Impress without distress! No bake St. Valentine’s Day, is easy and semi-homemade. All you need is store-bought savoiardi cookies (aka lady fingers), whipped cream, fresh fruits, and a package of strawberry jello. 

Stress-Free St.Valentine’s Treat

If you belong to the team of dining in on Valentine’s Day (I am one of them), you probably wanna give this LOVE cake a try. 

In addition to being so instagramable, this impressive cake is decadent, fluffy, feather light decadent, and rich in flavors and textures. 

It comes together in literally no time! Given that most, if not all, its ingredients are store-bought and it is actually a simple yet pleasant assembling job.  

This revered cake in my family is inspired by my mom’s signature cake “Savoiardi cake” that is reminiscent of all the happy events in our household such as birthdays, Christmas and Easter festivities. 

The Layers of St. Valentine’s Cake 

Don’t be daunted by its sophisticated appearance, this cake takes no more than 30 minutes to assemble, and it only has four layers: 

• Savoiardi (lady’s fingers cookies) 

• Whipped cream 

• fresh red fruits and banana 

• Jello 

• Flavorings 

What Do You need to Make this “No Bake Valentine’s Cake” 

Grab these simple ingredients from the nearest grocery store and you are 15 minutes away for putting it together. 

• Fresh Berries 

• Banana

  Not too ripe nor too hard 

• Savoiardi Cookies

  They are also known as lady fingers. Dip the cookies quickly in the liquid jello, so they don’t fall apart and arrange them in one layer in the mold. These are the same cookies used to make the iconic Italian dessert Tiramisu.

• Whipping Cream 

Store-bought whipped cream such as Cool Whip is legit, I personally occasionaly.  That said, you can whip up the cream in less time than the trip to the store. Check how to make the perfect whipped cream here.

I like to flavor the whipped cream in this recipe with vanilla extract and the zest of one orange. Yet, I believe a drizzle of strawberry liquor could give the cake an edge, if you only serve it to adults . 

• Jello

Strawberry jello is my no brainer choice, given the color and the flavor that goes so well with the berries and the cream.

• Cake Mold 

Use a spring form mold with a detachable base and make sure to spray it before layering the cake.

In case you lack a cheese cake mold or a heart shape mold with a detachable base , opt for a clear Pyrex square dish. Layer the case and serve it as a tiramisu. 

• Fridge

Placing your cake in the fridge overnight will ensure that the cookies soak up the juices of the fruits, while the whipped cream stabilize, and embrace the aromas and notes of vanilla and orange zest.  It is much easier to slice the cake into clean, beautiful layered slices, after it has rested in the fridge over night.

Step By Step Video

Watch this step by step video in case you still have second thoughts!

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No Bake Valentine’s Cake 

Recipe credit to Nani France, my mother 

Serves 4- 6 people 

INGREDIENTS

• 12-14 lady’s fingers, or more if a bigger mold is used
• 1 packet strawberry jello 
• 2 bananas, sliced 
• 200 grams strawberry, sliced

Whipped Cream 

• 1 cup whipping cream, cold 
• 2 tablespoons icing sugar 
• 1 teaspoon vanilla
• 1 tablespoon of orange zest 

DIRECTIONS

1. Prepare the mold. Spray or wipe the cake mold with non-flavored oil. 
2. Make the whipped cream. Add the whipping cream to the bowl of a stand mixer. Beat first at low speed for 1 minute, add the vanilla and the orange zest and then increase the speed to medium. Add the sugar one tablespoon at a time. Stop the mixer when soft peaks form. Chill in the fridge until you are ready to assemble the cake.
3. Prepare the jello. Get the jello ready according to the package instructions, keep it in a clean during container and let it sit on the counter until you are ready to assemble the cake. 
4. Assemble the cake. Quickly dip the lady’s fingers in the liquid jello container, (remove it before it falls apart in the jello) and arrange it carefully in the bottom of the mold, trying not to leave any big gaps in between. trim the cookies to fit in the mold and to fill the gapes. Add a thick layer of whipped cream on top of the lady’ fingers. Even out the cream layer, and arrange the fruits on top in two layers so all the cream is covered with fruits.  Slowly, add the liquid jello until it reaches the rim of the mold. (watch the video)
5. Chill the cake in the fridge. Keep the cake in the fridge preferably overnight. 
6. Unmold the cake. Run a knife around the edges to separate the cake from the walls of the mold. Unfasten the mold ring or detach the base to demold the cake. If you are using a glass dish, no demolding is required, just serve it directly from the pan. 
7. Garnish the cake with pipped cream roses, orange rind curls and/or red fruits and serve cold. 

NOTES 

• To whip up the cream faster and easier, keep the container and the balloon whisk in the freezer, so they are chilled enough when you whip the cream.
• For beautiful and more defined pipped roses., add a spoonful of skimmed powder milk to the whipping cream to stabilize it.
• Spare the stress of unmolding the cake and assemble it in a glass square dish 8”x 8″.

 

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