Vanilla Cupcakes with Vanilla Buttercream
Super moist and tender vanilla cupcakes that I use as a base for all my cupcake recipes. Frosted with my favorite vanilla buttercream frosting (not too sweet and no egg yolks or egg whites wasted)!
Why have I not posted my full batch vanilla cupcakes up until now? To be honest, because vanilla is boring and I didn’t think the internet needed another vanilla cupcake recipe lol.
However, I know that some of you love my mini cupcakes and my small-batch cupcakes and those recipes were actually just adapted from this one full batch, normal size cupcake recipe.
This is actually the original recipe I created for my cookbook, Frosted. I spent weeks on this and baked over 20 batches of vanilla cupcakes until I got it just right. Make sure to read all my expert tips on getting these perfect.
Why I love these vanilla cupcakes
- They’re fairly simple to make, not complicated but they do require accuracy.
- These vanilla cupcakes are super light, fluffy, moist and tender…all of the above.
- They don’t brown along the edges which makes them pretty for decorating.
- They’re perfectly puffed, not too domed and not flimsy and flat.
I use these cupcakes as a base for SO MANY of my recipes. Some of my favorites are vanilla latte cupcakes, cinnamon cupcakes, birthday cake cupcakes, strawberries and cream cupcakes, nutella cupcakes and so many more.
Ingredients for vanilla cupcakes
- Butter: I prefer salted butter here but you can also use unsalted butter. Make sure it’s softened to room temperature so it creams well with the dry ingredients.
- Flour: I use all purpose flour in most of my recipes BUT you cannot beat the texture of cake flour in cupcakes so I highly recommend King Arthur’s Cake Flour. It is far superior to some alternatives in the grocery stores.
- I have used the “homemade cake flour” trick by replacing 1 tablespoon of all-purpose flour with cornstarch. The cupcakes will work if you make them this way but they won’t be quite as soft and tender.
- I HIGHLY recommend using a digital scale, as flour is so often over measured.
- Baking Powder: to leaven the cupcakes.
- Sugar: I used granulated sugar and I don’t recommend cutting any out.
- Oil: I always use a combination of butter and oil in my cakes because I like the texture from both. I recommend a neutral oil like vegetable oil, canola oil or sunflower oil here.
- Eggs: In the original recipe, I used two large egg whites to keep these cupcakes as pale as possible. I wanted that for aesthetic purposes because I wanted white cupcakes to decorate.
- However, for this recipe I went with one large egg to eliminate the waste of yolks. The color is still pretty pale but slightly more yellow. Both options work well.
- Sour Cream: I’ve used greek yogurt and sour cream in this recipe and they both work well. You can also use plain yogurt. However, if you sub the sour cream for extra milk, the cupcakes might shrivel up a little when cooling.
- Milk: I use whole milk or two percent but any milk will work here, even dairy free.
- Vanilla: vanilla is a subtle flavor so when I’m making something plain vanilla, I like to really pack a punch but by using at least two forms for a stronger vanilla flavor. My favorite is combining pure vanilla extract with vanilla bean paste.
- You can also mix artificial vanilla extract with vanilla bean paste or with actual vanilla beans or vanilla bean powder.
- If you only have vanilla extract, you can absolutely still make these with just that.
Step-by-Step Instructions
Step 1: Whisk together the flour, sugar, baking powder and salt until they’re evenly distributed.
Step 2: Add the room temperature butter and the oil and use an electric mixer to beat them at medium, until they’re crumbly like a streusel.
Step 3: Add the egg and sour cream and mix just until it’s well combined and the batter looks like paste.
Step 4: Turn the mixer to low speed while streaming in the milk .
Step 5: Scrape the edge of the bowl and give it a good mix. Fill the cupcake liners about ⅔-¾ full. I recommend weighing them so each cupcake has 50-55 grams of batter.
Step 6: Bake for 16-18 minutes, until the tallest part of the cupcake, in the center, springs back when you press on it. If you’re hesitant, give it another minute or so.
Step 7: Let the cupcakes rest for 10 minutes in the pan, then remove them from the pan.
Why do I use the reverse creaming method?
The reverse creaming method is where you combine all the dry ingredients including the flour, sugar, baking powder, salt, etc. with the butter and oil first. In this step the butter and oil are coating the flour particles. When the flour is coated with fat before any liquid is introduced, it inhibits the development of gluten, making the cupcakes extra tender (over developing the gluten is what can make cakes tough).
