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This Valentine’s Day parfait with chocolate and cherries offers the perfect sweet treat for a dessert party (see my notes below serving ideas) and the components can easily be doubled or tripled to feed a crowd. Or, it makes an equally easy Valentine’s Day dessert for sweethearts celebrating the holiday at home.
As far as desserts go, I think parfaits are extremely underrated. These no-bake, layered desserts take minimal effort to prepare, and they’re highly adaptable, with plenty of room for creativity. (Plus the layers always look so pretty, and I love the mix of flavors and textures intertwined in a single bite.) I also appreciate the make-ahead aspect: I’ll often prepare the individual components in advance, which means less to do day of my event or dinner party.
A Pretty Pink Valentine’s Day Parfait
Parfaits are especially fun to customize for different occasions (like this Eton Mess I made to celebrate the King’s Coronation!)
This Valentine’s Day version features layers of cherry compote, crushed Oreo cookies, and eggless chocolate mousse, plus swirls of pink whipped cream and a generous dose of Valentine’s Day sprinkles. But you you could easily adapt this recipe for Saint Patrick’s Day by substituting peppermint oil for the almond extract, using green gel food coloring instead of pink, and adding shamrock sprinkles rather than hearts.
Choosing Your Valentine’ Day Parfait Glasses
As written, this Valentine’s Day recipe will make two large (stemless wine glass-sized) parfaits, or 3-4 smaller parfaits. This is a rich combination of flavors, so I’d suggest smaller portions if you’re planning to serve your parfaits following a full meal. (For a special treat, the larger size will be fine; just make sure you’ve saved plenty of room for dessert!)
You can assemble your Valentine’s Day parfait in champagne flutes, ramekins, plastic dessert cups, or anything else you’d like. You might need to adjust the fillings accordingly, based on the size of your containers. If you don’t want to make double batches of the mousse or whipped cream, I suggest adding extra crushed Oreos, or even introducing an additional element like fresh cherries or chunks of chopped dark chocolate.
In pastry school, we learned to make verrines, which are parfait-style desserts assembled in thin, tall glasses:
This Valentine’s Day parfait recipe would work nicely in verrine-style glasses, like these, from Amazon.
Making the Chocolate Mousse
The “chocolate mousse” in this recipe is an easy, eggless chocolate mousse made with whipped cream, melted chocolate, and a touch of vanilla bean paste. It’s not quite as elegant as a traditional chocolate mousse, but it comes together in a matter of minutes and tastes absolutely sensational, especially when paired with the Oreos, cherries, and almond whipped cream.
During the recipe testing process, I found that the chocolate temperatures are of utmost importance here. Too hot, and the chocolate will melt the cream, but too cold and the chocolate will set in the bowl. Ideally, you want to melt the chocolate and let it sit for a few minutes so it’s closer to room temperature, but still very fluid. If it’s started to set around the edges, simply rewarm over the bain marie and try again. Also, be sure to temper the two ingredients (combining just a little bit of the chocolate and cream at first) rather mixing everything together in one go, which can cause the mixture to sieze.
Finally, don’t worry if your mousse doesn’t look perfectly smooth; it’s fine to see little strands of chocolate in the cream. You’ll notice these in my process photos below.
Make It a Chocolate Cherry Parfait!
I used this cherry compote recipe to make my parfaits. It’s really easy to make from scratch, and you can use fresh or frozen cherries. You’ll need about 150 grams, or 1/2 cup of cherry compote for this parfait recipe.
If you don’t want to make your own, you can substitute a store-bought cherry compote, or cherry preserves, instead.
Whipped Cream Notes
These parfaits feature a standard whipped cream (made from heavy cream/whipping cream and confectioner’s sugar) with a few extra Valentine’s Day touches. I’ve added pink gel food coloring to achieve the vibrant color, as well as almond extract.
I love the flavor combination of almonds and cherries, and I think it works especially well in this recipe. But if you don’t like almond, you can substitute vanilla bean paste, cherry flavoring, or any other extract you’d like. And if you want a more natural-looking parfait, you can also omit the pink gel coloring and make a natural white whipped cream instead.
If desired, you can also make these Valentine’s Day parfaits with coconut whipped cream.
Oreo Parfait Variations and Subsitutions
I used Chocolate Creme Oreos, but regular, double-stuffed, etc. will also work. Or, feel free to substitute any other kind of chocolate cookies or biscuits you’d like. You could even use something like a homemade chocolate shortbread.
