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Chocolate angel food cupcakes with whipped cream frosting and topped with a cherry! This light dessert recipe is perfect for a dinner’s finishing touch.

Is anyone else excited that it is cherry season? All those big, beautiful red cherries are popping up everywhere. I’m so excited to bake with them, and put them in everything. Today however, they are only in the topping of these cupcakes, so feel free to use your favorite berry if you’d like. I’m a sucker for cherries because they remind me of an ice cream sundae 🙂

The only issue with regular angel food cake is that it can be tricky to cut. Individual servings to the rescue! I decided to make angel food cupcakes and flavor them with chocolate. Because, why not? Chocolate is never a bad choice!

Why you’ll love these cupcakes:

they are light and airy
slight chocolate flavor
creamy, cool whipped cream frosting
top with your favorite fruit
perfect for picnics and summer parties

What is angel food cake?

Angel food is a light and fluffy cake that goes so well with summer fruits and whipped cream. The light and fluffy comes from egg whites, which are whipped up and provide the only leavening in the cake. The flour and cocoa powder are folded in very gently as to not deflate the eggs.

What cocoa powder is best to use for angel food?

I used Hershey’s Special Dark cocoa. Any cocoa can be used, but the cupcakes may be lighter in color and chocolate flavor depending on the brand.

How to Make Angel Food Cupcakes

These can be made with a stand mixer or handheld mixer. It is possible to just use a whisk, but it will take longer to reach the proper thickness for both the egg whites and the whipping cream.

Add the egg whites, water, vanilla extract and cream of tartar to the bowl of a stand mixer fitted with the whisk attachment. Start beating the egg whites on medium speed. After 1 minute, slowly pour in the sugar. Continue beating the egg whites until medium peaks can be held. This means that if the whisk is lifted out of the eggs, a peak will form but with a tip that may not stand up straight. It took approximately 6 minutes in my stand mixer on medium speed.

Sift the dry ingredients; flour, cornstarch and cocoa powder, over the egg whites ⅓ at a time. Fold in each third gently before adding more, being careful not to deflate the egg whites.

folding cocoa and flour into whipped egg whites

Fill the cupcake liners ¾ full. Bake for 14 to 16 minutes or until a toothpick inserted in the middle of the cupcake comes out clean. Allow to cool in the pan for 5 minutes, then transfer to a cooling rack.

What frosting goes with angel food cupcakes?

A whipped cream swirl is the perfect accompaniment to the chocolate angel food cupcakes. The heavy cream should be beaten just until it can hold a peak, and not longer. Unfortunately, cream that is over beaten will curdle (and eventually make butter). Ask me how I know 😉

There are several tablespoons of powdered sugar in the whipped cream, and that is on purpose. The cornstarch in the powdered sugar is one of the stabilizers that make it possible to pipe the whipped cream.

Can I make these cupcakes in advance?

chocolate angel food cupcake cut in half

I wanted to keep this as easy as possible, and this whipped cream frosting will hold up refrigerated until serving if made on the same day. There are other methods to make an even more stable whipped cream, such as using gelatin.

However, the angel food cupcakes themselves can be made the day before. Store them overnight in a covered container, then frost them the day you serve them. I wouldn’t make them any earlier than that. Homemade angel food cupcakes taste best when they are fresh.

Chocolate Angel Food Cupcakes

5 from 2 votes

Chocolate angel food cupcakes with whipped cream frosting and topped with a cherry! This light dessert recipe is perfect for a dinner's finishing touch.

Servings 12 servings

Prep Time 20

Cook Time 16

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Ingredients

For the Cupcakes

6 large egg whites
1 tablespoon water
3/4 cup granulated sugar (5.5 ounces)
1/2 teaspoon vanilla extract
3/4 teaspoon cream of tartar
1/2 cup minus 1 tablespoon all-purpose flour
1 tablespoon cornstarch
2 tablespoons cocoa powder

For the Topping

1 1/2 cups heavy whipping cream
5 tablespoons powdered sugar
1/2 teaspoon vanilla extract
12 cherries

Instructions

Preheat oven to 350 degrees Fahrenheit. Line a 12-cup cupcake tin with paper liners.
Add the egg whites, water, vanilla extract and cream of tartar to the bowl of a stand mixer fitted with the whisk attachment. Start beating the egg whites on medium speed. After 1 minute, slowly pour in the sugar. Continue beating the egg whites until medium peaks can be held. This means that if the whisk is lifted out of the eggs, a peak will form but with a tip that may not stand up straight. It took approximately 6 minutes in my stand mixer on medium speed.
Sift the dry ingredients; flour, cornstarch and cocoa powder, over the egg whites ⅓ at a time. Fold in each third gently before adding more, being careful not to deflate the egg whites.
Fill the cupcake liners ¾ full. Bake for 14 to 16 minutes or until a toothpick inserted in the middle of the cupcake comes out clean. Allow to cool in the pan for 5 minutes, then transfer to a cooling rack.
Again in the clean bowl of a stand mixer fitted with the whisk attachment, place the heavy cream, sugar and vanilla. Whip on medium speed until it can hold a nice peak when the beater is lifted, approximately 5 minutes. Be careful not to whip too long or the whipped cream will turn to butter!
Place the whipped cream into a piping bag fitted with any large tip, I used 1M. Pipe the topping on to your cupcakes. Top each one with a cherry (or berry of choice), and store in the refrigerator until serving.

Notes

I used Hershey’s Special Dark cocoa. Any cocoa can be used, but the cupcakes may be lighter in color and chocolate flavor depending on the brand.

These can be made with a handheld mixer! Or even a whisk! It will take longer to reach the proper thickness for both the egg whites and the whipping cream.

The calories shown are based on the recipe making 12 cupcakes, with 1 serving being 1 cupcake. Since different brands of ingredients have different nutritional information, the calories shown are just an estimate. **We are not dietitians and recommend you seek a nutritionist for exact nutritional information.**