Lemon Angel Food Cupcakes

Every Mother’s Day, I make my mom a citrus-themed dessert. She loves lemon desserts, so I’ve made Earl Grey Lemon Squares and a Lemon Tart with Raspberry Shortbread Crust in the past. This year, I decided to make cupcakes, specifically Lemon Angel Food Cupcakes!

I adapted a recipe from Martha Stewart into a cupcake recipe to make these Lemon Angel Food Cupcakes.

Ingredients:

Cupcakes:

• 1 cup sifted cake flour
• 1 1/2 cups sugar
• 12 large egg whites
• 2 tablespoons finely grated lemon zest
• 1 tablespoon plus 1 teaspoon fresh lemon juice
• 1 teaspoon cream of tartar
• 1 teaspoon pure vanilla extract
• 1/4 teaspoon salt

Lemon Whipped Cream Frosting:

• 1/2 cup fresh lemon juice
• 1/2 cup sugar
• 1 tablespoon cake flour
• 1/4 teaspoon salt
• 1 1/2 cups heavy cream, chilled
• 1 tablespoon finely grated lemon zest

Preheat your oven to 325 degrees. Line two cupcake pan with cupcake liners. Sift the flour and 1/2 cup sugar into a small bowl and mix to combine. Set aside.

 

Add egg whites to a large bowl and whisk with a mixer on medium speed until frothy, about 1 minute.

Add the lemon zest and juice, cream of tartar, vanilla, and salt.

Continue whisking until soft peaks form, about 2 1/2 minutes.(Note: if any egg yolk got into the egg whites, actually getting a soft peak will be tough. As you can see from my photos I had this problem. Just whisk for about 2 1/2 to 3 minutes.)

With mixer running, gradually add remaining cup sugar.

Increase speed to medium-high and continue whisking until firm, not stiff, peaks form. (Again, this won’t exactly work if there was yolk in it. Just whisk for about 2 minutes.)

Add 1/3 of the flour/sugar mixture to the egg white mixture. Using a rubber spatula, gently fold to combine.

Add another 1/3 of the flour mixture, mixing to combine. Add the final 1/3 of the mixture and fold in to combine.

Transfer the batter evenly among the cupcake pans. Gently shake the pan to settle the batter.

Bake at 325 degrees for 20-25 minutes or until a toothpick comes out clean and the tops of the cupcakes are lightly browned.

Remove cupcakes from the pan and let cool completely. Unfrosted cupcakes can be stored in an airtight container for up to 2 days.

 

While the cupcakes are cooling, make the frosting. First prepare an ice-water bath. Add ice to a large bowl and fill with some water. Set aside.

 

Add the lemon juice, sugar, flour, and salt to a small saucepan over medium-high heat. Bring to a boil and whisk constantly for 1 minute until the mixture thickens.

 

Transfer the mixture to a heatproof bowl and set the bowl over the ice-water bowl to cool completely. Stir occasionally.

While waiting for the lemon mixture to cool, add the cream and lemon zest to a bowl and beat on medium speed under medium peaks form, about 3 minutes.

Gently fold the whipped cream into the juice mixture 1/3 at a time. You can refrigerate this mixture up to overnight.

When ready to frost the cupcakes, add the whipped cream mixture to a ziplock bag and snip off one of the bottom corners (or if you have one, a pastry bag fitted with a tip of your choice). Pipe the frosting onto the cupcakes. Sprinkle with additional lemon zest if desired.

The angel food cupcake is so light and fluffy! And the lemon whipped cream is tangy and not overly sweet. I love this in cupcake form, it is the perfect size for this little treat.

My mom loved them so much she had two in one sitting!