Vanilla Cupcake Recipe
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This classic, easy vanilla cupcake recipe is soft and moist with a distinct vanilla flavor. No complicated ingredients and less than an hour from start to finish! Recipe includes a how-to video!
Why You’ll Love This Vanilla Cupcake Recipe
- Basic ingredients are best: a whole egg, regular all-purpose flour, all butter, and no oil. Buttermilk is as complicated as this ingredient list gets!
- Soft and moist texture with a buttery, distinct vanilla taste. A bit of brown sugar complements the vanilla amazingly and gives these cupcakes an unparalleled flavor.
- Pairs well with any frosting, like chocolate fudge frosting, strawberry frosting, salted caramel frosting, or even fruity pebbles frosting! I include a few more ideas in the recipe notes below 🧁
- Easily doubles if you need to feed a crowd! Or, make this recipe and my chocolate cupcake recipe for a little bit of both flavors.
- Carefully researched and tested. As with all of my recipes, this one went through rigorous trials and taste-testing. Scroll down for a sneak peek of the behind the scenes of one of the recipe testing sessions.
Every good baker needs a good vanilla cupcake recipe. While many people have converted my vanilla cake into cupcakes (and it works great!), I just wanted a dedicated, standalone cupcake for this space.
It took months of working to perfect this recipe, about 8 Google Doc pages full of notes, and multiple test runs past my taste-testers, but we finally nailed it. With its light, moist crumb, a buttery, vanilla-infused flavor, this vanilla cupcake recipe holds its own as one of my favorites many years later!
Today I’m re-sharing this classic with an updated frosting (the winning core recipe remains unchanged–it was perfect as written!). My favorite chocolate frosting still pairs just as nicely, but I’m changing things up with a vanilla bean buttercream today. I can’t wait to hear what you think!
Ingredients
My vanilla cupcake recipe uses all basic ingredients that you probably already have in your pantry:
- Butter. Often when making cupcakes I like to use oil for the best texture and a moist crumb. This vanilla cupcake recipe, however, was carefully crafted to be made with all butter and still be perfectly soft and moist with a light, flavorful texture!
- Sugar. We’re using both granulated and brown sugar today. The brown sugar enriches the flavor and makes the cupcakes more moist. Don’t skip it!
- Flour. I use all-purpose flour and recommend you do the same. You could substitute cake flour, but I actually don’t prefer the results (more on this below!).
- Buttermilk. Buttermilk is another key ingredient that helps makes these vanilla cupcakes tender and flavorful. If you don’t have buttermilk handy, my easy buttermilk substitute can work in a pinch, but real buttermilk is best.
- Vanilla extract. These cupcakes have a great vanilla flavor (but it’s not overpowering). We’re using a generous 1 ½ teaspoons for 12 cupcakes.
SAM’S TIP: Use room temperature ingredients! This helps your ingredients to combine properly when mixing. Ingredients of different temperatures could leave you with an unevenly mixed batter and dense cupcakes. I have a trick to quickly bring eggs to room temperature if you forget to set yours out ahead!
Remember, this is just an overview of the ingredients I used and why. For the full recipe please scroll down to the bottom of the post!
Behind the Scenes: Recipe Testing
I rigorously tested many different variations of this vanilla cupcake recipe to make sure it truly was the best it could be. Here are notes on a few of the many versions we tried. Since readers often ask me if they can make changes I thought this would be helpful for those of you interested in substituting oil or cake flour or reducing the sugar, etc.
- Winning recipe: the softest cupcakes with best structure.They maintain their buttery flavor and soft texture well into the next day (and beyond!).
- Oil instead of butter: I expected these cupcakes to be softer and to stay softer, but they weren’t. The flavor also wasn’t as good as the winning recipe. If you were refrigerating the cupcakes, perhaps it would be softer, but I still recommend the winning recipe.
- Cake flour: this version had a tighter crumb and more cottony texture than the version made with all-purpose flour. It also seemed more dry than the others, which I attribute to the way the finer crumb melts on the tongue.
- Less sugar: using 2 tablespoons less brown sugar resulted in more domed, but also more dry cupcakes. It wasn’t worth the flavor or texture sacrifice for higher cupcake tops.
- Reverse creaming method: these tasted good, but they sunk and had a tighter crumb. I was surprised at how well they didn’t do, honestly!
