Vanilla Cupcakes
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Made with buttermilk and topped with cream cheese frosting, these are the most luscious vanilla cupcakes.
When my kids were little, I started a baking business specializing in cakes and cupcakes, mostly for children’s parties. Before I began, I spent weeks testing every type of cake recipe under the sun, often baking into the middle of the night. Michael would wake up in the morning to find the kitchen overflowing with all flavors of cakes and cupcakes. He thought I’d lost my mind—little did he know I was just discovering my passion for developing recipes, which was the motivation for starting my blog. These are the vanilla cupcakes that won me over. They have a fluffy, downy texture and rich vanilla flavor. Top them with swirls of cream cheese frosting or rich chocolate buttercream.
If you’d like to make the recipe as a layer cake, it works beautifully; simply divide the batter into two 8-inch cake pans and bake for 30 to 40 minutes. The recipe also works in a 9×13-in cake pan, baked for 30 minutes.
What you’ll need to make vanilla Cupcakes
Step-by-Step Instructions
In a medium bowl, combine the buttermilk, eggs, and vanilla.
Whisk well and set aside. 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.
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,
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 25 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 cooled cupcakes with icing and store in an airtight container until ready to serve.
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Vanilla Cupcakes
Made with buttermilk and topped with cream cheese frosting, these are the most luscious vanilla cupcakes.
Ingredients
For the Cupcakes
- 1 cup buttermilk (see note)
- 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
- 2 sticks (1 cup) unsalted butter, softened, plus more for greasing the pans
- Cream cheese frosting or rich chocolate buttercream
Instructions
- Preheat the oven to 350° 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.
- Note: If you’d like to make your own buttermilk, check out the easy method here.
- Note: Cake flour gives the cupcakes a fine texture. All-purpose flour can be substituted, but the cupcakes will be a bit heavier. To make your own cake flour, you can whisk together 2½ cups all-purpose flour and ¼ cup cornstarch.
- Freezer-Friendly 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
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- Serving size: 1 cupcake
- Calories: 379
- Fat: 19 g
- Saturated fat: 12 g
- Carbohydrates: 49 g
- Sugar: 37 g
- Protein: 4 g
- Sodium: 155 mg
- Cholesterol: 83 mg
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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Comments
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Hi, does 2-3/4 cups mean 2 cups and 3/4 of a cup? As in almost 3 cups? Thanks 🙂
Correct– hope you enjoy!
Do you have a chocolate cream cheese recipe?
The cupcake reviews are FABULOUS. I will be baking the cupcakes next Sat for my son-in-law’s 43rd birthday party.
#goddessbuzz Tampa Bay
Hi, Are you referring to chocolate frosting?
Yes, do you have a recipe for chocolate creme cheese frosting? Thank you
Hi Richardene, I don’t have one that contains cream cheese. Feel free to take a peek at this one though to see if it appeals to you.
I made these cupcakes (as 48 mini cupcakes) and they were a perfectly light and tasty birthday treat for a 7yr old’s party. I followed the directions almost exactly and found it was so easy to make – and also there wasn’t too much to wash in terms of utensils/bowls which was a nice plus.
I used whole wheat flour (to try and convince myself it was healthier that way) and it turned out fine.
The icing was a good workout as I mixed it by hand and the cream cheese was a little hard to manipulate….but perseverance paid off and it became light and fluffy….and delicious! I found I could have easily halved the ingredients to ice all 48 mini cupcakes.
Thank you for another great recipe!
HI i have another question.
Can i use 4 medium eggs instead of 4 large or do i use more medium eggs.
Thanks once again
DV
Medium eggs should be fine– no need to use an additional egg.
Hi, God, I’m such a fan of your recipes. By far all have been fabulous.I had a few a questions, it would be great if you would help.
1. Can I substitute the butter with oil?
2. Can I enjoy these darlings without the icing?
3. I have fresh pineapple at home can i add it into the cake mix and bake it, do you think i need to alter anything?
4. Can I reduce the sugar, as i don’t like very sweet cakes?
Thanks a ton.
DV
Hi DV, I’m glad you like the recipes and am happy to help! I’ve answered your questions in the order you asked: 1. No- you won’t achieve the right texture with oil. 2. Yes! 3. Yes- just make sure to drain any juice from it and, because it will add some liquid to the mix, reduce the buttermilk by 1/4 cup. 4. Yes, you could reduce the sugar by up to 1/2 cup. (Keep in mind that sugar does help keep the cake moist.) Hope that helps!
Thank you for your reply
Can cake flour be used instead of all purpose flour?
Hi Krystal, I would stick with the all-purpose flour here– sorry!
This is an awesome recipe, thank you!!
About high altitude baking. I live at 7000 feet in Park City, UT. As a former Californian I had to re-learn baking at this altitude. 🙂 I did make slight changes to the recipe: I didn’t change the baking soda amount, but did reduce the sugar by 1/4 cup (you won’t notice) plenty sweet. I also changed the temperature to 375 degrees, it helps set the batter faster, but I reduced the baking time by 5 minutes. Check your oven, they often differ. Mine came out great. Hope this helps.
These cupcakes were delicious and the instructions were super easy and straightforward. no one could believe i made them from scratch! i cant wait to make them again
Hi,
Is the cream cheese frosting sturdy enough to pipe out and hold its shape?
Hi Reva, I don’t recommend this recipe for piping. Sorry!