Valentine Dessert Recipes

After a quiet evening together and a sumptuous dinner, there are few better ways to end your date on February 14^th than with a sweet treat.  There’s already a lot of planning to do, but coming up with a recipe for great Valentine’s Day desserts doesn’t have to be a whole lot of work, though.  The best ideas are fairly simple, allowing the two of you to spend as much time as possible enjoying each other’s company.  The good news is, no matter whether you are dating a chocolate lover or a coffee fanatic, you can always find a great idea to whet your appetite for a few flavored kisses afterwards

Here are some choices for you:

Molten Chocolate Cake

1/2 cup (113 grams) unsalted butter, cut into pieces

6 ounces (170 grams)semi-sweet or bittersweet chocolate, finely chopped

3 large eggs, separated

1/3 cup (65 grams) granulated white sugar

1 teaspoon pure vanilla extract

1/8 teaspoon cream of tartar

1 tablespoon granulated white sugar

Serves: 4

Preheat oven to 400 degrees F (200 degrees C) and place rack in center of oven. Generously butter four - 6 to 8 ounce (180-240 ml) molds, ramekins, or custard cups and dust the insides with granulated white sugar. Place the prepared molds on a baking sheet and set aside while you make the cake batter.

In a heatproof bowl, placed over a saucepan of simmering water, melt the butter and chocolate. Remove from heat and set aside while you beat the egg yolks.

In the bowl of your electric mixer, or with a hand mixer, beat the egg yolks and 1/3 cup (65 grams) sugar until thick, pale, and fluffy. (When you slowly raise the beaters the batter will fall back into the bowl in slow ribbons.) Beat in the vanilla extract and then fold in the melted chocolate mixture.

In another clean bowl whip the egg whites until frothy. Add the cream of tartar and continue to whip until soft peaks form. Gradually add the 1 tablespoon of granulated white sugar and whip just until stiff peaks form. With a rubber spatula or wire whisk gently fold the beaten whites into the chocolate mixture, just until incorporated. Do not over mix or the batter will deflate. Divide the batter between the prepared molds. Bake for 10 to15 minutes or until the outside edges of the cakes are set but the middle still looks a little wet and wobbly. You may have cracks on the top surface of the cakes.

Immediately remove from oven and let them rest for a minute or two. You can serve the cakes in their molds or you can run a palette or sharp knife around the edge of each cake and then invert onto the center of each serving plate. Carefully remove the mold. Sprinkle the top of each cake with confectioner’s sugar and place a dollop of softly whipped cream, clotted cream, creme fraiche, or vanilla ice cream on top of each warm cake.

Note: You can prepare the chocolate mixture several hours ahead of time. Simply make the recipe, pour into the prepared molds, cover with plastic wrap, and refrigerate.  Bake just before serving. When the batter is cold the cakes may take a minute or two longer to bake.

Courtesy of  JoyofBaking.com

Hidden Berry Cream Cheese Torte

For the Crust:
1-3/4 cups all-purpose flour
1/2 cup sugar
1/4 teaspoon salt
1-1/2 sticks (12 Tablespoons) unsalted butter, cut into small pieces and chilled
2 large egg yolks
1 teaspoon pure vanilla extract

For the Filling:
1/3 cup thick berry or cherry jam
9 ounces cream cheese, at room temperature
8 ounces (1 cup) cottage cheese, at room temperature
3/4 cup sugar
1/4 teaspoon salt
Pinch of ground cinnamon
Pinch of freshly ground nutmeg
2 large eggs, preferably at room temperature

Confectioner’s sugar, for dusting (optional)

Getting Ready:
Butter a 9-inch springform pan, dust the inside with flour and tap out the excess. Place on a baking sheet lined with parchment or a silicone mat.

To Make the Crust:
Put the flour, sugar and salt in a food processor and pulse just to blend. Toss in the pieces of butter and pulse until the mixture resembles coarse meal. Stir the egg yolks and vanilla together with a fork, and, still pulsing the machine, add them and continue to pulse until the dough comes together in clumps and curds – restrain yourself, and don’t allow the dough to form a ball.

Turn the dough out onto a work surface. If you want to roll the dough, gather it into a ball, wrap it in plastic wrap and refrigerate it for about 20 minutes before rolling. Or simply press the dough into the pan. The dough should come about 1-1/2 inches up the sides of the spring form. Refrigerate for at least 30 minutes.

Center a rack in the oven and preheat the oven to 375 degrees F.

Fit a piece of buttered aluminum foil against the crust, covering it completely. Fill the drust lightly with rice, dried beans or pie weights and slide the sheet into the oven. Bake the crust for 20 minutes or so – you don’t want the crust to get too brown. Transfer to a rack to cool while you make the filling.

Lower the oven temperature to 350 degrees F.

