Angel Food Cupcakes

Annie's Eats

My hope is to inspire you to be fearless in the kitchen, to try new things, to take the time to make things the homemade way and most importantly, to have fun doing it!

52 comments

posted in: Berries, Cupcakes, Dessert

07.21

2009

Last week I was looking for a dessert to go along with a dinner I was taking over to some friends. Since the meal was a very filling one, I wanted something simple and light for dessert. These cupcakes seemed like a perfect option, and they were great! Incredibly quick and easy to make, and tasted just like a traditional angel food cake – sweet, light and airy. A garnish of freshly whipped cream and seasonal berries made them truly heavenly! This recipe yields quite a lot of cupcakes so there are plenty to share with others and keep some for yourself.

Angel Food Cupcakes

Yield: 24 cupcakes

Ingredients

1 cup cake flour
1 1/2 cups granulated sugar
1/4 tsp. salt
12 large egg whites
1 tsp. vanilla extract
1 1/2 tsp. cream of tartar

Directions

Adjust oven racks to the two lowest positions. Preheat the oven to 375° F. Line two cupcake pans with paper liners. In a small mixing bowl, sift together the flour, 3/4 cup of the sugar and the salt; set aside. In the bowl of an electric mixer fitted with the whisk attachment, beat the egg whites with the vanilla and cream of tartar on medium-high speed until soft-medium peaks form. Gradually add the remaining 3/4 cup sugar, continuing to beat until stiff peaks form. Gently fold in the dry ingredients using a rubber spatula, being careful not to deflate the batter.
Divide the batter evenly between the prepared cupcake liners and bake for 12-15 minutes or until light golden. Let cool in the pans for 5 minutes, then transfer to a wire rack to cool completely. Serve with whipped cream and fresh fruit, if desired.

