Not gonna lie.
I spent a solid twenty-one minutes debating whether I should lick a whisk and three spatulas absolutely clean — like, spotless — and wondering how sick I might get if I did. Would it be worth it? If I took my last breath slurping fluffy meringue and choked on raw egg whites, vanilla, and sugar, could that somehow be the perfect, ideal way to go?
There’s a thin line between eating batter and feeling like garbage (or worse), and I cross it often.
Actually, I always cross it. Repeatedly. Forever.
Anyhoo.
I honored that batter.
In my twenty-something years I’ve survived questionable food choices: using six-year-expired shaker Parmesan from my grandma’s fridge, eating cake made from a mix past its date, accidentally sipping dish soap thinking it was water, and even inhaling a forgotten slice of coconut cream pie from the back of the fridge. After all that, I figured the base of an angel food cake wasn’t going to be the thing to get me.
Also, it’s called angel food cake, so obviously angels must be involved — watching over me, especially when cake is involved. If they weren’t, they’d clearly not know me, and that’s just not acceptable.
One of my ambitions — alongside being pranked by George Clooney — is to master a spectacular angel food cake. My grandmother used to make one and glaze it; it was simple and satisfying. Once I learned how light and “healthful” angel food cake can seem, though, I briefly lost interest and went back to brownies for a while.
I made my first angel food cake a few years ago, assuming it would be embarrassingly easy. Angel food cake looks simple: a fluffy, plain, almost life-size donut. It’s not a complicated multi-layer dessert with mascarpone and truffles; it’s airy and light, the kind of cake people choose when they want to feel a little virtuous while eating cake. I didn’t expect the precision: beat the egg whites, watch for stiff peaks, sift the sugar, fold gently and carefully. I’m usually the impatient type who mixes everything together and moves on.
This time I was more prepared.
I decided to make cupcakes instead of a full cake, which turned out to be genius — bite-sized angel food that you can pop into your mouth like candy. They have all the qualities of angel food cake but in a cuter, more convenient form.
Angel Food Cupcakes
[lightly adapted from mother lovett’s recipe and Gourmet]
Yields: 36 cupcakes
Ingredients:
- 12 large egg whites (about 1 1/2 cups)
- 1 1/2 teaspoons cream of tartar
- 3/4 cup granulated sugar
- 2 teaspoons vanilla extract
- 1 3/4 cups sifted powdered sugar (sift before measuring)
- 1 1/8 cups sifted cake flour (sift before measuring)
- 1/4 teaspoon salt
Instructions:
Let the egg whites sit at room temperature for about one hour before you begin. While they rest, measure and sift the powdered sugar, cake flour, and salt together. Line one or two cupcake tins with liners and preheat the oven to 350°F, with the rack in the lower third.
Using an electric mixer, beat the egg whites until frothy. Add the cream of tartar and continue beating at medium speed until soft peaks form, about five to six minutes. Gradually add the granulated sugar while continuing to beat until the whites thicken into opaque, soft, droopy peaks. Beat in the vanilla extract.
Remove the bowl from the mixer and gently sprinkle one-quarter of the dry mixture over the egg whites. Fold it in carefully with a spatula until incorporated, then repeat in two more additions until fully combined and smooth.
Use a 1/4-cup measure to scoop heaping portions of batter into each lined cupcake cup. Bake for 18 to 19 minutes, or until the tops are lightly golden. Let the cupcakes cool completely before frosting.
For a simple frosting, whip 1 pint of heavy cream with 2 tablespoons sugar and 1 teaspoon vanilla until thickened, then spread or pipe onto the cooled cupcakes.
Much cuter, and just as light and delightful as the classic angel food cake.