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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I was thrilled to find this recipe is easy, fast and so delicious. I made one batch as indicated and added shredded coconut to the icing in the second batch. Excellent!
I made these cupcakes last night and they are my new go to recipe for cupcakes! I love to bake, so I have a question for you. Is it worth it to buy really expensive vanilla? I have just been using Durkee from the grocery store. I bake so often that I go though vanilla quickly, which is why it is hard for me to justify the expensive stuff.
If you do think it is worth it, maybe for special recipes, what kind of hi end vanilla do you recommend?
Thanks!
Hi Liza, Vanilla extract has gotten so expensive. I don’t think it’s worth it to buy a pricey brand – just be sure to buy pure vanilla rather than imitation. McCormick Pure Vanilla is a good choice.
Great! Thanks so much for the advice! Will switch to McCormick 🙂
I wanted to do a 9X13 double layer cake. Do you think that would still be okay? Has anyone tried this? If so, what do you recommend for cooking time?
I haven’t found another recipe with such great reviews and would love to make this!
Hi Margaret, Sure you could bake this in two 9 x 13-inch baking dishes, but you’d need to double the recipe. The baking time may be a little longer- I’d start checking for doneness at about 35 minutes. I’d love to hear how it turns out!
It was my second time making cupcakes, but my first time making vanilla ones. I was doing it for a trial run for my daughter’s birthday party. My husband loves them. I reduced the recipes in half and it turned out fantastic regardless. So I am definitely using this recipe for the birthday and other future events. My husband found the icing perfect. But I found it a bit sweet as I can’t handle too much sweet. Is it possible to reduce the icing sugar to four cups instead of six? Or would that affect the texture of the icing?
Sure, you could reduce the sugar – it will change the texture of the frosting a bit, but it should still work. I’d try it with 4 coups like you suggested and if the frosting is too thin, you can add a little more sugar, bit by bit, until it reaches a spreadable texture. Hope that helps!
Very simple but delicious. Tried with whipped cream frosting and topped with berries. They were amazing! Thank you so much for this recipe.
I love this recipe! Do you think it would work for a large birthday cake (a number
One cake tin)? Thank you!
Great Question, Louise! I’ve never baked anything in a tin like that – I suspect it should work, but just make sure to thoroughly grease the baking pan before putting the batter in. I’d hate for it to stick. I’d love to hear how it turns out! 🙂
The cake was absolutely divine. I googled another recipe for cream cheese frosting that could be piped https://www.carveyourcraving.com/cream-cheese-frosting-for-piping-and-decorating-cakes-cupcakes/
And the results were just amazing. I can’t seem to post a photo though. I have never really found that there are many cupcakes that taste as good as they look but this cake had been perfect as cupcakes, a layer cake and for a huge cake tin. It’s my new go-to recipe. Thank you!
So glad they turned out well!
I’m eager to try your recipe after seeing all the positive reviews. Will the cake turn out well with less sugar? Will 300gm sugar be too little? I’m not allowed too much sugar for health reasons, but I just can’t resist a good buttery cupcake.
Hi Mei, I think you’d be fine reducing the sugar to 300 g, but I wouldn’t reduce it any more than that. Please lmk how they turn out!
Hi Jenn, the reduced sugar cupcakes turned out well – still buttery and moist, and rose nicely. Thank you!
Made these a bunch of times and they are to die for .. best cupcakes EVER .. every time I’ve made them everyone was asking for the recipe ..thank you so much for sharing !!
Just made these cupcakes for my daughter and nephew’s birthday and they were a hit. So delicious and easy to make!
Jenn, thanks for another great recipe! 😀
How do you think the buttermilk cupcakes would turn out with the chocolate frosting from your chocolate cupcake/frosting recipe?
I think they’d be delish! 🙂
How long would you recommend baking these as mini cupcakes?
Hi Amanda, I’d recommend checking them starting at 10 minutes. Enjoy!