Vanilla cupcakes are a soft, light, and super delicious bakery-style treat. I kitchen-tested this vanilla cupcake recipe, so you can be sure that it will work perfectly. The recipe is easy to make, and you can use any frosting you like. Great for birthdays, parties, or any other reason!
Cupcakes made from scratch taste so much better than anything you'll find at the store. They're fun to bake and decorate, too.
Creating the perfect cupcake isn't difficult, but there are a couple of important tips to keep in mind. Just be sure to read the tips section in this post, and carefully follow the instructions
Why You'll Love This Recipe
- It creates the perfect light and fluffy texture.
- Freezer friendly. If you're planning a big party and you need a lot of cupcakes, you can freeze them for up to 3 months.
- Fun and easy to customize. Use any frosting you like, and feel free to go crazy with sprinkles and colored sugar!
Ingredients
See ingredient substitutions in the next section. ⬇️
To make cupcakes from scratch, you'll need:
- unsalted butter: If you can afford it, I recommend using European butter rather than American-made. The extra butterfat content adds more flavor.
- white granulated sugar
- large eggs
- vanilla extract
- all-purpose flour
- baking powder: If you haven't used it in a while, it's best to test it for freshness. If your leaveners are too old, they won't produce the gas bubbles needed to cause the baked goods to rise.
- whole milk: The high fat content in whole milk important to creating moist cake.
- salt: Be sure to use coarse sea salt or kosher salt; not iodized table salt.
📖 Time-Saving Tip - Testing Baking Soda or Baking Powder for Freshness
This simple little test can save you time and money, because if your leavener is expired, whatever you're baking wont rise in the oven! This test works for baking soda and baking powder:
- Add about ½ teaspoon of baking soda or powder to a small bowl. Stir in an equal amount of an acidic ingredient, like vinegar or citrus juice.
- If the solution doesn't start to bubble immediately, it's time to replace your leavener.
Substitutions and Recipe Variations
- all-purpose flour: If you'd like to make gluten-free cake, substitute the AP flour with a cup-for-cup variety of gluten-free all-purpose flour. Two popular brands are Bob's Red Mill and King Arthur Flour.
For a softer crumb, feel free to substitute cake flour for some or all of the all-purpose flour. - white granulated sugar: To reduce the calories, you can substitute the sugar with any cup-for-cup variety of granulated sugar substitute. Monkfruit sugar is a good option.
- salted butter: If you need or want to use salted butter, just omit the salt this recipe calls for.
I haven't tested any plant-based butter substitutes, but because they have a lot of water in them, I don't recommend using them. - eggs: Egg yolks are important for adding moisture and structure to the cupcakes. If you need a substitute, check out my post, egg substitutes for cake mix.
- vanilla extract: If you need an alcohol-free flavoring, you can use vanilla essence. For a stronger vanilla flavor, use vanilla bean paste instead of extract. However, vanilla bean paste is concentrated, so only use half as much as the recipe calls for.
- milk: The higher the fat content in the milk, the better your cupcakes will taste. You can substitute milk with half and half, low fat milk, or non dairy milk
How to Make Homemade Vanilla Cupcakes
Summary only. The complete recipe instructions are in the card at the bottom of this post ⬇️
- Cream together butter, sugar, and eggs.
- Incorporate the dry ingredients.
- Whisk in the milk.
- Add cupcake batter to the muffin pan.
- Bake in preheated oven, cool to room temperature, then decorate as desired.
Liz's Tips for the Best Cupcakes
- Use room temperature ingredients. All refrigerated items should be at room temperature so the batter mixes together easily and evenly.
- Measure the flour properly! Rather than scooping flour, spoon it into the measuring cup. Use a butter knife to level off the cup.
- Whole milk is recommended for the best flavor and texture. In a pinch, 2% milk can be used, and non-dairy milk should also work.
- Avoid over mixing the batter, which can cause cupcakes to be dry.
