BY ANN CIPPERLY
On Valentine’s Day this year, treat your family to one of their favorite meals and serve a scrumptious, homemade dessert. Whether it is a special cake, brownies or cheesecake, homemade desserts prepared with loving hands are a sweet token of affection.
When our children were growing up, we could relax at home and savor a homemade Valentine’s Day meal with one of their favorite desserts. For something extra, the kids would each receive a small heart shaped box with cookies or candy. They enjoyed giving Valentines to classmates and family. Over the years, I saved some of them, and it always brings a smile to read the sweet notes again.
The custom of giving chocolates on Valentine’s Day began in 1861 when Richard Cadbury had the idea of putting his chocolates in heart boxes for a romantic gift. They were so popular that other companies began putting their chocolates in heart shaped boxes for Valentine’s Day.
Chocolate is the most popular confection for Valentine’s Day, with truffles being the most decadent. Chocolate truffles can be expensive to purchase, but the rich, flavorful morsels are easy to create at home. French chefs named the rich chocolate candy “truffles” since the cocoa coated confection resembles the earthy mushroom. Commercially made truffles have a rounded appearance and are generally dipped in chocolate for a smooth finish.
Some of the most delectable truffles we have tasted were on a trip to Brussels, Belgium, where there are so many wonderful chocolate shops filled with freshly made, rich, melt in your mouth chocolates. In Brussels, we visited many chocolate shops and came home with more chocolate than anything else.
After experimenting with numerous recipes for creating truffles at home, the Valentine Chocolate Truffles were the best. The rich filling is rolled in cocoa and then dipped in melted chocolate. They keep well in the refrigerator or can be frozen.
Along with chocolate, there are other delicious desserts to serve for Valentine’s Day. The Lemon Cake with Lemon-Raspberry Filling is one I created while experimenting with different recipes. While adding the Lemon Soaking Syrup to the cake layers will make it super moist, the cake is good if you omit that step.
Cindy Avery has a love of baking and feels it is therapy for her. She is known for her desserts, and many of her recipes have been passed down in the family. Her Pecan Sour Cream Pound Cake with Orange Glaze can be baked in a Bundt pan or two loaf pans. When making pound cakes, she will let the butter and eggs come to room temperature before using.
Peggy Dyar also makes a delicious pound cake. Her Nana’s Caramel Pound Cake with Caramel Frosting is prepared with dark and light brown sugar for a rich taste. Peggy gives the exact amount of time for cooking the frosting so that it comes out perfect. Just follow her directions. Spread the frosting on the cake quickly as it will become thick as it cools.
If your family’s favorite dessert is banana pudding, then Terri Neighbors’ Banana Pudding Cheesecake will be appealing. It has the flavors of banana pudding with the creamy richness of a cheesecake.
If you don’t have time to bake a cake, brownies can be assembled quickly and are also yummy. Try the Brownies with Peanut Butter Filling if your family is a fan of chocolate and peanut butter flavors. For a rich chocolate treat, Sara’s Fudge Brownies or Fudge Brownies with Chocolate Chips and Pecans will deliver.
The easiest treat of all is Chocolate Covered Strawberries that can be prepared in a few minutes. If you are in a hurry, you can place the chocolate dipped strawberries in the refrigerator to set.
You don’t need a pastry bag for decorating the dipped strawberries. Simply melt white chocolate (or dark if the strawberries are dipped in white chocolate) in the microwave. Place in a plastic bag and cut the end of one corner, and quickly drizzle over dipped berries for an attractive dessert.
On Valentine’s Day, take time to do something extra for those you love. Along with your family, don’t forget to share your homemade treats or make extra for an elderly neighbor, shut-in or someone in a nursing home who would appreciate being remembered. Take your children or grandchildren to deliver a Valentine’s treat to learn at an early age the joy of sharing with others.
And now these three remain faith, hope and love. But the greatest of these is love. — 1 Corinthians 13:13 (NIV)
Lemon Cake with Lemon-Raspberry Filling
I experimented with a few recipes for this combination. The Lemon Soaking Syrup makes a super moist cake, but it can be omitted.
