Treat your valentine with sweets - recipes

Ebony, Feb, 1991 by Charlotte Lyons

What better way to express feelings for a sweetheart or loved one this Valentine's Day than with a homemade treat? Luscious baked goods, hot out of the oven, melt more hearts than a dozen boxes of store-bought candy.

If chocolate is your lover's fancy, then bake a treat that is rich in this ancient aphrodisiac. Chocolate Thumprint Cookies are perfect for the young at heart, while Chocolate Fudge Cheesecake fills the bill for those with hearty appetites. For that very special valentine, Orange Rum Cake is the gift to bake.

For those who are fond of strawberries and ice cream, Heart Meringue is a heavenly Valentine's Day surprise. Those who are more calorie-conscious can appreciate delicious Petit Fours, while the more adventurous valentine will be inclined to reach for a couple of Graham Cracker Toffee Bars.

Whatever you choose to bake and whomever you bake it for, these sumptuous Valentine's Day recipes almost guarantee that Cupid's arrow won't miss the mark.

Happy Valentine's Day!

ORANGE RUM CAKE

2 5-pound, 1-ounce packages pound cake mix 2 tablespoons grated orange rind 2 teaspoons grated lemon rind 1 cup sugar 1 cup orange juice 3 tablespoons lemon juice 2 tablespoons rum

Combine the two packages of pound cake mix; prepare according to package directions, adding orange and lemon rind. Pour into greased and floured 10-inch tube pan. Bake in 350 [degrees] oven for 1 hour to 1 hour 15 minutes, or until done. Cool in pan 10 minutes; remove and cool 20 minutes longer on cooling rack. Place on serving plate. Using long-tined fork or skewer, pierce cake at 1-inch intervals. Combine sugar, orange juice, lemon juice and rum; bring to a boil. Spoon very slowly over cake, a small amount at a time allowing cake to absorb syrup. Chill cake before serving.

Yields one 10-inch cake

BUTTERY DROP COOKIES

1/2 cup butter-flavored shortening 3/4 cup sugar 1 tablespoon milk 1 egg 1 teaspoon vanilla 1-1/4 cup all-purpose flour 1/4 teaspoon salt 1/4 teaspoon baking powder 1/4 cup butter-flavored shortening

Cream 1/2 cup shortening, sugar and milk in medium mixer bowl at medium speed of electric mixer until well-blended. Beat in egg and vanilla. Combine flour, salt and baking powder. Gradually add to creamed mixture. Drop level tablespoonfuls 2 inches apart onto a greased baking sheet. Bake at 375 [degrees] for 7 to 9 minutes. Brush surface of warm cookies with melted butter-flavored shortening for more butter flavor. Remove to cooling rack.

Yields 3 dozen 2-inch cookies

CHOCOLATE DIP: Melt 1 cup semi-sweet chocolate chips with 1 teaspoon butter-flavored shortening on very low heat. Stir well. Spoon into glass measuring cup. Dip one end of cooled cookie halfway in chocolate. Place on waxed paper until chocolate is firm. Sprinkle with finely chopped nuts before chocolate hardens if desired.

PETIT FOURS

Bake sheet pound cake as directed. Cut cake into small squares, rounds, hearts or diamonds. Place cake, one shape at a time, on wire rack over large bowl. Pour enough Petits Fours Glaze over top to cover top and sides. (Glaze can be reheated and used again.) Place Decorator Frosting in decorating bag with writing tip #3. Decorate as desired.

Sheet Pound Cake

1-1/2 cups butter or margarine 1 1-pound box confectioners sugar, sifted 6 eggs 1 teaspoon vanilla 1/2 teaspoon almond extract 3-1/2 cups sifted flour 1/2 teaspoon salt 1/2 cup milk

Preheat oven to 325 [degrees]. In large mixer bowl, cream the butter well, gradually add sugar, creaming until light and fluffy. Add eggs, one at a time, beating well after each addition. Blend in vanilla and almond extract. Sift together flour and salt; add alternately with milk to creamed mixture. Pour into greased and floured 15x10x1-inch baking pan. Bake until wooden pick inserted in center comes out clean, 50 to 60 minutes.

Glaze

8 cups powdered sugar 1/2 cup water 1/2 cup light corn syrup 2 teaspoons almond extract

Mix all ingredients in top of double boiler until smooth. Heat just until lukewarm; remove from heat. Let glaze remain over hot water to prevent thickening. If necessary, add hot water, a few drops at a time, for desired consistency. Tint glaze delicate pastel shades with food color, if desired.

Decorator Frosting

Mix 2 cups powdered sugar and 2 to 3 tablespoons water--just enough to make a frosting that can be used easily in a decorating bag or envelope cone and yet hold its shape. Tint portions of frosting delicate pastel shades with food color, if desired.

CHOCOLATE THUMBPRINT

COOKIES

1/2 cup butter or margarine 2/3 cup sugar 1 egg, separated 2 tablespoons milk 1 teaspoon vanilla extract 1 cup all-purpose flour 1/3 cup cocoa powder 1/4 teaspoon salt 1 cup chopped nuts 26 chocolate kisses candy (unwrapped), pecan halves or candied cherry halves

Cream butter, sugar, egg yolk, milk and vanilla in small mixer bowl. Combine flour, cocoa and salt; blend into creamed mixture. Chill dough at least 1 hour or until firm enough to handle. Heat oven to 350 [degrees]. Shape dough into 1-inch balls. Beat egg white slightly. Dip each ball into egg white; roll in nuts. Place on lightly greased cookie sheet. Press thumb gently in center of each cookie. Bake 10 to 12 minutes or until set. As soon as cookies are removed from oven, gently press unwrapped kisses, pecan or cherry in center of each cookie. Carefully remove from cookie sheet; cool on wire rack.