- Cupcakes can be made 1 day in advance, covered, and stored at room temperature. Unfrosted cupcakes can be frozen up to 2-3 months. Thaw overnight in the refrigerator.
Frosting Options for Vanilla Cupcakes
Feel free to use your favorite flavor of store-bought frosting, or use homemade buttercream frosting.
Chocolate ganache also makes a great frosting for vanilla cupcakes, and it is so easy to make that anybody can do it! All you need are an equal amount of chocolate chips and and warm milk.
To Make Chocolate Ganache Frosting
- Start by placing the chocolate in a heat-safe bowl.
- Heat the milk in a saucepan on the stove or in the microwave. Do not boil the milk, just heat it until it starts steaming and bubbles form around the edges of the pan.
- Pour the warm milk over the chips, then let it sit for a couple of minutes so the chocolate softens.
- Stir well to combine and use it as a glaze. The ganache will harden as it cools.
Storing and Freezing
Storing: If kept in an airtight container at room temperature, your homemade vanilla cupcakes will stay fresh for about 4 days.
Freezing
Unfrosted cupcakes can be frozen for up to 3 months. Wrap them individually in plastic wrap, then place them in a freezer-safe container. Thaw them overnight in the refrigerator before frosting and/or serving.
Vanilla Cupcake Recipe FAQ
There are two common reasons for cupcakes that don't rise. First, the baking powder may be too old. Check the expiration date to be sure you are using a fresh leavener. Another reason for flat cupcakes is using too much baking powder. Using too much leavener causes the cupcakes to rise too quickly. Because the inside is still raw, the top of the cupcakes will deflate.
The key to achieving a light and fluffy consistency is creating air bubbles within the batter. This is why it is so crucial to avoid over mixing cake batter. Doing so will result in you destroying the air bubbles that form, creating a dense cupcake.
Homemade Vanilla Cupcakes
Ingredients
- ¾ cup granulated white sugar
- ¾ cup unsalted butter softened
- 2 large eggs room temperature
- 2 teaspoons vanilla extract
- 2 cup all-purpose flour spooned and leveled
- ½ teaspoon baking powder
- 1 teaspoon sea salt
- ⅔ cup whole milk room temperature
Instructions
- Preheat the oven to 350℉. Line a muffin tin with cupcake liners. Set aside.
- In a small bowl, whisk to combine the flour, baking powder, and salt. Set aside
- In the bowl of a stand mixer fitted with a paddle attachment (or use an electric mixer and large mixing bowl), cream together sugar and butter on high speed until smooth and no chunks of butter remain.
- Add in the eggs and vanilla and mix on medium speed to combine.
- Add the milk and slowly stir until the batter reaches a smooth consistency.
- With the mixer on low speed, slowly add the flour mixture. *Be careful not to over mix the batter.
- Using a small scoop, add the batter to the liners, filling ¾ the way. Bake in preheated oven for 20 minutes.
- Allow cupcakes to cool before frosting.
Helpful Notes and Tips From Liz
- Use room temperature ingredients. All refrigerated items should be at room temperature so the batter mixes together easily and evenly.
- Measure the flour properly! Rather than scooping flour, spoon it into the measuring cup. Use a butter knife to level off the cup.
- Whole milk is recommended for the best flavor and texture. In a pinch, 2% milk can be used, and non-dairy milk should also work.
- Avoid over mixing the batter, which can cause cupcakes to be dry.
- Cupcakes can be made 1 day in advance, covered, and stored at room temperature. Unfrosted cupcakes can be frozen up to 2-3 months. Thaw overnight in the refrigerator.
Victoria Johnson
Amazing cupcake recipe! So easy to make. My first time making cupcakes from scratch and they were a big hit. We even ate a few unfrosted and they're still amazing and sweet enough.
I don't have a standup mixer, only hand mixer and that worked fine. I also only had fat free milk & half & half (decided to bake at 9pm lol) so I found online you can do 2 parts FF milk & 1 part H&H to sub for the whole milk- seemed to work fine.