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Angel Food Cupcakes with Mascarpone Frosting

Jennifer Mathews

I love the sponginess of angel food cake. Plus, it’s a natural building block for whipped cream and berries. It also happens to be a lighter cake and when friends are watching their weight, it seems like a good option. As I mentioned before, we have whipped cream haters amongst us, so I made a mascarpone frosting, which takes plain old whipped cream, makes it more stabilized and adds a nice tanginess.

Tips:

  • The frosting would be great on a chocolate cake.

  • Cupcakes are a nice way to portion out the cake, but if you prefer a bundt cake, you can bake it for about 35 minutes. No need to grease the pan!

  • Short on time? Use a boxed mix and just make the frosting. I won’t tell.

  • Add 1/4 cup of unsweetened cocoa to make a chocolate version.

Angel Food Cupcakes with Mascarpone Frosting

Makes 24 cupcakes

PREP 20 minutes

COOK 20 minutes

INGREDIENTS

CAKE

1 3/4 cups sugar

1/4 teaspoon salt

1 cup cake flour, sifted

12 egg whites (the closer to room temperature the better)

1/3 cup warm water

1 teaspoon vanilla extract

1 1/2 teaspoons cream of tartar

FROSTING

4 ounces mascarpone cheese (I use Belgioioso)

1/4 cup sugar

1/4 teaspoon vanilla extract

1 cup heavy cream

INSTRUCTIONS

  1. Preheat oven to 350 degrees F.

  2. In a large bowl, using a hand mixer combine egg whites, water, extract, and cream of tartar. After 2 minutes, whip down the sides of the bowl and slowly add the sugar, beating continuously at medium speed. Once you have achieved medium peaks, slowly add the flour and use a spatula to incorporate.

  3. Using an ice cream scoop, carefully fill 24 cupcake liners with batter. Bake for about 20 minutes, or until a toothpick inserted in the middle comes out clean.

  4. Allow cupcakes to cool on a wire rack before frosting.

  5. FROSTING: Chill a large mixing bowl in the fridge (optional, but strongly encouraged).

  6. In your chilled bowl, combine mascarpone cheese and sugar on a high speed until completely combined.

  7. Add vanilla and heavy cream, and mix on a low setting until it is mostly combined. Now increase speed to high and whip until stiff peaks form – it may take a little while, so be patient!

  8. Once cupcakes have completely cooled, fit a piping bag with desired tip and go to town with frosting your cupcakes.