With winter truly upon us, indulging in a decadent dessert seems one of the easiest ways to keep the chill at bay. Luckily, restaurants have taken their cue from the frosty weather to produce sweet endings, ranging from sublimely sweet steamed treacle pudding to rich, oozing chocolate fondants that are guaranteed to warm you up and put a satisfied smile on your dial. Here are some of our favourite dessert offerings at the moment.

Joburg

Assaggi
Try: Dolce Delle Nonna – biscuits soaked in Amaretto, wine and fresh cream
Price: R40

Bellagio
Try: Chocolate fondant and fresh berries, served with ice cream
Price: R32

Life
Try: Red velvet cake
Price: R36

Tasha’s
Try: Apple crumble, served with cream or ice cream
Price: R26

Annica’s Deli
Try: White chocolate mousse, served with fresh berries
Price: R55

Wombles
Try: Crème brûlée, topped with caramelised sugar and raspberry sauce
Price: R50

Pretoria

La Madeleine
Try: Chocolate fondant, served with cherry sauce, crushed pistachios and home-made vanilla ice cream
Price: R45

Kream
Try: Blondies and brownies – white chocolate and dark chocolate brownies served with ice cream
Price: R59

KZN

Cleopatra Guest House
Try: Mandarin-filled crêpes
Price: Included in accommodation.

Café Bloom
Try: Dark chocolate cake or baked cheesecake
Price: R25

Piggly Wiggly
Try: Lemon meringue
Price: R22

Durban

9th Avenue Bistro
Try: Five-texture chocolate gateau which consists of hazelnut and chocolate sauce and home-made hazelnut ice cream
Price: R48

Café 1999
Try: Triple chocolate brownie, served with poppy seed ice cream
Price: R45

Cape Town

95 Keerom
Try: Oozily delicious chocolate fondant
Price: R50

Bistro Sixteen82
Try: Morello Black Forest plate – a warm chocolate fondant with cherry jelly
Price: R50

Societi Bistro
Try: Chocolate Nemesis, a dense, moist flourless chocolate cake made with 70% Belgian dark chocolate
Price: R36

The Foodbarn
Try: Chocolate samoosas, served on a dark chocolate tower with coconut ice cream
Price: R48

Hemelhuijs
Try: Nougat, apple and walnut tart, served with crème fraîche
Price: R35

The Test Kitchen
Try: White wine-poached pear and sorbet, chocolate fondant, liquorice mousse and cold-filtered coffee jelly
Price: Included in the tasting menu

Café Milano
Try: Hot apple tart or fig tart
Price: R25

The Roundhouse
Try: Apricot soufflé and roasted almonds, with Amaretto ice cream
Price: Included in set menu

Winelands

Reuben’s
Try: Roast apple and caramel Calvados brûlée
Price: R55

96 Winery Road
Try: Steamed treacle pudding, served with home-made vanilla custard Price: R50