Angel Food Cucpakes with Strawberry Icing

growing up my brother and i always had two birthday cakes. one was for the family birthday party that my aunt phyllis made. she graciously made all five armacost cousins a cake each birthday in the design and flavor of their choosing. my choices over the years included cookie monster, strawberry shortcake, and ballet pointe shoes. looking back i realize how talented she really is and how under-appreciated she was by us kids. a much overdue, sincere thank you aunt phyllis.

the other birthday cake was always an angel food cake with strawberry icing lovingly made by my mother. for that reason, i always think of birthdays when i eat angel food cake. the strawberry icing she made was, of course, my favorite part. something about the light fluffy angel food cake combined with pink, sweet, icing flecked with strawberries just takes me back to my childhood and one of the best days of the year, my birthday! i am blessed to say my childhood is full of wonderful memories.

the past couple days haven't really felt like my birthday, but i have been up to my eyeballs in cupcakes and icing. I have made nearly 300 cupcakes for my nephews little league opening day. good clean fun is a sponsor this year and as a sponsor, i get a table on opening day. i passed out blog cards and cupcakes. (hello to any first time york, pa readers!)

you've seen my gluten-free double chocolate cupcakes on this blog before. (click here for the recipe.) the hint of coffee in these cupcakes really takes the chocolate flavor to the next level. you wouldn't even know they are gluten-free.

on a side note, i discovered egg cartons are a fabulous way to transport mini cupcakes.

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Angel Food Cupcakes
makes 24 cupcakes or 48 mini cupcakes

1 cup cake flour
1 1/2 cups sugar
1/4 tsp salt
12 large egg whites (2 1/4 cups liquid egg whites)
1 tsp vanilla extract
1 1/2 tsp cream of tartar

preheat oven to 350 degrees F. Make sure oven racks are in bottom third of oven. line cupcake tins with paper liners.

in a mixing bowl, sift together flour, salt, and 3/4 cup sugar. set aside.

in the bowl of an electric mixer, whisk egg whites, vanilla, and cream of tartar together on medium-high speed until soft peaks form. slowly add remaining 3/4 cup sugar while mixer is running. continue on medium-high speed until stiff peaks form then gently fold in dry ingredients with a spatula in three batches. be careful not to deflate batter.

divide among prepared cupcake tins. bake for 15-18 minutes until tops are light brown, rotating halfway through to ensure even baking. let cool completely on wire racks. ice with strawberry frosting.

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Strawberry Frosting

2 sticks softened butter
3 cups sifted powdered sugar
1/4 cup strawberry preserves

in the bowl of an electric mixer fitted with a whisk attachment, beat butter on medium speed until light a fluffy - approximately 2-3 minutes. slowly add sugar 1/4 cup at a time, beating well after each addition. add strawberry preserves 1 tbs at a time.

spread onto cupcakes with a knife or pipe onto cupcakes.