So, it’s Valentine’s Day. Or about to be, anyway. And you spaced it.
Perhaps it’s not the first time. Maybe it’s even expected at this point.
Tsk tsk.
But I won’t beat you up. Instead, I’ma hand you a get-out-of-the-doghouse-free card. Because the folks on this list have your back, with gorgeous goodies that’ll actually make you look like you put some thought into it this year.
For most, you’re going to want to go early and grab something beautiful before the other late-to-the-party folks strip the cases clean. (Don’t forget to hit Walgreens or Publix for flowers and a card.)
And if you’re working late that day, you can still head over to places like Peterbrooke Chocolatier of Winter Park, open early and late all week long, including Valentine’s Day and The Glass Knife, where they’re also keeping the cases stocked and the doors open so you won’t have to show up empty-handed.
Godspeed, Valentines. You’ve still got time.
The Valentine Trinity Cake from Gideon’s Bakehouse is a Valentine’s Weekend Only special, featuring a cheesecake center that only the oldest of Gideon’s devotees will remember. (Courtesy Gideon’s Bakehouse)
Gideon’s Bakehouse
Back when Gideon’s existed solely in founder Steve Lewis’ kitchen, he would sell cakes with a cheesecake center.
“The recipe was passed down to me from my Italian family,” Lewis says. “And in 10 years, it has never been duplicated in a cake until this month.”
The Valentine Trinity Cake features a layer of strawberry cake, chocolate cake and Italian cheesecake. It also has three different buttercreams: strawberry, chocolate and marshmallow. Available Feb. 14-15 at both locations.
The Eternal Flame Cookie speaks to the truth that love is best with some heat!
This velvety chocolate cookie is laced with Gideon’s special housemade ancho, cayenne and cinnamon spice mix, infused with the essence of cherry and topped with chocolate-covered ones.
“It’s a deep chocolate flavor followed by the tingling warmth of a first kiss and the sweet presence of cherries,” says a poetic Lewis, who cites the heat level as medium. Available Feb. 14-15, at both locations.
Running all month long in both locations, the Strawberry Delight is a “Sentimental Cookie Release” to celebrate the month of love.
Hearkening back to the strawberry creme in your Valentine’s box of candy, this Limited Edition Strawberry Cookie features a carefully crafted strawberry dough created with their housemade strawberry puree that’s filled with dark chocolates and topped with strawberry-infused sugar. No extracts, says Lewis.
“Our strawberry is sourced directly from Mother Earth.”
If you go: East End Market, 3201 Corrine Drive in Orlando. Or Disney Springs, 1486 Buena Vista Drive in Lake Buena Vista, gideonsbakehouse.com
Can $5 buy you love? I say it can. Presented here: the Red Velvet Whoopie Pie Heart from The Glass Knife. (Courtesy The Glass Knife)
The Glass Knife
In case you haven’t heard, now there are two locations where you can grab up The Glass Knife’s gorgeous goodies, on Valentine’s Day and in perpetuity. And they’re both in Winter Park.
That’s right, TGN has expanded to a new spot on Park Avenue, where fans can find all the good fare for breakfast, brunch and lunch, as well as pop in for last-minute treats for their sweets.
Gorgeous bonbons from The Glass Knife make a stellar gift by themselves, or as an add-on to a box of baked Valentine goodies. (Courtesy The Glass Knife)
On deck this year, the Red Velvet Whoopie Pie Heart ($5), a crimson-hued cocoa cookie-cake heart stuffed with a luscious vanilla marshmallow fluff filling; the Strawberry Snack Cake Heart ($7.50), a moist strawberry cake layered with strawberry cream filling, hand-dipped in a pink white chocolate, topped with gold luster and scarlet stripes, and the Strawberry Cheesecake Heart Pastry ($13), a light cheesecake mousse filled with tangy lemon curd and house-made strawberry mousse on a strawberry cake base, enveloped in a white chocolate glaçage, finished with a 23-karat gold touched white chocolate feather and dried rose petal.
Fancy.