Cake:
2 sticks unsalted butter, softened
3 cups sugar
3 cups flour
6 eggs
1 cup whipping cream
1 tsp. vanilla
Lemon Soaking Syrup, optional
Lemon Filling
1 jar seedless raspberry jam (will use 1/3 cup for each layer)
Cream Cheese Frosting
Lemon slices and fresh raspberries for garnish
Cream butter and sugar well. Add eggs, one at a time, beating well after each.
Add flour and cream alternately, beginning and ending with flour. Add vanilla.
Pour battered into three greased cake pans. Bake at 300 degrees for 40 minutes or until test done. Cool in pans before removing.
Lemon Soaking Syrup: (optional)
1/3 cup fresh lemon juice
1/3 cup granulated sugar
In a small saucepan, combine lemon juice and sugar; bring to a boil. Reduce heat to a simmer and cook, stirring, until sugar dissolves, about two minutes. Place cake layer on plate. With a toothpick, poke holes in cake; drizzle syrup over top. Let sit a few minutes before adding filling and another layer.
Lemon Filling:
3/4 cup sugar
3 Tbsp. cornstarch
1/4 tsp. salt
3/4 cup water
1/3 cup lemon juice
2 Tbsp. grated lemon peel
1 Tbsp. butter
8 oz. container whipped topping (can use 1 cup heavy cream, whipped and sweetened)
Combine sugar, cornstarch and salt in saucepan. Gradually stir in water and lemon juice; add lemon zest. Heat to boiling, stirring constantly. Boil and stir 2 minutes or until thickened. Remove from heat. Stir in butter. Cool completely. Fold in whipped topping.
Cream Cheese Frosting:
8 oz. pkg. cream cheese, softened
2 Tbsp. butter, softened
3 cups powdered sugar
Beat cream cheese and butter; add sugar. Beat until smooth.
Assemble:
Spread 1/3 cup raspberry jam on each layer. Top with 1 cup or more Lemon Filling. Cover cake with Cream Cheese Frosting. Store in refrigerator. Garnish with lemon slices and fresh raspberries, if desired. Store cake in refrigerator.
Pecan Sour Cream Pound Cake with Orange Glaze
Cindy Avery
1/4 – 1/2 cup chopped pecans
3 cups cake flour
1/2 tsp. salt
1/4 tsp. baking soda
1 cup unsalted butter, room temperature
3 cups sugar
6 eggs
1 tsp. vanilla
1 cup sour cream
Orange Glaze:
1 cup confectioners’ sugar
3 Tbsp. orange juice
1 tsp. vanilla
Preheat oven to 300 degrees. Grease and flour large Bundt pan or two loaf pans.
Sprinkle pecans in bottom of Bundt pan and set aside. Sift together the flour, salt and baking soda. Set aside.
Cream butter and sugar in large mixing bowl until light and fluffy. Beat in eggs one at the time until well incorporated. Stir in vanilla. Add flour mixture, alternately with sour cream. Mix well.
Pour batter in prepared pan. Bake for 70 to 90 minutes until toothpick or cake tester comes out clean. Let cool in pan for 20 minutes and turn out.
Prepare glaze by whisking together the confectioners’ sugar with orange juice and vanilla. Drizzle over warm cake.
Brownies with Creamy Peanut Butter Filling
Barbara Arrington
3 eggs
1 cup butter, melted
2 tsp. vanilla extract
2 cups sugar
1¼ cups all-purpose flour
¾ cup baking cocoa
½ tsp. baking powder
¼ tsp. salt
1 cup milk chocolate chips
Filling:
2 pkg. (8 oz. each) cream cheese, softened
½ cup creamy peanut butter
¼ cup sugar
1 egg
2 tsp. 2% milk
In a large bowl, beat eggs, butter and vanilla until smooth. Combine dry ingredients; gradually add to egg mixture. Stir in chocolate chips. Set aside 1 cup for topping. Spread remaining batter into a greased 13×9-inch baking pan.
In a small bowl, beat cream cheese, peanut butter and sugar until smooth. Beat in egg and milk on low until just combined. Carefully spread over batter. Drop reserved batter by tablespoonfuls over filling. Cut through batter with a knife to swirl.
