baking powder
• Chocolate fudge frosting

Directions: 

Mix all of the ingredients (except the frosting) in a large bowl. Divide the batter evenly between two 8-inch greased cake pans. Bake on the middle rack of the oven at 350 degrees until the tops spring back when lightly touched. Let the cakes cool for ten minutes and then remove them from the pans. Use a knife to frost the top of one of the cakes. Place the other cake onto of the frosted layer. Frost the entire top and outside of the cake with the remaining frosting.

Chocolate Fondue:

Ingredients:

• 12 ounces dark chocolate chips
• 8 oz of heavy cream
• Pinch of salt
• Dipping items: pretzels, cut up strawberries, bananas, apricots, marshmallows, etc.

Directions: 

Heat the heavy cream in a pan over medium heat until tiny bubbles start to appear and it slowly starts to boil. Add in the dark chocolate chips and whisk until smooth. Immediately pour the mixture into a fondue pot at low heat. Then,  arrange items to dip into the chocolate such as pretzels, marshmallows, strawberries, and bananas. If the fondue starts to feel a little stiff while you are eating it, just add in a tablespoon of heavy cream and stir.

Cream Puffs:

Ingredients:

• 2 eggs
• ¼ cup vegetable shortening
• ½ cup boiling water
• ½ cup sifted flour
• ¼ teaspoon of salt

Directions: 

Combine vegetable shortening and boiling water in a medium saucepan. Continue to stir over low heat until the vegetable shortening is melted. Add flour and salt and stir until the mixture is completely smooth. Take the pan off of the heat and add 1 egg. Beat it into the mixture. Add in the other egg and beat it in. Spoon out about 1 inch balls of the dough onto a greased cookie sheet. Place the balls about 1 ½ inches apart. Bake for about ten minutes at 450 degrees and then lower temperature to 350 degrees and bake for another ten minutes. Once the cream puffs have cooled, cut them in half and fill with whipped cream, ice cream, or custard.