Valentine's cake.

Blogger's Note: This was supposed to be Sunday's entry, but I was unduly tied up (which I will explain tomorrow). I might have just disposed of this little essay. But I can't waste a good dessert.

💟💟💟

So, how was your Valentine's Day?

Mrs. Key and I eschew going to restaurants on the day, leaving that to those who need to feed each other on a particular day to show their love. She needs nothing to prove to me her love; she's been doing that by putting up with my jokes for years. And she thinks it's silly to fall into the trap where a husband is obliged to buy flowers on the day. I know what you guys are thinking: The Perfect Woman! Yes, but that also means flowers are desirable on the other 364 days (365 on leap year).

So we didn't go out, but I did try to make a special dinner, or at least a special dessert, courtesy of Godiva Chocolatier. Although certain observations make me wonder how special it is.

First, the product:

Godiva has been putting out these baking mixes for a while, and I got this one thinking it would be a good dessert for when we had guests. Well, we've had guests and it didn't happen; either my wife wanted something else, or the guests brought the sweets. But Valentine's Day seemed perfect, and who doesn't like Brownie Cheesecake Swirl?

But how classy is it? Godiva, around since the first shop opened in Belgium in 1926, had a great mystique of high class when it finally came to upscale American stores in 1966 and then opened a Fifth Avenue boutique in 1972. The name was supposed to command respect from us Hershey-bar-sucking swine, and indeed it seemed to. It was associated with the more urbane stores like Macy's -- not like Woolworth's, where you could go get a Whitman's Sampler or some other peasant food.

And indeed, Godiva held on to that image for a while. The last Godiva shop I was in, to get a gift, was in the upscale Westchester shopping center known as The Westchester in White Plains, where one finds Neiman Marcus and Nordstrom as anchor stores.

However, I bought this baking mix in the local supermarket. I could have gotten it in Walmart, which sells it and virtually every other pre-wrapped Godiva product.

Godiva, in fact, was bought by Campbell's Soup in 1967, which makes it seem less a shining star than a sweet brand alternative to canned Cream of Mushroom. Campbell's sold it in 2008 to Istanbul-based Yıldız Holding.

Furthermore: Are brownies classy? I suppose I shouldn't denigrate brownies too much; they were invented by the chef at Chicago's high-class Palmer House Hotel as a portable luncheon treat. But like the cupcake, they have a silly name and are popular with small children, so they don't come across as a fancy-pants sweet.

Regardless, I went ahead and baked this li'l ol' cake while the wife was out. It has its own pan inside the box! But you do need to buy a brick of cream cheese and a couple of eggs.

Cute, huh?

I didn't do a good job with the "swirl" part, I admit, but as long as the chocolate made it in the cake, I figure it's a win. So how was it?

Well, it's good. The brownie was a pretty solid piece of dark chocolate, and nothing wrong with that; some people like a fudgy brownie and this is that. The cheesecake was a little less successful, but making a good French-style cheesecake is rather complicated and involves water baths and things. For a cake mix cheesecake it is just fine. All together, a successful dessert, easier than making the components from scratch, a little more involved than most box mix cakes, but not as good as buying a brownie cheesecake from a good bakery.

So next Valentine's Day, don't bother with Betty Crocker; go with Lady Godiva instead! Woo!