Angel Food Cupcakes

Making angel food cupcakes is all about whipping the egg whites correctly.  If you can master the egg whipping lingo (soft peaks, firm peaks, fold, foamy, curl), you can create beautiful angel food cupcakes.  Don't worry - I'll walk you through it.  It's easier than you might think. 

Angel Food Cupcakes
1 cup cake flour                                  1 1/2 teaspoons cream of tartar
1 1/4 cups sugar                                 2 teaspoons fresh lemon juice
1/4 teaspoon salt                                1 teaspoon lemon zest
1 1/4 cups egg whites (about 8)         1 teaspoon vanilla

Combine flour, 1 c. sugar and salt.  Beat egg whites on medium until foamy.  Egg whites are foamy when they start to get bubbly and turn more opaque.

 
Add cream of tartar. Increase speed to high and beat until soft peaks.  Soft peaks means that when you pull the whisk out of the egg mixture, the egg whites stand up but the top bends slightly to make a curl. 

Beat in 1/4 c. sugar and beat until stiff peaks.  Stiff peaks are when the egg on the end of the whisk stand straight up.  No bend or curl in the egg whites.

Stir in lemon juice, zest and vanilla.

Sift in 1/4 of flour and fold in.  Use the spatula to carefully lift the mixture from the bottom to incorporate the dry ingredients.  If you stir to aggressively, you will deflate the air in the egg whites and your cakes will be dense instead of light and airy. 

Repeat 3 more times.

Scoop into angel food cake pan.

Bake mini bundt cakes for 16 minutes.

Cool on wire racks.

Voila - now you're an egg beating expert.  These little cakes are really good with fresh fruit or whipped cream or yogurt spooned over the top. 

Ciao!

Angel Food Cupcakes
1 cup cake flour                                  1 1/2 teaspoons cream of tartar
1 1/4 cups sugar                                 2 teaspoons fresh lemon juice
1/4 teaspoon salt                                1 teaspoon lemon zest
1 1/4 cups egg whites (about 8)         1 teaspoon vanilla

Combine flour, 1 c. sugar and salt.  Beat egg whites on medium until foamy.  Add cream of tartar. Increase speed to high and beat until soft peaks.  Beat in 1/4 c. sugar and beat until stiff peaks.  Stir in lemon juice, zest and vanilla.  Sift in 1/4 of flour and fold in.  Repeat 3 more times.  Scoop into angel food cake pan.  Bake mini bundt cakes for 16 minutes.