Recently I had the honor of interviewing Tanorria Askew, a finalist on the popular cooking competition show, MasterChef. When she got “the call”, she phoned her mom from the breakroom at her desk job, crying. At the filming in LA, she had her makeup done daily by Emmy award-winning makeup artists and Gordon Ramsey critiqued her shrimp and grits. But what impressed me most about Tanorria was the way she views food. “Food is community,” she said. “I cook to make friends.” And by friends, she means people of all shapes, sizes, and colors. This woman loves all people. She hosts dinners for women to discuss the deep racial tensions permeating our country while eating the same, soul-nourishing food around the table. Keep reading for more on food as community, and this angel food cupcakes recipe.
Food as community
Before I became interested in food 10 years ago, my narrative was food as chore: calories in, calories out, simple as that. Later, I graduated to food as nourishment, where eating “healthy” was the top priority. Eating this way was better, but it left little space for food as community. Since I was most focused on healthy, it was difficult to participate in a society where it’s natural to bring cookies to new neighbors or make a plate of cupcakes for the family barbecue. In that vein, these angel food cupcakes with maple cream are a recipe for food as community. They’re a lighter option than the typical cupcake and could be considered a healthy dessert, so they touch on food as nourishment too. But let’s be honest: they’re made with lots of sugar, so sugar + air still = sugar. But there are a few things that make these angel food cupcakes closer to a healthy dessert.
Making angel food cupcakes
Here are a few features of these angel food cupcakes that make them a deliciously healthier dessert:
Angel food cake has no butter or oil like the typical cake; it’s made of flour, egg whites, and sugar. The angel food cupcakes serving size and sugar content is lower than the typical angel food cake. We’ve replaced a portion of the granulated sugar in a typical angel food cake with maple syrup, a natural sugar. Though maple syrup still contains sugar, but it’s a naturally-occurring, minimally processed ingredient. For the frosting, we’ve used maple cream, maple syrup that’s been condensed into a creamy, spreadable form (same notes as sugar vs. maple syrup, as above). You could also use our Homemade Whipped Cream or Yogurt Whipped Cream.
These angel food cupcakes have been through a few recipe tests and consensus is that they’re light, fluffy and uniquely maple flavored: a lovely healthy dessert to reflect food as community.
Looking for healthy dessert recipes?
A few more healthy dessert recipes:
Bliss Bites Triple Berry Raw Brownie Parfait Chocolate Peanut Butter Mousse Blueberry Cobbler Mini Bourbon Apple Pies
Dietary notes
This angel food cupcakes recipe is vegetarian. No reviews
8 egg whites (from large eggs) 2 tablespoons powdered sugar 2/3 cup cake flour ¼ teaspoon cream of tartar ½ teaspoon orange extract 2 tablespoons maple syrup 2 tablespoons water ½ cup granulated sugar
For the topping
Golden and Delicate Maple Cream, for spreading OR Homemade Whipped Cream or Yogurt Whipped Cream 6 ounces raspberries