Elegant and edible: The Glass Knife’s Strawberry Cheesecake Heart Pastry is finished with a 23-karat gold-touched white chocolate feather and dried rose petal. (Courtesy The Glass Knife)
The Chocolate Bonbons ($3 each, $12 four-count gift box) are exquisite hand-painted and hand-shelled chocolates in flavors of caramel bourbon, s’mores, raspberry caramel and strawberry rose. Beautiful by themselves or as an add-on.
If you go: 276 S. Orlando Ave. in Winter Park, 407-500-2253 or 212 N. Park Ave. in Winter Park, 407-789-2253; theglassknife.com
Get to Kaya early on Saturday to score a tin of these beautiful Black Forest mallomars, courtesy of executive pastry chef Clarice Lam. (Courtesy Kaya)
Kaya
This 2024 Orlando Sentinel Foodie Awards’ Restaurant of the Year is constantly innovating, and new on its roster of incredible bites is Kape Kaya, a new daytime bakery concept featuring their (celebrity!) Executive Pastry Chef, Clarice Lam. It’s a monthly Saturday deal, and lucky for late-to-the-party Valentines, this year it falls on the big day.
This means that a small number of their pre-orderable goodies will be available first-come, first-served when they open for business at 9:30 a.m.
Celebrity pastry chef Clarice Lam joins the team at Kaya
On hand, six-pack mixes of incredible strawberry shortcake and milo champorado silvanas ($50) and beautiful, tin-packaged Black Forest mallomars ($50).
If you’ve got a pastry snob for a partner, trust me. These truly singular sweets are guaranteed to impress on a grand scale.
If you go: 618 N. Thornton Ave. in Orlando, 407-627-9117; kayaorlando.com
Nothing says “it doesn’t matter I forgot until five minutes ago” like Light on the Sugar’s heart-shaped Dubai cream puff. (Courtesy Light on the Sugar)
Light on the Sugar
If you can’t pin me down on which thing in Light on the Sugar is my favorite, it’s because the dang pastry keeps floating away.
Cream puffs that defy gravity are among the specialties here, and that doesn’t change on Valentine’s Day, when your heart should be light, too. Treats to make your partner sing this year include the beautiful lychee raspberry macaron cake ($8.95) and raspberry-brownie Valentine’s Cake ($29.95).
The Honey Bear Cream puff from Light on the Sugar. Too cute to eat? Not quite. (Courtesy Light on the Sugar)
Also available for oohs and aahs, the fancy Dubai heart-shaped cream puff ($6.50), featuring housemade choux filled with pistachio cream and topped with crispy pistachio phyllo, and the adorable Honey Bear Cream Puff ($5.75), brown choux filled with honey Biscoff cream, finished in a teddy bear design.
If you go: 4270 Aloma Ave. in Winter Park, 407-916-0215; 501 Orlando Ave. in Winter Park, 321-972-8047; 429 N. Alafaya Trail in Orlando, 407-203-1227; lightonthesugar.com
Stop by Peterbrooke Chocolatier of Winter Park for freshly dipped berries. They’ve got extended hours this week, up to and including the big day. (Courtesy Lisa Wilk/TasteCookSip.com)
Peterbrooke Chocolatier of Winter Park
Chocolate-covered strawberries are a true love language. Stop by Peterbrooke on Park Avenue for freshly dipped berries. And of course, the rest of the shop isn’t un-delicious, either. Choices abound. Peterbrooke Chocolatier of Winter Park will be open 9 a.m.-10:15 p.m. on Feb. 12, 7 a.m.-11:59 p.m. Feb. 13 and has extended Valentine’s Day hours from 6 a.m.-11:59 p.m.on Feb. 14.
If you go: 300 S. Park Ave. in Winter Park, 407-644-3200; peterbrooke.com/pages/winter-park
Want to reach out? Find me on Facebook, Twitter or Instagram @amydroo or on the OSFoodie Instagram account @orlando.foodie. Email: amthompson@orlandosentinel.com. For more fun, join the Let’s Eat, Orlando Facebook group.