To Make the Filling:
Stir the jam, and spread it over the bottom of the crust – it’s okay to do this while the crust is still warm.

Put the cream cheese and cottage cheese into the food processor and process, scraping down the sides of the bowl a few times, for 2 minutes, until you’ve got a smooth, satiny mix. Add the sugar, salt and spices and process for another 30 seconds. With the machine running, add the eggs and process, scraping the bowl as needed, for a final minute. Pour the filling over the jam.

Bake the cake for 60 to 70 minutes, or until the filling is uniformly puffed and no longer jiggly. Gently transfer the springform pan to a cooling rack and allow the torte to cool to room temperature, during which time the filling will collapse into a thin, elegant layer.

Run a blunt knife between the crust and the sides of the pan, then open and remove the sides of the springform. If the sides of the crust extend above the filling and you don’t like this look, very gently saw off the excess crust using a serrated knife. Chill the torte slightly or thoroughly before serving and, if you’d like, dust the top with confectioner’s sugar.

Courtesy of  BrownEyedBaker.com

Chocolate Covered Strawberries

6 ounces semisweet chocolate, chopped

3 ounces white chocolate, chopped

1 pound strawberries with stems (about 20), washed and dried very well

Put the semisweet and white chocolates into 2 separate heatproof medium bowls. Fill 2 medium saucepans with a couple inches of water and bring to a simmer over medium heat. Turn off the heat; set the bowls of chocolate over the water to melt. Stir until smooth. (Alternatively, melt the chocolates in a microwave at half power, for 1 minute, stir and then heat for another minute or until melted.)

Once the chocolates are melted and smooth, remove from the heat. Line a sheet pan with parchment or waxed paper. Holding the strawberry by the stem, dip the fruit into the dark chocolate, lift and twist slightly, letting any excess chocolate fall back into the bowl. Set strawberries on the parchment paper. Repeat with the rest of the strawberries. Dip a fork in the white chocolate and drizzle the white chocolate over the dipped strawberries.

Set the strawberries aside until the chocolate sets, about 30 minutes.

Courtesy of FoodNetwork.com

Creamy Peanut Butter Chocolate

Ingredients:

• Chocolate sandwich cookies: 1 package (crushed)
• Peanut butter: 1-1/4 cups
• Cream cheese: 1 (8-ounce) package (softened)
• Cream cheese: 2 packages (softened)
• Instant chocolate pudding: 1 (5.9-ounce) package
• Peanut butter cup candies or chocolate kisses: 1 (16-ounce) bag (chopped)
• Powdered sugar: 2 cups
• Cold milk: 3/4 cup
• Heavy cream: 1/4 cup
• Frozen whipped topping: 1 (16-ounce) container (thawed)
• Chocolate frosting: 1 (16-ounce) can
• Powdered sugar: 1 cup
• Butter: 1/4 cup (melted)

Directions:

1. Whisk 3/4th of the cookies into the melted butter and coat a 9x13 inch glass-baking dish with the mix. Set it properly and keep it aside.
2. Take a large bowl and whip the cream cheese along with the powdered sugar and peanut butter until it becomes fluffy and light. Add the frozen topping to it and mix well.
3. Spread the batter over the crust and drizzle some chopped candies over the mix. In another small bowl, whisk the pudding mix with cold cream and milk and let it settle down for 3 minutes.
4. Mix the frosting with the cream cheese and powdered sugar in a large bowl; pour in the chocolate pudding mixture to this mix and stir well to blend properly. Spoon this mix over the candies and chill for 4 to 6 hours before serving.

 

Chocolate Mousse:

Ingredients:

• Bittersweet or semisweet chocolate: 4 ounces (broken to small chunks)
• Vanilla extract: 1/2 teaspoon
• Heavy whipping cream: 1/2 cup
• Sugar: 3 tablespoons
• Cream of tartar: 1/8 teaspoon
• Unsalted butter: 2 tablespoons (cubed to small pieces)
• Eggs: 2

Directions:

1. Melt the butter and chocolate in a medium sized saucepan over simmering water. Turn off the heat and keep the bowl aside. Beat the two egg yolks and refrigerate the mix after adding the egg yolks whisking it with cream.
2. Beat the egg whites along with the cream of tartar with the electric mixer and gradually add the sugar in portions to the mix. Stir well and keep the mix aside.
3. Take another bowl and mix the heavy cream with the sugar and vanilla extract well.
4. Take out the chocolate mix from the refrigerator and add few spoons of the egg white mix to the chocolate mix. Fold in the remaining white mix to the chocolate mix with the whipped cream in a gentle manner.
5. Pour the chocolate mousse into serving glasses and refrigerate for few hours. Top it with whipped cream and serve with raspberries or chocolate chips.

Indulging your taste buds to some of the beast desserts are a great way of triggering romanticism in your life. Serve the best and the delicious with valentine dessert recipes.