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.

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. 

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!

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! 

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.

Fruity Wholewheat Loaf Cake

I have been on a clearing out mission lately. I started in the kitchen, and was happy to get rid of a big box of utensils and bits and bobs that I no longer needed. As for the rest of the house... the clearing out process has been going much, much slower than I would prefer. I am talking one shelf a day slow. Still, it is better than nothing I suppose. As part of "project declutter" I have also been delving into the deep freezer, cautiously prying open tupperwares from the depths and playing "guest the contents" with various unlabelled ziplock bags. 

Vegan Chocolate Nut Brittle Cake

This is the first time that I am officially delving into the world of vegan cooking and if you are feeling the chocolate cravings on this post long weekend Wednesday-that-feels-like-a-Monday then this is just for you. 

Lemon and Pistachio Cupcakes

Spring seems to have settled in properly now, in fact it feels more like summer this week. Sunny skies, short sleeves and (ah-choo!) hay fever - happy days! Except for that last point, hay fever - feel free to be on your way any time now. That biting morning chill that we became accustomed to in the winter months has all but gone and the promise of a glorious summer is quite literally in the air.