Local venues geared with Valentine’s Day treats

Sweets for the sweet on Valentine’s Day. Some call it a cliche, while others call it classic. (Your opinion, no doubt, depends on how much your sugar likes sugar.)

For those who crave cupcakes, chocolate and cream-filled confections, this is the time to indulge. Here are some ways to satisfy that sweet tooth throughout the central San Joaquin Valley.

This list is by no means comprehensive, so use it as inspiration when you check out the selection of your favorite bakery, chocolate company or winery.

Baked goods

• The CupCakes Bakery at Cedar and Herndon avenues has a variety of Valentine-themed cupcakes. They include red velvet cupcakes with cream-cheese frosting and red candy hearts, vanilla cupcakes with white buttercream frosting and red sprinkles and coconut cupcakes with pink frosting.

  A standard cupcake is $2.20, while miniature cupcakes are 95 cents. Call (559) 325-0935 to place advance orders.

• A more elaborate gift is the cupcake bouquet at The Frosted Muffin, 108 S. Church St., Visalia. With 10 cupcakes attached to a ceramic red box, it resembles a bunch of glittery red flowers in a vase.

  The cupcakes are in assorted flavors: vanilla butter, cinnamon red velvet, marble, triple chocolate and psychedelic (vanilla with pink and red sprinkles). Individual cupcakes also are available.

  Call (559) 786-2886 to place orders.

• For more elaborate desserts, folks in the Oakhurst area can call the Zabicki family. Their businesses — Crab Cakes restaurant, Sweet Dreams Cakery and Sweet Dreams Wedding Flowers — are teaming up for Valentine’s weekend.

  The Zabickis aim to turn Crab Cakes into a cozy spot for couples. Instead of large, family-friendly tables, customers will see small ones covered with red-and-white linens. Guests can request personalized bouquets of dendrobium orchids and red spray roses from Sweet Dreams.

  And diners can select Sweet Dreams’ desserts made just for Saturday and Sunday. There’s a strawberry Napoleon, with layers of phyllo dough and citrus Bavarian cream topped with sugared strawberries and almonds. The raspberry Charlotte also contains citrus Bavarian cream; this time, it’s surrounded by thin slices of jelly roll cake with raspberry jam. Creme Anglaise and raspberry sauce finish the dish.

  Heart-shaped chocolate cake is covered with ganache and filled with a toffee-studded vanilla Bavarian cream. And the mocha almond torte is filled with ganache and mocha buttercream.

  Crab Cakes is at 40278 Stagecoach Road, Suite 7, Oakhurst. For reservations, call (559) 641-7667.

Wine

• The Madera Wine Trail will host “Wine & Chocolate Weekend” 10 a.m.-5 p.m., Saturday and Sunday. A passport wine glass, which allows access to all of the wineries, is $25, or $20 in advance of the event.
  For the full list of participating wineries and their offerings, go to maderavintners.com. Treats include dark chocolate-covered strawberries at Chateau Lasgoity and chocolate port at Ficklin Vineyards.

  For more information, call the Madera Vintners Association at (800) 613-0709.

• The Fresno County Wine Journey also is hosting its “Wine and Chocolate Lovers Weekend” noon-5 p.m. Saturday and Sunday. This is a free event for guests who bring their own wine glasses.

  Go to fresnowines.com for a map of the Fresno County Wine Journey. Call (559) 277-1656 for more information.

• Water 2 Wine in Clovis also has a product that’s particularly suited to Valentine’s Day: chocolate-raspberry port.

  The winery’s latest batch will be ready on Saturday. After Valentine’s Day, the price of the chocolate-raspberry port will be $20.95 instead of $16.95.

  Also on Friday and Saturday, Water 2 Wine will offer wine tastings with red velvet cheesecakes and cupcakes from Dore Bakery in Clovis.

  Water 2 Wine is located in the Sierra Pavilions Shopping Center, at Sunnyside and Shaw Avenues. The events will take place 5-8 p.m. on both days and cost $10 per person. For more information, call (559) 299-1333.

• In Kingsburg, the Ramos Torres Winery will pour about five wines and serve accompanying chocolate desserts.

  Ramos Torres’ tasting room is at 1665 Simpson St., Kingsburg. The event takes place noon-6 p.m. Saturday and Sunday. Tickets are $6, or $5 for wine club members. Call (559) 419-9159 for more information.

Chocolate

• Bouquet of Fruits is hosting an open house with Valentine’s Day treats noon-5 p.m. Saturday. Samples of chocolate-covered strawberries, chocolate-caramel apples, fresh raspberries enrobed in chocolate, truffles, and fresh clementines dipped in chocolate are among the treats.

  The tasting will occur at the California Gourmet Co., which is Bouquet of Fruit’s retail location in Fig Garden Village.

  Call (559) 432-9135 for more information.

• Also check out other local chocolate shops.
• Timothy Adams Chocolates sells confections such as salted dark chocolate caramels, lemon truffles, and coffee walnut praline bonbons at the Vineyard farmers market, Shaw and Blackstone avenues. (Call (559) 696-1520 for more information.)
• G. Debbas Chocolatier in Fresno sells wine-filled chocolates and chocolate truffles. Call (559) 294-2071. Reimer’s Candies & Gifts in Three Rivers has heart-shaped boxes filled with chocolates. Call (559) 561-4576. And Stafford’s Famous Chocolates in Porterville sells molded chocolate roses. Call (559) 784-6640.

By Joan Obra / The Fresno Bee