Valentine’s Day – Page 2 – Brownie Mischief

Strawberry Sweetheart Brownies

Posted on January 18, 2023February 12, 2026 by Mari Vasseur

At the Brownie Mischief website, all types of brownies are welcome. We all know and love chocolate brownies. But there are other less common brownies in the universe, that deserve to shine too. Let me introduce you to Strawberry Sweetheart Brownies. These lovely pink creations aren’t strawberry cake or strawberry blondies. They contain white chocolate and they’re made with the same baking method as brownies. When you bake chocolate brownies, you want to be careful not to over bake them, to achieve the rich, fudgy texture. The same is true for these strawberry brownies. When you test for doneness, the toothpick should have a few moist crumbs attached to it. If the toothpick is clean, the brownies have baked too long and will likely be a little dry and cakey, although still edible. So make sure to test for doneness well before the end of the baking time!

The baking temperature for this recipe is 325ºF. I noticed that when baking in a heart shaped cake pan, things tend to bake unevenly because of the shape. So I used a lower temperature to help with even baking. If you don’t have an 8-inch heart shaped cake pan, you can also use an 8-inch round cake pan. To find the cake pan I used, click here.

To watch the Strawberry Sweetheart Brownies Instagram video, click here.

Strawberry Sweetheart Brownies

A heart shaped strawberry brownie made with fresh strawberries topped with strawberry icing.

Print Recipe

Course Dessert

Servings 8

Ingredients

Strawberry Brownies

7 tablespoons (3 1/2 ounces) unsalted butter, cubed
6 ounces white chocolate, finely chopped
¾ cup (5 1/4 ounces) sugar
¼ teaspoon fine sea salt
1 large egg
2 large egg yolks
½ cup (4 ounces) strawberry purée, divided
½ teaspoon pure vanilla extract
½ teaspoon pure strawberry extract
1 petite pea size drop pink gel food color (optional) I used Americolor Deep Pink**
1 ½ cups (6 3/4 ounces) all purpose flour, sifted

Strawberry Icing

¾ cup (3 ounces) powdered sugar, sifted
1 tablespoon unsalted butter, melted
2 tablespoons reserved strawberry purée
¼ teaspoon pure vanilla extract
¼ teaspoon pure strawberry extract
dash fine sea salt

Instructions

Strawberry Brownies

Preheat oven to 325ºF. Line the bottom of an 8-inch heart shaped cake pan*** with parchment paper. Spray the insides with nonstick spray.
In a large heat safe bowl, melt butter and white chocolate together on the stovetop over a pan of barely simmering water or in the microwave for 20 seconds at time, stirring at each interval. White chocolate overheats easily, so be vigilant.
Add the sugar and salt to the butter mixture and mix until well combined.
Add egg and egg yolks. Whisk until smooth.
Pass strawberry purée through a sieve to remove seeds. Set aside 2 tablespoons of strawberry purée for icing. Add remaining purée to batter. Mix until well combined.
Add extracts and food color. Mix until combined.
Stir in flour until combined, scraping bowl as needed.
Transfer batter to prepared pan. Bake until toothpick inserted in center has a few moist crumbs on it, (not batter), about 25-30 minutes. Do not over bake. Let cool in pan. Remove from pan and top with strawberry icing.

Strawberry Icing

Whisk all icing ingredients together until smooth and well combined.

Notes

*To make strawberry purée: Purée clean, hulled and quartered strawberries in a blender or food processor. **To find the food color I used, click here. **To find the heart cake pan I used, click here.

This recipe was updated on January 24th, 2023

Keyword brownies, strawberry

Luxury Hot Chocolate

Posted on January 11, 2023February 12, 2026 by Mari Vasseur

Luxury Hot Chocolate

Print Recipe

Course Brunch, Dessert

Servings 1 serving

Ingredients

¾ cup whole milk
2 tablespoons heavy cream
2 ounces good quality bittersweet chocolate 70-72%, finely chopped
⅛ teaspoon vanilla bean paste
1 teaspoon Manuka honey or honey of your choice
tiny dash fine sea salt optional
homemade marshmallows or whipped cream optional

Instructions

In a small saucepan, heat the milk and cream over medium-low heat just until bubbles form around the edges. Do not boil.
Turn the heat off. Whisk in the honey and vanilla bean paste.
Add the chocolate and stir gently until the chocolate is melted. Strain the hot chocolate through a sieve into a teacup or mug.

