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Learn how to make the best vanilla cupcake recipe from scratch! This is my go-to recipe for moist and fluffy cupcakes – you never need to use a box mix again. These cupcakes are going to amaze you with how good they taste – tons of vanilla flavor with ultra buttery flavor. These are the BEST!

Perfect vanilla cupcakes with vanilla buttercream and rainbow sprinkles on top


Why You’ll Love My Recipe

I’ve made this recipe more times than I can count, and they always come out amazing. You know how a box mix always produces consistent results? This cupcake recipe is just like that, except it’s homemade and tastes so much better – you don’t have to worry about the cupcakes being too dry, too delicate, or tough. They have the most wonderful texture. 

Why is my recipe so special? The vanilla bean paste in the batter. It’s easier than scraping seeds out of a pod but has an amazing flavor that’s better than vanilla extract. Plus, you get the little flecks of vanilla in the cupcakes. You can also use a good quality vanilla extract for a similar result.

Ingredients

  • All-purpose flour – use the spoon and level method to measure it accurately. You do not need to use cake flour – regular grocery store brand all-purpose is totally fine.
  • Baking powder – keeps the cupcakes nice and fluffy
  • Unsalted butter – I start with it melted to keep the cupcakes moist – kind of like how you make cake mix with oil? Same goes with the melted butter in this recipe. If you use salted butter, reduce added salt in the recipe.
  • Sugar – granulated sugar to keep the cupcakes light in color and delicate in flavor.
  • Whole Eggs – always buy large eggs – it’s also best if they’re room temperature.
  • Vanilla bean paste – I love the flavor of the paste, but you can substitute a good quality pure vanilla extract
  • Buttermilk – Learn how to make your own buttermilk or use ¾ cup of milk combined with one teaspoon white vinegar. Let it sit for five minutes, and you get DIY buttermilk. The buttermilk is more for flavor, the acid is not needed for function, which makes it easy to substitute.

Variations

  • Make gluten free vanilla cupcakes by using 1:1 gluten-free all-purpose flour.
  • Make dairy free cupcakes using any nondairy milk and vegetable oil.
  • Substitute brown sugar for granulated sugar to make brown sugar cupcakes.

How to Make Vanilla Cupcakes

process shot of birthday cake being made.

1. Whisk flour, baking powder, and salt in a medium bowl. Set aside and mix melted butter with sugar in a large bowl. I like using an electric mixer – either a hand mixer or stand mixer fitted with the paddle attachment.

process shot of birthday cake being made.

2. Mix in eggs, one at a time on low speed, then mix in vanilla bean paste or extract.

cake batter in glass bowl with flour and hand pouring milk into batter on marble background.

3. Add the flour and buttermilk to the butter mixture in batches alternating each. So start with flour, followed by the milk, and end with the flour. The key is not to overmix the batter. Mix only until the flour is absorbed.

process shot of birthday cake being made.

4. Once you have your vanilla cake batter, it’s a blank canvas. You can add sprinkles to make funfetti cupcakes or use mini muffin pans to make mini cupcakes.

5. Line a muffin tin with cupcake liners. Fill liners 2/3 full. Bake them at 350 degrees until a toothpick comes out clean.

Optional Filling

If you want to fill your baked and cooled cupcakes you can do so – these are fantastic filled with lemon curd or homemade whipped cream, or even caramel sauce.

It’s easy to fill cupcakes by adding the filling to a piping bag with a skinny round tip – just press it into the top of the cupcake and press to fill.

If you want to fill the cupcake with something more solid, like making piñata cupcakes or strawberry shortcake cupcakes, just cut a small round out of the top and fill as desired, topping the hole with some of what you removed.

Perfect vanilla cupcake with vanilla buttercream cut in half to show fluffy inside

What frosting is best for Vanilla Cupcakes?

Every cupcake needs frosting! With vanilla cupcakes, you have a lot of options. I’ve included my favorite vanilla buttercream frosting recipe in the recipe card, but here are some of my other favorite frosting recipes you could try:

I like to pipe the frosting using a 1M tip to make pretty swirls. Add some sprinkles to dress it up!

Close up of perfect vanilla cupcake with vanilla buttercream and topped with rainbow sprinkles

Expert Tips

  • Make sure your eggs are room temperature for a moist and fluffy crumb.
  • Do not over mix the cupcakes – as soon as the flour is incorporated stop mixing.
  • You know cupcakes are done baking when a toothpick comes out clean from the center. Know that every oven bakes differently – so keep an eye on them towards the end of baking so they don’t be come dry and over baked.
  • To keep your cupcakes light and fluffy, be sure to measure your flour properly – using the spoon and level method (or weigh it using grams). Too much flour will make them tough and dense.

Storing and Making Ahead

Store frosted cupcakes in an airtight container. These will last on the counter a few days, or longer in the refrigerator (but they taste best room temperature.

You can freeze the cupcakes too – even frosted. To freeze frosted cupcakes, place in an airtight container. If you don’t have a big enough container, place them on a cookie sheet and freeze for an hour or two, then put them in gallon size bags. Just be sure to remove from the bags before thawing so the frosting doesn’t get smashed.

