Gluten Free Angel Food Cupcakes

Airy pockets of sweetness make these gluten free angel food cupcakes stand out. They're delightful when dressed up with whipped cream and berries. Or, top these perfectly light cupcakes with your favorite frosting.

Angel Food Cupcakes Recipe

If you're a fan of gluten free angel food cake you will probably adore these sweet little angel food cupcakes. Naturally gluten free, they have everything you love about angel food cake but baked as smaller handheld morsels! I love turning cupcakes into strawberry or berry shortcakes with lots of whipped cream and fruit. This is a lovely summer dessert recipe but you can make it all year round, of course, and add in extra flavorings if you like.

Gluten Free Angel Food Cupcakes Highlights

• So fluffy. A big part of angel food cake's appeal is its light and airy texture. Angel food cake - and angel food cupcakes - rely on egg whites to help the cake rise, and there's no oil or butter included so they're incredibly light. These cupcakes are so fluffy, with a soft and cloud-like texture.
• Naturally gluten-free. Angel food cake is a great recipe to adapt to being gluten free because it doesn't call for a lot of flour to begin with. In this angel food cupcakes recipe, you will need just a bit of gluten free flour plus tapioca starch to keep them naturally gluten free and light as air.
• Versatile. Eat a cupcake plain, top it with whipped cream and fruit, add frosting, ice cream, sauce ... you can serve these easy cupcakes however you wish.

What You Need

Here's a look at the ingredients in these gluten free angel food cupcakes. The full ingredient amounts and instructions are included in the printable recipe card lower down.

• Gluten-free flour - I used my homemade gluten free flour blend in this cake, but you can use your preferred 1:1 gluten free flour blend.
• Granulated sugar - Many recipes for angel food cake call for superfine sugar, which is granulated sugar that's been ground in the food processor until fine. You can make your own superfine sugar, but for ease in this recipe I just use regular granulated sugar and it works fine.
• Tapioca - Tapioca starch adds lightness and binding to the cake. You can substitute 1 ½ teaspoons of cornstarch instead of the tapioca.
• Egg whites - Bring your egg white to room temperature before beginning to whip them, and make sure your bowl and beaters are very clean.
• Salt - I always use fine sea salt in my recipes!
• Cream of tartar - Cream of tartar helps the egg whites to retain air while being whipped. You can omit it but I do think it helps get those glossy peaks in the meringue.

Method for Angel Food Cupcakes

I've briefly outlined how to make these cupcakes below:

• Prep: Preheat the oven to 325°F and line two cupcake tins with liners.
• Beat egg whites: Beat the egg whites, salt, and cream of tartar on medium speed until foamy.
• Add sugar: Slowly beat in the sugar and keep beating until the mixture holds soft peaks.

• Add flour: Sift the gluten free flour and tapioca over the egg whites and gently fold in.
• Place in pan: Spoon the batter into the prepared cupcake tins and bake for about 20 minutes.

• Cool: Cool the cupcakes completely.
• To serve: Top with whipped cream, frosting, or enjoy plain!

Angel Food Cupcakes Tips

Whenever I make a meringue or a meringue-like dessert there's always a bit of worry that I have under or over-whipped the egg whites. So, I've included a few of my best tips to help take any stress away:

• Room temperature egg whites. Bringing the egg whites to room temperature is the first essential step. Room-temperature egg whites will froth up much quicker and will retain more air.
• More egg tips: Eggs are the star of an angel food cake, and eggs that are at least 3 days old will give you the best results! If I'm making something that needs egg yolks, like homemade ice cream, I'll save the whites and make angel food cupcakes with them.
• Use finely ground sugar. If you want to achieve the finest texture for your angel food cake, use fine ground sugar or grind your sugar in a food processor until it's very fine. Note that you don't have to do this step - your cake will still taste great with regular sugar.
• Use cupcake liners. As shown, it's best to use cupcake liners to bake these cupcakes. Unlike traditional angel food which does not use any grease or parchment in the tube pan, it's helpful to use liners for cupcakes because they are smaller and more difficult to remove if you don't use a liner. You can use paper liners or silicone liners as shown in the photos. If you use silicone liners, remove them once the cupcakes have fully cooled.

Flavor Variations

Use this cupcake recipe as your base into which you can add all sorts of flavorings. Of course, you can enjoy it plain and simple, too! Here are a few ideas:

• Stir in vanilla. A teaspoon or two of pure vanilla extract adds a delicate vanilla flavor and fragrance to the cupcakes. You can add it in when you beat the eggs with the cream of tartar and salt.
• Add citrus. A bit of citrus zest is a fantastic way to add flavor to an angel food cupcakes. Gently fold in lemon, lime, or orange zest to the egg whites along with the flour and tapicoa. See this recipe for brown sugar blood orange angel food cake for more ideas.
• Make chocolate angel food cupcakes. Go chocolatey and substitute half of the gluten free flour for unsweetened cocoa powder.
• Add poppy seeds. A few tablespoons of poppy seeds added to the batter will give the cupcakes a wonderful, slightly nutty crunch. Poppy seeds are especially good when paired with added lemon zest.
• Almond extract. For a little almond flavor, add ½ teaspoon of almond extract when you start beating the egg whites.

More Cupcake Recipes

• Oat Flour Chocolate Cupcakes
• Gluten Free Chocolate Cupcakes
• Vegan Chocolate Cupcakes