Notes

For a dairy free version, replace the milk and cream with unsweetened almond milk. Replace the chocolate with vegan chocolate.

Keyword drinks, hot chocolate

Chocolate Raspberry Cookie Tartlets

Posted on December 2, 2022February 12, 2026 by Mari Vasseur

My fascination with Christmas cookies started as a child when my elderly neighbor used to bring over a tray of her homemade Christmas cookies every year. I loved the moment where I got to choose a cookie from the beautiful, interesting selection. In my humble opinion, I think a holiday cookie should be something special. It should be something that you don’t eat on a regular basis, maybe because it seems fancy or requires a little extra work to make. Or maybe it has a special meaning or a fond memory. These Chocolate Raspberry Cookie Tartlets check all the boxes for me. They have that something special a cookie needs to be the star of the holiday cookie tray…tender jam-filled chocolate dough, dipped in shiny chocolate with a pretty pop of red.

Chocolate Raspberry Cookie Tartlets

Print Recipe

Servings 20 cookies

Ingredients

1 ½ cups (6 ounces) powdered sugar
⅓ cup (1 ounce) unsweetened Dutch process cocoa powder
½ teaspoon baking powder
¼ teaspoon fine sea salt
½ cup (4 ounces) unsalted butter, softened
3 ounces cream cheese, softened
1 large egg
1 teaspoon pure vanilla extract
2 cups (9 ounces) all purpose flour, sifted
½ cup (5 ounces) raspberry jam or or fruit spread
4 ounces melted semisweet or bittersweet chocolate
1 teaspoon melted coconut oil or vegetable shortening
crushed freeze dried raspberries or sprinkles of your choice Optional

Instructions

In a medium bowl, sift together powdered sugar, cocoa powder, baking powder and salt.
In a large bowl, beat butter and cream cheese, with an electric mixer on medium speed, until smooth.
Add powdered sugar mixture and beat until well combined.
Beat in egg and vanilla until well combined.
On low speed, beat in flour just until combined.
Divide dough into two equal portions. Wrap with plastic wrap and form into disks. Refrigerate at least two hours or overnight.
Preheat oven to 375ºF. Line two baking sheets with parchment paper.
Roll dough between two sheets of wax paper to 1/8-inch thickness. Cut dough into 3-inch rounds, re-rolling scraps as necessary. If dough becomes too soft at any point, chill in the refrigerator for 10-15 minutes then continue with recipe.
Place rounds on prepared baking sheets. Top each round with a teaspoon of jam.
With a small food safe brush or with your finger, apply a small amount of water to the edge of half of each round. Fold over and press edges to seal.
Bake until tops of cookies look set, about 9-11 minutes. Transfer cookies to a cooling rack and let cool completely.
In a small bowl, mix melted chocolate with coconut oil until smooth.
Dip cookies about 1/3 of the way into melted chocolate. Top with freeze dried fruit or sprinkles.

Notes

*To find freeze dried raspberries, click here.

To find the cookie cutter I used, click here.

To find food safe brushes, click here.

Keyword chocolate raspberry, cookies

Strawberries & Cream Profiteroles

Posted on April 6, 2022February 14, 2026 by Mari Vasseur

Imagine you’re in a beautiful room, reclining on a plush velvet chaise lounge. There’s a dainty table nearby. On the table is a cake pedestal with a little pyramid of small, perfectly plump, pink pastries. They’re filled with sweet, luscious strawberry cream. And they’re all yours. This Strawberries & Cream Profiteroles recipe can make that dream come true. Maybe not the velvet chaise lounge, but really any comfortable chair will do while you indulge in these delicious little gems. Profiteroles have a way of making you feel regal and majestic. I think princesses and princes snack on them. Most of us don’t have a personal pastry chef or the budget to order from a French bakery every day, but we can certainly follow a recipe and make one of the easiest pastry doughs there is. Choux pastry or pate à choux is used to make profiteroles, cream puffs, eclairs, churros and other pastries. Once you get the hang of it, the possibilities are endless.

