We are super excited to welcome our new Cupcakes of HOPE ambassador, Chef Izelle Hoffman. Chef Izelle will be sharing some of her healthier recipes that we can all use for National Cupcake Day.
“Take care of your body. It’s the only place you have to live.” ~Jim Rohn
Izelle Hoffman is SA’s newest rising star in the culinary industry and although she never formally trained as a chef, growing up in a household where great food was always of comfort and a source of nourishment, it seemed a natural progression for her to take inspiration from the dishes she grew up with and turn them into a modern, playful and healthy culinary experience. Born with Congenital Hip Dysplasia and 14 operations later she is adamant to make people aware of the health benefits of eating the right foods and choosing a life of wellness that is closer to traditional African styles of cooking, where raw ingredients and freshness are priority.
Like so many South Africans, growing your own vegetables and experimenting with different flavours has always been a part of Izelle’s upbringing. With both her grandmother and her mother boasting a world class vegetable garden and her aunt, who was the moderator of Home Economics for the North West province, Izelle’s development into a ”conscious foodie” was inevitable.
Having already proved herself as a formidable businesswoman with a penchant for marketing, Izelle has found creative ways of combining her passion for food and people with solid strategies to bring those three components together through projects she is involved with around the country.
She is also no stranger to television and print media and can now be seen as the lifestyle chef on one of SA’s largest television breakfast shows, Die Groot Ontbyt, as well as on the Home Channel’s Health program called Real Health and her cooking inserts called Better Choices. She also hosted several cooking inserts on SuperSport where she created her mouth-watering signature dishes with the assistance of SA’s top PSL Soccer Players. Izelle is the food editor for Muscle and Fitness Hers and Mens Fitness Magazine and writes for the Afrikaans Woman’s Magazine Finesse.
From young farm girl with a passion for food to entrepreneur and lifestyle chef – Izelle Hoffman’s passion for people and drive for improving the lives of communities around South Africa is unstoppable. She represents the organic food journey so many South African and African families identify with, living from the earth’s richness is the African wellness journey Izelle shares with the world.
Food, the same as culture is an international language and Izelle encourages people from all walks of life to rethink what they put in their bodies in a fun, healthy way.
As Izelle explains, time and health are some of the most important aspects that money can’t buy, making it two of the most precious commodities in your life. ”We only live once and we only have one body to live it in.Â
Guilt free Chocolate Cake
Prep time 10min
Baking time 15-20min
Servings 12 Cupcakes or 1 large Cake
Ingredients:
2 cans chickpeas drained
8 tbsp raw honey
100g almond butter
1 tsp vanilla essence
2 tsp caramel essence
1 tsp bicarb of soda
2 eggs
50g almond flour
1 tsp of oryx salt
1 heaped table spoon of Cacao (preferably Raw Cacao)
For the chocolate nut-butter icing:
250g Almond Butter
100ml Unsweetened Almond milk
5 tbsp raw honey
1 heaped table spoon Cacao (preferably Raw Cacao)
1/4 tsp of oryx salt
1 tsp caramel essence
Instructions:
Pre heat oven to 180’C on thermo-fan.
Place the chickpeas in the bowl of the food processor. Blend till smooth. Add all the other ingredients except the eggs and process on high for 3-5 minutes, scraping down sides as needed, until mixture is smooth and well blended.
If you don’t have a food processor you can pulp the chickpeas with a blender, add the rest of the ingredients and beat with an electric beater for 2 minutes on high speed.
Beat the eggs in a separate bowl till light and fluffy. Add to the chickpea mix and beat for another 30 seconds to mix well.
Scoop mix evenly into 12 muffin cups for Cupcakes, or pour mixture into a medium size pan lined with parchment paper that is sprayed with non stick spray
Bake for 15-20 minutes.
(The edges will be crispy and firm to touch while the centre will remain moist and soft to touch)
For the icing,
Prepare a small size pot with non-stick spray,
Add all the ingredients and over medium heat, allow to heat up till the almond butter starts to melt, the mixture will get a glazed look and have a slightly toasted nutty taste.
When removed from the oven, let the cupcakes or cake cool off slightly and then start applying the warm icing, you want the icing to cool off on the cake to give it that glazed smooth look,
Finish off with almond flour, almond sprinkles or shavings, cacao, mint leaves etc
Almond Butter Cake
Prep time 10min
Baking time 25-30min
Servings 1 Cake or 12 cupcakes
Ingredients:
2 cans chickpeas drained
6 tbs raw honey
100g almond butter
1 tsp vanilla essence
2 tsp caramel essence
1 tsp bicarb of soda
2 jumbo eggs
90g almond flour
1 tsp of Oryx Desert salt
Icing
300g Almond Butter
6 tbsp Honey
2 tsp Caramel essence
1/2 cup unsweetened Almond milk
1 tsp Salt
Garnish with almond shavings, roast almonds, fresh berries and mint
Instructions
Pre heat oven to 180’C on thermo-fan.
Place the chickpeas in the bowl of the food processor. Blend till smooth. Add all the other ingredients except the eggs and process on high for 3-5 minutes, scraping down sides as needed, until mixture is smooth and well blended.
If you don’t have a food processor you can pulp the chickpeas with a blender, add the rest of the ingredients and beat with an electric beater for 2 minutes on high speed.
Beat the eggs in a separate bowl till light and fluffy. Add to the chickpea mix and beat for another 30 seconds to mix well.
Pour chickpea dough mixture into a medium size pan lined with parchment paper that is sprayed with non stick spray.
Bake for 25-30 minutes. Edges will be crispy and firm to touch while the centre will remain moist and soft to touch.