This also provides a ‘tight’ crumb which means you should have large air pockets in the crumb of the cake. The lack of the large air pockets helps the cupcakes rise more evenly so that they’re not lopsided and don’t deflate when you remove them from the oven.
Expert tips on getting perfect vanilla cupcakes
- Don’t swap ingredients unless I mentioned them in the ingredient section above.
- Don’t reduce the sugar. I know a lot of people do that for some recipes but not this one.
- Weigh your ingredients with a digital scale
- Weigh the batter for each cupcake with a digital scale. I just place the cupcake pan on the scale with the liners and measure out 50-55 grams for each cupcake. You will have enough batter for about half a cupcake leftover. DO NOT BE TEMPTED to distribute that among the cupcakes, they will sink if they’re overfilled.
- Use a light colored stainless steel muffin tin.
The best vanilla frosting for vanilla cupcakes
This is pretty much a personal preference. In my funfetti cupcakes, I used two egg whites instead of one large egg so I opted for French buttercream since I already had the egg yolks.
If I had leftover egg white lying around or if I wanted a white buttercream that was stable and easy to color and decorate with, I would use Swiss meringue buttercream.
Here I used a combination of French buttercream and Italian buttercream. I call it the ‘whole egg buttercream’ because it uses whole eggs instead of egg whites or egg yolks. It’s my new favorite buttercream because it’s almost as rich as french buttercream but it’s not quite as soft so it’s easier to pipe with like Italian or Swiss meringue buttercream. It does have a slightly more yellow hue though.
The recipe is in the recipe card but you can also read more about it in my Frosted 2.0 downloadable guide (download below). It’s a continuation to my cookbook, Frosted.
If you’re looking for something sweeter and more traditional, you can also use American Buttercream or cream cheese frosting (you can skip the brown butter).
Recipes that use this base vanilla cupcake recipe
Frequently Asked Questions
I have used the “homemade cake flour” trick by replacing 1 tablespoon of all-purpose flour with cornstarch. The cupcakes will work if you make them this way but they won’t be quite as soft and tender.
I HIGHLY recommend using a digital scale, as flour is so often over measured.
This cake holds on to moisture really well so you can make it 1-2 days in advance before serving.
If you only have one muffin pan, the batter for the 13th cupcake can just wait on the counter until the first 12 are done baking.
Just like all the rest of my cakes, test if it’s done baking by pressing gently on the tallest part of the cake. The cake will spring back if it’s done baking. If it stays indented, give it a few minutes in the oven, before testing again.
I have not tested this cupcake recipe as a cake recipe because I don’t find the need to. This recipe was made to slightly dome and my vanilla cake recipe was made to bake more flat. I also have a white cake recipe that’s more similar in flavor and texture to this one.
The only time my cupcakes shrivel after baking is if the tins are overfilled. This recipe is simple to make but kind of particular with that part so I recommend weighing each cupcake to be 50-55 grams of batter.
If you’re already doing that and it’s still shriveling, it is possible that it’s not baking evenly so I recommend getting an oven thermometer to make sure your oven is at the right temperature.
How to store these vanilla cupcakes
I usually just cover them with a cake dome or place them in an airtight container and store them at room temperature for 2-3 days. You can store them in the refrigerator for an additional 2-3 days but if it’s any longer, I recommend freezing them.
To freeze the cupcakes, place them in an airtight container and then place the container in a freezer bag, squeezing out all the excess air. Bring them back to room temperature by thawing at room temperature for a few hours before serving.
Thanks so much for reading today’s post, if you have any questions just comment down below. Make sure to leave it in the comment section because I can’t answer in the rating section.
If you make these vanilla cupcakes, I’d love it if you left a star rating for me. If it’s less than five stars, please leave a comment with the rating so I know why! 🙂
As always, have a blessed day and happy baking!
Love, B
The best cupcake recipe! I am going to make it third time can I make these with maple syrup I need to make it for someone and she doesn’t want refined sugar. Also suggest a buttercream with maple or honey which is stable
Hi Mery, I would not substitute the sugar for maple syrup. If anything, you could use a maple sugar (dehydrated maple syrup) or coconut sugar (increase a smidge cuz it’s less sweet).
