I had one of those weekends where everything seems to float on by. It was most enjoyable. I baked most of Saturday, had a long-awaited catch up with a good friend, and entertained on Sunday. By entertained I mostly mean that I force-fed my friends so that I didn’t eat all of Saturday’s baking efforts.

It was all fabulous, easy, lovely. After my jam-packed weekend in Melbourne, the lightness of it all was refreshing. There is no better segue into these cupcakes than this – they’re easy, fabulous and breezy. They’re also quite a show-stopper, with their brilliant white inner. They’re the kind of cupcake that looks like you’ve put in loads of effort, when actually you haven’t – I love those recipes!

The only downside is that you have to use 5 egg whites, which I’d usually balk at. Luckily I’d just finished making delectable Oreo ice cream, so I had 5 to spare. I recommend you make both of these recipes, just so you’re not wasting any eggs!

 Angel food cupcakes:

• ¾ cup caster sugar
• 5 egg whites
• ½ tsp cream of tartar
• Pinch of salt
• ½ cup plain flour
• 1 tsp vanilla

 Icing:

• 450ml thickened cream
• 1 cup icing sugar
• ½ tsp vanilla
• Sprinkles (optional)

Preheat your oven to 180°C and grease a 12 cup capacity cupcake tin.

Whip together your sugar, egg whites, cream of tartar and salt until firm peaks form. This is easiest to do if you’ve got a hand/stand mixer, but is do-able by hand – you just need some muscles! Add in the vanilla and mix lightly. Sift the flour lightly over the egg whites in at least  four batches, folding it in after each addition. It’s best to do it this way to keep as much air in the mixture as possible. Scoop your mixture into your tins until they’re almost full (about 7/8 of the way) and pat gently with a spoon to smooth out any points.

Carefully slide into the oven for 19-22 minutes, until tops have browned evenly and they spring back when pressed.

Allow to cool.

While the cupcakes cool, make a start on the icing. Whip the thickened cream until it just starts to thicken, then add in the icing sugar and vanilla. Keep whipping until it is a smooth, pipe-able consistency. Take care not to over-beat it.

Pop the cupcakes out of their molds. Don’t worry, even though they look delicate, they’re quite sturdy and will spring back into shape. Scoop your icing into a piping bag fitting with a round nozzle and pipe in spirals. Top generously with sprinkles.

The joy of these cupcakes is their fluffiness – the cupcake and icing are both gorgeously light and soft. As a result, it’s best if you’re gentle with them – if it’s warm, keep them in the fridge before serving to stop the icing from drooping.