How to Make Vanilla Cupcakes
Make the Cupcake Batter
- Cream the butter and sugars until light and fluffy. This step is critical for the best light and fluffy texture, so don’t be shy about it!
- Stir in the egg and vanilla, making sure both are well incorporated.
- Whisk together the dry ingredients in a separate bowl, then gradually fold in about ¼ of the dry ingredients. Do not use your mixer for this–switch to a spatula!
- Fold in ¼ of the buttermilk until just combined.
- Repeat this process until you’ve added all the flour and buttermilk and your batter is completely combined. Remember, be careful not to over-mix!
- Divide the batter into your cupcake liners, filling ⅔-¾ of the way full. Do not overfill your liners, or you will have a mess on your hands. It’s better to discard any leftover batter versus trying to cram it into the liners.
- Bake until the tops spring back when lightly touched and a toothpick in the center comes out with a few moist crumbs or clean.
SAM’S TIP: Over-mixing when adding the flour and buttermilk will cause your cupcakes to be dense and dry. You don’t want to under-mix (this is just as bad!), but do make sure you aren’t too overzealous either.
Vanilla Bean Buttercream Frosting
- Beat the butter until creamy, then stir in the salt. Gradually add the powdered sugar until completely combined.
- Stir in the vanilla bean paste until incorporated.
- Add the heavy cream as needed until you have a smooth frosting, then beat on high until fluffy.
- Pipe over your completely cooled cupcakes. I use the Ateco 848 tip for this!
SAM’S TIP: If you don’t plan to pipe your frosting as generously as I do here, you can halve the recipe. As written, it makes quite a lot of frosting!
Frequently Asked Questions
Frosted cupcakes will be fine at room temperature for 2 days or refrigerated in an airtight container for up to 5 days, but note that the fridge tends to dry out the cupcakes.
You can also freeze the cupcakes; just make sure to wrap them well and store in an airtight container. If you are trying to freeze frosted cupcakes, you may want to let the frosting firm up in the freezer for 10-15 minutes before wrapping and storing.
Yes! If you need 24 cupcakes instead of 12, feel free to double this recipe. You will need to double all ingredients (including the leavening agents and vanilla extract).
You could, and it’s even the basis for my birthday cake, but my personal preference for a classic layer cake is my vanilla cake recipe. It’s been one of my most popular recipes for years, so I think you will like it just as much as this one!
Note that if you do choose to make this batter into a cake, it’ll make a single 8″ or 9″ round layer, you will want to double the recipe for a two layer cake.
I shared an exclusive vanilla bean frosting recipe in the recipe card below; it’s the frosting shown in the photos and pairs beautifully with the cupcake recipe, letting the vanilla flavor really shine through the whole cupcake-eating experience. However, here are a few other great options:
Strawberry frosting
Cream cheese frosting
Chocolate frosting
Raspberry buttercream
Coffee frosting
Which frosting do you prefer on your vanilla cupcakes–chocolate or vanilla?
Enjoy!
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Vanilla Cupcake Recipe
Equipment
Ingredients
Cupcakes
- 6 Tablespoons (85 g) unsalted butter, softened
- ¾ cup (150 g) granulated sugar
- ¼ cup (50 g) light brown sugar, firmly packed
- 1 large egg, room temperature preferred
- 1 ½ teaspoons vanilla extract
- 1 ⅓ cup (167 g) all-purpose flour
- ½ teaspoon baking soda
- ½ teaspoon baking powder
- ½ teaspoon table salt
- ¾ cup (175 ml) buttermilk, room temperature preferred
Vanilla Bean Frosting
- 1 cup (226 g) unsalted butter , softened
- ¼ teaspoon table salt
- 3 cups (375 g) powdered sugar
- 1 Tablespoon vanilla bean paste
- 1-2 Tablespoons heavy cream, as needed
Instructions
- Preheat oven to 350F (175C) and line a 12-count muffin tin with paper liners. Set aside.
