Do Better

angel food cupcakes

Growing up my grandmother always served the same cake for birthdays…angel food cake. Year after year, birthday after birthday it was an angel food cake with lemon pudding in the middle and cool whip covering the sides and top.

When my kids were celebrated their first birthday, I carried on with tradition and made angel food cake and topped it with cool whip. Back then, they didn’t even know what chocolate was…but they do now!

One of our favorite frostings is Chocolate Syrup Frosting from the Cake Doctor. It is creamy, chocolate-y and still light and luscious. To make it take 1 stick of butter at room temperature and mix it with 1/2 cup of unsweetened cocoa powder and 1/2 cup chocolate syrup. Then slowly add 3 cups of powdered sugar, sifted. Then 1 Tbsp of milk and a tsp of vanilla.

Of course, in my family it’s not a birthday cake if it’s not Angel Food Cake.

Angel Food Cake (from Epicurious)

1 1/2 cups egg whites (11 to 12 large eggs)
1 1/2 cups (150 g) sifted confectioners sugar (sift before measuring)
1 cup (100 g) sifted cake flour (not self-rising; sift before measuring)
1/4 teaspoon salt
1 1/2 teaspoons cream of tartar
1 cup (200 g) granulated sugar
1 teaspoon vanilla

1. Let egg whites stand in bowl of a standing electric mixer at room temperature about 1 hour before making cake.
2. Preheat oven to 350°F.
3. Sift together confectioners sugar, flour, and salt onto a sheet of wax paper using a triple sifter or fine sieve.
4. Beat whites in mixer until frothy. Add cream of tartar and beat at medium speed until they form soft peaks. Add granulated sugar gradually, beating, and continue beating just until whites are thickened and form soft, droopy peaks. Beat in vanilla.
5. Sprinkle one fourth of sifted dry ingredients over whites and fold in with a rubber spatula gently but thoroughly. Fold in remaining dry ingredients, one third at a time.
6. With a cupcake scoop, gently fill ungreased cupcake pan with batter. Bake for 20 minutes or until the top is lightly golden and the cake springs back when touched lightly.
7. Invert the pan by setting the edge of the pan on something (I used a couple of juice cups) and allow to cool completely. Use a narrow knife to run around the edge of the cake and pan to remove the cakes. Makes 36 cupcakes.

I am submitting these Angel Food Cupcakes with Chocolate Syrup Frosting to Cupcake Hero: Project Baby in honor of her little one turning one!

…imagine my pictures had I given my kids this chocolate syrup frosting…and look at my dear daughter, hardly has a speck of food on her face.