This recipe features fresh strawberries, but frozen strawberries will work too. You can also substitute raspberries or peaches. To find the recipe for Peaches & Cream Profiteroles, click here. The strawberry purée can be made a day or two ahead and stored in the refrigerator. To make it easy on myself, I like to make the strawberry purée on day one, the pastry cream on day two, then make the profiteroles and strawberry icing and assemble on day three. It’s also helpful to practice the French culinary style of prep, mise en place, which means to have all of your ingredients and equipment in place before you begin. Everything will go much smoother and prevent you from feeling overwhelmed.

Strawberries & Cream Profiteroles

Mari Vasseur

Bite sized choux pastry puffs filled with fresh strawberries and cream filling and topped with fresh strawberry icing

Print Recipe

Course Dessert

Cuisine French

Servings 18 profiteroles

Ingredients

Strawberry Pureé

12 ounces (340g) strawberries, hulled and sliced About 2 1/2 cups after hulling and slicing
1 teaspoon lemon juice
½ teaspoon strawberry extract

Strawberries and Cream Filling

1 cup (237ml) whole milk
⅓ cup (66g) sugar
2 tablespoons (17g) cornstarch
¼ teaspoon fine sea salt
1 large egg
2 tablespoons (28g) unsalted butter, cubed
½ teaspoon pure vanilla extract
Strawberry puree recipe above
⅔ cup (156ml) heavy whipping cream

Profiteroles

½ cup (118ml) water
¼ cup (57g) unsalted butter, cubed
⅛ teaspoon fine sea salt
½ cup (64g) all purpose flour
2 large eggs room temperature

Strawberry Icing

¾ cup (90g) powdered sugar
2 tablespoons (30ml) reserved strawberry purée
1 tablespoon (15ml) heavy whipping cream
¼ teaspoon strawberry extract

Instructions

Strawberry Purée

Purée the strawberries in a blender or food processor. Strain the puréed strawberries through a sieve into a small saucepan. Stir in the lemon juice.
Bring to a boil over medium heat. Reduce heat and simmer until the strawberry purée is reduced by half. Remove from heat. Stir in the strawberry extract. Set aside to cool completely

Strawberries and Cream Filling

Bring the milk to a boil in a small saucepan over medium heat.
Meanwhile, whisk the sugar, cornstarch and salt together in a medium bowl. Add the egg and whisk until smooth.
When the milk starts to boil, remove from heat and pour 1/3 of the hot milk into the egg mixture and whisk to combine.
Pour the egg mixture back into the remaining hot milk and cook over medium heat, whisking continuously, until the mixture comes to a boil and thickens.
Remove from heat. Stir in the butter and vanilla extract. Pour the mixture through a sieve placed over a bowl. Cover the surface with plastic wrap and let cool completely.
Set aside 2 tablespoons (30ml) of strawberry purée. Add the remaining strawberry purée to the cooled pastry cream and stir until well combined. Cover strawberry pastry cream and chill in refrigerator.
In a medium-sized bowl, whip the heavy cream, with an electric mixer at high speed, until stiff peaks begin to form. Fold the whipped cream into cooled strawberry pastry cream. Set aside in the refrigerator.

Profiteroles

Preheat oven to 400ºF (205ºC). Line 2 large baking sheets with parchment paper.
Combine the water, butter and salt in a medium-sized saucepan. Bring to a boil over medium heat. Reduce the heat. Add the flour and stir vigorously with a wooden spoon until the mixture pulls away from sides of pan and forms a ball.
Transfer the mixture to the bowl of a stand mixer. Mix on low speed until steam dissipates and mixture cools to lukewarm. Add the eggs one at a time and beat on medium speed until smooth, stopping to scrape down the bowl.
Transfer the mixture to a piping bag fitted with a large round tip. (I used Ateco tip 808.*) Pipe 1 1/4-inch mounds, about 2 inches apart, onto the prepared baking sheets. Smooth the tops lightly with a wet finger.
Bake for 15 minutes, then turn down the oven heat to 350ºF (180ºC) and continue baking until golden brown, about 8-10 more minutes. Using a toothpick or skewer, prick a small hole in each profiterole to allow steam to escape. Place on a wire rack to cool completely.
Use the tip of a paring knife to make a pilot hole in the bottom of each profiterole.
Place strawberries and cream filling into a piping bag fitted with a medium round piping tip. (I used Wilton tip 12**) Place the tip into the pilot holes and fill each profiterole with filling.

