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Angel Food Cupcakes

by Nick Makrides
Published: Last Updated on

If you’re looking for a cupcake that is light and fluffy, try these Fluffy Angel Food Cupcakes! My recipe is airy, easy to make and fail proof. No need to get out a food processor to make these cupcakes topped with mascarpone whipped cream and fresh berries! A simple and delicious cupcake that is perfect for summer and spring!

Angel Food Cupcakes - multiple finished cupcakes on a bench with berries

If you’re looking for other great cupcake recipes check out my easy vanilla cupcakes, chocolate cupcakes, red velvet cupcakes and one of my personal favorites, these salted caramel cupcakes!

This recipe is perfectly paired with my delicious mascarpone whipped cream frosting which is really fluffy. But if you’re looking for other great frostings, check out my American buttercream frosting, Swiss meringue buttercream which is perfect for cakes or my chocolate ganache!

Angel Food Cupcakes - close up

What are Angel Food Cupcakes?

Just like Angel Food Cake, this cupcake version is incredibly light and airy. Angel Food cake, or cupcakes are white in color because they have no egg yolks. They have no other raisin agents either because the cake relies heavily on the whipped egg whites to give them their light and airy rise. They’re typically topped with fresh cream and berries. I decided to take mine a step further and make mascarpone whipped cream. In short, these cupcakes are uniquely easy and light compared to lots of other cupcakes.

Angel Food Cupcakes - top down shot

Why you should make these!

  • They’re so delicious.
  • They’re easy to make!
  • This recipe is fool proof!
  • They’re really light and airy.
  • They’re simple to make

Angel Food Cupcakes - hand holding a cupcake

Sifting the ingredients 4 times?

Yep! Most other recipes will tell you to pop the sugar and flour in a food processor to aerate them, but I think that’s overkill. And I think there’s a better way to aerate the ingredients

I run the powdered sugar and flour through a sieve to help aerate it. Aerating these two ingredients is a really important step because this recipe relies on two things to rise. The meringue and aerating the dry ingredients really well.

Angel Food Cupcakes - group of cupcakes

Help! My cupcakes are a disaster!

If you skip the sifting stage, your cupcakes will shrink, sink at the top and will be dense. They’ll taste fine but looks wise. Total disaster.

Angel Food Cupcakes - good and bad cupcakes on their side Angel Food Cupcakes - good and bad cupcake top down

What are the ingredients I need?

Angel Food Cupcakes - ingredients image 01

Cupcakes

Cake flour – Cake flour is a flour low gluten flour often used for cake making that results in a more delicate, light and fluffy cake.

Powdered sugar – also known as icing sugar

Salt – I used fine salt.

Egg whites – I used the egg whites from large eggs.

Warm water – this helps the egg whites whip up better. You want it to be between 30 – 43C (90 – 110 F).

Cream of tartar – It’s a powdery substance that is often used to help stabilise egg whites when being turned into meringue. You can use equal amounts of fresh lemon juice or white vinegar in it’s place.

Caster sugar – sometimes known as superfine sugar is a finer version of granulated sugar. It’s not as fine as powdered sugar, but a lot finer than granulated sugar. And it’s often used for making cakes and cupcakes. It’s also perfect for meringues because it’s course enough to create air bubbles but it also dissolves more easily than granulated sugar without the risk of over whipping.

Vanilla Bean PasteAlways use good quality vanilla extract when baking, it makes a huge difference. I have a great recipe here for it if you’d like to try your own!

Mascarpone Whipped Cream

Angel Food Cupcakes - ingredients image 02

Heavy whipping cream – this is the type of cream you use for whipping. Make sure it’s cold.

Mascarpone – this is a cheese similar in flavor and texture to sour cream. It helps make the whipped cream richer and creamier.

Raspberry sauce – I have a great recipe that takes 5 minutes to make! Grab it here!

Raspberries and blueberries to decorate – make sure you wash and dry them properly.

How to make Angel Food Cupcakes.

Cupcakes

Angel Food Cupcakes - instructional image 01

  1. Preheat a fan-forced oven to 165C / 330F. Line a cupcake tray with 12 cupcake liners. Set aside. Begin by placing a sift on top of a medium sized mixing bowl, sift together the cake flour, powdered sugar, and salt. Repeat these another 3 times. This is important to the recipe so don’t skip it!
  2. To a large separate bowl, add the egg whites, warm water, and cream of tartar. Use electric beaters too beat until you reach soft peaks.

