Angel Food Cupcakes

I was craving something sweet but didn't want to sabotage my diet. Then, I suddenly ran across angel food cake in the grocery store so it occurred to me to bake my own. I think this fatfree cake owes its popularity to its lightness. It is reminds me of cotton candy.

Once at home, with everything laid out and ready to start, I realized I didn't have an angel food cake pan with a removable bottom. Well, that would make it difficult to unmold the cake without any damage. I, immediately, remembered I had some laminated muffin liners and I could make Angel Food Cupcakes. Why not? The problem was solved and my craving too.

Vanilla Angel Food Cake

1/2 plus 1/4 cups sugar, separated
1 piece vanilla bean, split
1/2 cup cake flour, sifted
6 large egg whites
1/4 teaspoon cream of tartar
1/8 teaspoon salt
1/2 teaspoon lemon juice

Preheat oven to 325°.
Place 1/4 cup sugar in a small bowl. Scrape seeds from vanilla bean, and add seeds to sugar; discard bean. Work the vanilla seeds into sugar with fingers until well combined.

Combine flour and sugar mixture, whisk to combine.

Beat egg whites with a mixer at high speed until foamy. Add cream of tartar and salt. Beat until soft peaks form. Add remaining sugar, 2 tablespoons at a time, beating until stiff peaks form. Beat in juice. Sift flour mixture over egg white mixture, 1/4 cup at a time. Fold in after each addition.

Spoon the batter into an ungreased tube pan, spreading evenly. Bake at 325° for 50 minutes or until cake springs back when lightly touched. Invert pan. Cool completely. Loosen cake from sides of pan using a narrow metal spatula. Invert cake onto plate.
Fonte: Cooking Light