Chocolate, strawberries, soufflés and fluffy mousse! Who needs Cupid when you’ve got these sinful desserts and romantic drinks to sweep your sweetheart off their feet this Valentine’s Day?!
V-Day is all about adding extra dollops of sweetness in your life. And when it comes to love-themed desserts, we give you plenty of pink, red and heart-shaped ideas to play with. It’s time to impress your love with your cooking skills, without breaking a sweat...
Fashion and food photographer Aanuj Parti has a few suggestions when it comes to your Valentine's Day meals
Love Nest |
Love Nest
Ingredients
- 45 ml vodka
- Dash of Angostura
- Dash of Blue Curacao
Method
Drop a wedge of dragon fruit in the cocktail glass and add the above ingredients. Top up with tonic water.
Chocolate Mousse |
Chocolate Mousse:
Ingredients:
- 1 box instant chocolate pudding mix (4 serving size)
- 2 tablespoons unsweetened cocoa powder
- 2 1/2 cups heavy cream
- 1 cup whipped topping
Method
- Combine cocoa powder and instant pudding powder in a bowl.n
- Add heavy cream and mix with an electric mixer on medium high for 1 minute.
- Pour into serving dishes immediately and serve or refrigerate.
- Garnish the mousse with whipped topping and scrambled berries.
Strawberry Cream Cake |
Strawberry Cream Cake
Ingredients
For sponge:
- 1 1/2 cup all-purpose flour
- 1 cup butter or oil
- 1 cup powdered sugar
- 1 tsp baking powder
- 1/2 tsp baking soda
- Milk as required for consistency
- 1 tsp vanilla essence
- 1 tsp strawberry essence and 100 gm fresh cream for ganache
- 1 big bowl whipped cream
- Fresh strawberries as needed
Method
- Take a mixing bowl, sieve all the dry ingredients 3-4 times. Take another mixing bowl and add butter plus sugar. Mix till it becomes light and creamy. Add vanilla essence and mix.
- In the wet ingredients, add the dry ingredients in batches with milk and continue mixing to avoid lumps. Pour the mixture in a greased pan.
- Tap it to remove air bubbles. Bake it in a preheated oven at 180 degrees for 25/30 mins, till the cake is done. Do the toothpick test to check.
- Cool the cake completely. Take a micro safe bowl and add strawberry essence with the fresh cream for the ganache. Microwave it for 1 min and leave to cool.
- Put the cake on a cake board, cut horizontally into two halves. Apply whipped cream and strawberry chunks on one half, cover with the other cake half and keep it in the fridge to chill. Take out and pour strawberry ganache on it. Refrigerate until completely set.
- Now top it with strawberries, circle it with chocolate sauce and serve.
Tied- Down |
Tied- Down
Ingredients
- 1 measure grape brandy
- 1 measure Cointreau
- 1 measure dark rum
- Dash of lemon juice
- Dash of orange bitter for added zest
Method
Shake all the ingredients well with large chunks of ice and strain into a glass.
Garnish with orange peel.