Strawberry Icing

In a medium -sized bowl, whisk all of the icing ingredients together until smooth. Spoon over the filled profiteroles. Refrigerate profiteroles until ready to serve.

Notes

*To find Ateco tip 808 click here.

**To find Wilton tip 12 click here.

Keyword profiteroles, strawberry

Raspberry White Chocolate Scones

Posted on February 16, 2022February 16, 2026 by Mari Vasseur

A good scone has a way of making you feel elegant, especially if you pronounce it ‘skon’ instead of ‘skōne’. I went to a lovely tea recently where scones were served, along with an array of dainty tea sandwiches and desserts. The scones were round with pink sugar sprinkled on top. Pretty pink food is always so promising. Unfortunately, the scones were hard, dry and bland. No amount of clotted cream slathered on them could help. There’s nothing elegant about a dry, hard bite of a scone that you have to struggle to choke down. Scones should be dense and slightly dry and crumbly, but there’s no reason we can’t make them more delicious. It’s fun to add fruit, chocolate, herbs, nuts or whatever you like to make them more delightful. These Raspberry White Chocolate Scones are tender and buttery with bursts of flavor from the fresh raspberries and white chocolate. I added pink sparkling sugar for texture and, of course, to make them look pretty!

Raspberry White Chocolate Scones

by Mari Vasseur

Tender scones with fresh raspberries and white chocolate, topped with crunchy sparkling sugar.

Print Recipe

Course Breakfast, Brunch

Servings 8 scones

Ingredients

1 ¾ cups (226g) all purpose flour, sifted
1 tablespoon baking powder
½ teaspoon fine sea salt
7 tablespoons (100g) cold, unsalted butter, cubed
½ cup (118 ml) cold heavy cream plus extra for the tops of the scones
¼ cup (57g) cold sour cream
1 teaspoon pure vanilla extract
¾ cup (128g) white chocolate chips or chunks Not chopped white chocolate
¾ cup (113g) fresh or frozen raspberries
Pink or white coarse sparkling sugar

Instructions

Line a large baking sheet with parchment paper.
In a large bowl, whisk the flour, baking powder and salt together until well combined. Work the butter into the flour mixture with your fingertips or with a pastry blender until pea size pieces form.
In a small bowl, whisk together the heavy cream, sour cream and vanilla until well blended. Stir the cream mixture into the flour mixture until a shaggy dough forms. Gently fold in the white chocolate chips and raspberries.
Turn the dough out onto a lightly floured surface. Form the dough into a 1-inch thick round, about 6 1/2 inches in diameter. Cut the dough into 8 wedges.
Place scones 2 inches apart on the prepared baking sheet. Chill the scones in the refrigerator for 20 minutes.
Meanwhile, preheat the oven to 375ºF (190ºC). Brush the tops of the scones with heavy cream. Sprinkle with coarse sugar.
Bake until the edges look golden brown, about 20-24 minutes. Transfer the scones to a cooling rack.

Notes

*To find pink sparkling sugar, click here.

This recipe was updated on 3/23/2023.

Keyword raspberry white chocolate, scones

Strawberry Sugar Hearts

Posted on February 3, 2022February 16, 2026 by Mari Vasseur

I’ve always been enamored by sugar cubes. You can’t help but feel fancy dropping a lump of sugar or two into your teacup. Flavored sugar formed into cute shapes is so fancy, I may faint. Someone please get the smelling salts! Pardon me while I google “what exactly are smelling salts?” In the mean time please enjoy these sweet, dainty, positively precious Strawberry Sugar Hearts. Pop them into tea, lattes, lemonade, cocktails or sparkling water.

These cuties are fragrant, delicious and easy to make. The most tedious part is filling the molds. Make sure to fill them completely and press firmly for the most defined shape. It’s also important to use enough water. Think of building a sand castle at the beach. You want enough water to dampen the sugar, but not turn it to slush. I live in a dry climate so I used 3 teaspoons, but you may need less depending on your climate.

Feel free to use the freeze dried fruit of your choice. Most grocery stores carry freeze dried fruit and you can always find it online. The most interesting one I saw was an apple-cherry combination. I might try that next!

