Lemon Loaf Cake with Saffron Syrup

A few weeks ago I was given a pack of gorgeous saffron to try out at home. I have only ever used saffron in savoury dishes in the past (this saffron chicken dish is one of my favourites) and wanted to try it in a sweet recipe this time around.

Caramel Sponge Pudding

If ever there was an excuse to indulge in some comfort cooking, the chilly winter season is most definitely it. This latest recipe, which was featured in the May/June issue of Cheers magazine, has comfort food written all over it - a classic (dare I say old-fashioned) dessert that you can easily make at home on those cold days.

Date, Carrot and Apple Muffins with Cream Cheese Topping (Refined sugar free)

It has been a while since I worked on a muffin recipe and I am rather pleased with this particular one. I was recently invited onto the Expresso Morning Show to present three different, easy recipes with one common ingredient. I chose dates as my star ingredient and wanted to include a baking recipe in one of the cooking segments. That was the inspiration behind these date muffins.

How to make easy rainbow meringues (and a rainbow cake!)

Crisp, white meringues are one my favourite things to make, but a few weeks ago I tried something a little different by adding some colours to the mix! The reason? I wanted to top my daughter's rainbow birthday cake with rainbow meringues. I had so many party guests (well, the parents) asking me for the recipe that I have decided to pop it on the blog this week along with my go-to meringue recipe. I am also sharing a few tips for making your own rainbow cake. 

Lemon Easter Cookies

Today's post is a bit of holiday fun for the kiddies, and given world events over the past two weeks and particularly here in S.A. I think us adults could do with a bit of fun too! In all seriousness though, this is an exceptionally tasty cookie, with or without all the icing and trimmings, and you should definitely give this recipe a try these Easter holidays! 

Mini Chocolate and Almond Croissants

Hello foodies! I do hope the week has been treating you well, and if not hang in there as the weekend is just around the corner. And weekends mean brunch, and what is brunch without a few tasty pastries? I do love a good croissant every now and then, but did you know how easy it is to make them yourself? This week I am showing you how! 

Competition Time!

Those of you who follow me on Instagram will have seen me raving about my latest favourite account - @josieluvslocal. Her passion for local products is inspiring! Jo and I are both crazy about Cape Town and supporting our local producers and have decided to team up for a fun (and delicious) giveaway for our Capetonian followers! 

Flourless Dark Chocolate Cake

We are all about the birthday vibes at Cupcakes and Couscous HQ at the moment. If you read last week's post you might remember that we celebrated my daughter's 5th birthday, and this week my little blog... drum roll... turns four!

Orange and Apricot Jam Squares

Ever had one of those weeks when you feel as though you are having to put up with a lot of nonsense? Well, I feel as though I am there at the moment, and to combat that I am sharing my recipe for good old fashioned no nonsense jam squares. A classic but a goodie. Enough said.

Sugar Free Chocolate Granola

If you were a fly on the wall in our home early in the morning there are a number of different scenarios you might witness, depending on which day you were there. The fact is that when you have small children you never quite know how the morning is going to play out! Yesterday morning for example everyone was up and out of bed ten minutes earlier than normal, ate their breakfast quickly and got dressed promptly and cheerfully which meant we were ready to leave the house quite a bit earlier than usual. On another morning you might witness an altercation over a cereal bowl and/or breakfast cup, a world record attempt for the longest time taken to finish a piece of toast or some intense outfit negotiations... all resulting in delays, heavy sighs and a late departure for school. But one thing you will almost certainly see at some point in the morning rush is yours truly munching on a bowl of this fabulous stuff. 

Chocolate Banana Bread (Paleo)

Every now and then I come across an absolute gem of a recipe online and this one is one of my current favourites so be warned, I am going to be getting gushy today. I have been telling everyone about this chocolate banana bread! It is the creation of Rachel from Bakerita.com and she has kindly allowed me to share it with y'all. 

Semolina, Coconut and Marmalade Cakes

I could not resist this recipe when I came across it - the title alone has me dreaming of soft cake drenched in sticky citrus deliciousness. It is adapted from a recipe by Yotam Ottolenghi and Sami Tamimi from their book Jerusalem. I also happen to have an excess of marmalade in my fridge and adore anything with coconut in it so this one had my name written all over it! 

Bran and Fruit Muffins

Happy New Year everyone! I am glad to be back after a few weeks away from my "home on the web" and thought we would ease into the year with an easy muffin recipe that I know you will love. 

Mince Pie Tart with Christmas Custard

Just a few days to go until Christmas (four sleeps to be precise), are you ready? We are looking forward to a family Christmas at home this year and will be celebrating with a relaxed festive lunch next to the pool - cannot wait!

Ten Fabulous Edible Christmas Gift Ideas

Happy Friday! Christmas is just around the corner (eek!) and if the thought of hitting the shopping malls this weekend fills you with dread then this post is just for you. 

Christmas Biscuit Tree

This week the nostalgic mood continues with another family inspired recipe. When it comes to food there is no question that baking is my first love, and when I think back to my earliest baking memories I am always reminded of childhood Christmases. The much anticipated, long December school holidays that felt like they went on forever were the perfect time for sun drenched afternoons in the pool and fun with friends, but a real highlight for me would be the Christmas baking. Each year I looked forward to making mince pies, biscuits and the decorating of the Christmas cake which my mum would have baked a few weeks earlier using my grandmother's recipe. (And still does!) 

Almond Tart

Making these cookies is rather like going back in time for me! This is one of my mother's recipes that my family have enjoyed for as long as I can remember. (Even now, if you were to have a peek in her biscuit tin there is a good chance you would find some of these inside.) There was often a block of almond tart tucked in my lunchbox or gobbled up as an afternoon treat after school.

Lemon Tart

This is a classic dessert and comes from one of my favourite cookbooks, "The Food of France". I have made this lemon tart many times and it always goes down well with a crowd! I love citrus puddings and bakes, and tarte au citron is one of my absolute favourites. The sweet pastry used in this recipe is also lovely to work with and can be used in all sorts of sweet tarts. 

A Train Party

October was a rather hectic but very exciting month here at Cupcakes and Couscous HQ. Chaos continued to reign on the home front as renovations went on (we are starting to see the light at the end of the tunnel, hooray!), my sister visited us from the U.K (double hooray!) and we had a couple of special family birthdays - my Dad, and my youngest James who turned two. He is completely obsessed with all things train related and so it was a no brainer as to what his party theme would be. I thought that this week I would share a few snaps from the day, perhaps they will give you a few ideas if you have a train party coming up.

Chocolate Meringue Pie

A month or two ago I was given a large bag of home grown lemons. My husband immediately requested a home made lemon meringue tart, and as it is also one of my favourites I happily obliged. While I was whisking up the meringue and lost in my own thoughts a wave of inspiration hit me - if I could make a lemon meringue pie, why not make a chocolate meringue pie? (I often have chocolate on the brain, so this sudden idea should not be too surprising.)