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!
Let’s bake together! Subscribe to my newsletter to be notified of all the newest recipes, and find my free recipe tutorials on YouTube 💜
Vanilla Cupcake Recipe
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
Recommended Equipment
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 frosting library for more options like:Nutrition
Nutritional information is based on third-party calculations and should be considered an estimate only. Actual nutritional content will vary based upon brands used, measuring methods, cooking method, portion sizes, and more.
I originally shared this Vanilla Cupcake Recipe 05/15/2017. Post has been updated and a video added. The recipe remains the same.
Angelika
This is my go to website for cupcake recipes (people think I run a professional bake shop :D, hahaha). But this is only my 2nd time baking with this vanilla recipe and I have to say: this recipe IS the best vanilla cupcake I’ve ever had BUT… my advice is, follow the instructions to a tee and use weights! I used measuring cups the first time around and the cupcakes were too dense. So don’t skimp on the details and you’ll end up with the most perfect vanilla cupcakes ever.
Sam
Thank you so much, Angelika! I’m so glad you enjoyed them so much. 🙂
Synlover Too
Hi Sam!
I’ve officially gone into hibernation as we’ve just had our 1st big dump of snow. Add in heavy winds – & the drifts are 7′ high in places – so – it’s time to do some serious baking!
I was just wondering what size pan should be used, & what the bake time would be?
Thanks in advance for your reply!
Sam
O my! Snow already?! This recipes fits a standard size cupcake pan and the bake time and temp are all in the instructions. If you are looking for a cake I would follow the directions for my vanilla cake. 🙂
Farah Abuqalbeen
These were a huge hit at home! My 4 year old helped me make them and had a blast =)
Sam
I am so glad everyone enjoyed them so much, Farah! 🙂
Jackie Booe
Hello! First want to say I love your videos and follow you on YouTube. Unfortunately my cupcakes came out very gummy. I didn’t like them at all but my husband said the flavor was great and loved the chocolate frosting recipe of yours. What did I do wrong? The only change I made was using your buttermilk sub bc I was out. Thanks,
Sam
Hi Jackie! That is so odd! They definitely shouldn’t be gummy. The buttermilk substitute won’t cause this issue. My best guess is that somehow something was mis-measured or the cupcakes were slightly under-baked. I hope they turn out for you better next time. They really are supposed to be a soft fluffy cupcake. I really appreciate your support and following. 🙂
Jackie Booe
I’ll definitely try again! The flavor is great!
Charlotte
Hey, just want to say these cupcakes are the best I have tried and my go to now. However when I make them my batter always splits after I add the egg. And continues to be split when I add the buttermilk and flour. I have to end up using an electric mixer again to bring it together. Do you know why this is that it keeps splitting?
Sam
Hi Charlotte! That’s really odd. I’ve never encountered this problem. I’m not sure what could be happening. 🙁 I’m glad you still enjoyed them. 🙂
Emily
These are very good and your instructions are foolproof. The brown sugar definitely adds a kick of flavor that makes them unique.
Sugar Spun Run
I am so glad that you enjoyed them, Emily! Thank you for trying my recipe and for commenting. 🙂
Sharon Thompson
I just made these and I must have done something wrong – they were in for 20mins (my oven thermometer read 155C – fan). They were very pale at the end of that time and although a cocktail stick came out clean, I think they probably needed longer – just tried one… Also my cupcake cases looked a similar size to yours, however there was a gap of approx 1/2 cm to the top and the cakes are now peeling away from the cases. Such a shame as your marble cake is soo good, I really wanted this to work. I’m from the UK and always measure my ingredients.
Sam
I’m so sorry to hear that Sharon! Is there any possibility the batter was over-mixed? I haven’t ever encountered this issue and hope you’ll give them another shot. They are a great cupcake. 🙂
Sharon Thompson
Hi, I’ve made your marble cake recipe to rave reviews. Do you mix the wet and dry ingredients for the cupcakes in the same way as the marble cake – ie the batter is a little lumpy but there are no flour particles visible?
Sam
Hi Sharon! Yes you don’t want to over-mix this batter. 🙂
Nicole
We love this recipe. Can we use this recipe and make it into a cake? (I have tried other cake recipes and they end up very, very, very heavy and dense).