Bake at 350 degrees for 35-40 minutes or until a toothpick inserted in center comes out clean (do not over bake). Cool on a wire rack. Chill until serving. Makes 3 dozen.
Nana’s Caramel Pound Cake with Caramel Frosting
Peggy Dyar
1 cup firmly packed dark brown sugar
1 cup firmly packed light brown sugar
1 cup sugar
1 cup butter or margarine, softened
1/2 cup vegetable oil
5 large eggs
3 cups all-purpose flour
1/2 tsp. baking powder
1/2 tsp. salt
1 cup milk
1/2 tsp. vanilla extract
Caramel Frosting (recipe follows)
Preheat oven to 325 degrees. Grease and flour a 10 inch tube pan. Beat sugars and butter at medium speed until blended. Add oil, and beat until blended. Add eggs, 1 at a time, beating just until yellow disappears.
Sift together the flour, baking powder and salt. Add flour mixture to butter mixture alternately with milk, beginning and ending with flour mixture. Beat at low speed just until blended after each addition. Stir in vanilla extract. Pour batter into a greased and floured tube pan.
Bake at 325 degrees for 1 hour and 20 minutes or until a wooden pick inserted in the center comes out clean. Cool in pan on wire rack for 10 minutes, remove from pan, and cool on wire rack. Drizzle with Caramel Frosting.
Caramel Frosting:
1 box light brown sugar
1/2 cup butter or margarine
5 oz. evaporated milk
Dash of salt
1/2 tsp. baking powder
1/2 tsp. vanilla extract
Bring first 4 ingredients to a boil in a medium saucepan, stirring often. Boil, stirring constantly for 3 minutes. Remove from heat; add baking powder and vanilla. Beat at medium speed with an electric mixer 5-7 minutes or until thickened. Drizzle quickly over cake.
Brownies with Chocolate Chips and Pecans
2 cups sugar
1 ¼ cups all-purpose flour
¾ cup unsweetened cocoa
½ tsp. baking soda
½ tsp. salt
1 cup butter, melted
4 eggs
2 tsp. vanilla
2 cups (12 oz. pkg.) semi-sweet chocolate chips
1 cup chopped pecans, optional
Line a 13×9 inch baking pan with aluminum foil and grease lightly. Stir sugar, flour, cocoa, soda and salt; set aside. Mix melted butter or margarine, eggs and vanilla until smooth. Add to flour mixture and stir until moistened. Fold in chocolate chips and nuts.
Spread batter into prepared pan. Bake in preheated 350 degree oven for 25 to 30 minutes or until toothpick inserted one inch from center comes out barely moist. Do not over bake. Cool on wire rack.
When completely cool remove from pan, peel off foil and cut into squares. Makes about two dozen.
Chocolate Covered Strawberries
1/2 cup dark chocolate, semi-sweet chocolate or white chocolate chips
3 Tbsp. heavy cream
12 long-stemmed strawberries
Extra chocolate for drizzling, optional
Place the chocolate and cream together in a bowl over simmering water until just melted. Stir and remove from the heat. Dip each strawberry in the chocolate and place on waxed or parchment paper to set. To set quicker, place in refrigerator.
To decorate, melt semi-sweet or white chocolate in microwave and place in a plastic bag. Cut the end of one corner and drizzle over dipped strawberries.
Sara’s Fudge Frosted Brownies
4 oz. squares unsweetened chocolate
2 sticks butter
2 cups sugar
4 beaten eggs
1 cup all-purpose flour
1/4 tsp. salt
Melt chocolate and butter. Add sugar, eggs and flour with salt. Bake in oblong greased pan at 350 degrees for about 25 minutes or until set.
Ice with the following fudge frosting.
Fudge Topping:
2 oz. squares unsweetened chocolate
1 cup evaporated milk or whole milk
2 cups sugar
1/4 stick butter
Melt chocolate with milk and cook until custard consistency. Add sugar and cook until a soft ball forms in a little cold water. Add butter.
Cool slightly, then beat until thick. Pour over cooled brownies.
Valentine Chocolate Truffles
Serve truffles coated in cocoa or dip in melted chocolate for a hard shell.
