Care for a slice of vintage Sweet Story Cake?

Though we may still be up to our vintage hat brims in snow and ice, there's a renewed sense of happiness - what in decades past would have frequently been called gaiety - to the weeks of mid-February. They house Valentine's Day, which even if you're not a massive fan of, surely you can find at least one positive in: the fact that it is the perfect excuse to indulge in your favourite sweet treats!
 
Chocolates are swell, sugar cookies stamped out with festive cutters are always great, and decadent mousses, puddings and parfaits have their rightful - and very tasty – place at the table, but sometimes, especially when serving a holiday crowd, one wants a handy-dandy, no-fuss, thoroughly celebratory cake to cut into. If that what you're in the mood for as February 14th draws nearer than you, my dear, are in luck because today's fun mid-century vintage dessert recipes delivers on that front big time!

Boasting a liberal coating of pink frosting and elegantly arranged silver nonpareils, this 1940s maraschino cherry flavoured, relatively quick to prepare, vintage dessert is sure to put a smile on the faces of even the staunchest opponents of Valentine's Day! :)

{A few simple ingredients, many or all of which you may have to hand already, are all it takes to make this marvelously festive mid-century Sweet Story Valentine's Day Cake. Vintage recipe image source.}

Don't fret or sweat for the tiniest of moments if nonpareils aren't your favourite ingredient, you can easily jazz up this charming heart shaped cake with red sprinkles/jimmies or sanding sugar instead. And though they wouldn't likely be festively hued in shades of red or pink, small slivered almonds would be a lovely and very delicious option as well.

I've always been a big fan of elegant verging on kitschy vintage cakes, which I think this Valentine's Day beaut nails squarely on the head. They seem to speak of a simpler time, before shows like Cake Boss and sites like Pinterest made the average home cook run the risk of feeling like he or she was failing to measure up to the skills held by a very small number of extremely talented pastry chefs and professional bakers around the world.

I can, humbly, cook and bake with the best of them, but I'm not a cake artist in the slightest, so I love it when vintage desserts like this easily allow me - and you alike - to deliver an eye-catchingly fantastic sweet treat to the table that will receive hearty nods of approval and admiration from one and all.

After all, baking, like Valentine's Day itself, shouldn't be stressful. Both offer up the promise of fun and deliciousness - a combination that is hard to beat anytime of the year!