Strawberry Sugar Hearts

Print Recipe

Servings 1 batch 1/2" sugar hearts

Ingredients

1 cup freeze-dried strawberries or raspberries
1 cup (200g) granulated sugar
2-3 teaspoons water

Instructions

Process thenfreeze-dried strawberries in a small food processor or a clean spice grinder until a powdered consistency is reached.
Pass the powdered strawberries through a sieve to strain out the seeds.
In a medium-sized bowl, whisk together the powdered strawberries and sugar.
Add water, one teaspoon at a time, until the mixture is the consistency of wet sand. Your climate will effect how much water is needed.
Press the mixture firmly into silicone heart molds* or any shape silicone molds of your choice. Brush off any excess sugar.
Let dry, uncovered, at least 24 hours. Remove sugar hearts from molds and store in a covered container.

Notes

*To find the silicone heart molds I used, click here

Chocolate Peanut Butter Tarts

Posted on January 28, 2022February 16, 2026 by Mari Vasseur

Does anyone else remember those old peanut butter cup commercials where two people on the street would collide and a chocolate bar would miraculously end up inside of a jar of peanut butter? Then the person carrying the open jar of peanut butter would say, “Hey you got chocolate in my peanut butter!” and they would suddenly discover it’s a delicious combination. The real question is, why was anyone walking around outside with an open jar of peanut butter? I miss those silly commercials.

If you love chocolate and peanut butter together, you’ll absolutely love these tarts. The creamy peanut butter filling and the silky chocolate ganache topping are perfect together. The chocolate cookie crust adds a nice crunch. I used heart shaped tart pans to make the tarts a little more special for Valentine’s Day. To find the tart pans I used, click here. You can also use round tart pans if you prefer.

Chocolate Peanut Butter Tarts

Mari Vasseur

Personal peanut butter tarts with chocolate cookie crusts and chocolate ganache topping

Print Recipe

Course Dessert

Servings 4 tarts

Ingredients

Crust

14 chocolate sandwich cookies, crushed including filling
2 tablespoons (28g) unsalted butter, melted

Filling

½ cup (128g) creamy peanut butter, room temperature
2 tablespoons (28g) unsalted butter, softened
½ cup (60g) powdered sugar, sifted
2 tablespoons (30ml) heavy cream, room temperature
¼ teaspoon pure vanilla extract
1 Pinch fine sea salt

Topping

3 ounces (85g) bittersweet or semi-sweet chocolate, finely chopped
¼ cup plus 2 tablespoons (88ml) heavy cream
Chopped peanuts optional
Mini peanut butter cups optional

Instructions

Crust

Preheat the oven to 350ºF. (180ºC). Place four 4-inch tart pans with removable bottoms* on a baking sheet.
In a medium-sized bowl, mix the crushed sandwich cookies with the melted butter until well combined. Press the crumb mixture into the tart pans.
Bake for 8 minutes. Let cool completely.

Filling

In a medium-sized bowl, beat the peanut butter and softened butter until smooth. Add the remaining filling ingredients and beat until smooth and well blended.
Fill the cooled tart shells with the filling. Refrigerate the tarts until set, at least 2 hours.

Topping

Place the chopped chocolate in a small bowl.
In a small saucepan, heat the heavy cream over medium-low heat just until bubbles form around the edges. Do not boil. Pour the hot cream over the chocolate. Let sit two minutes then stir until smooth.
Spoon over the peanut butter filling. Add toppings if desired. Refrigerate until chocolate is set. Carefully remove tarts from pans.

Notes

To find the tart pans I used, click here.

Keyword chocolate peanut butter, tarts

Lavender White Chocolate Scones

Posted on January 23, 2022February 12, 2026 by Mari Vasseur

If you headed over here from TikTok or Instagram, welcome! Most of my recipes can be found here. I share some recipes in the caption on Instagram reels and some recipes are written in text on TikTok videos. One major drawback of sharing recipes in Instagram captions is the character limit. For these reasons and a few others, my preferred method of sharing recipes is here on my website. I’m able to provide detailed instructions with the option for you to print out the recipe.

