Angel food cupcakes are lighter than air and so divine! They are incredibly easy to make with just 6 simple ingredients. Top them with some fresh homemade whipped cream and berries for a dessert that is truly heavenly!
I guarantee these angel food cupcakes are the lightest, fluffiest cupcakes you will ever try. They are like biting into a cloud! The best part is they're made without any fat, very little flour, and a fraction of the sugar as most cupcake recipes. They really are the cupcakes of heaven!
What You Need to Make Angel Food Cupcakes
- Cake flour: Cake flour has a much lighter texture than regular flour, which makes it best for making angel food cupcakes. Regular flour will work in a pinch, but make sure you sift it several times to get the texture as light as possible.
- Granulated sugar: Half of the granulated sugar is used as a dry ingredient and the other half is used to make the meringue. Like the cake flour, it needs to be a very fine texture, so sift it several times and get rid of any clumps that you can't get through the sieve.
- Salt: Always for flavor!
- Egg whites: 4 large or just over ½ cup of egg whites. Make sure you don't get any yolks in the bowl with the egg whites or you won't be able to whip them to stiff peaks.
- Cream of tartar: An acid that stabilizes the egg whites and makes it easier to whip them to stiff peaks.
- Vanilla extract: For flavor.
How to Make Angel Food Cupcakes
Prep the Ingredients First
- Separate the egg whites into a large, completely clean, and dry glass bowl. It helps to separate them one at a time into a small bowl before adding them to the large bowl. That way if any of the yolks get in you don't have to start over.
- Cover the bowl with plastic wrap and set aside for at least 30 minutes so the egg whites can come to room temperature.
- Sift the granulated sugar several times to get rid of any hard clumps. Add it to the bowl of a food processor and pulse for 15-30 seconds to get it a finer texture. Measure out 6 tablespoons of sugar and sift it into a small, clean, and dry bowl.
- To the food processor with the remaining 6 tablespoons of sugar, add the cake flour and the salt. Pulse for about 15 seconds, then sift all of that together into a separate clean and dry bowl.
Make the Meringue
- To the bowl with room temperature egg whites, add the cream of tartar, and use an electric mixer to beat until the egg whites are thick and foamy. About 1-2 minutes.
- Gradually add the granulated sugar and continue to beat until the meringue reaches thick, stiff peaks. This will take about 2 minutes and it will look like shaving cream or marshmallow fluff. You can check that it's at the right stage by carefully turning the bowl upside down, if it stays put then it's perfect. Add the vanilla extract and mix until combined.
Fold the Batter
- In 5-6 additions, add the dry ingredients to the meringue and use a rubber spatula to gently fold in each addition until just combined. Don't add too much of the dry ingredients at once or you'll risk deflating the meringue.
- Once all of the dry ingredients have been added, fold the batter until combined with no pockets of flour remaining. Be sure to wipe the bottom of the bowl to check for hidden pockets of flour.
Bake
- Arrange your oven rack to the second from bottom position. Preheat your oven to 325°F and line a 12-count muffin pan with cupcake liners.
- Use a spoon to scoop the cupcake batter into each of the liners. Each liner should be filled about ¾ of the way with the batter.
- Bake the cupcakes for 18 minutes. Remove from the oven and let them cool slightly in the pan, then take them out of the pan and let cool completely before frosting.
Whipped Cream Topping
A simple homemade whipped cream frosting is the best way to top the cupcakes! Anything like buttercream or cream cheese frosting would be too heavy on top of the ultra-light, soft cake.
In a large, completely clean, and dry glass bowl, add cold heavy whipping cream and use an electric mixer to beat until starting to thicken. Add the powdered sugar and continue to beat until thick, about 1-2 minutes. Mix in the vanilla extract (optional) and salt until combined.
Add the whipped cream to a piping bag and pipe it onto the cooled cupcakes when ready to serve. Once you've added the whipped cream, keep the cupcakes in the fridge and serve within a few hours. Top with some fresh berries, if desired.
