14 Valentine’s Day Desserts That Will Make Your Meal Special

By Food & Wine
January 29, 2021
Credit: Greg DuPree

If you ask us, a homemade Valentine’s Day dinner is just as romantic, if not more so, than spending the night out. And an impressive dinner calls for an equally impressive dessert. Chocolate is a classic option, of course—you could try preparing a simple, creamy mousse, or whipping up a miso chocolate tart that has the perfect balance of salty and sweet. Or, make the most of wintry citrus with dishes like a lemon curd tart or honey cake with citrus frosting. Whatever you choose, it’ll add an extra-special touch to your night.

Start Slideshow

1 of 14

Miso Chocolate Tart with Black Sesame–Chocolate Graham Cracker Crust

Credit: Victor Protasio
Get the Recipe

This dreamy tart uses a touch of white miso to balance out dark chocolate in its filling, resulting in a wonderfully rich, not-too-sweet dessert.

Advertisement
Advertisement

2 of 14

Dulce de Leche Cheesecake

Credit: Antonis Achilleos
Get the Recipe

Marcela Valladolid’s gorgeous cheesecake is marbled with dulce de leche and finished with a sprinkle of flaky sea salt.

3 of 14

Honey Cake with Citrus Frosting

Credit: John Kernick
Get the Recipe

This tender, light honey cake, laced with hints of coffee and orange juice, is perfect with a cup of tea.

Advertisement

4 of 14

Creamy Peanut Butter Pie

Credit: © Jonny Valiant
Get the Recipe

This delicious whipped-cream-topped peanut butter pie offers the perfect balance of sweet and salty flavors.

5 of 14

Ultimate Chocolate Mousse

Credit: Greg DuPree
Get the Recipe

The key to this recipe (one of our 40 Best) is to use the very best semisweet dark chocolate you can find. The better the chocolate, the better the mousse.

6 of 14

Grand Marnier Soufflé

Credit: Greg DuPree
Get the Recipe

Another recipe from our 40 Best collection, this timeless soufflé from Jacques Pépin takes just over an hour to make.

Advertisement
Advertisement
Advertisement

7 of 14

Milk-Chocolate Pots de Crème

Credit: © Con Poulos
Get the Recipe

Pot de crème ("pot of cream") is a traditional French custard typically served in a pot-shaped cup. This milk-chocolate version from pastry chef Frank Urso is super-silky and dense.

8 of 14

Lemon Curd Tart

Credit: Victor Protasio
Get the Recipe

To make a simple topping for this elegant dessert, add 2 tablespoons granulated sugar to the leftover egg whites and whip to stiff peaks to make a meringue. Garnishing the tart with mixed citrus segments adds a natural sweetness to balance the rich, tart lemon curd filling. Read Jamila Robinson’s essay about this recipe, Romancing the Stove.

9 of 14

Praline Brownies

Credit: © John Kernick
Get the Recipe

Pastry chef Kelly Fields of Willa Jean in New Orleans makes her delicious fudgy brownies with brown sugar, dark chocolate and cocoa powder, and studs them with crunchy bites of nutty pecan praline.

Advertisement
Advertisement
Advertisement

10 of 14

Coconut Milk Cake with Pistachios, Whipped Coconut Cream and Strawberry Glaze

Credit: Abby Hocking
Get the Recipe

Chef Angela Garbacz’s Coconut Milk Cake has crunchy edges, a gooey, thick crumb and it just happens to be vegan. Topped with pillowy whipped coconut cream and a gorgeous bright pink Strawberry Glaze, this cake is a showstopper. You can use the same base recipe to make round or square cakes, loaf cakes, and cupcakes, and top it with whichever fruit, nuts, and toppings you like best

11 of 14

Raspberry-Coconut Dark Chocolate Cups

Credit: Photo © Emma Galloway
Get the Recipe

You can use fresh or frozen raspberries to make these easy treats, which have a red-and-pink-hued filling that’s very on theme.

12 of 14

Walnut Galette with Bourbon-Vanilla Custard Sauce

Credit: © Nicole Franzen
Get the Recipe

This rustic tart has a super-flaky crust and a sticky-crunchy walnut filling that’s not too sweet.

Advertisement
Advertisement
Advertisement

13 of 14

Burnt Caramel Flan

Credit: Romulo Yanes
Get the Recipe

Photographer Romulo Yanes lets the requisite caramel sauce in this vanilla-flecked flan go a shade darker for a faint bitter edge that cuts through the dense, sweet custard. For a distinctly Cuban touch, he tops the flan with a rum-spiked whipped cream.

14 of 14

Red Wine Chocolate Snack Cake

Credit: Justin Walker
Get the Recipe

We all cook with red wine, adding a glug or two to enrich pan sauces and stews. Here, Food & Wine’s Justin Chapple makes the case for baking with it as well. Cabernet Sauvignon adds fruity notes that brighten this chocolate cake, which is great for a midday snack or casual dessert.

Replay gallery

Share the Gallery

Up Next

By Food & Wine