February 2, 2003
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Honey, You Take the Cake! Cakes are often the dessert of choice to celebrate special occasions. While you can certainly pick up a specialty cake at the local bakery and be done with it, you can accentuate the "special" by adding your own accents to a plain cake. Spell out a message of love with candy-coated chocolate candies; chocolate, peanut butter, or butterscotch chips; or colored icing or sugar. Glue a few toothpicks to the back of a favorite photograph, and prop it in the icing; spell out a corny-but cute-message around the photo, like "Picture us together forever." Or make a rebus with tubes of decorative icing-an eye, a heart, and a sheep mean "I love you."
If you do have time to bake, use a cake mix and canned frosting to make an easy heart-shaped cake. Pour half the prepared batter into an 8" round pan, and half into an 8" by 8" square pan. After cakes are baked and cooled, flip onto a platter. Cut the round cake in half, and place the halves at right angles against the square cake-instant heart! Ice and decorate.
Angel food is very romantic; make a store-purchased cake sensual and special by whisking up some homemade whipped cream. Just add 1/2 cup of confectioners' sugar and a dash of vanilla extract to a pint of heavy cream and beat until fluffy.
Confectionery Cuddles Candy is the sweet treat most associated with Valentine's Day. But rather than simply presenting your sweetheart with a box of treats, have some fun! Make a trail of foil-wrapped chocolate kisses, peppermint patties, or small candy bars for your sweetie to follow. Buy a toy treasure chest and fill with favorite sweets; make a map or write out a series of clues to guide your honey to the treasure. Take a tip from the best hotels, and leave something sweet on the pillow. Melt chocolate bark in a fondue pot and enjoy dipping fresh fruit or bits of angel food or pound cake.
Botanical Bounty Fruit and flowers are also great ways to celebrate love. Although tomatoes used to be known as "love apples" because of their presumed power to arouse affection, strawberries are probably regarded as the fruit most likely to inspire romance. Whether dipped in chocolate, whipped cream, or champagne, the rich color and taste of strawberries are sure to fire up a romantic mood!
Here's to a sweet Valentine's Day!
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