- Combine butter and sugars in the bowl of a stand mixer (or in a large bowl — and use an electric hand mixer) and beat very on medium speed until well creamed and light and fluffy.6 Tablespoons (85 g) unsalted butter, ¾ cup (150 g) granulated sugar, ¼ cup (50 g) light brown sugar
- Add egg and vanilla extract and beat well.1 large egg, 1 ½ teaspoons vanilla extract
- In a separate, medium-sized bowl, whisk together flour, baking soda, baking powder, and salt.1 ⅓ cup (167 g) all-purpose flour, ½ teaspoon baking soda, ½ teaspoon baking powder, ½ teaspoon table salt
- Use a spatula (not a mixer!) to gradually fold in about ¼ of the flour mixture until just combined.
- Add about ¼ cup of the buttermilk and use spatula to fold in until just combined.¾ cup (175 ml) buttermilk
- Continue to alternate until flour mixture and buttermilk are completely combined (I add the flour in 4 parts and the buttermilk in 3) — mix until batter is combined but be sure not to over-mix or your cupcakes could end up dense and dry.
- Fill cupcake liners ⅔-¾ of the way full with batter (do not over-fill, if you have any leftover batter discard it) and bake on 350F (175C) for 17-18 minutes or until tops spring back when gently touched and a toothpick inserted in the center comes out with a few moist crumbs or clean.
- Allow cupcakes to cool in pans for 5 minutes before carefully removing to cooling rack to cool completely before frosting.
Vanilla Bean Frosting
- Beat butter with an electric mixer until creamy. Sprinkle salt over butter and stir again to combine.1 cup (226 g) unsalted butter, ¼ teaspoon table salt
- Gradually, about ½ cup at a time, add powdered sugar, waiting until each cup is completely mixed before adding more.3 cups (375 g) powdered sugar
- Stir in vanilla bean paste.1 Tablespoon vanilla bean paste
- With mixer on medium-low speed, add the heavy cream, one tablespoon at a time until you have a smooth consistency. Once ingredients are well incorporated, gradually increase speed to high and beat for about 30 seconds.1-2 Tablespoons heavy cream
- Pipe or spread frosting over cooled cupcakes. Top with sprinkles, if desired. This frosting will be fine at room temperature for 2 days or refrigerated in an airtight container for about a week.
Notes
Doubling the recipe
This recipe doubles well; double all ingredients.Vanilla bean paste
If you can’t get your hands on vanilla bean paste, you can substitute 1 teaspoon of vanilla extract for a classic vanilla frosting.Frosting
This recipe makes enough frosting to generously pile the frosting on each cupcake (as shown in photos). If you want a modest amount of frosting, simply halve the recipe. Note that I previously used my favorite chocolate frosting to decorate these cupcakes instead of vanilla bean buttercream. Feel free to use that recipe if that’s what you prefer, or browse my library of frosting recipes for more options like:Nutrition
Nutrition information is automatically calculated, so should only be used as an approximation.
Like this? Leave a comment below!
I originally shared this Vanilla Cupcake Recipe 05/15/2017. Post has been updated and a video added. The recipe remains the same.
I have a question, baked this today and they’re amazing! But I wanted to know if I can add lemon juice? Or lemon zest? To make them a little bit more interesting 🙂 if so, how much can I add without ruining the recipe? Thanks!!!
Hi Fernanda! I actually developed my lemon cupcake recipe for people who wanted a little lemon flavor. I hope that helps! 🙂
I want to double the recipe to make more cupcakes at once. Do I just double everything or are there some ingredients I have to reduce the measurements?
Hi, Lucy! You will double all ingredients listed. I hope that you enjoy them. 🙂
Just made these cupcakes yesterday, and followed the recipe exactly. They are absolutely delicious! Perfectly moist, great flavor. The perfect cupcake! We made them with you chocolate cream cheese frosting which was also delicious!
Thank you so much for trying my recipe, Joli! I am so happy to hear how much you enjoyed them and the chocolate frosting too! Thanks for commenting. 🙂
hi so i haven’t tried yet but can you use salted butter or will that ruin the cupcakes tyyy
Hi, Gabriela! Yes, you can use salted butter. If you do, you will want to omit the additional salt listed. Enjoy! 🙂
This was very delicious! Me and my sibling were unable to find a cupcake tin so we turned it into a cake and made two different butter creams, vanilla and lemon. I was also wondering if this recipe is the same as your vanilla cake. 🤔 Overall, this was really good!
So happy to hear it was such a hit! This one is not the same as my vanilla cake but you can make that one into cupcakes, too.
Frosting was stellar. Cupcakes strangely tasted like sweet version of cornbread. Not a vanilla cupcake.