For the buttercream, you could try swiss meringue buttercream, french buttercream, creme mousseline, or ermine buttercream and substitute the sugar for maple sugar or coconut sugar again.
https://baranbakery.com/how-to-make-swiss-meringue-buttercream/
https://baranbakery.com/how-to-make-french-buttercream/
https://baranbakery.com/creme-mousseline/
https://baranbakery.com/red-velvet-cake/
I’ve tried the icing recipe multiple times and it comes out soupy. I use a candy thermometer to make sure the sugar is heated to the correct temp, etc. any thoughts as to why and what I’m doing wrong?
this recipe came out wonderful!! everything I was looking for. Do you think I could add two tablespoons of a champagne reduction to the batter to make them champagne cupcakes without it interfering with the texture?
Hi! I haven’t tried it but I would take out two tablespoons of the milk then. Let me know if it works!
Overall , this recipe is really good. Unfortunately, the buttercream is way too buttery for my liking but will be trying it again with not as much.
This is an overly sweet, overly oily recipe. The icing also came out heart attack sweet and very weird structure. Really sorry I wasted so much ingredients.
Your multiplier only doubles the cup measurements not the grams.
Excellent must try recipe and I was able to make the batter without using my mixer! Perfect texture and taste. I did increase sugar to 250 grams because I like what that does to the texture. I used to think I had a favorite vanilla cupcake recipe until I tried this one. Highly recommend and very easy to follow. Just had a question if I could double this recipe for more cupcakes? Thanks so much!
I think this is perfect! I have to admit I am VERY impressed when the icing recipe actually makes enough to generously cover ALL the cupcakes! Thank you! They are delicious.
Your vanilla cake is exceptional!
Thank you!!
Hi,
Would it make a difference if the egg, sour cream, vanilla bean paste & extract are whisked together in a separate bowl then added in 2 parts to dry the ingredients?
Thanks!
Probably not!
I don’t know why these aren’t turning out right for me. Followed the recipe as written and baking them at 350F. They’re undercooked at 18 minutes so I bake it for another 5 minutes. It ends up expanding up more and then collapsing. Tried it 3 times.
Hi! Are you measuring your ingredients with a scale? and did you measure the amount in each cupcake? also do you have an oven thermometer? just so i have more context 🙂
I have a conventional oven and it wasn’t enough time for me, either. I think this recipe only works for convection.
I was looking for a good vanilla bean cupcake recipe and I found it! This recipe is the perfect amount of vanilla. So fluffy and moist, unlike some recipes that the cupcakes comes out dry. It’s easy to make, the instructions are easy to follow. I highly recommend!!!
Could I color this frosting light pink?
Yes
Well it would turn kind of salmon so I would add a touch of purple to cool the tone
These are so delicious! Rich vanilla flavor. Tender and moist. Everything that a vanilla cupcake should be! I followed the recipe exactly except I used whole milk Greek yogurt instead of sour cream. Cupcake-licious perfection!
These are delicious!!!!!! I did not have the vanilla bean paste so usI just used the pure vanilla and did the amount for all and wow!!!! This is a keeper..thank you so much for sharing your recipe…I will be making these again!!!!!
I jxt wanted to ask that why this recipe of cupcakes shrinks after baked?
Hi Fatima, the only time my cupcakes shrivel after baking is if I overfilled the cupcake tins. I recommend weighing 50-55 grams of batter for each cupcake if you’re having issues with that 🙂
Yes!
Hello Bernice,
I just wanted to leave a note to say just how phenomenal these cupcakes are. I am have tried many different base cake recipes and none come close to this one – it is perfectly light and fluffy and flavourful. My parents (my #1 tasters) keep comparing every new cupcake recipe I make to these ones. Thank you for your efforts in experimenting to find this yummy combo. You have generated many lip-licking smiles this side of the world (South Africa), including 20+ nurses for International Nurses Day :-). Happy baking! Best, Simone
I used this recipe recently, it was amazing! Thank you for an easy to follow recipe that yields delicious, moist cupcakes.
Hi ? I just love this recipe, use it all the time ? I have to make 60 Cupcakes, and was wondering if I could double the recipe successfully?
Hi Jules, I can’t remember if I’ve ever doubled it but I don’t see why I wouldn’t work. I would make sure to use a scale to be as accurate as possible just in case though! So glad you like these cupcakes ?
Wow ?? ?? thank you for this easy to follow recipes. I tried it and I came up with 14 cupcakes ?. They were so soft and yummy. I was wondering how it worked out for Jules with 60 cupcakes.
I measured to the gram and got 14 too!