A dozen roses would be challenged to compete with the delectable Sweethearts Cake from Nick Morgenstern, the ice cream wizard. A raspberry-dusted slather of gossamer whipped cream covers a half-cylinder of Madagascar vanilla ice cream, set on raspberry sponge cake for a snowy, edible Quonset hut. Hearts of tart red fruit jam show up in each slice to punctuate the delicate sweetness. It serves four, but just two might make short work of it. Though this confection needs no embellishment, a few spoonfuls alongside the raspberry coulis, a new intense sauce from Francine’s Outrageous Kitchen, puts it on a pedestal.
Sweethearts Cake, $39, available for local pickup and delivery and nationwide shipping, morgensternsnyc.com; Raspberry Coulis, $18 for eight ounces, francinesoutrageous.com.
Get Caffeinated for Bach’s ‘Coffee Cantata’
Vincent Youmans wrote the song “Tea for Two” 100 years ago, with lyrics by Irving Caesar. But two centuries earlier, Johann Sebastian Bach composed “Coffee Cantata,” a lighthearted operatic pastiche about a caffeine-crazed young woman and her disapproving father set in a Leipzig cafe. A revival of Bach’s work will be performed next month at Lost Draft Coffee Shop, a creative workshop and cafe in SoHo, by On Site Opera, a nomadic New York group. There will be an English libretto and new orchestration by Geoffrey McDonald, the music director of the company. The hourlong performance includes a coffee tasting.
The Immersive Coffee Cantata Experience, Feb. 14 through 16 and 22 through 24 at 7 p.m. by On Site Opera, Lost Draft Coffee Shop, 398 Broome Street (Centre Street), $40, osopera.org.
Pair a Chocolate Documentary With a Tasting
The past few months have seen the release of a number of films that explore food. A new one, “Håkan: A Documentary About Chocolate, Creativity and Passion,” is about a Swedish chocolate maker, Håkan Mårtensson, who established his online chocolate company, Håkan Chocolatier, in Beacon, N.Y., during the pandemic. He’s known for using uncommon ingredients in his confections. After the world premiere at Scandinavia House in Manhattan, Mr. Mårtensson and the film’s director and producer, Charlie Bennet, will have a discussion with Ulrika Bengtsson, who runs the Björk Café & Bistro in Scandinavia House. There will be a chocolate tasting and a reception with food from the cafe. Mr. Mårtensson’s chocolates will be available for purchase.
Feb. 12 at 6 p.m., $25 or $20 for members, Scandinavia House and Björk Café & Bistro, 58 Park Avenue (37th Street), scandinaviahouse.org; hakandocumentary.com.
