Heavenly Cupcakes...It's Angel Food Cake~

Dedicated in Loving Memory of Katherine Pennington. Happy Birthday April 27th!
She was a loving mom to Paul, Laurie, Larry and all of us who needed one.

She's an angel who watches over us all.

~ Miss you and Love You Katherine~

Growing up, I remember my dad had a bit of a sweet tooth, and Angel Food Cake was the perfect dessert as he watched his weight and his cholesterol! Angel Food Cake was 'dads' dessert, while we ate 'the real desserts'...at least that's how I remember it :o)

I remember sneaking bites of dads cake...Angel Food Cake was sweet and spongy...not like the crumb of the Devil's Food Cake my grandmother, Me-Me, frequently made for us. I wonder where the name 'Devil's Food' came from. Its flavor is just as heavenly...lol...oh well, that's a good topic for another day; today it's Angel Food Cake!

This was my first home baked Angel Food Cake for no other reason than it has always been too easy just pick one up at the grocery store. I actually decided to try this out because not 1... but 4 friends suggested this flavor all just last week!

I don't need much of a reason to bake so that was enough for me.

I LOVE the way the batter becomes this airy, whipped, thick indulgence...different than any other batter I've made. It was such a pleasant surprise!

It took a little trial and error before I figured out how much batter to put into each cup. Though I love the King Sized baking cups for my cupcakes, I much prefer the standard cup size for Angel Food Cupcakes. It not only worked better for me, aesthetically they were more pleasing. I found that serving 2 or 3 standard rather than 1 king size makes one feel more indulgent :o9...when it comes to cupcakes...2 is ALWAYS better than 1! Since Angel Food Cake has fewer calories (around 150 with a fresh strawberry vs. upward of 400+ for other types), even placing 2 on a plate still leaves you with fewer calories! I have to admit, though I haven't added any photos, we did make homemade whipping cream and dolloped a bit on each cupcake. They are scrumptious!

If you use a box mix, all you have to add is water!! Doesn't get any easier than that. From scratch, we're talking 12 egg whites...now what to do with the 12 egg yolks? Pound Cake? :o)

Below you can see the difference in the King Size (1st photo) and the standard (the 2nd). I couldn't control the tops of the King Sized like I was able to on the standard. That's why I preferred the latter.

So as it stands...the standard cupcakes are slightly more heavenly than the larger ones.

 Skipping higher calorie toppings such as Chocolate Ganache or whipped cream (which adds fat calories) and instead opting for fresh fruit such as strawberries or seasonal berries lends to a healthier dessert choice!

Guilt free dessert is a blessing!

I had just as much fun photographing these cupcakes as I did baking and eating them!!