Vanilla Cupcakes
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These light and fluffy vanilla cupcakes are packed with rich vanilla flavor and topped with your choice of frosting.
When my kids were little, I started a baking business specializing in cakes and cupcakes, mostly for children’s birthday parties. Before I launched it, I spent weeks testing every type of cake recipe under the sun, often baking into the middle of the night. My husband, Michael, would wake up to find the kitchen overflowing with every flavor of cake and cupcake imaginable. He thought I’d lost my mind—little did he know I was discovering my passion for developing recipes, which eventually inspired me to start this website.
These are the vanilla cupcakes that won me over. They’re light, fluffy, and full of rich vanilla flavor. Top them cream cheese frosting, vanilla buttercream frosting, or rich chocolate buttercream.
“Amazingly light and moist. Got rave reviews! I was even told I had to make someone’s wedding cake after eating these!”
What You’ll Need To Make Vanilla Cupcakes
You’ll need cake flour, granulated sugar, salt, baking soda, buttermilk, vanilla extract, eggs, and unsalted butter.
Step-by-Step Instructions
Step 1: Whisk the wet ingredients. In a medium bowl or large measuring cup, whisk the buttermilk, eggs, and vanilla.
Step 2: Combine the dry ingredients. In the bowl of an electric mixer fitted with the paddle attachment or beaters, combine the flour, sugar, baking soda, and salt.
Step 3: Add the butter and part of the buttermilk mixture. Add the soft butter and half of the buttermilk mixture and mix on low speed until moistened but still a little crumbly, about 1 minute.
Step 4: Add remaining buttermilk. With the mixer running on low, gradually add the remaining buttermilk mixture,
Step 5: Mix. Increase the speed to medium and mix for three minutes.
Step 6: Fill the pan. Spoon the batter evenly into the prepared muffin pans, filling the cups almost full.
Step 7: Bake and cool. Bake the cupcakes for 20 to 25 minutes. Cool in the pan for about 15 minutes, then transfer to a rack to cool completely.
Step 8: Frost the cupcakes. Spread your icing of choice over the cupcakes and store in an airtight container until ready to serve.
More Cupcake Recipes You’ll Love
Vanilla Cupcakes
Ingredients
For the Cupcakes
- 1 cup buttermilk
- 4 large eggs
- 2 teaspoons vanilla extract
- 2¾ cups cake flour, spooned into measuring cup and leveled-off (see note)
- 2 cups sugar
- Heaping ½ teaspoon salt
- ½ teaspoon baking soda
- 1 cup (2 sticks) unsalted butter, softened, plus more for greasing the pans
- Vanilla buttercream frosting, cream cheese frosting, or rich chocolate buttercream
Instructions
- Preheat the oven to 350°F (175°C) and set an oven rack in the middle position. Line two 12-cup muffin pans with paper liners. Lightly grease the top of the muffin pans with butter so the cupcake tops don't stick.
- In a medium bowl, whisk together the buttermilk, eggs, and vanilla. Set aside. (Note that the mixture will start to look curdled as it sits; that's okay.)
- In the bowl of an electric mixer fitted with the paddle attachment or beaters, combine the flour, sugar, baking soda, and salt. Beat on low speed for 30 seconds to combine. Add the soft butter and half of the buttermilk mixture and mix on low speed until moistened but still a little crumbly, about 1 minute. With the mixer running on low, gradually add the remaining buttermilk mixture, then increase the speed to medium and mix for three minutes, stopping once to scrape down the sides and bottom of the bowl with a rubber spatula. The batter should look pale and creamy. Scrape down the sides and bottom of the bowl again, making sure the batter is evenly mixed.
- Spoon the batter evenly into the prepared muffin pans, filling the cups almost full. Bake for 20 to 23 minutes, switching the pans from top to bottom and back to front midway through. Remove from the oven when the cupcakes are set, lightly golden, and a toothpick inserted into the center of a cupcake comes out clean (note that one pan may finish cooking before the other). Cool in the pan for about 15 minutes, then transfer to a rack to cool completely. Frost the cupcakes and store in an airtight container until ready to serve. The cupcakes are best served fresh on the day they are made, but they will keep nicely for up to 2 days.
