Valentine’s hearts (EN)

Although there are three layers (marzipan-chocolate, vanilla & strawberry) to make these hearts, they are quit fast and easy to create. A bit of patience and the time is needed when you fill the silicon mold with layers to create the hearts.
I wish to all of us lots of love every day, and in this special Valentin’s day such sweet surprises as these Valentine’s hearts

Serves: 12 small hearts (as shown on the picture below)
PREP Time: 1 h + soaking time and freezing time
Difficulty: medium +

To make the hearts you will need silicon mold in the shape of heart(s) as shown below or any other of your choice. Just make sure it is silicon.

Marzipan – chocolate layer*
Ingredients:
¾ cup (115 grams) dry dates
7 dry plums (40 grams)
1 cup (300 ml) warm water
50 grams 70% dark, sugar and gluten free chocolate (cracked into small pieces)
100 grams almond flour – you can use oat flour instead but of course it will have a different flavor.

Step by step:
In a sauce pan, soak dates and plums with one cup of warm water for an hour. When time is up, put the sauce pan on the stove and bring it to simmer over medium heat and let it cook for approx. 10-15 minutes until fruits are puree and water evaporated. When ready put it aside and add pieces of chocolate, mix it with a spoon until the chocolate is melted and evenly incorporated. Add almond flour and mix it well. There should not be any white spots of almond flour visible. Cool it down completely.

*It is a recipe for Amaranth Marzipan Truffles too. See here:

Vanilla layer:
Ingredients:
1 cup raw cashews
¼ cup agave syrup
2 tsp vanilla extract
Pure water – just enough to blend all ingredients

Step by step:
1. Soak the cashews in plain water overnight (discard the water at the end). Or soak it in warm water for an hour.
2. In a blender, add all ingredients and blend until smooth.

NOTE: The smoothness of the vanilla cashew cream depends on how powerful your blender is. My final cream looks more like a cottage cheese than a smooth spreadable cream but I am happy with that. Be careful with adding too much of water! Add a bit at a time. If your blender is weak, you will most likely have to add more water to get that creamy consistency. From time to time, stop the blender, scrape the sides and continue to blend until smooth.

Strawberry layer:
Ingredients:
450 gr frozen strawberries
½ cup xylitol or any sweetener of your choice
2 tsp corn starch
2 tsp pure water

Step by step:
1. Add strawberries in to the sauce pan, cover it with the lid and keep on a medium high heat. The strawberries will release the water and within 10 to 15 minutes break down into small pieces (if they are big you can smash them with a fork).  In the meantime add xylitol and continue cooking.  Keep stiring it from time to time to prevent from scorching.
2. Once the strawberries are ready, mix cornstarch with water and add a bit at a time while stirring. Let the mixture simmer for a couple of minutes to cook off any starchiness. Remember that the strawberry jam/jelly will thicken even more as it cools. Pour into a bowl and let cool before using.

Assembling the Valentines hearts (watch the video at:  ):

1. Place the silicon mold on a movable stable surface (for example: plastic board) that will help you to move it into the freezer once the dessert is assembled.
2. Every layer of the heart should have the same thickness. The amount of each mixture will depend on the size of the heart you are making.   I used 1 1/2 tsp of each mixture for one heart.
3. Fill in the bottom of each heart with the marzipan chocolate mixture. Make sure that it is spread evenly. Do the same with the next layer which is the vanilla cashew cream and top it with the final strawberry jam/jelly layer- see in the video above.
4. Once ready, put the hearts into the freezer for minim 2 hours or overnight. Thanks to this the hearts will become firm and they will be easy to take out from the silicon mold.
5. Once ready, remove them from the silicon mold (there is an easy and more difficult way – see in the video above at 6:31)
6. Allow them to get the room temperature and eat right away to enjoy not just the taste but also their look. After 30 minutes from being taken from the fridge the vanilla cream darkens and mixes up with a bit of strawberry juice from the jelly. It taste same delicious but no longer look as appetizing.

Step by step video: LINK