Eggs 3

Maida ¾ cup

Cocoa powder ½ cup

Roasted almonds

(chopped) ¾ cup

Pinch of salt

Butter 1 tbsp

White chocolate 125 gm

Cream ½ cup

Method: Pre-heat oven at 180°C, grease a heart-shaped cake tin, dust with unsweetened cocoa powder and keep aside. Blend brown sugar, butter and vanilla essence with a wooden spoon. Add beaten eggs, one at a time. Beat well.

Sift flour, cocoa and salt and add to the butter and sugar mixture. Mix till smooth. Stir in almonds and pour the butter into the cake tin. Bake at 180°Cfor 30 to 40 minutes or till the cake is fairly firm to touch. Let it cool completely.

For frosting; Melt white chocolate in butter in a double-boiler. Remove from heat and stir in cream till it is well-blended. Refrigerate for 10 minutes. Spread this evenly over the sides and top of cooled cake. Arrange sliced almonds around the edges and sprinkle cocoa in a desired pattern.

Unflavoured gelatin 1 packet

Fresh strawberries 2 cups

Granulated sugar 2 tbsp

Cold water ¼ cup

Sour cream 1 cup

Milk ¾ cup

Sweetened coconut ½ cup

Egg yolks 4

Sugar ¼ cup

Vanilla essence 1 tsp

Method: Sprinkle gelatin over cold water and let it soften. Heat over slow flame till dissolved. Puree strawberries in a mixer, blend in sugar and gelatin. Add sour cream gradually and blend well. Pour this mixture into heart-shaped moulds and refrigerate for 4 hours or until set.

Coconut cream: Heat milk and stir in coconut to moisten. Let it stand for half an hour. Drain to get 2/3 cup liquid. White egg yolks and sugar on top of a double boiler and slowly add coconut liquid. Keep stirring till it thickens. Remove from fire and add vanilla essence. Chill. For serving, pour coconut cream in a serving dish and unmould a strawberry heart on top of it. Garnish with fresh coconut and flowers.

Butter 250 gm

Maida 3 cups

Icing sugar ½ cup

Salt ½ tsp

Dark chocolate (melted) 100 gm

Method: Beat butter and sugar until creamed. Add flour and continue beating until a soft dough is formed. Take a greased polythene sheet and roll out the dough to 5 cm thickness. Cut into heart-shaped biscuits. Bake in a microwave oven on high (100%) for 4.1/2 minutes and let these cool. Repeat till all biscuits are done. Dip these hearts in melted chocolate to coat one half of each heart and leave to set.

Egg whites 2

Sugar (powdered) ½ cup

Vanilla ¼ tsp

Cream of tartar a pinch

Pineapple slices ½ tin

Sugar 1 tbsp

Corn flour 1 tsp

Cinnamon a pinch

Method: Line a baking sheet with foil, draw four heart outlines (4" wide). Keep aside. Beat egg whites with cream of tartar in a bowl till soft peaks form. Slowly add sugar beating till stiff shiny peaks form. Beat in vanilla. Pipe meringue inside hearts on prepared pan using a pastry bag. Bake at 140°C for one hour or until lightly browned. Switch off the oven and let meringues stand in oven for one hour.

Open the pineapple tin and cut pineapple slices into ½" pieces and empty out syrup. Heat the syrup in a pan and add cornflour and cook till the mixture thickens. Sprinkle sugar and cinnamon on pineapple slices and pour syrup on top, cover and chill for 1 hr. For serving. Place meringues on 4 plates. Spoon pineapples into meringues and garnish with sugar.