½ cup whipping cream
4 Tbsp. butter
12 oz. semi-sweet chocolate chips
1 tsp. vanilla
Cocoa powder
Extra semi-sweet chocolate for dipping truffles, optional
In a saucepan over medium heat, simmer cream and butter. Remove from heat; whisk in 12 oz. chocolate until smooth; add vanilla. Pour into a bowl. Either refrigerate several hours or freeze about 20-30 minutes until firm enough to handle.
Sprinkle cocoa powder over cookie sheet lined with foil or waxed paper. With melon scoop or spoon, drop chocolate mounds onto cocoa. If chocolate becomes too soft to handle, freeze until almost firm. At this point, you can roll in cocoa and serve, refrigerate or freeze. If you desire to dip truffles into melted chocolate, roll in cocoa and freeze until ready to dip.
If you are dipping truffles in chocolate, melt extra chocolate. Quickly dip frozen truffles and place on platter lined with foil or waxed paper. Place in refrigerator to set.
To drizzle white chocolate on truffles, melt a small amount in the microwave and place in a plastic bag. Cut a tiny amount off one corner and drizzle over truffles. Keep chocolates in refrigerator or freeze.
Banana Pudding Cheesecake
Terri Neighbors
1 1/2 cups finely crushed vanilla wafers
1/2 cup finely chopped pecans
1/4 cup butter, melted
17 vanilla wafers
2 ripe bananas, diced
1 ripe banana, mashed
1 Tbsp. lemon juice
2-3 Tbsp. light brown sugar
3 (8-oz.) pkg. cream cheese, softened
1 cup granulated sugar
3 large eggs
2 tsp. vanilla extract
Whipped cream and vanilla wafers for garnish
Preheat oven to 350 degrees.
In a medium bowl, stir together crushed vanilla wafers, chopped pecans and melted butter. Press into bottom of a greased 9-inch springform pan.
Stand 17 vanilla wafers around edge of pan with rounded sides facing outward. Press them gently into the crust.
In a small saucepan, combine bananas (both diced and mashed) and lemon juice. Stir in brown sugar, using 2 Tbsp. if your bananas are super ripe and 3 Tbsp. if they are medium ripe. Cook over medium heat until brown sugar dissolves, about 1 minute. Remove from heat.
Using an electric mixer, beat cream cheese at medium speed until smooth, about 3 minutes.
Gradually add granulated sugar.
Add eggs, one at a time and stopping to scrape down sides of bowl after each addition. Do not over beat. Only beat until most of yellow disappears before adding next egg.
Beat in vanilla extract.
Stir banana mixture in until evenly mixed. Pour batter into springform pan on top of crust.
Bake for 45 to 55 minutes, until center is almost set. Jiggle the pan to check.
Turn oven off, open door about 6 inches and leave cheesecake in oven to cool for about 1 hour.
Remove cheesecake to counter to cool for another 30 minutes. Cover with plastic wrap and refrigerate for 8 hours before serving.
Garnish with whipped cream and vanilla wafers.
Recipe Notes
If you’re a huge fan of vanilla wafers, try adding 1/2 cup coarsely chopped vanilla wafers to the batter. You can leave the pecans out of the crust if you don’t like them.
Molten Chocolate Cakes
Can prepare ahead.
Former caterer Martha Hicks
1 stick butter
3 oz. bittersweet chocolate
3 oz. semisweet chocolate
2 eggs, plus 2 egg yolks
3/4 cup sugar
Pinch of salt
1 tsp. vanilla
2 tsp. flour
For serving, whipped cream or vanilla ice cream and fresh raspberries, optional
Preheat oven to 425 degrees. Butter and lightly flour four ramekins that are six ounces each. Tap out excess flour.
Melt butter and chocolate slowly in a microwave. Let cool a little.
Beat eggs, yolks, sugar, salt and vanilla until thickened and pale yellow. Whisk part of the chocolate into egg mixture. Combine chocolate, egg mixture and flour. Spoon batter into prepared ramekins.
Bake for 12 to 13 minutes. Let cool in ramekins for 1 minute. Invert on individual dessert plates. Serve with raspberry puree, fresh raspberries and whipped cream or vanilla ice cream.
These can be prepared a day ahead and refrigerated. Remove from refrigerator and allow to come to room temperature. Bake shortly before serving.
