56th annual Hina Matsuri (Doll and Cultural Festival) March 7 and 8, 2026 Free admission at Simpson United Methodist Church

With a name like The Enchanted Oven, you know this bakery must bake fairy-tale love into its creations. For Valentine’s Day, you can expect heart-shaped cookies and cakes from owner and baker Maki Stephens. At her Broomfield bakery near Flatirons Mall—where she proudly honors her Japanese culture—she is also planning a special cake for the lovers’ celebration. She hopes it will inspire love around the world – dare we say “world peace?” Her Valentine’s Day cake, which needs to be preordered, will be a showcase of cakes that represent six different countries. “I’ve made many cakes, not just Japanese cakes,” she says, noting that she gets the wildest requests and is “too stupid to say no.” Some of those cakes were completely new to her, requiring research, comparing recipes, and experimenting before she went with her gut. Along the way, she discovered cakes from around the world, which inspired her Valentine’s Day vision. She’ll bake six cakes and cut them into six slices, then reassemble them into one global cake. The slices include Sans Rival (“without rival” in French), a cake from the Philippines that was one of the first unusual requests she baked, which is made with five layers of cashew meringue, each separated by rich French buttercream.  Other slices include Esterházy Torta from Hungary, Opera Cake from France, Dubai-style Chocolate from the UAE, Black Forest from Germany, and representing Stephens’ Japanese roots—a Jiggly Cheesecake with apricot glaze.