If you don’t like cherries, make your parfait with a strawberry or raspberry jam or compote instead.
I think the Valentine’s Day sprinkles add a perfect finishing touch to these parfaits, but feel free express your creativity. Pink sanding sugar, white nonpareils, edible glitter, or crushed freeze-dried cherries would all make great garnishes. You could also add a sprig of fresh mint, or even a bit of edible gold leaf if you’re feeling extra-fancy.
Make-Ahead and Storage Suggestions
Both the cherry compote and the chocolate mousse can be prepared ahead of time.
You can make the compote up to three days in advance and store it in an airtight container in the refrigerator. (Or, make it up to one month in advance and freeze it in an airtight container. The night before you want to make the parfaits, just transfer the container to the fridge to thaw—this is what I did.) Prepare the chocolate mousse up to 24 hours in advance, then transfer it to a piping bag and store the bag in the fridge until ready to use.
I do not suggest pre-making the whipped cream. It only takes a few minutes to whip up (pun intended!), so save this step until you’re ready to put the parfaits together.
Finally, do not attempt to assemble your Valentine’s Day parfait components more than an hour or two before you plan to serve them. Otherwise, you’ll find yourself with soggy (not crunchy) Oreos, and watery whipped cream.
Other Valentine’s Day dessert recipes you might enjoy:
Heart-Shaped Strawberry Marshmallows
Strawberry Peppermint Patties
Homemade Chocolate Covered Cherries
Raspberry Truffles
Valentine’s Day Chocolate Bark
Red Velvet Whoopie Pies
And if you do make these, or any of my recipes, don’t forget to tag me @bastecutfold or use the hashtag #bastecutfold on Instagram. I always love to see what you’re making!
Valentine’s Day Parfait with Chocolate and Cherries
- Total Time: 40 minutes
- Yield: 2 large parfaits, or 4 small parfaits 1x
Description
A Valentine’s Day parfait featuring layers of cherry compote, Oreo cookies, chocolate mousse, and pink whipped cream. An easy Valentine’s Day dessert to make at home!
Ingredients
Chocolate Mousse:
75 grams chopped dark chocolate (1/2 cup)
230 milliliters whipping cream (1 cup)
1/2 teaspoon vanilla bean paste
Pinch salt
Whipped Cream:
140 milliliters cold whipping cream (2/3 cup)
15 grams confectioner’s sugar (1 tablespoon)
1/8 teaspoon almond oil
1–2 drops pink gel food coloring
Assembly:
150 grams cherry compote, store-bought or homemade (1/2 cup)
40 grams crushed Oreos (about 1/2 cup)
Shaved dark chocolate, crushed Oreos, or Valentine’s Day sprinkles, to garnish
Instructions
Chocolate Mousse:
Add the chopped dark chocolate to a bain marie or double boiler.
Melt over low heat, stirring gently, until completely melted. Remove from heat and set aside.
In a large metal bowl or the bowl of a stand mixer, whip the cream on high speed until soft peaks form, about 2 1/2 minutes.
Mix in the vanilla bean paste and salt.
With a rubber spatula, fold 2-3 tablespoons of melted chocolate into the whipped cream.
Gently fold the remaining whipped cream into the melted chocolate, a few tablespoons at a time, until all chocolate has been incorporated.
Transfer to a piping bag.
Whipped Cream:
In a large mixing bowl or the bowl of a stand mixer, add the chilled whipping cream. Whip on medium-high speed until soft peaks form.
Mix in the confectioner’s sugar, followed by the almond extract and pink gel food coloring.
Taste and adjust, adding more sugar or almond extract, if desired.
Transfer whipped cream to a piping bag fitted with a star or other decorative tip.
Assembly:
Spoon the cherry compote into the bottom of two stemless wine glasses*, dividing the mixture equally between the two.
Pipe half of the chocolate mousse over top of the compote.
Sprinkle crushed Oreos over top of the chocolate mousse.
Pipe with the remaining chocolate mousse.
Pipe the whipped cream on top.
Garnish parfaits as desired.
Serve immediately.
Notes
This recipe makes two large (stemless wine glass-sized) parfaits, or four smaller (verrine-sized) parfaits. See the post above for glass suggestions.
I made my Valentine’s Day parfaits using this cherry compote recipe, but feel free to substitute a store-bought compote or cherry jam.
- Prep Time: 40 minutes
- Category: Custard and Pudding Recipes
- Method: No Bake
- Cuisine: Desserts
