Food of love: Top 8 sweet treats for Valentine's Day

Pic: iStock

Valentine's Day doesn’t have to be about grand purchases or exotic locations but thoughtful gestures. 

Afternoon Tea is becoming popular with all ages, and the treat is easy to replicate at home. 

Get out the teapot – or Champagne – and dress the table with your best old-fashioned (or super-modern) tableware and a fancy serving plate or cake stand. And turn the phone and television off.

My roundup of local bakeries and supermarkets revealed mini, medium and large-sized deliciousness, which I would halve or quarter for daintiness. 

They look pretty on a cake stand but are equally attractive served in old-fashioned teacups or on saucers – buy them for half nothing in charity shops if you haven’t inherited them. 

Our bakeries have top-quality fresh produce, so support your local bakery and see what they have.

Supermarkets offer some delicious delicacies too. Aldi has good frozen profiteroles (€1.99) flavoured with Baileys and caramel – handy for buying ahead and serving after a busy day. 

We also liked Rachel H’s chocolate cream éclairs (two for €3.59) and own-brand doughnuts from Lidl.

For those avoiding wheat, the M&S Made Without range has plenty of cakes and good ginger snaps (€2.75-€5.20).

With such variety in shops, we have no scores this week. All are top markers.

Heaven's Cakes. Picture Denis Minihane.

Heaven’s Cakes €4 each

Always a good selection here with fresh flavours such as passion fruit mousse cake, creamy chocolate, fruit mixes, and lemon in the tarts. 

All decent sizes and good value with plenty for two in each, though they are so light, you may need to get one each, just in case.

At The English Market, Cork, and Sealys Lane, Bandon.

Cameron. Picture Denis Minihane.

Cameron Bakery €2.50 – €4.20 each

This consistently excellent bakery always has a great range of French classics and new-style pastries. 

From a wide range, I chose a tart lemon meringue tart, chocolatey Ferrero mousse cake, dense chocolate caramel tart, flaky mille feuille, and soft mini brioche. All superb. 

The lemon meringue tart would be plenty of two, as would the mousse cake. 

At Washington Street, Blackrock, Parnell Place, Cork.

ABC. Picture Denis Minihane.

ABC Selection €3.50 - €3.90 each

Spoiled for choice for favourites here with the vegan chocolate slice, red velvet cake, raspberry and custard brioche, rose petal carrot cake, and coffee square, all luscious, light tasting of their components and disappearing fastest at our tasting. 

A very good selection from The English Market stall, Cork.

Cinnamon Cottage. Picture Denis Minihane.

Cinnamon Cottage €3.95 each. Box of 12 mini cakes €13

Winning the hearts of the old-fashioned biscuit eater, Eileen’s Mikado (€3.20) was a winner here, along with a Jammy Dodger, birthday Madeira (complete with sprinkles), mixed berry and almond slice, and Victoria sponge fingers. 

A delicious, home-baked feel and pure taste to all of them. At Rochestown, Cork.

My Goodness. Picture Denis Minihane.

My Goodness €2.50 each; six for the price of five

Dairy, gluten and refined sugar-free, the flavours I chose include orange chocolate, mint chocolate, salted caramel, mocha, mint, and hibiscus chocolate. 

All densely delicious raw ingredients, testers felt light after tasting them. 

I bought at The English Market. See mygoodnessfood.com for a list of markets.

Lishh. Picture Denis Minihane.

Lishh Catering & Café €4 each

Creamy cheesecake, featherlight meringue, substantial apple crumble, creamy raspberry and chocolate tart make a good selection from this café in the Dosco industrial estate on South Douglas Road, Cork. 

Everything tastes homemade and fresh. Easy parking too.

Bite Size. Picture Denis Minihane.

Bitesize Sweet Canapé box of six €9.50

In an attractive, narrow, long box, we chose from a wide selection – Oreo cheesecake, profiterole, raspberry macaroon, chocolate torte, blackberry and apple almond tart, red velvet, and meringue – all decorated beautifully and tasting of good quality ingredients. 

Larger boxes available too.

From shops in Ballincollig, Douglas, Midleton (and Saturday market), and Thursday at Mahon Point market. Online to order at bitesize.ie

Dunnes Simply Better. Picture Denis Minihane.

Dunnes Simply Better slices box of four €3.50

Maple and pecan slices, Irish mixed berry crumble, and (our favourite) hazelnut and almond tiffin make a good throuple. 

The latter has cranberries to contrast with the decent 18% or 70% dark chocolate. For those who like a good, toothsome bite, and are not into mousses or creamy cakes. 

Dunnes also stocks Fiona Cairns cupcakes, which have white icing topped with pretty heart shapes (six for €7.99).