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These angel food cupcakes are a mini version of the traditional cake and impossibly light and airy, a tasty dessert that’s a total crowd pleaser.
Recently I had the honor of interviewing Tanorria Askew, a finalist on the popular cooking competition show, MasterChef. When she got “the call”, she phoned her mom from the breakroom at her desk job, crying.
At the filming in LA, she had her makeup done daily by Emmy award-winning makeup artists and Gordon Ramsey critiqued her shrimp and grits. But what impressed me most about Tanorria was the way she views food. “Food is community,” she said. “I cook to make friends.” And by friends, she means people of all shapes, sizes, and colors.
This woman loves all people. She hosts dinners for women to discuss the deep racial tensions permeating our country while eating the same, soul-nourishing food around the table. Keep reading for more on food as community, and this angel food cupcakes recipe.
Food as community
Before I became interested in food 10 years ago, my narrative was food as chore: calories in, calories out, simple as that. Later, I graduated to food as nourishment, where eating “healthy” was the top priority. Eating this way was better, but it left little space for food as community. Since I was most focused on healthy, it was difficult to participate in a society where it’s natural to bring cookies to new neighbors or make a plate of cupcakes for the family barbecue.
In that vein, these angel food cupcakes with maple cream are a recipe for food as community. They’re a lighter option than the typical cupcake and could be considered a healthy dessert, so they touch on food as nourishment too. But let’s be honest: they’re made with lots of sugar, so sugar + air still = sugar. But there are a few things that make these angel food cupcakes closer to a healthy dessert.
Making angel food cupcakes
Here are a few features of these angel food cupcakes that make them a deliciously healthier dessert:
- Angel food cake has no butter or oil like the typical cake; it’s made of flour, egg whites, and sugar.
- The angel food cupcakes serving size and sugar content is lower than the typical angel food cake.
- We’ve replaced a portion of the granulated sugar in a typical angel food cake with maple syrup, a natural sugar. Though maple syrup still contains sugar, but it’s a naturally-occurring, minimally processed ingredient.
- For the frosting, we’ve used maple cream, maple syrup that’s been condensed into a creamy, spreadable form (same notes as sugar vs. maple syrup, as above). You could also use our Homemade Whipped Cream or Yogurt Whipped Cream.
These angel food cupcakes have been through a few recipe tests and consensus is that they’re light, fluffy and uniquely maple flavored: a lovely healthy dessert to reflect food as community.
Looking for healthy dessert recipes?
A few more healthy dessert recipes:
- Bliss Bites
- Triple Berry Raw Brownie Parfait
- Chocolate Peanut Butter Mousse
- Blueberry Cobbler
- Mini Bourbon Apple Pies
Dietary notes
This angel food cupcakes recipe is vegetarian.
Angel Food Cupcakes
- Prep Time: 35 minutes
- Cook Time: 25 minutes
- Total Time: 1 hour 45 minutes
- Yield: 12 1x
Description
These angel food cupcakes are a mini version of the traditional cake and impossibly light and airy, a tasty dessert that’s a total crowd pleaser.
Ingredients
For the cupcakes
- 8 egg whites (from large eggs)
- 2 tablespoons powdered sugar
- 2/3 cup cake flour
- ¼ teaspoon cream of tartar
- ½ teaspoon orange extract
- 2 tablespoons maple syrup
- 2 tablespoons water
- ½ cup granulated sugar
For the topping
- Golden and Delicate Maple Cream, for spreading OR Homemade Whipped Cream or Yogurt Whipped Cream
- 6 ounces raspberries
Instructions
- Preheat the oven to 325°F. Lightly grease a muffin pan with baking spray. On a counter, set two bowls apart the width of the muffin pan, then test setting the muffin pan upside down and on top of the bowls (this will be used for cooling the cupcakes after baking).
- Separate the egg whites and let them stand to come to room temperature.
- In a medium bowl, whisk together the powdered sugar and cake flour.
- In the bowl of a stand mixer, mix the egg whites, water, orange extract, maple syrup and cream of tartar. (You can also use a large non-reactive bowl and a hand mixer.) Mix on low speed until the mixture is foamy, then turn up to medium speed and gradually begin to add the granulated sugar, about 1 tablespoon at a time, over a period of 2 to 3 minutes. After all the sugar is added, turn up the speed to high and beat until medium peaks form, about 2 to 3 minutes. The mixture should be modestly glossy and the tips of peaks formed when you dip your finger into the mixture should flop over a bit.
- Remove the bowl from the mixer, and using a fine mesh strainer, sift in half of the dry ingredients. Gently fold the dry ingredients into the egg mixture with a spatula. Then sift and fold in the remaining dry ingredients.
- Using a ½ cup measure and a spatula, spoon the batter into 12 muffin cups. The batter is very fluffy and will rise significantly over the top of the muffin tin. If desired, gently smooth out the tops of the cupcakes, taking care not to deflate the airy batter.
- Bake for about 20 minutes or until the tops are slightly golden and a toothpick inserted in the center comes out clean. Remove the tin from the oven and allow to cool in the pan for 5 minutes. Then, set the pan upside down between the two bowls until fully cooled, about 45 minutes.
- When ready to serve, remove the cakes from the pan (you may need to use a sharp knife to release the edges from the pan). Spread the top of each cupcake with a very thin layer of maple cream. Slice raspberries in half, then place them cut side down on the top of the iced angel food cupcakes. Serve immediately. (The cakes are best eaten the day of baking. If desired, you can bake and freeze the cakes by wrapping them in plastic wrap and placing in a sealed plastic bag; however, this can slightly deflate the cakes. We tried this and they tasted nearly as good after freezing; however, eating the day of is the preferred option.)
- Category: Dessert
- Method: Baked
- Cuisine: American
I love the idea of food as community. I always bake something or make jam to have a little gift to say thank you or welcome! Thanks for sharing the recipe, I’ll definitely try your beautiful little Angel Food Cupcakes …
Ginger by Choice I Food & Lifestyle Blog
That’s so sweet of you! I love the idea of jam as an alternative to a cookie or cake. Thanks for commenting!
Dear Sonja,
I read this paragraph and I just want to tell you how deeply I resonated with your words:
“Before I became interested in food 10 years ago, my narrative was food as chore: calories in, calories out, simple as that. Later, I graduated to food as nourishment, where eating “healthy” was the top priority. Eating this way was better, but it left little space for food as community. Since I was most focused on healthy, it was difficult to participate in a society where it’s natural to bring cookies to new neighbors or make a plate of cupcakes for the family barbecue.”
For me, food will always be synonymous with community, and I think that is where the real power of food lies: As a natural and powerful way of building community and connections with others from the farmers who grew it to the people around your dinner table. Thank you for continuing to inspire me and your many readers on a daily basis, and for sharing such an important message!
Genevieve
Genevieve, thank you for this very thoughtful comment! The power of food to build community is one of the biggest reasons we do what we do. Thank YOU for your passion!
Hi Sonja,
Have you considered making these with almond flour to add extra nutrients? I have an angel food cake recipe using almond flour and cardomom that is super tasty…not individual cupcakes and it doesn’t use maple syrup as a sweetener…so a bit different, but a similar concept!
Thanks for this idea! I’d love to see your recipe for this! I would think almond flour would make it dense, but it sounds like yours stays light and fluffy! Feel free to forward it on if you have the chance!
I made these for a dinner party and they were a HUGE hit. Everyone had seconds! Love the maple cream, it’s sweet and rich against the fluffy texture of the angel food cake. Wonderful combo. These cupcakes didn’t last long at all. ;)
Oh, I’m so glad to hear this, Rochelle! Thank you so much for making them!