Valentine's Day desserts

Beet Brownies

Dairy Queen's Cupid Cake. (I may be buying one for myself. )

Why don't you do a chocolate covered fruit sampler? You can plate it so that it looks real fancy, but it'll really be mostly fruit.

milk chocolate covered strawberries with a graham cracker crumble
dark chocolate rum soaked cherries with white chocolate chips
white chocolate raspberries with an oreo crumble

Or, make him a mug-cake. Pop it out of the mug and cover with chocolate sauce and fresh fruit. Use low fat cool whip for frosting.

I've been eyeing a cupcake recipe in a cookbook I have lately which looks like it has reasonable calories. Can't vouch for it as I haven't tried it yet, but you might find it interesting:


Edit: never mind. This isn't a really easy recipe, but I'll just leave it here in case someone else might want to make it.

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Black Forest Cupcakes

FOR THE CHOCOLATE CUPCAKES:
5 ounces canned pears in natural juice, drained
1 cup plus 3 tablespoons self-rising flour
1 teaspoon baking powder
⅓ cup unsweetened cocoa powder, sifted
⅔ cup packed light soft brown sugar
2 eggs
3 tablespoons sunflower oil
FOR THE CHERRY FILLING:
1¼ cups dark red cherries, pitted and finely chopped
2 tablespoons kirsch or water
FOR THE CREAM CHEESE FROSTING:
7 tablespoons light cream cheese
1 tablespoon confectioners’ sugar, sifted
½ vanilla bean, split in half lengthwise
12 cherries
1 ounce dark chocolate, 70% cocoa solids, grated

Directions:

Heat the oven to 350°F and line a 12-hole muffin pan with paper cases. Put the pears in a blender and blend to a puree.

Mix together the flour, baking powder and cocoa powder in a large bowl. In a separate bowl, beat together the brown sugar, eggs, pear puree and oil. Add the wet ingredients to the dry ingredients and mix until just combined.

Spoon the batter into the prepared muffin pan, filling the sections three-quarters full. Bake 12 to 15 minutes until risen and springy to the touch. Transfer to a wire rack to cool.

Meanwhile, to make the filling, put the cherries and kirsch in a small saucepan over low heat a few minutes until starting to soften. Remove the pan from the heat and leave to cool. Drain the cherries, reserving the liquid.

Use a small, pointed knife to cut out an upside down cone from the top of each cake, about ¾ inch in diameter. Remove these in one piece. Fill the holes with some of the cooked cherries, then cut off and discard the points of the cone and replace the tops on the cakes. Drizzle a little of the cherry cooking juices over the top so it soaks into the cakes..

To make the frosting, mix together the cream cheese and confectioners’ sugar. Scrape the seeds from the vanilla bean into the mixture, then spoon it into a pastry bag fitted with a ⅝-inch star tip. Pipe a small blob of frosting just off middle on the top of each cake, then top with a cherry and a sprinkling of grated chocolate.

those little cake dessert shells with cut strawberries and whip cream