Desserts for Valentine's Day: recipes to fall in love 

February 14th commemorates Valentine’s Day, a date on which there is no shortage of gifts and thoughtful gestures between partners. If anything has become clear in recent years, it is the fact that, beyond the excitement of a material gift, the time spent together is what matters in the end and what people value most. Therefore, making a nice meal is the perfect plan to celebrate such a special day.

There are lots of Valentine’s Day Recipes, but one thing that is always a hit, is surprising someone with Valentine’s Day dessert, since the sweet touch is a winner, especially on such a romantic date. You can do an evening meal of snacks or a delicious main course, but you always have to leave room to finish the evening with an exquisite Valentine’s Day cake that demonstrates our perseverance in the kitchen.   And if you have none, there’s no need to worry, given that there are a wide variety of Valentine’s Day desserts that are easy to make.  

Clearly, when it comes to making a Valentine’s Day dessert, there are two foods that stand out above the rest: chocolate and strawberries. Chocolate, in fact, is one of the products which is most associated with pleasure. This is because our brain generates the same chemical substance when we eat chocolate as when we fall in love.  Moreover, strawberries, on the other hand, are considered to be one of the strongest aphrodisiacs of all.

Therefore, mixing chocolates and strawberries is a sure winner. That’s why it has become one of those Valentine’s day desserts that are easy to make. The easiest option is to partially cover the strawberries with chocolate, but here we bring you an idea to add a more sentimental touch. 

Obviously, the first thing you need to do is buy strawberries and a bar of chocolate. Start the recipe by washing and drying the strawberries and cutting the leaves. Once you have done that, melt the chocolate in the microwave or using a bain-marie. Meanwhile, cut the strawberry in half lengthways and join both parts with the cut side facing down, so they look like a heart. Join both halves with a cocktail stick and dip each strawberry in the melted chocolate. All that is left to do is to let them cool, remove the stick and decorate to taste. Delicious, incredibly simple and very romantic, don’t you think?

The classic that never fails: heart shaped cake. Find all the ingredients in your Consum or at the Consum shop online

They say that the good classics never die, and for good reason. That’s why the heart shaped cake for valentine’s day is one of the Valentine’s day recipes that you should make a note of to surprise your partner on this date. There are many types of Valentine’s day cake with this shape that symbolise love, so you will just need to decide which ingredients you want to enhance before choosing one. This time, we bring you the recipe for a chocolate cheesecake for two that you can make, not just on Valentine’s day, but whenever you want to captivate your guests or family, because it is scrumptious!

Make a note of the ingredients needed for two people:

• 1 egg (large)
• 200 g cream cheese
• 40 g natural yoghurt or mascarpone
• 100 g dark chocolate
• 5 ml vanilla essence
• 5 g cacao powder
• A pinch of salt
• 30 g sugar (optional)

In terms of the steps:

1. Preheat the oven to 170 ºC and grease a heart shaped springform cake tin of at least 12 centimetres in diameter (it should also be non-stick). 
2. Melt the chocolate in the bain-marie and leave it to cool.
3. Whisk the drained cream cheese with the egg, vanilla, salt and sugar (if you are going to use sugar). Whisk slowly until the texture and appearance are even. 
4. Add the melted chocolate and mix with the electric mixer until you obtain a creamy and lump-free batter. Then add the yoghurt or mascarpone.
5. Once everything is mixed together, pour into the tin, levelling off the surface with a spatula.
6. Bake in the oven for 50 minutes. If you have any doubts at this point, test it by pricking it with a cocktail stick in the centre. When it comes out clean or slightly stained, it will be time to remove the cake from the oven.
7. Leave it to cool outside of the oven before removing from the tin and store in the fridge. To glaze the top, you will just need to sift a few teaspoons of cocoa powder and mix with a small quantity of tepid water. 

This Valentine’s day cake will be especially delicious accompanied by red fruits, strawberry jam, vanilla ice cream or home whipped cream. Bon appétit!