Angel Food Cupcakes - instructional image 02

  1. Then, while the beater is on high speed, begin adding the sugar 1 tbsp at a time until it’s all in there.
  2. Continue beating on high speed for a couple more minutes until you stiff peaks.

Angel Food Cupcakes - instructional image 03

  1. Sift the dry ingredients in three different portions, folding each time using a spatula.
  2. Use a large cupcake scoop to scoop the batter into the cupcake tin, filling quite high.

Angel Food Cupcakes - instructional image 04

  1. Use a spatula to flatten out the top. Bake for 15-16 minutes until light golden brown. Take out of the oven and allow to cool in the tin for 10 minutes. The cupcakes will shrink slightly, that’s normal.

Mascarpone Whipped Cream

Angel Food Cupcakes - instructional image 05

  1. Add all the ingredients into a large mixing bowl and whip until you reach stiff peaks.
  2. Fit the end of a piping bag with a large open star tip and fill with mascarpone whipped cream. Pipe a swirl on top of each cupcake and top with berries. Serve fresh!

Angel Food Cupcakes - cupcake with unwrapped wrapper

Frequently asked questions for Angel Food Cupcakes!

Storage

These cupcakes are best served the day they’re made but can be stored in an airtight container for up to two days.

What is cake flour?

Cake flour is a flour low gluten flour often used for cake making that results in a more delicate, light and fluffy cake.

How to make your own cake flour

To make 1 cup of cake flour, take out 1 tbsp of flour and replace with corn starch. Sift three times and boom! Easy home made cake flour!

What is cream of tartar?

It’s a powdery substance that is often used to help stabilise egg whites when being turned into meringue. You can use equal amounts of fresh lemon juice or white vinegar in it’s place.

Can this be used for a regular cake?

I wouldn’t recommend it. If you’re looking for a great Vanilla cake recipe, I have a great one here! An Angel Cake recipe coming soon.

Whipping the egg whites.

You need to make sure bowl and beaters you’re using are really clean. No fat or oil residue otherwise they won’t whip properly. Make sure when whipping that you don’t overwhip. You’re looking for the bird’s peak when you reach stiff peaks. They’ll also look shiny and thick.

Other delicious vanilla Recipes You Might Like!

Neatly sliced Classic Vanilla Slice.

Make sure to follow me on social media!

Following me on my social pipes is the best way to keep up to with my daily kitchen adventures!.

Instagram

@thescranline – for my desserts

@thescranlineeveryday – for my savory recipes

Youtube

The Scran Line – for my full dessert videos with voice over instructions.

The Scran Line Everyday – for my savory recipes with full voice walk throughs!

Facebook

So much fun happening here and it’s a great community to be a part of!

Make sure you leave a comment down bellow if you try this recipe, or just say hello! I’d love to hear from you! I’ll see you all on the following recipe!

N x

Angel Food Cupcakes - pinterest image

Angel Food Cupcakes - multiple finished cupcakes on a bench with berries

Fluffy Angel Food Cupcakes

If you’re looking for a cupcake that is light and fluffy, try these Fluffy Angel Food Cupcakes!

Serves 12

4.2 from 26 votes
Author: Nick Makrides
Print Recipe Pin Recipe
Prep: 20 minutes
Cook: 16 minutes
Total: 1 hour
Course: Dessert
Cuisine: American
Calories: 252kcal
Author: Nick Makrides

Ingredients

Cupcakes

  • 1/2 cup (75 g) cake flour see notes
  • 1/2 cup (75 g) powdered sugar
  • 1/8 tsp salt
  • 6 egg whites
  • 1 tbsp warm water
  • 3/4 tsp cream of tartar see notes
  • 1/2 cup (105 g) caster sugar superfine sugar (see notes)
  • 1 tsp vanilla bean paste or vanilla extract

Mascarpone Whipped Cream

  • 2 cups (500 ml) heavy whipping cream cold
  • 1/2 cup (125 g) mascarpone cold
  • 1 tbsp powdered sugar
  • 1 tsp vanilla extract
  • Raspberry sauce
  • Raspberries and blueberries to decorate

Learn How To Make it! [VIDEO]