Notes
- Cake flour gives the cupcakes a fine texture. All-purpose flour can be substituted, but the cupcakes will be a bit heavier. In a pinch, you can make your own cake flour by whisking together 2½ cups all-purpose flour and ¼ cup cornstarch.
- Freezing Instructions: The cupcakes can be frozen without the frosting for up to 3 months. Let them cool completely, wrap them individually in plastic wrap, and then in foil. Thaw overnight on the countertop before serving. (Wait until the cupcakes are defrosted to ice them.)
Nutrition Information
This website is written and produced for informational purposes only. I am not a certified nutritionist and the nutritional data on this site has not been evaluated or approved by a nutritionist or the Food and Drug Administration. Nutritional information is offered as a courtesy and should not be construed as a guarantee. The data is calculated through an online nutritional calculator, Edamam.com. Although I do my best to provide accurate nutritional information, these figures should be considered estimates only. Varying factors such as product types or brands purchased, natural fluctuations in fresh produce, and the way ingredients are processed change the effective nutritional information in any given recipe. Furthermore, different online calculators provide different results depending on their own nutrition fact sources and algorithms. To obtain the most accurate nutritional information in a given recipe, you should calculate the nutritional information with the actual ingredients used in your recipe, using your preferred nutrition calculator.
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Hello – I made your Lemon Buttermilk Pound cake all summer (at least 4-5 times!) and it was spectacular.
I need a yellow/vanilla/butter cake recipe for my son’s 2nd birthday party so I came to your site since the lemon buttermilk pound cake worked so well for me. I notice an earlier commenter mentioned a vanilla birthday cake. I don’t think I saw that on your website. Please advise. Thanks!
Here’s the recipe April: https://summit-node.live/2012/11/vanilla-birthday-cake-with-old-fashioned-vanilla-buttercream.html%3C/a%3E. Happy 2nd birthday to your son!
Hi Jenn! Do you think these would work well as “mini cupcakes”? If so, how long do you think I should bake them for? Thanks so much!
Yes Natalia, I think you could make mini versions of these. I’d start checking them for doneness after about 10 minutes.
I have used this recipe twice as the yellow cake for a traditional Doberge Cake. It was absolutely delicious both times! The vanilla birthday cake is great too. I’ve always had trouble keeping my cakes moist, but I haven’t had problems with these recipes.
These cupcakes are good, and easy to make! One thing, is that they are a bit heavy with the butter. Not really a fan of the taste of butter, and I could taste it in the cupcake a little bit.
Hello, What is the best way to freeze these cupcakes? I need to bake ahead for a large party. Thanks.
Hi Lynne, I would let the cupcakes cool completely, then wrap them (individually) in plastic wrap, then in foil. The frosting doesn’t freeze well, so definitely wait until they are defrosted to ice them.
I made this for my son’s 3rd birthday last week. Added a few sprinkles on top of the icing for color. I made them the night before so I had to refrigerate them overnight. Took them out to get to room temp about 2 hours before serving.
Everyone loved them. Very yummy and moist. Thanks for another great recipe Jenn!
Hello, I’m wanting to make this cake for my son’s second birthday but we live in a very hot country so I tend to make my icing with crisco so it doesn’t melt. Am I able to substitute crisco for butter?
Many thanks
Samantha
Hi Samantha, Yes, that’s fine — or you might try substituting just part of the butter with Crisco so you get a little butter flavor.
I don’t bake and usually buy cupcakes for my daughter’s birthday…but this year she wanted to bake them from scratch. We made these and they were so delicious and easy! You might just make a baker out of me 🙂
Charming and delicious, just a note; my mom taught me to ‘make’ buttermilk out of whole milk and lemon juice. It works fine with this recipe.
I don’t have mixer, can I make this with wooden spoon and Ballon whisk?
Hi Mala, Your arm might get sore but yes 🙂