Valentine's Day

I happen to love Valentine's Day. Always have. It's a cute excuse to have red/pink/purple/white flowers in the house and eat chocolates.

We are staying in for our first Valentine's Day as a married couple. We plan on making a nice meal (haven't decided what to make) and opening a nice bottle of red wine. Of course we will need to have dessert. I was looking through Martha Stewart's Valentine recipe and found these two...

1. Figs that are sliced lengthwise. They look like hearts! Nothing is better than a huge chunk of cheese and some figs to go with wine.

2. Then for the main dessert, a heart shaped cake with raspberries. Here is the recipe:

Ingredients:

Serves 12

* 6 tablespoons unsalted butter, melted, plus more for pan
* 1 1/3 cups all-purpose flour, sifted, plus more for pan
* 1 cup granulated sugar
* 6 large eggs
* 1 teaspoon pure vanilla extract
* Raspberry Simple Syrup for Valentine Cake
* Whipped Cream for Valentine Cake
* 2 pints raspberries
* Confectioners' sugar, for dusting
* Cocoa powder, for dusting (optional)

Directions

1. Heat oven to 350 degrees. Butter a 11 1/2-by-9 1/4-by-2 1/2-inch heart-shaped cake pan and line with parchment paper. Butter and flour the parchment paper, and set aside.
2. Set the bowl of an electric mixer over, but not touching, a pot of simmering water. Combine the granulated sugar and eggs in the bowl, and whisk until mixture is warm to the touch, about 2 minutes.
3. Transfer the bowl to an electric mixer fitted with a whisk at 3. tachment, and beat on high speed until the mixture is very thick and pale, about 4 minutes. With a rubber spatula, gently transfer the mixture to a large mixing bowl. Sift in the flour in three additions, folding gently after each. Combine the butter and the vanilla, and add in a steady stream as you fold in the third addition of flour. Fold gently, and transfer to prepared pan. Smooth the top with an offset spatula.
4. Bake until the cake is springy to the touch and golden brown, about 40 minutes. Transfer to a wire rack to cool completely. When ready to use, turn out cake onto a cutting board or a cake turntable covered with parchment paper, and carefully peel the parchment paper off the cake.
5. To assemble: Using a serrated knife, cut cake in half horizontally. Brush cut sides of cake liberally with simple syrup. Spread bottom layer to within 1/2 inch of edge with half of the whipped cream. Cover cream with an even layer of raspberries. Spread remaining whipped cream over berries. Place top of cake cut side down over cream. Dust with confectioners' sugar and cocoa powder, if desired.

photos and recipe from Martha Stewart Living Television