Valentines Day Baking Inspiration

I don't ever need an excuse to bake, but if you're still trying to keep your healthy New Year habits going, but need a great excuse to tuck into some sweet treats, look no further than Valentines Day. If you're coupled up, baked goods are a thoughtful, loving, cheap present. If you're boyfriend is playing badminton on the 14th (naming no names...) then even better - all the cake for you. If you're single, it's a fantastic reason to get together with your friends and have a movie night with the best sort of snacks. Sometimes it's easy to lack inspiration, and so I've trawled the internet to find 10 valentines bakes that will have your mouths watering just looking at the photographs.

1. Chocolate Raspberry Truffle Cupcakes from Annie's Eats

2. Frosted Berry Hand Pies from Foodie Crush

3. Love Letter Sugar Cookie from Country Living - there's no recipe with this. I'd use the sugar cookie recipe below, bake in the rectangle shape, leave to cool, smother with a thin layer of your favourite buttercream recipe and then roll out a thin piece of fondant icing the same shape as your biscuit and stick it on. Then all you need is a food pen, and you're all set.

4. Bakewell Ombre Cake from BBC Good Food

5. Decorated Sugar Cookies from Cooking Classy

6. Strawberry Heart Pancakes from Weelicious

7. Rose Cake from Gimme Some Oven

8. Raspberry Cheesecake Brownies from Sally's Baking Addiction

9. Brownie Bites from The Farm Chicks

10. 2 Ingredient Strawberry Fudge from Sweet Little Peanut