Holidays & Occasions Valentine's Day 14 Valentine's Day Desserts Where Chocolate Isn't the Star By Marissa Wu Marissa Wu Marissa Wu is a writer with a love for home, food, travel, and art stories. She holds a journalism degree from Boston University. When not editing and producing articles or updating the homepage, she's trying new recipes, jolting along in her manual transmission car, Fitz; hammering out a manuscript on her 1930s Royal Aristocrat typewriter, Georgie; and making film photographs with her Rolleiflex, Cecil. She's currently an Associate SEO Editor for PureWow. Southern Living's editorial guidelines Published on January 4, 2022 Share Tweet Pin Email Trending Videos Photo: Zoe Denenberg; Prop Styling: Grant Gaar This year, skip the usual box of chocolates and grocery store flowers in favor of a Valentine's Day dessert without chocolate. Instead of a mad dash to the store after work, plan ahead with these delicious confections that even Aphrodite and Cupid are sure to approve of. You'll quickly find that there are plenty of ways to say, "I love you" that instead feature jewel-toned red fruits (like strawberry and raspberry), crisp and custom-decorated cookies, rich pound cakes, decadent layer cakes, and other confections. Whether you want a simple recipe or want to try your hand at something elaborate, you won't miss the chocolate one bit. Replace the bouquet of red roses with our Raspberry-White Chocolate Meringue Sandwich Cookies or White Cupcakes with Rose Petals for that romantic touch. Still on the fence? Remember the wise words of Forrest Gump. Boxes of chocolates can be wild cards—but these recipes are sure winners. 01 of 14 Strawberry Swirl Cream Cheese Pound Cake Jennifer Davick Recipe: Strawberry Swirl Cream Cheese Pound Cake Serve slices to friends after a galentine's day dinner. The strawberry swirls add just the right touch of red. Don't forget whipped cream and fresh strawberries on the side. 02 of 14 Raspberry-White Chocolate Meringue Sandwich Cookies Antonis Achilleos; Food Styling: Rishon Hanners; Prop Styling: Audrey Davis Recipe: Raspberry-White Chocolate Meringue Sandwich Cookies Who needs a bouquet of roses when you have these edible beauties? 03 of 14 Strawberry Shortcake Sheet Cake Johnny Autry; Food and Prop Styling: Charlotte L. Autry Recipe: Strawberry Shortcake Sheet Cake Gathering a group for Valentine's Day? A sheet cake makes it easy and we promise this one is delicious. 04 of 14 Marbled Sugar Heart Cookies Zoe Denenberg; Prop Styling: Grant Gaar Recipe: Marbled Sugar Heart Cookies Whether you're giving them to friends, family, or a special someone, our marbled cookies promise to dazzle. 05 of 14 White Chocolate Raspberry Loaf Cake Photo: Antonis Achilleos, Prop Styling: Kay Clarke, Food Styling: Emily Nabors Hall Recipe: White Chocolate Raspberry Loaf Cake Dense, soft cake gets studded with jewel-toned raspberries and coated in an elegant layer of ganache. 06 of 14 Lemon Raspberry Cake Caitlin Bensel; Food Styling: Melissa Gray; Prop Styling: Missie Neville Crawford Recipe: Lemon Raspberry Cake Tart lemon and sweet raspberry are a refreshing way to finish off a decadent Valentine's Day meal. 07 of 14 Honey Almond Cake with Berries and Mascarpone Creme Fraiche Crowne Media Recipe: Honey Almond Cake with Berries and Mascarpone Creme Fraiche This fluffy, nutty, three-layer cake is a beauty—top with fresh red berries for a simple Valentine's Day presentation. 08 of 14 Strawberries-and-Cream Sheet Cake Hector Sanchez Recipe: Strawberries-and-Cream Sheet Cake You can't go wrong with a bright pink cake and strawberry-flecked frosting. You just can't. 09 of 14 Cheerwine Cherry Cupcakes with Cherry-Swirl Frosting Antonis Achilleos; Food Styling: Emily Nabors Hall; Prop Styling: Kathleen Varner Recipe: Cheerwine Cherry Cupcakes with Cherry-Swirl Frosting The North Carolina cherry soda gets the cupcake treatment. We guarantee there will be no protests. 10 of 14 Strawberry Cream Pie Southern Living Recipe: Strawberry Cream Pie Strawberries sit suspended in a silky custard, glazed with a red currant jelly that makes everything glossy. 11 of 14 Lemon Cupcakes with Raspberry Buttercream Jennifer Causey Recipe: Lemon Cupcakes with Raspberry Buttercream Sweet, pink swirls of buttercream complement the gently tart cupcakes for a fun, personal Valentine's Day treat. 12 of 14 Mini Strawberry Chiffon Pies Cedric Angeles; Prop Styling: Claire Spollen; Food Styling: Torie Cox Recipe: Mini Strawberry Chiffon Pies Mini desserts are always fun, and this one is also easy, thanks to some strawberry gelatin and pre-made pie crust. 13 of 14 Old-Fashioned Caramel Cake Jennifer Davick Recipe: Old-Fashioned Caramel Cake Decadent. To die for. Need we say more? Don't be surprised if there's not a crumb left. 14 of 14 Conversation Heart Sugar Cookies Zoe Denenberg; Prop Styling: Grant Gaar Recipe: Conversation Heart Sugar Cookies Personalize the message or grab a box of candy hearts for inspiration. Was this page helpful? Thanks for your feedback! Tell us why! Other Submit