More Cupcake Recipes
Angel Food Cupcakes
Angel food cupcakes are lighter than air and so divine! They are incredibly easy to make with just 6 simple ingredients. Top them with fresh homemade whipped cream and some fresh berries for a perfect dessert that is truly heavenly!
Equipment
- Electric mixer
- Food processor
Ingredients
Cupcakes:
- 4 large egg whites , room temperature
- ¾ cup (12 tablespoons) granulated sugar, divided
- ½ cup cake flour
- ¼ tsp. salt
- ½ tsp. cream of tartar
- ¾ tsp. vanilla extract
Whipped Cream Topping:
- 1 and ½ cups cold heavy whipping cream
- 1 cup powdered sugar
- ¼ tsp. salt
- ½ tsp. vanilla extract, optional
Instructions
- Separate the egg whites into a large, completely clean, and dry glass bowl. Cover and set aside for at least 30 minutes to let the egg whites come to room temperature.
- Sift the sugar 3-4 times and get rid of any hard clumps. Add it to the bowl of a food processor and pulse for 15-30 seconds so it's a very fine texture.
- Measure out 6 tablespoons (¼ cup + 2 tbsp.) of sugar and sift it into a small clean, dry bowl. Set aside.
- Add the cake flour and salt to the remaining 6 tablespoons of sugar that's still in the food processor. Pulse for 15 seconds, then sift them together into a medium clean, dry bowl. Set aside.
- Arrange your oven rack to the second from bottom position. Preheat your oven to 325°F and line a 12-count muffin pan with cupcake liners.
- To the bowl of room temperature egg whites, add the cream of tartar and beat with an electric mixer until thick and foamy, about 1½ minutes. Add the 6 tbsp. granulated sugar and continue to beat for 1½-2 minutes, or until the meringue reaches thick, stiff peaks. You should be able to flip the bowl upside down without the meringue moving at all. Add the vanilla extract and mix until combined.
- Add the dry ingredients to the meringue in 5-6 additions. Use a rubber spatula to gently fold in each addition by wiping the sides and bottom of the bowl and rotating the spatula in towards the middle. Don't add too much of the dry ingredients at once or you'll risk deflating the meringue.
- Once all of the dry ingredients have been added, fold until the batter is combined with no pockets of flour remaining. Don't overmix.
- Use a spoon to scoop the batter evenly into each of the cupcake liners and bake the cupcakes for 18 minutes. Allow to cool slightly before removing them from the pan, then let the cupcakes cool completely before topping with the homemade whipped cream.
Make the Whipped Cream Topping:
- In a large, clean and dry glass bowl, add the cold heavy whipping cream and use an electric mixer to beat until starting to thicken. About 1 minute. Add the powdered sugar, salt, and vanilla extract (if using), and continue to mix until very thick. About 1-2 minutes more.
- Add the whipped cream to a piping bag and pipe it onto the cooled cupcakes. Keep the cupcakes in the fridge until you're ready to serve.
Notes
Unfrosted, cupcakes stay fresh in an airtight container for 1-2 days in the fridge. Once you've topped them with the homemade whipped cream, keep the cupcakes in the fridge and serve within a few hours. The whipped cream will start to melt after about 30 minutes if left out at room temperature. You can also freeze the cupcakes or cupcake batter. To freeze the cupcakes: Place the cupcakes upright in the freezer until mostly solid, then add them to a large plastic bag and keep the cupcakes frozen for 1-2 months. Thaw overnight in the fridge, frost with whipped cream and serve as normal. To freeze the cupcake batter: Add the batter to the cupcake liners in the pan and set the pan in the freezer overnight. Add the frozen batter-filled cupcake liners to a zip-lock plastic bag and keep frozen for 1-2 months. Bake the cupcakes straight from frozen, add a few minutes to the baking time.
Nutrition
Serving: 1cupcake with whipped creamCalories: 163kcalCarbohydrates: 27.1gProtein: 2.1gFat: 5.6gSaturated Fat: 3.5gCholesterol: 21mgSodium: 114mgPotassium: 57mgFiber: 0.1gSugar: 22.4gCalcium: 12mg
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