5 sweet treats.

Ah, Valentine's day. The commercial holiday. No doubt gift stores and florists and chocolatiers love this day (well, the bosses love it, the staff probably hate it...). Shop windows are filled with red and pink hearts, and the price of red roses shoots up to stupid prices.

But enough about that. The reason I'm posting this list today is because sweets are a common gift given on Valentine's day, and I have an insatiable sweet tooth. I've been known to do more baking than cooking, simply so I can subsequently wolf down my creation almost singlehandedly. I will eat pretty almost anything if it's sweet, but here are some towards which I am particularly partial.

1. Kueh Lapis

Every year I visit my relatives in Singapore, I make sure to buy a slice (or ten) of kueh lapis. For those who don't know, kueh lapis is a type of layered cake baked one layer at a time, similar to a baumkuchen (just Google it). It's a painstaking, time-consuming process, which means that each slice is half the size and twice the price of any other kueh in the store... But it's so worth it.

(Pictured: kueh lapis, found on the internet...it's a super duper close-up shot too.)

2. Macarons

Gosh, me and my expensive taste. :S I am a sucker for macarons in any flavour really, though my favourite so far has got to be salted caramel. Although I don't have many chances to eat these, I've had plenty of hit-and-miss ones, like a particular gargantuan 'macaron' from Bordeaux bakery in Wellington that was more like a chocolate cake crossed with a sandwich cookie. Tbh there was nothing macaron-y about it at all. :/

(Pictured: Macarons I bought from Canele in Singapore)

3. Gelato

Why must it be gelato, and not ice cream, I wonder? It's probably because gelato has a richer, creamier taste than ice cream. And all the wondeful flavours it comes in! Tiramisu, Ferero Rocher, gingerbread, Toblerone, coconut... I am a real sucker for these creamy sorts of flavours. Ah, I feel a bit of a craving coming on...

(Pictured: My Jelly Tip-flavoured gelato, and my cousin's cookies and cream one, at Cicerello's in Perth)

4. Red Velvet Cake

I must admit that the only red velvet cakes I've ever had were ones that I made myself. It's not a big thing in New Zealand, I don't think. However I do love the combination of the chocolate flavour with the tangy cream cheese frosting. It goes especially well with strawberries, too. In fact I like red velvet so much I made myself a red velvet cake for my birthday last year.

(Pictured: That very birthday cake.)

5. Pudding

Or purin, as it would be pronounced in Japan. I had my first pudding when I was five years old. It was my first time visiting my family in Singapore, and my aunt-to-be (at the time) took us to a Japanese restaurant, where I had pudding for dessert. It would be another ten years or so when I had another one, though this one was technically creme caramel/flan... And another six years later, I had a proper Japanese pudding bought from a combini next to my hotel. In fact, I had pudding every day while I was there. It was glorious.

(Pictured: A pudding I made with Nocturne when she came to stay with me!)