Source

adapted from About.com

Kate
My sister-in-law and I are going to attempt your butterfly decorations for an upcoming family bridal shower. Do you think angel food cake would hold up well enough for buttercream frosting and those decorations? I love the lightness and flavor of angel food cake, and it always seems fitting for a bridal shower, but not sure if the buttercream/decorations would be too heavy on top… Your thoughts? THANKS!!
Annie
Hi Kate,
Well, I’m undecided. I definitely think the angel food cake could hold up to the buttercream and butterfly decorations – I’m just not sure that the flavors would really compliment each other. Maybe instead you could do a different airy light cake, like Dorie’s Perfect Party Cake. I think something like that might be a bit better suited than angel food, or just regular vanillla cupcakes. I guess it just depends on your preference!
:) Annie
http://tideandthyme.com Laura
These are beautiful. I remember eating angel food cake when I was a little girl. It was so light and sweet. Just may have to try my hand at it!
http://www.bigsislilsis.com LilSis
Now, those are some gorgeous cupcakes! I love the idea of angel food cake as a cupcake. I’m not a real big sweet eater, so the whipped cream and fresh fruit on top is perfect! I bet these were a hit with your friends!
http://fallonscucina.blogspot.com/ Fallon
Wow that is perfect to serve since it already portioned out.
http://www,sweetlifektichen.com Beth Griffin
OMG!! I posted these today too~ yours are BEAUTIFUL! This is my new favorite summer dessert :o)
http://familyfriendsandfood.blogspot.com patsyk
I love how you used fresh berries to decorate them! So pretty and perfect for summer.
http://marinationsonlife.blogspot.com Jade
These look amazing. I love the idea of angel food cupcakes. It would make a perfect light dessert for a summer evening!
http://www.alwaysorderdessert.com Alejandra
These are beautiful! And the portion sizes are perfect. What a fantastic idea. well done, you!
http://www.Recipe4Living.com Hillary
Great topping for a great cupcake! Thanks for sharing. You should submit this recipe to Recipe4Living.com!
http://oneshotbeyond.wordpress.com/ oneshotbeyond
they sound and look light and lovely. The perfect party treat!!!
http://www.bigboldbeautifulfood.blogspot.com Ninette
Wow, these look really great!
Marla
Very pretty!!
http://playwithsugar.blogspot.com Stacy
I LOVE angel food cake and in cupcake form? Even better!! They look so good!!!
http://simplemornings.blogspot.com amy
soooo prettyyyyyy:)
http://www.sugarbar.org diva
i’m lovin tht u topped the cupcakes with just freshly whipped cream. so simple, classic and pretty. love em! x
http://www.tlb1984.blogspot.com Tonya Lynn
These look amazing! I’m going to try them in a few weeks for my dad’s birthday!
nutmegnanny
I love angel food cake because it’s so light and airy. It’s the perfect type of cake for the summer. Matched with berries only makes it better.
http://grannyoohoo.blogspot.com Linda
Elegant and very pretty!
http://bigflavors.blogspot.com Ashley
Absolutely gorgeous!! I’ve still never tried to make angel food cake at home – maybe cupcakes would be the way to go :)
youngwifey
Great presentation!
http://aQTforever.blogspot.com Jess
These were sooo yummy. I made them last Saturday and they turned out beautifully. I actually got 30 cupcakes from the recipe. I topped mine with 7-minute frosting that I added berries to. The only thing I forgot was to take a picture (which is so not like me). Thanks for the recipe!
Gwyn
I want to add/ change something to my previous review. I’ve been “snacking” on these all day. The one that i first tried )and thought was “ok”) was a little overdone on the bottom and so affected the taste. The next batch i made tastes delicious!
Christine Moody
Thanks for a great site!
Gwyn
I just wanted to say that I made these cupcakes & really liked them. My kids liked them too (big surprise). I did find that I needed to put them on the 3rd rack from the bottom of the oven to avoid them getting too dark on the bottom. I got 31 cupcakes & cooked them for 11-12 minutes. I put Reddi-Whip & blueberries on them just before serving. What a great, lite, quick dessert! Thanks!
http://kirstenkeane.wordpress.com Kirsten
Are these using a mini cupcake pan or a regular pan? They look so tiny and adorable, I want to make sure to get it right!
Annie
Kirsten,
I used a regular sized cupcake pan, but you could make them mini as well. Just decrease the baking time.
Lydia MacDonald
I have decided to make this for my own tomorrow. I was wondering if egg beaters would work instead actual eggs? I am so excited to make them!
Lydia MacDonald
**for my own birthday**
Annie
Hi Lydia,
I don’t know anything about egg beaters but I would assume the package has instructions for how they can be substituted.
Valeria
Could I use sugared raspberries and blackberries instead? Or would it be too sweet?
Annie
Of course, you can top them with whatever you would like. “Too sweet” is not a term that exists in my vocabulary.
ashley
Do you think If I halved the recipe they would turn out okay?
It’s just everyone says it makes about 30 cupcakes and I want to make them “just because” and I can’t trust myself with 30 cupcakes in the house! Especially angel food cupcakes!
Annie
Yes, you can halve any recipe you want.
Shaina
I love your blog!! I made these cupcakes this weekend for a bridal shower and the were great! Instead of whipped cream I used frosting made of cool whip, a box of vanilla pudding mix, and some milk (I just googled cool whip frosting). They were a huge hit! Keep up the good work Annie!
Nadine
Just made this recipe…. twice… first time, the bottoms burned. Is there a reason why you suggest that I place the oven racks at the lowest level?
The second time they came out better but I did move the racks up.
By the way… I LOVE your site!
Thanks,
Nadine
Annie
The oven is hotter near the top, so it doesn’t make sense that they burned in the lower, not higher, position. I use the low racks to avoid burning.
Nadine
I have an electric oven and the coils are at the top and bottom. Oh well… they are very delicious! Thanks for your great recipes!
Annie
Interesting. My oven is electric too. Well, glad you are enjoying them!
Amanda
These are AMAZING! They are my new go-to dessert! Everyone, especially my dad, has fallen in love with them. I make a chocolate whipped cream for the top and put either chocolate or rainbow jimmies on top! Delicious!
Amanda S
These are AMAZING! I made them tonight because I had a whole packet of eggs that were going to go bad soon and I needed to use them up. I was really nervous since I’ve never made angel foodcake before, but they turned out great (much to my surprise)!!
Svneely
Have you ever used frozen egg whites? How do you think they would hold up in this recipe?
Anonymous
No I haven’t. Good luck!
Lee
What a terrific idea! And the ones in your photo invite you to take them to a party. My one question is how do you get them not to stick to the cupcake papers? The tops pull right off (like muffin-tops) but then the rest is stuck, really stuck, to the paper. Do they make parchment baking cups?
annieseats
They actually do make parchment cups, but these didn’t stick too badly for me. Maybe slightly, but nothing major. You could lightly spray your liners with baking spray if you wanted.
Beth
Honestly, the best way, and prettiest way, is to directly spray the cupcake pan with cooking spray, then after they cool , pop them out nice and gently with the back of a fork, then put them in the liners afterward, just so they look cute and dont rub up against eachother in transit. :)
Michelle
Your picture is great. How did you get yours to stay round and in a cupcake shape? I k now that angel food cake shrinks some so I really filled the wrappers full of the batter and in the oven they looked great, but once they cooled they had shrank down to practically bite sized cupcakes, like the size of a quarter, and were all deformed and weird looking. I couldn’t bear to actually serve them for my mother-in law’s birthday. They tasted great though!
annieseats
I didn’t have a special strategy. Just filled them as I would any other cupcake. I wonder if there was an issue with your batter. Sorry I don’t have more helpful suggestions!
Momurph30
I made these and filled them with a strawberry puree and frosted them with a cream cheese/ whipped cream frosting….. my take on strawberry short cake! They went over great! I get requests for them all the time now!
http://paperwhitesblog.blogspot.com/ Alison
Hi Annie – making these this wknd for my daughter’s baptism (!) – when you top cupcakes with whipped cream, do you just use a spoon to dollop, or do you use a pastry bag to get a nice round layer? Thank you!!
annieseats
I always use a pastry bag. Just prefer the finished look it gives. Hope that helps!
Chrissy Cheung
I made these for a baby shower and topped with Cool Whip. They turned out great! Some of them did get a little burned on the bottom so I will try moving the racks toward the middle next time. Also, I didn’t fill it with enough batter so some of them were skimpy. Next time I will fill them at least 3/4 full. Thanks Annie! Big fan of your site :)