valentines cakes

Do you have any of those novelty pans that bake shapes? I got sucked into buying heart ones years and years ago while on a Target shopping spree. Then I got home and thought, where the heck am I going to keep these?! This year I was determined to use them. 

Two recipes which really work well for shaped pans are the Glazed Lemon Cupcakes and Gingerbread Swirl Cake from Great Food Fast. A coworker of mine was leaving for maternity so I made both of these cakes for her going away shower. I like the variety both of these desserts offer because when you bake for groups you always get people who 'don't eat chocolate' or ' just want a small piece'. Luckily, both these desserts were a hit everyone tried one of each and loved them both. So super easy to bake up I managed both back to back. The other nice thing is that I had all the ingredients already in the house.

The Glazed Lemon Cupcakes are an all around pleasant dessert. I have trouble imagining anyone who wouldn't love them. The lemon flavour is tart but there is enough sugar to balance. They are very light, moist and quite intense in flavour right out the oven, but are even better the next day. With a spray of oil and flour in the heart moulds they popped right out without any trouble, not a single one crumbled or stuck.

This Chocolate Swirl Gingerbread Cake, admittedly, I've made before and knew it was wonderful. I really love it for it's simplicity (this cake rivals the Busy Day Chocolate Cake). It's also a very nice and unexpected cake that I really don't think has to be served at Christmas. In fact, I always make it in the dead of winter when I have molasses leftover from Christmas. This cake is a great winter cake to bake when you don't want to leave the house, but want a fool-proof dessert. It is so moist, slightly rich and dense. Unlike the lemon cupcakes, this cake can stay around for several days airtight. I love both of these desserts and they are perfect to build confidence for a novice baker.