I know, I know. This might not be you. It's certainly not me. But I hear rumors that there are non-chocolate folks are out there, and since we're all here a few days before Valentine's Day, I thought it was about time we brainstormed some decadent, festive desserts that don't contain chocolate.
I love any excuse to have a good dark truffle or a few squares of chocolate, but I also love trying out new recipes to please others who have tastes quite different from my own. While I might be inclined to bake up a chocolate cake or a batch of cupcakes, it's not where everyone's interests lie (my boyfriend included).
So I have gathered together a nice variety of desserts that are seasonal for us right now and are quite different from one another. Hopefully you'll find something for every kind of dessert person here. There are a few different dreamy-looking cakes, a simple galette, decadent pudding and a bright citrus tart.
What's Your Favorite Non-Chocolate Dessert?
Try a Recipe:
1. Raspberry Lemon Cake - I Am a Food Blog
2. Apple Pomegranate Galette - A Couple Cooks
3. Coffee Pudding - The First Mess
4. Pinenut Butter Cake - Good Things Grow
5. White Grapefruit Tart with Sweet Rye Crust - The Yellow House
Related: 5 Ways to Indulge Yourself in the Kitchen on Valentine's Day
(Image: I Am a Food Blog)
How to Bake a Potato: Three Easy Methods
How To Cook Tender, Chewy Wheat Berries on the Stovetop
Good Food to Share 
The Big Book of Small, Cool Spaces 
Apartment Therapy Presents 
The Eight-Step Home Cure 
Straw Mat from The ...
10 No-Fail Decor Tricks & Tips for Small Spaces
Beth's Romantic & Retro Residence
I am so excited about sharing these cupcakes because they are so pretty, delicious and unusual- Valentine's Day Beet Cupcakes. Yes, BEETS! They are bright red, super moist and perfect for Valentine's Day. Pureed beets make them a little healthier and very festive. Don't worry, they don't taste like beets.
http://hotspicyandskinny.com/2013/02/11/valentines-day-beet-cupcakes-5-points/
Those all sound delicious-especially the apple and pomegranate galette...but I'm still a chocolate lover at heart! ;-)
I like this simple french Quatre quarts cake, it's like a poundcake, and it's nice with whipped cream and fruit or a fruit compote...
http://outoftheordinaryfood.com/2012/10/22/french-cake-a-week-quatre-quarts/
Here's a meyer lemon, rosemary and black pepper mousse, which is nice with ginger cookies...
http://outoftheordinaryfood.com/2012/05/08/meyer-lemon-rosemary-black-pepper-mousse-chocolate-covered-ginger-shortbread/
Champagne mango tart with cardamom pastry cream and ginger shortbread crust...
http://outoftheordinaryfood.com/2012/05/03/champagne-mango-tart-with-cardamom-pastry-cream-and-ginger-shortbread/
Blueberry pie and honey ice cream...
http://outoftheordinaryfood.com/2012/07/02/blueberry-pie-honey-ice-cream-with-smoked-sea-salt/
And lovely spicy honey ice cream, with cayenne and ginger...
http://outoftheordinaryfood.com/2013/01/25/spicy-honey-ice-cream-and-almond-coconut-ice-cream/
My ideal Valentine would bring me that galette haha!
I was thinking of making Smitten Kitchen's Raspberry Buttermilk cake - it would be perfect, especially if you arrange the raspberries in a heart shape. :D
http://smittenkitchen.com/blog/2009/05/raspberry-buttermilk-cake/
Oh Rhoswen, Smitten Kitchen's raspberry buttermilk cake is FANTASTIC. I make it alot esp. in the summer when seasonal fruit is available, varying the fruit (raspberries, blueberries, cut up strawberries or peaches) and the zest (lemon, orange, lime). It is so quick and easy and absolutely foolproof, and most importantly so delicious. And "light" and fruity enough to pass for breakfast. : ) Plus it's good size for our two-person household (where it lasts *maybe* two days...).
My boyfriend also doesnt like chocolate! weirdos... lol. I like a nice fruit crumble if I can't have chocolate
My husband is allergic to chocolate, so this is great!
There must be chocolate on Valentine's Day!! It's in the Constitution or something. I don't know if I could have a sweetie who didn't like chocolate, but then again, more chocolate for me!!!
I was thinking of a spin on the (either cliche or tried and true, depending on how you feel about it) chocolate lava cake, this dulce de leche lava cake from Bon Appetit.
http://www.bonappetit.com/recipes/2012/08/molten-dulce-de-leche-cakes
unless I'm in the throes of pms, I'll always opt for lemon over chocolate ... even on valentine's day!!
As a person who's never liked chocolate and often feels left out (I still love dessert!), thanks for the post! :)
when I found out my best friend was indifferent to chocolate, I almost had a heart attack.
what about Banoffee Pie? It's dulce de leche, bananas, whipped cream in a graham cracker crust. It's fabulous.
I'm thinking of a (sugar-free) frozen banana cream pie. The crust has just a bit of cocoa, so it's a hybrid of chocolate and not.
I like chocolate but am not crazy about it like most of the world seems to be :-) I'll take a lemon or coffee cake or a simple Victoria sponge with glace icing over chocolate any day. Especially over those mousse and ganache-laden cakes. So, thank you!
Thanks for sharing these, but with my boyfriend has chocolate allergies and the cacao powder in the Coffee Pudding recipe will not do. Is there a good substitute for the cacao powder in this recipe instead?
I prefer my chocolate in the form of Maison du Chocolat truffles :)
For a non-chocolate dessert, I'd recommend these moist, gooey and slightly mysterious sticky toffee puddings:
http://spiceboxtravels.com/2013/02/12/for-your-sweet-valentine-individual-sticky-toffee-puddings/
Happy Valentine's Day!