Sure, it’s romantic to go out to a restaurant for Valentine’s Day, but let’s be realistic: restaurants are noisy, waiters can be creepy or rude, money is tight, and, frankly, it’s so cold out you don’t even want to slip into your sexiest cocktail dress and best heels.

But staying at home doesn’t have to mean sweatpants, a cheesy romance film, and an icy pint of Edy’s. And it doesn’t have to mean hours in the kitchen laboring over an intricate 4-course meal, cooking and cleaning yourself into exhaustion, passing out before things can get intimate.

Luckily, there’s a fourth route: homemade dessert. Desserts are inherently sexy, rich, luxurious. A good dessert feels as good on your tongue as it tastes, and there’s a dessert out there to please nearly everyone’s palate. Best of all, many beautiful, elegant desserts are actually a cinch to make. Some can even be made days ahead. Click on each recipe link to watch me make each dessert on my show, Working Class Foodies.

1. Rustic Apple Cake

This cake is adapted from a recipe that’s been in my family for years. It’s simple and gorgeous in a nostalgic kind of way. The apples melt into the cake, making it dense and moist; wafts of cinnamon and vanilla greet you when you cut into it. The cake is actually best on the second day, so make it on February 13. You can dust it with powdered sugar or make a glaze; for a grown-up cake that packs a punch, I mix together bourbon and powdered sugar, and drizzle it over top. You can serve the cake with a scoop of vanilla or caramel ice cream, or a little dollop of crème fraîche for a knockout dessert.

2. No-Bake Beeramisu

Like the apple cake, this is a dessert best made in advance. It is also pure sex in a dish, if you don’t mind my saying so. I know – you’re probably thinking, BEERamisu? What? The key is what kind of beer you use, and I recommend a chocolate or coffee stout, or even a mix of the two. The beer mellows into the savoiardi and is gentle and rich, without the harsh alcohol bite of rum or amaretto. Dust with cocoa powder and powdered sugar and serve in a martini glass, with a savoiardi on the side, for garnish.