This Angel Food Cupcakes recipe features soft, moist little cakes that are topped with a swirl of the most delightful pudding-infused vanilla cream. I like to throw mini chocolate chips into the cake batter, but that’s totally up to you!
If you like Angel Food Cake, you are going to LOVE these lightly-sweet little Angel Food Cupcakes! They’re the perfect-sized individual portion of dessert, with an irresistible poof of creamy deliciousness on top. This is my idea of a summer cupcake!
Why These Angel Food Cupcakes Are the Perfect Sweet Treat
These light, fluffy cupcakes have the overwhelming approval of our whole family. Here’s why we love them!
- That angel food texture. There’s just nothing like it – so light, airy, delicate, and moist. Every summer, we love to wow guests with Grilled Angel Food Cake with fresh 3-ingredient Rhubarb Sauce; it’s absolutely amazing!
- The creamiest, fluffiest frosting. This cupcake is topped with a cloud of whipped cream that’s whipped with vanilla pudding. It’s so creamy and delicious, I wouldn’t blame you if you ate it by the spoonful.
- Perfect for summer. You can make these any time of year, but I especially like them during summertime since they’re so light and fluffy. Add fresh raspberries and blueberries for a celebratory July 4th and Memorial Day dessert. (Serve them alongside these patriotic White Chocolate Dipped Strawberries!)
What You’ll Need
Here’s what you’ll need to make these beautiful angel food cupcakes. Scroll down to the printable recipe card to find the exact ingredient quantities and recipe instructions.
For the Angel Food Cupcakes:
- Powdered sugar – Also known as confectioners’ sugar, this sweetens the batter without weighing it down.
- Cake flour – Using cake flour instead of all-purpose flour ensures a delicate, tender crumb.
- Egg whites – This makes the cakes light and airy. You can save the yolks and freeze them for another day — and make Crème Fraîche Strawberry Ice Cream or Butter Pecan Ice Cream!
- Cream of tartar – This stabilizes the egg whites to keep them from deflating.
- Sugar – Sugar also helps stabilize the whipped egg whites.
- Vanilla extract + almond extract – Almond extract adds a delicate, aromatic, and cherry-like flavor. It’s lovely in these angel food cupcakes!
- Salt – A touch of salt helps add depth to sweet recipes.
- Mini chocolate chips – I like to add mini chocolate chips to these cupcakes, but leave them out if you like. I don’t recommend regular chocolate chips since this is such light, airy cake – they would overwhelm the cake.
For the Whipped Cream Frosting:
- Heavy whipping cream – The base for our fluffy homemade whipped frosting.
- Vanilla pudding mix – This stabilizes the whipped cream, gives it a wonderfully creamy, smooth texture, and adds an old-fashioned vanilla pudding flavor. I think it’s so fun to add dry pudding mix to recipes in unconventional ways – this Banana Pudding Cheesecake is a phenomenal example!
- Powdered sugar – Sift this so it doesn’t add lumps to the vanilla cream.
- Vanilla extract – To amp up the vanilla flavor.
How to Make Angel Food Cupcakes With Chocolate Chips
It’s almost cupcake time! Here’s how to make them:
- Prepare. Preheat your oven to 375° F and position one of the racks on the lowest level. Add paper liners to your cupcake pan.
- Mix the dry ingredients. Whisk the powdered sugar and cake flour in a medium bowl.
- Whip the egg whites. In a clean, dry stand mixer bowl, beat the egg whites and cream of tartar on medium speed until the mixture is foamy. Add the granulated sugar a tablespoon at a time while beating on high. Add the vanilla, almond extract, and salt with the last sugar addition. Continue to beat until stiff peaks form.
- Finish the batter. Gently fold a third of the sugar/flour mixture into the egg whites. Repeat with the second third, then fold in the final third with the chocolate chips.
- Add the batter to the pan. Divide the batter into the cupcake pan.
- Bake. Place the pan in the oven and bake for 15 to 20 minutes, or until the tops are lightly golden and spring back when gently poked.
- Cool. Let the cupcakes cool in the pan before frosting.
- Make the frosting. Whip the cream, dry pudding mix, and powdered sugar with the whisk attachment of your stand mixer until it’s just stiff. Mix in the vanilla.
- Frost the cupcakes. Dollop or pipe the frosting onto the cupcakes.
- Garnish. If desired, add some fresh berries.
Tips & Variations
If you’ve never made angel food cake (or cupcakes!), I have a few extra pointers to help you get this recipe right. I also share some simple variation ideas if you’d like to change things up.
- Leave out the chocolate chips. For traditional angel food cupcakes, simply omit the mini chocolate chips.
- Use paper liners. Paper liners are crucial as they provide support for the light, airy cupcake batter as it rises. Do not grease or spray the liners or put the batter directly into a greased pan.
- And leave the liners on! The paper cupcake liners are also essential when it comes to serving time. They are still supporting the cupcakes’ form, so leave them on.
- Make sure the bowl and beaters are clean. The bowl and beaters must be completely clean and dry, with no traces of egg yolk. Even a small amount of water, grease, or yolk can keep the egg whites from forming stiff peaks.
- Lightly spoon the flour into the measuring cup. Too much flour can make the cupcakes dry and dense, so sprinkle it into the measuring cup with a spoon, then level it with a butter knife.
- Frost, then serve or refrigerate. Because the frosting has a whipped cream base, you’ll want to add the frosting to the cupcakes only just before serving, or plan to refrigerate them if making ahead of time.