Now, let’s talk a little bit about lavender. I used one teaspoon of lavender in these scones, which I think is the perfect amount to give a hint of lavender, without tasting too floral. You can adjust the amount to your preference. Just taste the cream before adding it to the scones. You can use any culinary lavender in this recipe. English lavender is usually used for culinary purposes. Spanish and French varieties tend to be too strong. People are enchanted by lavender because of its beauty and soothing scent. A little touch of lavender makes these scones magical.

Lavender White Chocolate Scones

Print Recipe

Servings 9 scones

Ingredients

¾ cup (177ml) heavy cream
1 teaspoon culinary lavender *
1 ¾ cups (223g) all purpose flour, sifted
1 tablespoon baking powder
½ teaspoon fine sea salt
7 tablespoons (99g) cold, unsalted butter, cubed
¼ cup (57g) cold sour cream
1 cup (170g) white chocolate chunks or chips (not chopped white chocolate)
Lavender coarse sparkling sugar**

Instructions

In a small saucepan, heat the heavy cream and lavender over medium heat, just until bubbles form around the edges. Turn the heat to low and simmer gently for 1 minute. Strain the lavender cream into a small bowl. Cover and refrigerate until chilled, about 1 hour.
Heat the oven to 375ºF (190ºC). Line a large baking sheet with parchment paper.
In a large bowl, whisk together flour, baking powder and salt until well combined. Work the butter into the flour mixture with your fingertips or with a pastry blender until pea size chunks form.
Whisk together 1/2 cup (118ml) of the chilled lavender cream with the sour cream. Stir this mixture into the flour mixture until a shaggy dough is formed. If your dough seems too dry, add 1-2 more teaspoons of heavy cream. Fold in the white chocolate chunks.
Turn the dough out onto a lightly floured surface. Fold the dough over onto itself a few times. Do not overwork the dough! Pat or roll the dough into an 8-inch round, about 3/4 inch thick. I used 2 3/4-inch heart biscuit cutter*** to cut out 9 scones.
Place the scones about 2 inches apart onto the prepared baking sheet. Brush the scones with the remaining cream. Sprinkle with sparkling sugar. Bake until golden, about 15-17 minutes.

Notes

*To find culinary lavender click here

** To find the lavender sparkling sugar I used click here

***To find the heart shape biscuit cutter I used click here

Keyword lavender white chocolate, scones

Marshmallow Love

Posted on February 8, 2017February 12, 2026 by Mari Vasseur

Dear marshmallows, why are you so sweet and fluffy? I shall call you squishy and you shall be mine! Yes, it’s true, I’m a bit crazy about marshmallows. This post is nothing short of a marshmallow fest! First, my daughter and I made some Sparkly Marshmallow Hearts that are super fun and easy to make. I literally want to put them on everything! How cute do they look on this mini cake? They also make adorable cupcake toppers! To view the Sparkly Marshmallow Hearts tutorial click here.

We also had some fun with Puffy Poles. In case you’re not marshmallow savvy, Puffy Poles are marshmallows that look like chubby barber poles. They’re very popular on dessert tables and candy buffets. We used pink ones, which have a subtle strawberry flavor. We applied them to the pictured 4-inch diameter by 2 1/4 inch tall strawberry cake, which was crumb coated with a thin layer of vanilla buttercream. We used buttercream to adhere them to the sides of the cake. To find Puffy Poles click here.

Next, I made some Billowy Sky Blue Marshmallow Frosting to share with you. One of the things you’re going to love about this frosting, besides being yummy, is it’s natural beauty. You can simply spoon it on, no piping or fancy tricks necessary. Everything it touches becomes an ethereal cloud of deliciousness! The recipe is below.

Billowy Sky Blue Marshmallow Frosting

Fluffy, glossy, sweet marshmallow frosting.

Print Recipe

Prep Time 10

Cook Time 15

Total Time 25

Course Dessert

Servings 3 cups

Ingredients

1 ½ cup (10.5 ounces) ultra fine sugar *see notes below
½ cup egg whites (3-4 large)
2 tablespoons water
¼ teaspoon cream of tartar
1 teaspoon vanilla extract
¼ teaspoon almond extract
Americolor Sky Blue gel food coloring (or any color of your choice)

Instructions

In a large heatproof bowl, whisk together sugar, egg whites, water and cream of tartar until frothy.
Place bowl over a pan of gently simmering water, making sure the water isn't touching the bottom of the bowl. Whisk mixture until temperature reaches 160° and sugar is completely dissolved.
Remove bowl from heat. Add extracts. Beat mixture with the whisk attachment of an electric mixer on high speed until stiff and glossy.
Add a small amount of food color with a toothpick and mix on low speed. Continue adding food color, a little at a time, until desired shade is reached. Use a clean toothpick for each addition.

