Don’t:

1. Be grumpy and scowl at all your dating/married friends. (also don’t sarcastically ask them their plans for the day.)
2. Listen to the Glee version of We found love on repeat and get depressed. (Best proposal ever, or what?!)
3. Eat a whole bag of peanuts. Trust me on this one.
4. Watch a rom-com and get teary-eyed. (It’s been done to death! Why not try a horror movie?)
5. Pretend like you hate everything about this day. (seriously- not cool.)

Do:

1. Control your gag reflex everytime you see a furry, pink heart.
2. Log onto Pinterest and see something funny like this, something inspirational like this, or something amazing like this. (but try not to spend your WHOLE day there. It’s harder than you might think.)
3. Have a glass of wine with your girlfriends. (Or French fries. French fries are good.)
4. Remind yourself how amazing you are. (and how many people love you!)
5. Bake this cake. This dark chocolate cake. Eat a piece. Maybe two. (Heck, even a third! Who’s watching?)
And know that love will find you, if you want it to.

Hugs to all my ladies! Happy Valentine’s Day 🙂

Dark chocolate flourless cake
Recipe adapted from: Baking Bites

Prep time: 20 mins
Cook time: 22 mins
Serves: 12

Ingredients:

125 g good-quality dark chocolate, broken into pieces

125 g butter (salted is fine), plus a little extra for greasing

150 g castor sugar

3 eggs

50 g cocoa powder

1 tsp vanilla powder

1 tsp coffee powder

Method:

1. Preheat the oven to 190º C. Melt the chocolate and butter in a double-boiler, and mix until glossy and smooth.
2. Add the sugar and mix well. Crack in the eggs one at a time, and incorporate the first before cracking the next. Mix well.
3. Sift in the cocoa, vanilla, and coffee. Mix until everything is incorporated. Line an 8-inch square tin with baking parchment and grease slightly. Pour in the batter and bake in the preheated oven for 22 minutes. Remove and let it cool completely. It will be a bit wobbly when you take it out, but will harden as it cools. Eat plain or with vanilla ice-cream. Tastes even better the next day!