Say it with cake, or doughnuts, or cookies – that’s the approach the nation’s bakers are taking for Valentine’s Day by serving up a host of sweet treats for the occasion.
Here are some of the creations on offer:
Doughnut Time
Doughnut Time has partnered with Gordon Gin to share the love this Valentine’s Day with boozy doughnut decorating kit.
The limited-edition kit comes with two doughnuts and all the icings, toppings and treats needed to decorate them as well as two Gordon’s Premium Pink Distilled Gin miniatures. Priced at £19.95, the kit comprises: a Red Velvet Ring Doughnut, a Classic Ring Doughnut, strawberry glaze, hot pink glaze, red glaze, jelly hearts, pink choco beans, strawberry crunch, and heart sprinkles.
Morrisons
Cookies, cupcakes, and eclairs are among the sweet treats on offer at Morrisons.
It’s bakery line-up includes:
- Shortbread Heart Dipped Biscuits, £1 – the heart biscuits are dipped in milk chocolate and with pink, white and red sprinkles
- Gingerbread Couple, £1 – the gingerbread couple are decorated with smiley faces and love hearts
- Heart Eclairs, £2 – sold in two-packs, these chocolate topped, and cream filled eclairs are finished with love hearts and chocolate sprinkles for a Valentine’s twist
- Chocolate & Raspberry Cupcakes, £1.80 – the cupcake duo comprises one chocolate sponge filled with chocolate sauce and topped with chocolate frosting and red heart sugar sprinkles, and one vanilla sponge with strawberry sauce, pink vanilla frosting, and sprinkles
- Giant Cookie, £7 – this sweet treat comprises a giant iced chocolate cookie with the words ‘Be my Valentine’ on top.
Birds Bakery
Birds Bakery is celebrating Valentine’s Day with a variety of treats from classic heart shaped Belgian chocolates to a traditional pork pie with a heart pastry twist plus a new afternoon tea offering.
The afternoon tea, available via online Birds by Post service, features handmade love heart cupcakes, shortbread hearts, chocolate owls, a pork pie, quiche Lorraine and a broccoli quiche for £13.50.
There’s also a selection of gift boxes on offer including the Perfectly Indulgent Gift Box. Priced at £18, it includes the bakery’s famous florentines, a gingerbread person, shortbread hearts, chocolate hearts, frogs and owls, and chocolate lollies. The biscuit selection, meanwhile, is packed with shortbread hearts and biscuit bites, gingerbread people and chocolate chip cookies for £12.50.
In-store only Valentine’s gifts include ruby and white chocolate hearts, as well something extra special for furry friends in the form of a heart shaped peanut butter dog treat.
The Original Cake Company
Lincoln bakery The Original Cake Company is hoping to make Valentine’s Day a piece of cake with its Artisan Nine Piece Chocolate Cake Selection.
The handmade gift box, priced at £21.95 including postage on The Original Cake Company’s website, is crafted at the bakery using a Belgian chocolate truffle cake recipe which produces what the bakery describes as a ‘rich and fudgy cake’. The box contains nine squares with a variety of toppings on them including heart-shaped sprinkles, Rolos, white and milk chocolate drizzles, and heart-shaped fondant.
Crosstown
Crosstown is embracing indulgent flavours for its limited-edition Valentine’s Day dough bites with the likes of passionfruit, rose and strawberry Baileys all making an appearance.
The full line-up is as follows:
- Chocolate & Passion Fruit (vegan) – crafted with vegan cocoa sourdough, filled with a passion fruit custard, then glazed with passion fruit and caramel glaze, all finished with a dusting of gold lustre
- Rose & Lychee (vegan) – filled with a lychee compote, topped with rose glaze and hand-finished with crystallised rose petals, all on our award-winning vegan sourdough
- Chocolate & Cherry Kirsch – Crosstown’s signature cocoa dough, bursting with dark chocolate kirsch custard, dipped in a cherry kirsch ganache, with a glacé cherry a top and a dusting of glitter
- Strawberry Liqueur – milk chocolate & strawberry Baileys custard encased in a dark cocoa dough, with a strawberry Baileys glaze, topped with freeze dried strawberries.
The new dough bite flavours can be purchased individually from Crosstown London, Cambridge, Oxford, and Brighton shops (£2.75 each) or in gift boxes (from £35) available in-store and for next-day delivery.
Asda
Supermarket Asda is sticking to the classic heart motif for its Valentine’s bakery range.
It aims to make breakfast in bed a little bit more special with heart-shaped crumpets (£1.25) and, also has a decorated gingerbread biscuit on offer with ‘I <3 You’ iced on top.
For those seeking a vegan-friendly treat, there’s Cupid’s Cookie (£8.50). The sharing size vegan cookie is made with dark chocolate chips and finished with frosting and sugar paste decorations.
Pierre Marcolini
Belgian chocolatier Pierre Marcolini has created a Cœur à Cœur (or Heart to Heart) collection to sweep chocolate lovers off their feet.
Alongside delicate chocolates, there is the Cœur à Cœur dessert (£15) which consists of a lemon Genoa bread topped with a toasted sesame nougatine. The strawberry heart is accompanied by a light Madagascan vanilla mousse with a hint of Timut pepper, all coated in a white chocolate shell with a small raspberry heart on top.
The collection is available from the Marylebone boutique, counters in Selfridges and Harrods and online.
Bradfords Bakers
Scotland-based Bradfords Bakers & Gifts is serving up bear hugs and sweethearts in the form of cupcakes for 14 February this year.
The Bear Hugs Cupcakes – priced at £16.40 for a box of six – are made with rich chocolate sponge and topped with a swirl of chocolate fudge icing and finished with a teddy bear face and heart decorations.
The box of six Sweetheart Cupcakes (£15.90), meanwhile, feature three chocolate and three vanilla sponges topped with chocolate and vanilla frosting, respectively, all finished with heart decorations.
Fatherson Bakery
Fatherson Bakery is keeping it traditional this Valentine’s with a heart-shaped cake suitable for sharing as well as cupcakes on offer.
The heart-shaped cake comprises chocolate sponge sandwiched with red velvet icing with more swirls on top. The Valentine’s Fairy Cakes, meanwhile, are sold in a pack of six with each chocolate sponge topped with either chocolate or red icing.
For the gifting market there are also Large Valentine’s Cupcakes which are presented in a carry case. There’s a handmade chocolate and vanilla sponge which are decorated with chocolate and red icing and sprinkled with little edible hearts.
The Fatherson Valentine’s range will be in store from early February across the UK, including the Londis, Co-Op, Budgens and Spar.
Baker & Baker
European bakery manufacturer Baker & Baker is serving up love in the form of a heart-shaped doughnut.
The doughnut has a soft base with a pink strawberry flavoured icing and white sugar strands on top. It contains no artificial colours, flavours or preservatives, and is suitable for vegans. The thaw and serve doughnut has a three-day shelf life and will be available for multiple occasions including Valentine’s Day and Mother’s Day.
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