I am glad that the frosting was enjoyable but sorry to hear that the cupcakes were on the drier side, Deepika! It sounds like you may have over measured the flour here or possibly that cupcakes were overbaked. I am so sorry that you have issues. 🙁
My 11 year-old twin girls and I love your recipes! This one did not disappoint. They were so good, you could eat them without frosting. Incredibly moist too!
Thank you!
I am so glad that you and your daughters have enjoyed this recipe, Amber! I hope that you had fun making them too! Thanks for commenting. 🙂
I just tried a test batch because I want to make these for a friend’s bridal shower. Some of my cupcakes sunk in the middle. I followed the recipe exactly, baked for 17 mins. What could be the problem?
Hi, Tiffany! A couple of things could cause this to happen. The most common is overmixing the batter. If overmixed, too much air can be incorporated causing the cupcakes to rise then deflate. Another cause could be that your oven temp is too high, this can cause the cake to rise too rapidly. A good idea is to buy an oven thermometer to check for accuracy. I hope that helps. 🙂
I’ve made these a couple times and have been told they were the best cupcakes ever! Thank you for taking the time to work all these recipes out. They were moist, had a great crumb, and were great the second and third day!
For those having trouble with dryness- maybe try the reverse creaming method- makes it almost impossible to over mix.
I am so glad that everyone enjoyed the vanilla cupcakes and have found them to be the best cupcakes ever, Janine! Thank you so much for using my recipe and for taking a moment to leave a comment. I greatly appreciate your feedback. 🙂
Made these cupcakes and they were gorgeous and so moist! Could this recipe be used for a cake? If so how large a tin should I cook it in?
Hi Emma! Yes, this can be used for a cake. Bake on 350F until a toothpick inserted in the center comes out clean or (preferably) with a few moist crumbs. I’ve found in a 9” round pan this usually takes about 28 minutes and in an 8” pan this usually takes about 32-34 minutes. The recipe as written will only make 1 layer of cake, but it can be doubled or even tripled. I actually used this recipe as the base for my birthday cake recipe so I’ve tested it quite a few different ways.
Would these still turn out nice if I use 3/4 brown sugar and 1/4 white sugar instead? I’m trying to make chocolate chip cookie flavored cupcakes with chocolate buttercream and this recipe looks perfect for it! Also I loved your chocolate cupcake recipe as well they were the best chocolate cupcakes I’ve ever had!
I am so glad that you enjoyed the chocolate cupcakes. I have not tried adding brown sugar to my vanilla cupcakes before so I am not certain how the blend will do. If you try it, I’d love to know it turns out for you, Tori! Good Luck! 🙂
Best ever, so fluffy. Thank you!
I wanted to add…I followed your recipe to the T. Room temp everything, adding ing. in the order of the recipe. If someone had dry cupcakes, they just couldn’t have followed the same recipe I did.
Thank you so much, Steph! I am so glad that you found the recipe easy to follow and delicious. Thanks for commenting. 🙂
Hi there. I made these cupcakes today. They came out ok. I used the chocolate frosting recipe to top the cupcakes. To me they lacked a lil sweetness. Maybe a tab bit more sugar.
Hello, Patricia! I am glad that you enjoyed the cupcakes. Thanks for trying my recipe. You can always adjust the recipe for your sweetness level. 🙂
I like a lot of your recipes but these came out so dry and didn’t taste great. I checked and I followed the recipe exactly. 🙁
I’m disappointed to hear that, Sue! Usually if cupcakes come out dry there are one of two reasons for that: either the batter might’ve been over-mixed or they may have baked too long (even a minute too long can do it). If your oven is running a little hot that can also dry them out in a hurry. Do any of these seem like possibilities? I’m happy to try and help further if possible!
Was dry and not very tasty. I usually like your recipes but this one didn’t work out.
Becky, I am so sorry that the vanilla cake did not turn out well for you. If it was on the dryer side, it could have baked a little too long. As for taste, I am sorry that you did not enjoy it. I hope that you try more of my recipes.
I most definitely will 😊
I love this recipe!!!! My cupcakes came out so nice and moist for my niece party. Will be doing another bather just for my family at home.
Thank you so much, Marquita! I am so glad that the vanilla cupcakes tasted delicious and were enjoyed. 🙂