Author Gerry Frank opened his German-style Konditorei — or cake shop —in 1982 and since then, both the shop’s fluffy cakes, and Gerry Frank himself, have become a Salem legend. Frank sold the eatery in 2017 at the age of 94, but the new owners have been baking at Konditorei for decades, so the eatery’s famous cake and pastry traditions proudly live on. Treat your sweetheart, or yourself, to the five-layer blackout chocolate cake or order half a buttercream-frosted champagne cake and ask for two forks.

Just because your sweet doesn’t eat sugar doesn’t mean they can’t partake in freshly baked goodies. Sin-able Sweets in Mt. Angel, about 18 miles northeast of Salem, is the place to score delish sugar-free cookies, cakes, cupcakes, chocolate eclairs, and more. Most everything is made with real eggs, butter, and Splenda instead of sugar, so even diabetics can indulge; low-carb options are sometimes available, too. Pop in with your sweetheart or pre-order online and pick up your pastries at the bakery. Sin-able also ships all over the country, in case your love is the long-distance kind.

If your sweetheart is into tea, they’ll love everything on the menu at southeast Salem’s Wabi Sabi Tea. You’ll find no powders or artificial anything here — each of the insanely creative and colorful tea concoctions is made with natural ingredients and is downright delicious. The strawberry oolong tea with sea-salt cheese cream is a dream, the matcha with mango jelly is swoonworthy, and boba fans will fall hard for the tiger sugar milk tea with hemp. Herbal wellness elixirs and beet-root lattes round out the menu, so come thirsty.

Dough Hook Bake Shop gives you the perfect excuse to laze around in bed with your valentine and eat donuts. This tucked-away gem in northeast Salem makes seriously addictive donuts, churro crocronuts (fried croissants), and other pastries inspired by both local ingredients and the owner’s Mexican heritage. Show up early (they open weekdays at 6:30 a.m.) and grab an assorted box of pink hibiscus, double chocolate, and crème brulee donuts — or call ahead and order one giant-sized donut, up to 14 inches, to share.

Forget the store-bought box of mystery chocolates — grab an empty pink (or brown, for the guys) heart-shaped box at family owned Melting Pot Candy in downtown Independence and fill it with handcrafted and painted marionberry truffles, smoked sea salt caramel truffles, and dark-chocolate truffles. You can also make Valentine’s Day gifting a breeze by picking up the shop’s special white-chocolate macadamia-nut toffee, handcrafted caramels, or chocolate-covered and heart-sprinkled Oreos, all beautifully packaged and ready to tear into.