Happy Valentine's Day 2010!

So I decided to try my hand at sugar flowers this Valentine's Day.  Here's what I came up with:

April Fools!  Oh wait... it's a little early for that (but it sure felt like April today)!  No, these are just the beautiful flowers Joe had delivered to my work.  Aww.


For real, though, nobody's gonna lay a finger on Joe's Butterfinger-themed Valentine!  So, one of Joe's favorite candies is Butterfinger, so I thought I would make him some Butterfinger cupcakes for Valentine's Day!  My concern was how to keep that characteristic Butterfinger "crunch" in a baked dessert.  So, I decided to make some Butterfinger cookie dough balls and put them in the center of chocolate cupcakes with peanut butter frosting.  By freezing the dough balls before hand, I hoped that they wouldn't soften up the Butterfinger pieces on the inside.  Fortunately, I was right!  I made far too many Butterfinger-cookie dough balls, though, so Joe got a few cupcakes and a bunch more Butterfinger truffle balls.

I know you can't see the "truffle" filling, but it's in there.  My peanut butter frosting didn't work out the way I intended it to, but I think it turned out pretty well!  Those are also little Butterfinger hearts on the top.  Aww.

Happy Valentine's Day Eve!

I've been wanting to try lava cakes for a while now.  Warm, gooey chocolate oozing out of a soft cakey shell...it would rouse even the most lackluster of a person, inciting pure bliss with every fork-full.

So, what better time to try it out than tonight, making a Valentine's Eve treat for my fabulous roommates to show just how fabulous they are?!  Topped with some freshly made vanilla bean whipped cream and fresh (ish) strawberries, I must say, this one turned out pretty well.  

  

 It was gooey, and oozy, and cakey.

Happy Valentine's Day, indeed!