Angel Food Cupcakes

A fat free cupcake?  I must be dreaming. 

Did you know that angel food cake has zero butter, oil or fat?  I love that.  The problem is that I love them even more when you add a really fattening whipped cream cheese frosting to the top. 

I've made angel food cupcakes in the past and I've always had a problem with them shrinking once they came out of the oven.  They pull away from the paper liners and then they just look awkward.  I finally came up with a new recipe I thought might just solve my shrinkage problem.  Not to mention the fact that these cupcakes are topped with THE BEST whipped cream cheese frosting!!!

Angel Food Cupcakes

3/4 cup + 2 Tbsp (194g) granulated sugar
1/2 cup (68g) cake flour
1/8 tsp salt
6 egg whites (192g), at room temperature
2 1/2 Tbsp warm water
1/4 tsp vanilla extract
1/4 tsp almond extract
3/4 tsp cream of tartar

1 1/2 cups heavy whipping cream
6 oz cream cheese, softened
1/2 cup + 2 Tbsp powdered sugar
1/2 tsp vanilla extract
1/2 tsp almond extract

Preheat oven to 350 degrees. In a food processor, pulse sugar until super fine, about 2 minutes (if you don't have a food processor caster sugar should also work).

In a mixing bowl, sift together half of the sugar, the cake flour and the salt.

Whisk together egg whites, water, vanilla and almond extract and cream of tartar until well combined, about 2 minutes.

Whip mixture on medium speed while slowly adding remaining sugar to mixture, until medium peaks form.

 
Sift just enough of the flour mixture in to evenly dust the top of the egg white mixture and using a spatula gently fold flour layer into egg white mixture and continue this process until all of the flour mixture has been incorporated.

Divide batter among paper lined muffin cups, filling each cup nearly full.

Bake in preheated oven 19 - 22 minutes until golden and toothpick inserted into center comes out clean.

For the Cream Cheese Whipped Cream Topping:
In a mixing bowl whip heavy cream until soft peaks form.

In a separate mixing bowl, whip cream cheese until light and fluffy.

Add powdered sugar, vanilla extract and almond extract to cream cheese.

Whip cheese mixture into cream until stiff peaks form. Store in refrigerator.

Cool completely then pipe Cream Cheese Whipped Cream over cupcakes just before serving and top with rainbow sprinkles.

 

These cupcakes could not be easier to put together.  And as I look at it - I can eat twice as much frosting since the cupcake is fat free.  (That makes sense, right?)

Ciao!