Valentine’s Day is right around the corner, and whether you’re celebrating solo, with your lover, or with friends, no V-Day party is complete without a delicious dessert. We’re talking lava cake, chocolate-covered strawberries, French macarons—the whole nine yards!
While we’d be totally content with a simple (but tasty) dessert, some of our favorite bakers have taken their Valentine’s Day treats to a whole new level of cute. These 16 love-themed desserts are, as the kids say, completely “extra”—extra fabulous and extra adorable, that is! They’re guaranteed to make you squeal, and we can't wait to share and celebrate these talents with you.
by Emma Laperruque
1. Adorable Animal Macarons
Bear, bunnies and macarons, oh my! If these little confections don’t make you smile, we don’t know what will.
2. An Eclectic Heart-Shaped Biscuit
Is it a cake? Is it a biscuit? All we know is that this heart-shaped treat is pure perfection with its frosting, fresh flowers, strawberries, macarons, and more.
3. A Pretty in Pink Drip Cake
4. Valentines for 4-Legged Friends
Don’t leave Fluffy out of your Valentine’s Day plans! These heart-shaped cookies pay homage to several cute puppers, and we certainly wouldn’t mind spending Valentine’s Day with one of those sweet dogs.
5. Intricate Gelatin Cakes
If you haven’t seen how these hyper-realistic gelatin cakes are made, go watch the video right away. It’s totally fascinating, and the end result is a beautiful one-of-a-kind cake that will put you in the mood for love.
6. Beautiful Valentine’s Day Bears
Forget teddy bears. This year, it’s all about the bear macarons! These little fellas just look so happy that we almost might feel bad for eating them…almost.
7. Super Luxe Chocolate Strawberries
Chocolate-covered strawberries are a quintessential Valentine's Day dessert, and these pink and gold berries are a luxurious twist on the classic. We think they’d go perfectly with a few flutes of Champagne, no?
8. Bear-y Cute Doughnuts
9. Amazingly Artistic Bonbons
These chocolate bonbons could probably be on display in an art museum. The vibrant colors and entrancing patterns are truly next-level.
10. A Better Box of Chocolates
Why settle for a box of chocolates when you can have a cake shaped like a box of chocolates?! If you’re feeling particularly ambitious this Valentine’s Day, Cake Girls has a tutorial on how to make this phenomenal cake. Or you can just appreciate it via Instagram.
11. A Whimsical Care Bear Cake
There are admittedly a lot of bear-themed treats on this list, but here’s another one that we couldn’t leave out. How amazing is this Care Bear cake? So sweet—literally.
12. Beautifully Simple Rose Cupcakes
These cupcakes are simple, but they’re done so beautifully that it makes our hearts go pitter-patter. Imagine getting a bouquet of these on February 14? (Psst...the pastry chef also has an incredible watercolor heart cookie you have to see for yourself.
13. Baking Love
A girl after our own heart! If this assortment wasn't sweet enough, click on the image to watch the mesmerizing video of the artist outlining and filling the oven cookie.
14. Chocolate-Covered Macarons
Not only are these heart-shaped macarons perfectly formed, they’re dipped in chocolate and sprinkles for a little added flair. After all, there’s no better way to say “I love you” than with chocolate.
15. Purrrrfect Pusheen Cookies
Nothing makes us squeal quite like Pusheen the cat, and these cookies are almost too adorable to handle. We’ll take a dozen, please!
16. Pink Donuts (Need We Say More?)
Mini doughnuts get a pink and intergalactic, almost ombré, effect, officially making them the doughnuts of our dreams. The subtle glitter dust puts them at gold status, in our minds.
by Erin McDowell
Which sweet treat delighted you the most? (We honestly can't choose.) Share your favorite with us below!
(via Food52)
