4 Sweet Gifts for Your Valentine

Caramel Rose Apple Pie

Ingredients
for 6 servings

4 apples
½ cup sugar
½ cup brown sugar
¼ teaspoon cinnamon
¼ teaspoon nutmeg
1 pie dough
¼ cup heavy cream

Preparation

1. Preheat oven to 375˚F (190°C).
2. Peel the apples and cut in quarters. Soak the apples in lemon water to prevent the apples from browning. Slice the apples into thin slices.
3. In a small bowl, combine sugar, brown sugar, cinnamon and nutmeg. Stir to combine.
4. Sprinkle sugar and spice mixture over sliced apples and let sit for 30 minutes.
5. Line a pie dough in a cast iron pan, and prick the dough with a fork all around. Chill.
6. Drain the apples, squeezing them with your hands to remove the excess moisture. Reserve the liquid to make caramel sauce.
7. Line the apple slices in the cast iron pan by overlapping each slice to make look like a rose. For the center, roll up one apple slice tightly and place it in the center of the tart, creating a rose bud shape.
8. Cover the pan with a piece of aluminum foil and bake for 30 minutes. Uncover the foil and bake for 10 minutes, or until golden brown.
9. In a saucepan, bring the leftover liquid from apple to a boil. Once the liquid is reduced by half, add the heavy cream and stir well.
10. Pour caramel sauce over to the apple pie.
11. Enjoy!

Valentine's Day Chocolate Boxes

Ingredients
for 1 box

1 cup whipped cream
1 tablespoon espresso powder
2 tablespoons powdered sugar
chocolate square, 6 squares per box
dark chocolate, melted
white chocolate, melted
strawberry
whipped cream

Preparation

1. In a large mixing bowl, whip together the heavy cream, espresso powder.
2. Add powdered sugar until you have stiff peaks.
3. Cover and refrigerate so it can stiffen more before you add it to the chocolate box.
4. To form the chocolate box: Use melted chocolate to “glue” the pieces together; leave the top off. Feel free to decorate the top. Set chocolate.
5. Add the refrigerated whipped coffee cream, top with some whipped cream, add the strawberry, and place on the top piece of chocolate.
6. Enjoy!

Flower Pot 'box' Cake

Ingredients
for 14 servings

1 package chocolate cake mix
1 package brownie mix
8 eggs
1 cup water
1 cup vegetable oil
4 cups buttercream frosting, divided
30 drops yellow food coloring
11 drops red food coloring
4 drops brown food coloring

Preparation

1. Preheat oven to 350°F (180°C).
2. In a large bowl, combine cake mix, brownie mix, eggs, water, and vegetable oil, and whisk until batter is thick and smooth.
3. Line an 8x7-inch (20x17-cm) terra-cotta pot with foil, ensuring the sides are smooth as possible. Pour batter inside, leave 3 inches of space between the batter and the top of the pot.
4. Line a cupcake pan with green cupcake liners and fill each with about ¼ cup (32 g) of batter.
5. Put the terra-cotta pot and cupcake pan in the oven at the same time. Place a small pan or oven safe dish under the terra-cotta pot to catch any possible overflow of batter.
6. Bake cupcakes for 15 minutes. Bake cake for 45-60 minutes, or until a toothpick comes out clean.
7. In a medium bowl, combine 2 cups (455 g) buttercream frosting, 30 drops yellow food coloring, 10 drops red food coloring, and 4 drops brown food coloring to create a terra-cotta orange color.
8. In a separate bowl, combine 2 cups (455 g) of buttercream frosting and 1 drop of red food coloring to create a pale pink color.
9. Use the foil to lift the cake out of the terracotta pot, and carefully peel off the foil. Use an angled icing spatula to evenly ice the sides of the cake with the terra-cotta orange frosting. Use the spatula or icing scraper to remove excess icing and create a smooth finish. Add an inch (2cm) more of frosting to top rim of the cake, about 1-inch (2 cm) in thickness. Use the spatula or icing scraper to smooth the sides to create the rim of the pot.
10. Place a 2D piping tip inside a piping bag and fill it with the pale pink frosting. Twist the end of the piping bag and gently apply even pressure as you make a spiral design from the center out on each cupcake to create a rose.
11. Place two toothpicks in the center of the cake and use them to attach a cupcake to the center. Repeat around the rim of the cake with 4 more cupcakes spaced about 2 inches (5 cm) apart. Fold extra green cupcake liners into quarters and place one between each cupcake.
12. Enjoy!

Valentine's Day Red Velvet Truffles

Ingredients
for 30 truffles

1 box red velvet cake mix, prepared according to instructions
8 oz cream cheese, softened
16 oz white chocolate chips
topping of your choice

Preparation

1. Prepare red velvet cake according to instructions on box.
2. In a bowl, crumble the red velvet cake.
3. Mix in cream cheese until smooth.
4. Roll into 1- to 2-Tbsp.-sized balls, and chill.
5. Melt the white chocolate.
6. Roll the balls in the chocolate to coat evenly. Set aside.
7. Decorate! Let the chocolate harden before serving.
8. Enjoy!