Instructions

Cupcakes

  • Preheat a fan-forced oven to 165C / 330F. Line a cupcake tray with 12 cupcake liners. Set aside.
  • Begin by placing a sift on top of a medium sized mixing bowl, sift together the cake flour, powdered sugar, and salt. Repeat these another 3 times. This is important to the recipe so don’t skip it!
  • To a large separate bowl, add the egg whites, warm water and cream of tartar. Use electric beaters too beat until you reach soft peaks. Then, while the beater is on high speed, begin adding the sugar 1 tbsp at a time until it’s all in there. Continue beating on high speed for a couple more minutes until you stiff peaks.
  • Sift the dry ingredients in three different portions, folding each time using a spatula.
  • Use a large cupcake scoop to scoop the batter into the cupcake tin, filling quite high. Use a spatula to flatten out the top. Bake for 15-16 minutes until light golden brown. Take out of the oven and allow to cool in the tin for 10 minutes. The cupcakes will shrink slightly, that’s normal.

Mascarpone Whipped Cream

  • Add all the ingredients into a large mixing bowl and whip until you reach stiff peaks.
  • Fit the end of a piping bag with a large open star tip and fill with mascarpone whipped cream. Pipe a swirl on top of each cupcake and top with berries. Serve fresh!

Notes

Storage
These cupcakes are best served the day they’re made but can be stored in an airtight container for up to two days.
What is cake flour?
Cake flour is a flour low gluten flour often used for cake making that results in a more delicate, light and fluffy cake.
What is cream of tartar?
It’s a powdery substance that is often used to help stabilise egg whites when being turned into meringue. You can use equal amounts of fresh lemon juice or white vinegar in it’s place.
What is caster sugar?
Caster sugar, sometimes known as superfine sugar is a finer version of granulated sugar. It’s not as fine as powdered sugar, but a lot finer than granulated sugar. It’s often used for making cakes and cupcakes. It’s also perfect for meringues because it’s course enough to create air bubbles but it also dissolves more easily than granulated sugar without the risk of over whipping.
How to make Caster sugar
You can make your own caster sugar by adding granulated sugar to a food processor and pulsing on high speed until it appears much finer.

Nutrition

Calories : 252kcal
Carbonhydrates: 12g
Protein: 4g
Fat: 19g
Saturated Fat: 12g
Polyunsaturated Fat: 1g
Monounsaturated Fat : 4g
Cholesterol: 54mg
Sodium: 66mg
Potassium : 112mg
Fiber: 0.1g
Sugar : 8g
Vitamin A: 714IU
Vitamin C: 0.2mg
Calcium: 42mg
Iron: 0.1mg
Nutrition Disclosure
Gave this recipe a go?Mention @thescranline or tag #thescranline!

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8 comments

Ella July 8, 2022 - 6:00 pm

2 stars
Mine came out tasting kinda eggy but idk if that’s how it’s meant to be? I followed recipe completely but I did notice ok the print out version it doesn’t actually say when to put in the vanilla, luckily I’d seen in the video to add it near the end when it’s getting folded together. They’re ok though, might try making them again and adjusting the sugar

Reply
Nick Makrides July 11, 2022 - 1:52 am

Hmm, this is essentially a baked meringue stabilised with flour so it will taste a little eggy. But the vanilla should help add flavour as well. Will fix the recipe, thanks so much for letting me know! N x

Reply
Rayna August 4, 2022 - 12:08 pm

What size muffin pan do you use?

Reply
Nick Makrides August 30, 2022 - 11:26 am

Hi Rayna! The size of the cupcake tin is
Bottom 5.5cm
Height: 3cm
Top: 7cm

Reply
Carla July 22, 2022 - 10:48 am

Can you use liquid egg whites vs eggs?

Reply
Nick Makrides August 1, 2022 - 4:10 am

From a carton? I wouldn’t recommend it. I haven’t tried it that way and I’ve heard that carton egg whites don’t behave the same way as fresh egg whites. N x

Reply
Lauren August 7, 2022 - 12:02 pm

Hi Nick! Can I use normal food colouring (water type) to colour the frosting. Also, can I use plain flour instead of cake flour? It’s unavailable at coles for some reason.

Reply
Nick Makrides August 30, 2022 - 11:22 am

Hi Lauren! Unfortunately liquid food dye won’t work in the whipped cream. You can use all-purpose flour if you like. I’m going to be writing a cake flour recipe soon to show people how to make their own. N x

Reply

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