These Mexican-Inspired Valentine’s Day Sweets Are Way Cooler Than Some Heart-Shaped Boxes of Chocolate

Naomi Martinez, co-owner of My Delight Cupcakery in Ontario, California is embracing her Mexican heritage by creating sweet pastries with a Latin flair. This Valentine’s Day, customers can look forward to Mazapan or Gansito-inspired cupcakes.

Related: 13 Valentine’s Day Gifts Perfect for Food Lovers

Our #gansito cupcake getting it's first dip in velvety smooth chocolate. Who's ready for chocolate covered everything on Valentine's day?: Cindy Yamanaka/ IV Daily Bulletin

A post shared by My Delight (@mydelightcupcakery) on Feb 12, 2018 at 8:02pm PST

The entrepreneur is taking advantage of the surging demand for authentic Mexican food in southern California. Places such as the Horchateria in Paramount has experienced a surplus of success with their simple but delightful horchatas. Additionally, La Michoacanas have become a common sight in many neighborhoods.

“As a kid I loved these flavors,” Martinez told The Press Enterprise, “Especially mazapan, that was my all-time favorite. I loved that candy with that signature flower on the package.

Our #MAZAPAN cupcake is back through Valentine's Day! It's a light sweet mazapan cake inspired by the traditional #delaRosa candy, frosted with creamy mazapan buttercream, topped with peanuts, mazapan pieces and a buttercream rose. ORDERING IS EASY! Walk-in: 10am-8pm (909)988-4151 Grubhub 11am – 7pm Uber Eats 11am-7pm App:Android & iphone Email: orders@mydelightcupcakery.com

A post shared by My Delight (@mydelightcupcakery) on Feb 12, 2018 at 11:11am PST

Martinez’s award-winning shop is known for their bold and delicious flavors. The owner and executive chef’s business partner, mother Melinda Moreno, said of her daughter, “She’s the one with all of the ideas. She’s the one who knows how to make all of this happen.”

Despite Martinez’s long-time love of Gansitos, it wasn’t until recently that she decided to capitalize on the delicious flavor. She stated, “It was always in the back of my head to want to do something with the flavor but I never really did anything until now with the popularity of the Gansito (cupcake).”

In 2017, Martinez, who is of Mexican and German descent, unveiled her Gansito cupcake and it exploded on social media, garnering her and her bakery crazy exposure. She decided to re-introduce the cupcake for her special Valentine’s Day menu and once again, social media was here for it.

“This year, when we posted it on Instagram, it immediately blew up,” she said. “People were commenting the Mexican flag emojis, tagging people and saying ‘Thank you for making something from our childhood and for representing.”