Let’s be honest, everyone loves chocolate. We’ve collected some of our favourite chocolate facts for you, some of these you probably didn’t even know about your favourite sweet treat. “Chocolate is comfort without words.” Ursula Kohaupt. The smell of chocolate increases theta brain waves, which helps calm you down. White chocolate isn’t technically chocolate, as it contains no cocoa solids. The world’s largest chocolate bar weighed 5827kg. Eating dark chocolate every day reduces the risk of heart disease. Chocolate has over 600 flavour compounds, while red wine has just 200. Chocolate is bad for dogs and cats and can even kill them. Nutella was invented during World War 2 during a chocolate shortage. An…
Cherries and chocolate – a match made in foodie heaven! When using eggs for baking or desserts, it is always best to use them at room temperature. By Illanique van Aswegen Photographs by Adel Ferreira
This is a fun way of serving a cake roulade. It’s perfect for serving after a meal on warm summer evenings, and the kids will love it! Recipe and styling by Illanique van Aswegen Photographs by Adel Ferreira
This is the perfect dessert for the holiday season. It is decadent, sweet, creamy and beautifully layered Recipe and styling by Illanique van Aswegen Photograph by Adel Ferreira
Espresso and dark chocolate vacherin might sound a little intimidating, but this dessert is basically just a combination of coffee, cream, chocolate, and meringue. The rich flavours are definitely worth the effort. Who can resist decadence like this? Recipe by Jacques Erusmus
Catch The Great South African Bake Off on BBC Lifestyle channel 174, every Tuesday at 20:00.
To serve the chocolate French cake, use a hot knife when slicing.
Recipe and styling by Claire Ferrandi Photograph by Dylan Swart
Recipe and styling by Nomvuselelo Mncube Photograph by Dylan Swart
Be a cool mom with these cool cats for the kiddies’ Halloween table party – fun and oh, so easy to make! Recipe and styling by Nomvuselelo Mncube Photograph by Dylan Swart
Reminiscent of France, this is not your average bread and butter pudding. Instead, we’ used croissants for this recipe. We love the delicious combination of chocolate and pear, it makes a wonderful indulgent dessert. Make this croissant, chocolate and pear pudding when you have guest over as the perfect end to a meal. Recipe and styling by Nomvuselelo Mncube Photograph by Dylan Swart
A delicious muffin with the perfect combination of fruit and dark chocolate. Great eaten straight from the oven. By Illanique van Aswegen Photograph by Adel Ferreira
Somewhere between a cupcake and a muffin, with a cream cheese swirl, instead of an icing, these are deliciously tempting! If you prefer not to use white chocolate, macadamias or dried cranberries, you can leave them out of the recipe for a simpler version – these ingredients, however, do make these an extra-special treat. Recipe and styling by Claire Ferrandi Photograph by Dylan Swart
At Beyer’s Chocolates, they take chocolate accusations seriously. That is why they researched the stereotype that women crave chocolate. And would you believe it? Numerous chocolate studies have been done, and they found this to be true; not only because of women’s impeccable taste (it’s Women’s Month, we can be a little biased) but also because chocolate is genuinely good for your health. Chocolate not only smells and tastes good, but it can also boost your mood. When you eat chocolate your body releases serotonin, which will make you feel less stressed, anxious, depressed or emotional. Moreover, when your blood…
Sugar and slice and all things nice, baked and served in easy pieces. Recipe by Toni Scorgie and Nadine Waner of The Tart Photograph by Willem De Lange