Chocolate Covered Buttercream Filled Heart Cakes Valentine’s Day

February has been celelebrated as the month of romance for centuries.

The tradition has it’s origins in Christian and ancient roman traditions, the day itself being named after St. Valentine. The Catholic Church recognizes three different saints named Valentine and all were martyrs.

The most common legend associated with St. Valentine is that when Emperor Claudius II outlawed marriage for the young men of that period  beleiving that single men made better soldiers, St.Valentine continued to perform marriages for young lovers in secret. When St.Valentines defiance of the decree was discovered it was ordered that he be put to death.

While the facts are unclear many think that Valentines day is celebrated in mid February to commemorate St. Valentines death which took place at approximately 270 A.D, others believe it was an attempt to christianize the pagan holiday of Lupercalia, which was a fertility festival celebrated on February 15th. 

Popular as far back as the middle ages written Valentines day greetings only stared appearing after the 1400’s. 

It was in the middle if the 18th century that Valentine’s day, celebrated in many parts of the world, gained tremendous popularity. It became common for friends and lovers to exchange written notes and small tokens of affection. Advances in printing in the 1900’s and the advent of printed cards replaced the handwritten notes and made it much easier for  people to send and recieve Valentines greetings make the tradition even more popular. 

The giving of chocolate as a sign of affection on this special day is popular the world over. Chocolate is often associated with feelings of happiness and it’s no wonder why. Chocolate contains an natural antidepressant called phenylethylamine, it’s also one of the chemicals your brain produces when you fall in love. It also contains tryptophan linked to serotonin production, which produces feelings of happiness. 

If you’re looking for something special to make this Valentine’s day check out the video above. It’s a wonderful and easy to make recipe for delicious mini heart cakes ,filled with pink buttercream frosting and double dipped in both dark and white chocolate. They make a perfect Valentine’s day treat!