Notes

*It's important to dissolve all of the sugar when making this frosting. Ultra fine sugar dissolves easier, but if you are unable to find it, you can use regular granulated sugar.

Chocolate Lovers’ Valentine Cake for Two

Posted on February 1, 2017February 12, 2026 by Mari Vasseur

My relationship with Valentine’s Day has transformed over the years. When I was a child, I joyfully skipped home from school with my bounty of tiny Valentine cards, candy hearts and a cupcake someone’s mother baked. As I grew older, I was hot and cold towards Valentine’s Day, depending on the state of my love life at the time. After having kids, Valentine’s Day became about red construction paper, doily hearts and glue sticks. I happily cleaned up sprinkles and kissed chubby, frosting-stained cheeks. Now I think of Valentine’s Day as simply a day to celebrate love. I embrace Valentine’s Day and all the hearts, roses and chocolates that go with it! Show your loved ones that you love them on Valentine’s Day, but more importantly, show them throughout the year, by loving, respecting and accepting them for who they are every day.

If your heart beats for a chocolate lover, then this Valentine cake for two will have them swooning. It’s small in size, but grand in chocolate indulgence. It has three layers of moist chocolate cake, rich, white chocolate buttercream and a silky chocolate glaze. As if that isn’t enough, I loaded the top with chocolate candy! Some of the candy is store bought and some I made with candy melts and chocolate molds. Click here to find the cherub mold. Click here to find the heart mold.

I hope you share this Valentine cake with someone you love! However you celebrate the day and whoever you love, have a happy one!

Chocolate Lovers' Valentine Cake for Two

A mini chocolate cake with white chocolate buttercream, topped with chocolate glaze and chocolate Valentine candy. Perfect for sharing!

Print Recipe

Prep Time 1

Cook Time 30

Total Time 2 30

Course Dessert

Servings 2

Ingredients

Chocolate Cake for Two

⅔ cup (3 ounces) all purpose flour
⅓ cup (1 ounce) unsweetened cocoa powder
½ teaspoon baking powder
½ teaspoon baking soda
¼ plus ⅛ teaspoons salt
¾ cup (5.25 ounces) sugar
1 small egg
⅓ cup buttermilk
3 tablespoons vegetable oil
¾ teaspoon vanilla extract
½ cup hot coffee

White Chocolate Buttercream

6 ounces white chocolate, chopped
1 ½ sticks (6 ounces) unsalted butter, softened
½ teaspoon vanilla extract
pinch salt
⅔ cup (3 ounces) powdered sugar, sifted

Chocolate Drip Glaze

3 ounces semi-sweet chocolate, chopped
2 tablespoons unsalted butter
1 teaspoon corn syrup or honey

Cake Decorating Supplies

cake board
piping bag
chocolate sprinkles
assorted chocolate candy

Instructions

Chocolate Cake for Two

Preheat oven to 350°F. Grease & flour three 4-inch cake pans. *See note below.
Sift flour, cocoa powder, baking powder, baking soda and salt together in a medium bowl. Add sugar and stir to combine.
Combine egg, buttermilk, vegetable oil and vanilla extract in a small bowl. Whisk lightly to combine.
Add egg mixture to dry ingredients and mix on low speed with a handheld electric mixer, until combined. Stop mixer. Scrape sides of bowl with spatula. Turn mixer up to medium speed and beat for 1 minute.
Add hot coffee and stir until incorporated.
Pour batter into prepared cake pans, dividing batter evenly between the pans. Bake for 20-25 minutes or until a toothpick inserted into the center of the cake comes out clean.
Cool cakes in pans 10 minutes, then invert onto a wire rack to cool.

