Gelato Messina's Valentine's Day dessert is a chocolate tree you can eat

Ditch the box of chocolates, flowers and cheesy novelty boxer shorts, Gelato Messina has a far better way for you to celebrate Valentine's Day.

Its Love Log is a dessert that channels the fairytale romance of the outdoors - without requiring anyone to wield an axe.

This picturebook-like cake is sculpted out of an edible chocolate log and filled with grass-like pistachio sponge, hand-made chocolate mushrooms, passionfruit gel, caramelised white chocolate mousse, scoops of dulce de leche gelato and some well-shovelled chocolate soil. And you no longer have to deface a tree just to remind your date that you happen to remember their initials (which is a pretty strange gesture of romance, when you think about it). Gelato Messina has come up with an environmentally responsible (and far more appealing) alternative - each of its Love Log cakes has a heart etched right into the 'tree stump' by its chefs.

The Love Log was 'grown' from a concept that was presented by Gelato Messina staff to head chef Donato Toce.

And if you need advice on how to best attack the dessert, the brand's spokesperson, Sian Bishop, has suggestions for you.

"The cake can be cut with a knife into sections, or eaten straight from the board with a spoon," she says . Or, "between two with candle light and some Barry White playing in the background. Or all to yourself with a big spoon!"

The Love Log is currently available for pre-order in Sydney and Melbourne, to be picked up from February 13-14 at Gelato Messina's Rosebery and Fitzroy stores.