No-bake Chocolate Mousse Tart (Gluten free)

Credit for this heavenly recipe goes to my lovely mum. A light and creamy no-bake chocolate tart - it is one of our favourites and always a hit at family shindigs. If I had to imagine biting into a chocolate cloud I think it would be like eating a slice of this! 

Chocolate, Honey and Hazelnut Fridge Fudge

I was not quite sure what to call this recipe. It is not really like fudge in the traditional, crystalline sense but something in between fudge and chocolate. The reason for this is that I have sweetened it with honey instead of sugar, giving it a silky smooth, melt in your mouth texture - delicious!

Chocolate Energy Squares (gluten and refined sugar free)

There is a fantastic meme doing the rounds on social media at the moment, you might have seen it. Two women are having coffee together and one says "I feel like March flew by so fast" to which her friend replies "It's May". *insert comical shocked face here* Judging from many of the conversations I have had in the last week it seems as though a lot of us are feeling that way right now. And look out, because tomorrow it will be June! Other than wondering where the year has gone I have also been looking out for healthier recipes to make at home. We are very fortunate not to have any food allergies in our family but lately I have been inspired to try new ingredients and find healthier alternatives to use at home everyday. This recipe was the result of some playing around I did a few weeks ago.

Dark Chocolate and Amaretti Semifreddo

The unusual holiday heatwaves seem to be well and truly behind us here in Cape Town, and all of a sudden the dark, chilly mornings and early sunsets are more obvious and a reminder of the cold (and hopefully very rainy) months ahead. As I sit here I am wearing two jerseys and clutching a hot cup of tea and I had second thoughts about posting this recipe given the shift in seasons and the fact that this is a frozen dessert. Then I laughed at this silliness because frankly any time of the year is appropriate for a chocolate dessert, frozen or not. Who's with me? 

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!

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. 

Chocolate Dipped Figs with Orange and Almond

Welcome to the start of the weekend, whoop whoop! Another busy week is coming to an end and our theme for the week has been contending with back to school germs, argh! Because nothing says back to school like a sink full of empty lunch boxes, an inbox crammed with school reminders and snotty noses. True story.

Chocolate and Kahlua Mousse Cups

Love it or hate it, Valentine's Day is just a few days away and what better excuse to indulge with something decadent and chocolatey. Not that I need a good reason... holiday or no holiday you do not have to ask me twice when it comes to anything chocolate related! Yes, I have been on somewhat of a chocolate mission recently and as a result this has inadvertently become the theme for the rest of February on the blog. I am sure you don't mind. 

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. 

Sugar Free Chocolate Mousse

My regular readers will know that I love a fully loaded treat, but lately I have been on the look out for recipes that are both delicious but free from things like sugar and gluten. I notice such a difference in my energy levels when I avoid these (no more mid afternoon slumps), not to mention feeling more clear headed. So I was intrigued when my son's teacher told me about this amazing sugar free chocolate mousse - of course I had to try it!

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.)

Brown Butter Cupcake Brownies

I have a lovely cousin in the U.K. (hi Jules!) and every so often she sends me scrumptious recipes that she finds on the web. A few weeks ago she sent me this link and frankly, if you are going to put the words cupcake and brownie in the same sentence then you are guaranteed to get my attention...I had to try the recipe immediately! It was so darn delicious that I simply had to share it with all of you too.

Chocolate Fudge Nut Pieces

Such naughtiness on the blog today! I was in two minds about sharing this recipe which was inspired by a treat by Tessa Kiros from her book (and one of my favourites on the cookbook shelf) Apples for Jam. You see, when I tried the recipe it did not come out quite the way I had expected. For one thing the picture in her book shows a toffee square that is much darker and (from what I can see) firmer than what I ended up with. I have made this recipe a few times and I tend to end up with more of a fudgy, crystalline mixture. Still, no complaints about that and the family gave these chocolate fudge nut pieces a thumbs up for blog-worthiness, so who am I to argue. 

Vanilla and Chocolate Almond Butter Cookies

If you are a regular Cupcakes and Couscous reader then you: a.) are awesome and b.) will probably know that I love a good cookie recipe. These cookies came about when the recipe I was actually trying to make went slightly off track, but luckily in a good way! 

Iced Cappuccino Crunch Brownies

Earlier this month I attended the Good Housekeeping Celebrity Bake Stars event at D'Aria in Durbanville. There were bubbles and nibbles and foodies galore, and the audience was treated to a demonstration by Zola Nene and Clement Pedro who shared loads of fun recipe tips and tricks.