White Chocolate Buttercream

Melt white chocolate in a double boiler over gently simmering water. (Alternately, you can melt the white chocolate in the microwave. In a small microwaveable bowl, heat the white chocolate for 30 seconds, then stir. Heat again for 10 second intervals, stirring until melted, being very careful not to overheat it.)
Set white chocolate aside to cool until lukewarm and still soft.
In a medium bowl, beat butter with an electric mixer at medium speed until pale and creamy.
Add vanilla extract, salt and melted white chocolate. Beat at low speed until combined. Stop mixer. Scrape sides of bowl with spatula.
Add powdered sugar. Beat at low speed, until powdered sugar is combined. Beat at medium speed until buttercream is smooth, stopping to scrape the bowl occasionally. Keep covered at room temperature until ready to use.

Cake Assembly

When cakes have cooled completely, trim the cake layers to 1-inch tall.
Attach one of the layers to a cake board with some of the white chocolate buttercream. Apply 1/4-inch thick layer of buttercream to the top of the cake layer, followed by the second cake layer, another 1/4-inch thick layer of buttercream, then the final cake layer.
Apply a crumb coat (thin layer) of buttercream to the cake. Chill the cake in the refrigerator for 20 minutes.
Frost the cake with the remaining buttercream. Apply chocolate sprinkles to the bottom edge of the cake.
Melt chocolate drip glaze ingredients together in a double boiler over gently simmering water. Let cool slightly.
Spoon chocolate glaze into a piping bag. Snip off the end of the bag with kitchen scissors. Drizzle chocolate glaze along the edges of the perimeter of the cake, then fill in the middle. Smooth top with a small offset spatula.
Top cake with assorted chocolate candy. If desired, you can stack some of the candy and adhere them with melted chocolate to give some variation in height.

Notes

*Click here to find 4-inch cake pans.

Sparkling Sweetheart Palmiers

Posted on January 20, 2017February 17, 2026 by Mari Vasseur

Crisp, delicate French palmiers, also known as elephant ears, are the perfect ladylike pastries to enjoy with hot cocoa, tea or coffee. There’s certainly no shortage of palmier recipes out there, but if you’re in the mood for simplicity, this is the recipe for you! This version is very easy to make and only requires two ingredients. Puff pastry dough and sparkling sugar, that’s it! Pretty stress-free, right? Since Valentine’s Day is coming soon, I formed the palmiers into hearts, rather than the traditional palm shape. I used some pale pink sparkling sugar that I had on hand, but feel free to use any color you like.

These palmier cookies are as delicious as they are lovely. Wouldn’t they be the perfect addition to a bridal or baby shower sweets table? I also envision them as a simple, but elegant Valentine’s Day breakfast or a sweet, homemade Valentine’s Day gift wrapped in tissue paper and ribbon. Most people love receiving sweet treats, I know I do! (Hint…hint…Hubby if you’re reading this!) I hope this simple recipe provides you with a bit of inspiration. I’ll be sharing more heart-shaped inspiration in the days ahead, so stop by again soon!

Sparkling Sweetheart Palmiers

by Mari Vasseur

Sweet, crisp, flaky puff pastry cookies.

Print Recipe

Prep Time 15

Cook Time 15

Total Time 1

Course Dessert

Servings 28 palmiers

Ingredients

1 1 lb. (454g) package (two sheets) frozen puff pastry, thawed
½ cup (100g) sparkling sugar, divided

Instructions

Sprinkle 2 tablespoons (25g) of sparkling sugar on your work surface. Place 1 puff pastry sheet on the sugared surface. Sprinkle evenly with 2 tablespoons (25g)of sparkling sugar. Roll gently with a rolling pin, pressing the sugar into the dough.
Roll the short ends of the puff pastry sheet in towards the center, jelly roll style, leaving a 1-inch gap in the center. Repeat the steps with the remaining puff pastry sheet. Transfer the puff pastry rolls to a tray. Cover with plastic wrap and chill in the refrigerator for 30 minutes.
Preheat the oven to 400°F (205ºC). Line 2 large baking sheets with parchment paper.
Slice each roll into 1/2-inch slices. Place the slices 2 inches apart onto the prepared baking sheets, cut side down, forming into heart shapes. Sprinkle any remaining sparkling sugar over the hearts.
Bake until 15-17 minutes, until golden brown. Transfer to a cooling rack to cool before serving.

Notes

Palmiers are best served the day they are made. Store in an airtight container for up to a few days.