Sweet and Love-ly Recipes for Tu b’Av

Tu b’Av is a romantic Jewish holiday. Also known as “Jewish Valentine’s Day, Tu b’Av serves as a day of matchmaking, proposals and weddings. This year, the holiday starts the evening of Sunday, August 18, and runs through August 19. 

Want to celebrate your sweetie? Here are some lovely love-themed recipes.

One of Judy Elbaum’s family’s favorites is her scrumptious coffee cake. For Tu b’Av, Elbaum, founder of LeaveittoBubbe.com, gives it heart. 

“I use a 9×2” heart pan with great results,” Elbaum told The Journal. “I love to serve this cake with a cup of coffee accompanied with little floating marshmallow hearts or chocolate-dipped spoons to swirl in the coffee.” 

For an additional treat, Elbaum makes fruit lollipops by using heart-shaped cookie cutters on fruits of different colors, such as watermelon, cantaloupe and kiwi. 

Heart Coffee Cake

Serves 8 to 12

Cake: 
2 cups flour
1 tsp baking powder
1 tsp baking soda
4 oz (1 stick) butter, softened
1 cup sugar
2 eggs
8 ounce or ½ pint sour cream
2 tsp vanilla

Filling and Topping:
1 tsp cinnamon
¼ cup sugar
½ walnuts or pecans, chopped
½ cup mini chocolate chips

Before you begin, grease and flour a 9×2” heart-shaped pan.  Preheat the oven to 350°F.  

Sift together flour, baking powder and baking soda.

In a medium bowl of an electric mixer, beat the butter for about 1 minute, then add the sugar and beat for about 2 minutes, until fluffy.

Add the eggs, one at a time, and beat well. Then add the sour cream and vanilla, and beat for another minute, until well combined.

Add in the flour, baking powder and baking soda mixture; beat on low speed until just combined.  

In a small bowl combine the filling and topping ingredients. Mix well.

Pour ½ of the batter into the prepared heart pan. Sprinkle ½ of the filling/topping mixture on top of batter.

Spread the remaining batter into the loaf pan and sprinkle with remaining filling/topping mixture.

Place in the preheated oven and bake for about 55 minutes, until a cake tester inserted into the middle of the cake comes out clean; the cake should be golden brown and starting to pull away from the sides.  

Allow the cake to cool in the pan. Gently remove the cake from the pan and serve on a round or heart-shaped cake plate. If desired, dust with powdered sugar before serving.  

No time to bake cookies for your sweetheart on Tu b’Av? No problem! 

“With a package of Reko Pizzelle on hand, you’ll be able to whip up gorgeous and tasty heart-shaped cookies in no time,” Elbaum said.

“With a package of Reko Pizzelle on hand, you’ll be able to whip up gorgeous and tasty heart-shaped cookies in no time.” 

– Judy Elbaum

She added, “Before you begin, make sure to have heart cookie cutters on hand; you will need one large heart (about 3 inches) and one smaller one (about 1 ½ inches).”

Pizzelle Linzer Hearts

Makes about 20 cookies

7-ounce package Reko Pizzelle
3 ounces bittersweet chocolate
2 oz (½ stick) butter or margarine
½ Tbsp maple syrup
½ tsp instant coffee
Heart sprinkles

Place a pizzelle in the microwave and heat for about 30 seconds, until softened. Working quickly, place softened pizzelle on a cutting board and immediately press the 3-inch cookie cutter on it to cut out a heart. Repeat this process to make up to 20 hearts that will form the bottoms of the cookies. 

Place another pizzelle into the microwave and heat for 30 seconds. Remove and immediately press the larger heart cookie cutter on the pizzelle, while simultaneously pressing the smaller heart cookie cutter in the center of the larger one.  

Gently remove the small center heart (reserve it for decoration). You should now have the larger heart with a smaller heart opening in its center. This will form the top of the cookie. Repeat this process until you have enough tops for the cookie bottoms.

Place the bittersweet chocolate in the top of a double boiler with the butter, maple syrup and instant coffee. Whisk all ingredients together, until melted. Allow to cool to about 90°.

Spread a teaspoon of the melted chocolate on one of the bottom hearts.  Place a heart with the open heart center on top of the chocolate and lightly press together. Center a red or pink heart sprinkle on the chocolate.

Nothing says ahava (love) more than sweet challah and pink sprinkles,” Rabbi Yael Buechler, a Jewish food stylist and fashion designer, told the Journal.  

Making your own Tu b’Av-themed challah is as simple as adding egg wash and then pink and metallic sprinkles to your favorite challah dough recipe.

“To complete the Tu b’Av vibe, I covered these challot with my Barbie-inspired Shabbat Shalom challah cover,” Buechler, founder of MidrashManicures.com, said.  

But why stop there? Belcher suggested leaning into the pink.

“Your Tu b’Av table will really sparkle with pink-frosted [cupcakes], pink and white cookies and scattered pink jellybeans and candies,” she said. 

Happy Tu b’Av!