- Try different toppings. Go with a traditional buttercream frosting or skip the frosting altogether. Or add a dusting of powdered sugar. Use other seasonal fruits for garnish, or scatter some shaved chocolate or additional mini chocolate chips on top. Sprinkles are always fun and festive, too, and are an easy way to personalize the dessert (pink sprinkles to welcome a baby girl, for example).
How to Store
- Unfrosted cupcakes: Store unfrosted cupcakes in an airtight container at room temperature for up to 3 days, or freeze them for up to 2 months. (Frozen cupcakes can be thawed at room temperature.) Add the frosting to the cupcakes just before serving.
- Frosted cupcakes: Store frosted angel food cupcakes in the refrigerator for up to 3 days.
More Super Fun Cupcake Recipes
Angel Food Cupcakes
Yield: 12 servings
These Angel Food Cupcakes have a light texture and are subtly flavored with vanilla and almond. The mini chocolate chips are a fun twist on angel food cake (leave them out if you like) – and everyone LOVES the creamy, vanilla pudding-infused whipped cream frosting!
Print
Ingredients
Angel Food Cupcakes
- ¾ cup powdered sugar
- ½ cup cake flour
- ¾ cup egg whites (you'll need about 6 large eggs to measure ¾ cup of egg whites)
- ¾ teaspoon cream of tartar
- ½ cup granulated sugar
- 1 teaspoon pure vanilla extract
- ¼ teaspoon pure almond extract
- ⅛ teaspoon kosher salt
- ½ cup mini chocolate chips
Whipped Cream Frosting
- 1½ cups heavy whipping cream
- 2 teaspoons instant dry vanilla pudding mix (I use Jell-O Vanilla Instant Pudding & Pie Filling Mix)
- ¼ cup powdered sugar, sifted
- 2 teaspoons pure vanilla extract
Instructions
Angel Food Cupcakes
- Move oven rack to lowest position and preheat oven to 375° F. Line a regular cupcake pan with 12 paper liners and set aside.
- In a medium bowl, whisk together powdered sugar and cake flour; set aside.
- In the bowl of a stand mixer, beat egg whites and cream of tartar on medium speed until foamy. Make sure the bowl and beaters are very clean and dry and that there are no egg yolks present, as even a bit of water, grease, or egg yolk will prevent egg whites from beating properly. Beat in granulated sugar on high speed, 1 tablespoon at a time, mixing for about 15 seconds with each addition. Add vanilla, almond extract, and salt with the last addition of sugar. Continue beating until stiff peaks form – the mixture should be voluminous, thick, and glossy. Now you have meringue!
- Sprinkle about 1/3 of the sugar/flour mixture over the meringue and gently fold with a clean, dry spatula until just incorporated. Fold as little as possible; over-folding breaks down the egg whites and can result in compact cake. Repeat with another 1/3 of the powdered sugar/flour mixture. Finish by folding in the remaining 1/3 of the sugar/flour mixture along with the mini chocolate chips, altogether.
- Divide batter evenly into prepared cupcake liners, filling to the very top of each liner. The batter will rise up a bit during baking, but the cupcakes will shrink back as they cool.
- Bake 15 to 20 minutes, or until the tops are lightly golden and spring back when lightly touched.
- Remove pan from oven and let cupcakes cool completely in the pan. Once cooled, carefully remove the cupcakes – they will be light and tender.
Whipped Cream Frosting
- It helps to start with a chilled bowl and whisk attachment – even 15 minutes in the fridge helps! In the bowl of a stand mixer, with the whisk attachment, whip the cream, dry pudding mix, and powdered sugar until it's just stiff. Add vanilla and mix just to combine.
- Dollop or pipe frosting onto cupcakes. Add a few fresh berries if you like. Serve immediately. Or cover and refrigerate until ready to serve.
Notes
- Cupcake liners: The paper liners are essential; they give the airy cupcake batter something to hold onto as it rises. Do not grease/spray the liners.
- Clean, dry bowl & beaters: This is so important that I also included it in the recipe instructions. Make sure the bowl and beaters are very clean and dry and that there are no egg yolks present, as even a bit of water, grease, or egg yolk will prevent egg whites from beating properly.
- Measure flour correctly: Adding too much flour will give you dry, dense cupcakes. First fluff the flour with a spoon, then sprinkle it into your measuring cup and use the flat side of a butter knife to level it off.
- Storing un-frosted cupcakes: Store un-frosted cupcakes in an airtight container at room temperature for up to 3 days.
- Whipped cream frosting: Add the frosting to the cupcakes only just before serving, or plan to refrigerate them if making ahead of time.
- Storing frosted cupcakes: Because of the cream in the frosting, frosted cupcakes need to be stored in the refrigerator. Place them in an airtight container, in the fridge, for up to 3 days.
- To serve: The paper cupcake liners are also essential when it comes to serving time. The liners are still supporting the cupcakes’ form, so leave the wrappers on.
Nutrition Information:
Serving: 1 Calories: 134kcal Carbohydrates: 30g Protein: 3g Sodium: 58mg Sugar: 23g
Nutrition information is automatically calculated by Spoonacular. I am not a nutritionist and cannot guarantee accuracy. If your health depends on nutrition information, please calculate again with your own favorite calculator.
Did you make this recipe?Please leave a comment below. And share a photo on Instagram with the hashtag #afarmgirlsdabbles or tag @farmgirlsdabble!
This post was originally published in 2014, then updated in 2025.
These look so delicious and beautiful! The link to get them recipe at Harry and David is not providing the recipe. Is there another way to get the recipe? Thanks!
These look fabulous — and I love the candy eggs! A brownie I enjoyed before Easter in Ireland had a similar presentation, and I’ve never forgotten that dessert (or that trip!). So cute!