Sam
Hi Nicole! You can make this into a cake or you can make my vanilla cake. Be careful not to over-mix the batter or your cake will come out dense. 🙂
Kenny
Hi Sam,
Everyone loves the cupcakes I make from this recipe, thank you so much. I was wondering, which of your vanilla cake recipes is closest to this recipe in terms of taste and texture (the crumb is so light), the classic vanilla cake or birthday cake? Thanks
Sam
I’m so happy to hear everyone enjoys them, Kenny! It’s closest to my birthday cake recipe 🙂
Alisha
What can you use instead of buttermilk
Sam
If you don’t have buttermilk, I recommend using my buttermilk substitute. 🙂
Fiona
Best cupcakes ever! Loved the salt in the frosting. The cake was moist and fluffy. Substituted whole milk for the cream and made the buttermilk which meant no trips to the grocery store. Used the convection setting on my oven (same temperature) and they were perfect at 18 minutes.
Sam
I am so glad you enjoyed it so much, Fiona! 🙂
Saasha
Hi Sam! I’m planning to make these for my mom’s birthday as a pull-apart cupcake cake and I’m going to frost it with your chocolate cream cheese frosting. Would you recommend any fruity filling for these cupcakes or would they be fine without any filling? I love your recipes!
Thanks!
Sam
Hi Saasha! Personally I think they are great without any sort of filling, but if you want to add one my favorites are my raspberry filling or my pastry cream. 🙂
Yuki
Love this! If I want to eat the cupcakes about 10 hours after baking them should I refrigerate or have them out in room temperature?
Sam
Hi Yuki! You could do either, honestly, just keep them in an airtight container. The refrigerator does tend to dry out cupcakes so my preference is to keep at room temperature. I hope that helps! 🙂
Yuki
Thank you so much for replying so quickly Sam!
I have a container for cupcakes but unfortunately topping is too high for the lid.
Right now its sitting in my closet (it’s for a surprise birthday even for my mother) with ice packs on the side and plastic wrap tripled. Do you think it’ll hold up?
Sam
So long as it isn’t really hot or humid I think it will be perfectly fine 🙂
Simone
After making your carrot cupcake, I had to make this recipe. It was so moist and soft. All the other cupcakes are too dense. The best part is the yield is on point!
Yes, this recipe bakes flat but I don’t mind it actually. I like to do fancy piping which helps when it’s flat on top 🙂
FYI…I just want to mention that when I changed the serving size to 24. The number for the grams doesn’t change for people who weights their ingredients. Not a big deal, I just double the number.
Going to try your red velvet cupcake nest! 🙂
Sam
I am so happy this recipe was such a success for you too, Simone! I’m actually curious about what you mean about changing the serving size to 24? I used to have the ability in my recipes to change the serving size and the ingredient amounts would update, but because it didn’t update my metric measurements I removed that option, where are you seeing it, if you don’t mind me asking.
I hope you love the red velvet cupcakes just as much! 🙂
Simone
When you jump to recipe and print, it gives you an option to change the number of cupcakes. I wanted 24 instead of 12. 🤗
Sam
Thank you for letting me know. 🙂
Esther
These cupcakes were great! I made them for work on Friday and my coworkers loved them. I made mine less sweet by adding 1/2 cup sugar and 2 tablespoons of dark brown sugar instead. I didn’t have any light brown sugar. I normally make the DIY buttermilk but I had plain non fat yogurt in the fridge so I subbed the buttermilk with yogurt. These cupcakes were soft, moist and delicious!
Sam
I am so glad you enjoyed them so much, Esther! 🙂
Esther
Hi Sam! I noticed the weight for the flour is wrong. I calculated it and it should be 167g instead of 150g. When I was looking at your peanut butter brownie recipe you have 167g for 1 1/3 cup flour which is correct.
Sam
Hi Esther! The way the recipe is written is correct. This is an older recipe that I am working to updating. I have standardized my weights so a cup is 125g, but for this recipe the 150g is correct. Sorry for any confusion and I hope to get this updated soon. 🙂
Annalise
These cupcakes look so delicious!! I’m trying to figure out which vanilla cupcake recipe to use and I came across your “Best Vanilla Cake Recipe” first and then found this recipe as well. Other than how many cupcakes the recipes yield, what makes them different from each other?
Sam
Hi Annalise! They are just a little different recipes. The cake is a bit sturdier and the cupcake has a lighter crumb. 🙂