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L.A. Valentine Dessert Roundup, Part Deux
Photo courtesy of Crumbs Bakeshop
Last week, we brought you a list of Valentine dessert ideas to entice your honey with. If you wanted even more options, you greedy monkey, we've come up with more -- red-bottom cheesecake cups, tuxedo strawberries and really hearty cupcakes to name a few.
Instead of the usual chocolates in a heart-shaped box, why not mini cupcakes? Studio City's Big Sugar Bakeshop has assorted mini cupcakes in a heart-shaped gift box ($7 for four, $32 for 20). Or for after your V-Day dinner dessert, present a pie for two, baked in a heart-shaped ceramic dish ($10). Choose from the following flavors: chocolate malted, tequila lime, banana pudding or apple raspberry.
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Former Grace pastry chef Elizabeth Belkin and biz partner Lisa Olin have got plenty of sweets for you and baby boo to drool over at their online bakery, Cake Monkey. Put your orders in for the heart-shaped chocolate locket cookies filled with caramel and fleur de sel ($25 a box). Or partake of the vibrant raspberry red velvet cakewich -- red velvet cake sandwich filled with raspberry swirled vanilla frosting and coated in bittersweet chocolate ($3.75).
If your Valentine requires a heartier cupcake, tempt them with the infamous Crumbs Bakeshop cupcakes. Here are but a few. The Red Hot cupcake ($3.75) is vanilla cake with vanilla cream cheese filling and frosting covered with heart-shaped Red Hots. There's a Chocolate Covered Strawberry cupcake ($3.75) which is strawberry cake filled with strawberry jam, frosted with a thin layer of chocolate buttercream and covered in chocolate fondant. And the cutely named Ooh La La cupcake ($3.75) is chocolate cake with vanilla cream cheese filling and pink colored vanilla cream cheese frosting topped with a heart shaped brownie.
Plantine Cookies in Culver City has some unusual treats to offer your sweetie: red-bottom cheesecake cups ($1.75 each). Instead of the traditional graham cracker crust or black bottom cake, these babies sport a red velvet cake bottom. If you miss those conversation hearts from elementary school Valentine exchanges, the bakery also offers three conversation heart cookies bagged up for transport ($3). For a fancy chocolate-dipped strawberry, check out the tuxedo strawberry ($3 each) -- strawberries dipped in white and dark chocolate to look like a little tuxedo.
For personalized treats, look no further than SusieCakes in Brentwood. You can have them dress up their conversation heart cookies or a "Love Shack" gingerbread house with your loved one's name. For other ways to impress, there's the red velvet heart-shape cake pour deux, "Making Whoopie" pies rolled in red sanding sugar and of course a special "Sugar & Spice" vanilla cupcake with cinnamon buttercream frosting.
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