Romantic Boston Creme Pie Hearts for Valentine's Day

Everybody has a favorite dessert. Most folks have a sweet heart. Valentine’s Day is coming up quickly. Being the logical person that I am, I took those three facts into consideration when I made this Boston Crème Pie recipe recently.

Remember that romance means something different to everybody. So approach your romantic dinner and dessert from the perspective of your sweetheart. Consider the question: “What would they love?” in the planning of your evening.

If your sweetheart is a morning person, maybe breakfast served with flair would be romantic. If they are allergic to chocolate, then you’ll want to choose sweet treats that appeal to their preferences. Romance doesn’t have to be expensive, either. Light a candle, place a tablecloth on the kitchen table, use the good dishes, put some soft music on and wear an outfit that becomes you. Romance will follow.

1 package Yellow Cake Mix prepared according to package
1 box French Vanilla Instant Pudding prepared according to package
1 can Chocolate Frosting
Conversation Heart Candies
Maraschino Cherries

You will also need:
2 Mixing Bowls
1 Electric Mixer
Measuring Cups
Wooden Spoon
Spatula
Knife
Heart Shaped Baking Pans / Round Baking Pan
Hot Pad
Cooling Rack

Preheat oven to 350 degrees Fahrenheit.
Prepare cake mix according to package directions.
Prepare pudding according to package directions. Set in refrigerator to chill.

Bake cake mix in two 9 inch round pans. Or divide evenly between heart shaped pans, as in picture.
Set frosting container on stovetop to warm while cake bakes.
When timer indicates cakes are done, and a toothpick inserted to the middle comes out clean, use your hot pads and remove cakes from oven. Cool cakes after removing from oven on cooling rack.

Once cakes are cool, place one cake on plate, using long knife or piece of thread, slice cake in half horizontally.
If you used a round pan, you'll want to trim the circle into a heart shape. Place the plate with the cake in front of you. Using your knife, trim the edges on the "bottom" to form a point. Remove the slivers and save for use later. Trim a small triangluar notch in the middle of the "top". Save this triangle with the slivers. (see second photo for heart shape trimmed cake)

Layer pudding on top of one cake half. Place second cake half on top of the pudding.

Using a spatula, spread frosting on the top of the cake with chocolate icing.
Allow icing to drip down the sides of cake.
Decorate with Conversation Hearts and Maraschino Cherries.
Repeat with other cake half or smaller cakes.
Chill in refrigerator 1 hour.

For the Parfait:

You'll want to get a pretty glass or bowl for serving purposes.
Use the leftover pieces of cake from where you trimmed the round cake into a heart.
Break the pieces into small bits, about 1/2 inch or 1 cm. 
Layer the bits of cake in glass with remaining pudding and frosting. Add cherries and candies throughout. (see pictures)
Chill one hour before serving.

Approximate Nutritional Information: Servings Per Recipe: 8 servings, Amount Per Serving: Calories: 481, Total Fat: 15g, Cholesterol: 8mg, Sodium: 595mg, Total Carbs: 84g, Dietary Fiber: 1g, Protein: 4g

Make It a Meal: Serve this dessert with a romantic dinner for your sweet heart on Valentine’s Day, their Birthday, your Anniversary or any other special day. Serve with your favorite strong coffee or sweet red wine.

To make this dessert extra special, I used some super heart shaped pans. I have a 5 inch heart shaped pan and a whole bunch of cupcake size pans that make up individual serving sized cakes. Since the individual cakes were small, I stacked one on top of another instead of slicing in half lengthwise.

Instead of your regular 8 inch round pans, you can use an 8 inch heart pan. My mom has a set of these and we’ve sure gotten our money’s worth in use over the years. If you can’t get your hands on heart shaped pans, you can cut a heart shape out of your round cakes.

For more great, simple recipes like this, visit my blog by clicking here.