The first batch I did I think I pulled out of the oven too soon. They deflated A LOT. The second batch I waited until the tops were completely golden brown and came out clean....but they also still deflated a bit. The batter was folded and I made sure not to over mix. Also, they were definitely large before I took them out.

Thoughts?

pretty much -- this is why the cakes are typically placed upside down to cool but those deflate some too -- and opening the oven early puts the devil in angel food -- no bueno

I like making angel food cuppies...

I have found that they dome better and deflate less with the aluminium wrappers over the paper ones...

but no matter what they always deflate/shrink a little...

And I don't fold in my flour by hand... I just use the lowest setting on my mixer...

another thought....do you put in a lot of batter per cupcake? This recipe was supposed to make 16 cupcakes, but made me 24. So maybe I needed to add more batter per cupcake??

I typically fill about 2/3 full... sometimes a little more... if they over-rise and stick to the pan they are a pain to get off nicely...

Try this: Use the muffin pan but do not use muffin cases. Then cut discs of paper to put inside making sure they are ever so slightly smaller than the bottom. Stick them to the base with a drop of water. Do not oil or butter the tin. As your muffin pan is a bit fancy, I would leave the 4 corner holes empty and fill the rest. Fill 1/2 to 2/3 of the way with batter. Bake. When you bring them out, have ready 4 cans of soup/beans/whatever. Must be same product to have same size. Arrange them so they can support the upside down tin in the four corners. This will stop them from sinking but must be done immediately so be prepared and don't fumble! I don't own an angel food cake pan and always use this method with different pans. There is no reason why it would not work with the muffin pans. The disk inside will be held fast by the edges in the bottom and the sides. When ready to demould, use a small palette knife to help clear the edges from the pan, turn upside down again and they should pop out. Once cooled, they won't sink :) Good luck!

That is very intricate. I will give it a try. You don't have any issues sticking to the sides of the pan?

No, it needs to stick in order to use the sides to climb up :) I rarely grease pans any more, no matter the recipe. When you are ready to un mould the cupcakes, you will use a small palette knife to gently prise them from the edge of the pan. A bit of cake will stick to the sides of the pan but nothing more than a thin film, so you don't have to worry. Just try and see. :)