To make the cupcakes ahead of time, you can store baked cupcakes wrapped tightly and buttercream frosting in an airtight container in the refrigerator or freeze both for up to a month. To use chilled or thawed frozen frosting, let it come to room temperature. You may need to add a bit of milk and stir to get a frostable consistency.

Close up of perfect vanilla cupcake with vanilla buttercream and topped with rainbow sprinkles

Vanilla Cupcakes Recipe

5 from 32 votes
This is the most perfect Vanilla Cupcake Recipe ever! It's an easy recipe from scratch, homemade, moist and fluffy and simple. You can make this gluten free or dairy free and it's the perfect all-purpose cupcake recipe that's amazing with vanilla buttercream.
Prep Time 20 minutes
Cook Time 20 minutes
Total Time 40 minutes
Yield 14 cupcakes
Serving Size 1 cupcake
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Ingredients
 

For the cupcakes:

  • 1 ½ cups (186g) all-purpose flour
  • 1 teaspoon baking powder
  • ½ teaspoon salt
  • ½ cup (113g) unsalted butter , melted
  • 1 cup (200g) granulated sugar
  • 3 large eggs
  • 1 teaspoon vanilla extract or vanilla bean paste
  • ¾ cup (178ml) buttermilk (or combine 3/4 cup milk + 1 teaspoon white vinegar and let sit for 5 minutes)

For the frosting:

  • 1 cup (113g) unsalted butter , softened
  • ¼ teaspoon salt
  • 4 cups (452g) powdered sugar
  • 1 teaspoon vanilla bean paste or extract
  • 1-2 tablespoons heavy whipping cream
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Instructions

  • Preheat oven to 350°. Line cupcake tins with liners (makes 12-15).
  • Whisk flour, baking powder, and salt in a medium bowl.
  • Add melted butter to a large bowl and mix in sugar with a hand mixer for 30 seconds until thick and yellow. Add eggs one at at time, beating after each addition. Beat in vanilla.
  • Add the flour mixture and buttermilk alternately, starting and ending with the flour. Don’t over mix!
  • Divide batter among liners, filling 2/3 full. Bake for 15-20 minutes until a toothpick comes out clean. (Mine took less than 20, so check at 15!) Cool completely before frosting!
  • To make the frosting: Beat butter until creamy. Beat in salt and 1 cup of powdered sugar at a time until crumbly. Beat in vanilla and 1 tablespoon of heavy whipping cream. Add more cream as needed for desired consistency.
  • Frost cupcakes by placing frosting in a pastry bag. I like the 1M tip, it gives pretty swirls. Add sprinkles for fun!
  • Note: you can make the frosting the day before, but let it come to room temperature before using.

Recipe Notes

  • No need to fill the cupcakes, I just wanted a little extra. These cupcakes would be great with chocolate frosting, and the vanilla buttercream would be good with any flavor cupcake!
  • If you make the frosting alone, without the cupcakes, you can use salted butter if that’s what you have on hand. Just leave out the salt!
  • You can substitute any kind of milk (or nondairy milk) for the buttermilk.
  • You can substitute gluten-free 1:1 AP flour
  • You can substitute oil or melted vegan butter sticks for a dairy-free cupcake.
  • Optional Filling: Use lemon curd or caramel sauce or homemade whipped cream for filling the cupcakes if desired. The original recipe included whipped cream filling – to make that beat 1/2 cup heavy whipping cream with 2 tablespoons powdered or granulated sugar and 1 teaspoon vanilla extract until stiff peaks form.

Recipe Nutrition

Serving: 1cupcake | Calories: 480kcal | Carbohydrates: 62g | Protein: 3g | Fat: 25g | Saturated Fat: 15g | Cholesterol: 102mg | Sodium: 159mg | Potassium: 84mg | Fiber: 1g | Sugar: 51g | Vitamin A: 821IU | Calcium: 46mg | Iron: 1mg
Nutritional information not guaranteed to be accurate
Course Dessert
Cuisine American
Author Dorothy Kern

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Dorothy Kern

Welcome to Crazy for Crust, where I share recipes that are sometimes crazy, often with a crust, and always served with a slice of life.

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5 from 32 votes (24 ratings without comment)

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190 Comments

  1. Dorothy, these are simply stunning! I have yet to have the perfect vanilla cupcake, but no I know which recipe to make to get them! The cake, the filling and the frosting are just incredible! I normally use vanilla beans, but have been wanting to try vanilla bean paste. Did you get it online? I think I need to head to amazon and find some!

    Still cannot get over your photos and the cute sprinkles!

    Reply

  2. These look great! I don’t think there’s anything better than a good vanilla cupcake. I especially love that these ones are filled, most of the other recipes I’ve seen online don’t have that additional element.

    Reply

  4. I am totally in love with vanilla bean paste, it is so amazing! Do you think these cupcakes need to be refrigerated with the whipped cream filling?

    Reply

    1. Whoa- didn’t finish my sentence! I am never really sure about weather or not I have to refrigerate because I have heard it both ways.

      Reply

    2. It’s probably best, just to be on the safe side, except for serving time of course. I usually keep my cupcakes in the fridge until about an hour before serving anyway, so the frosting doesn’t melt off, since it’s all butter. 🙂

      Reply

  5. Oh Dorothy! They certainly DO look perfect! There is nothign quite like a perfect vanilla cupcake. It will take you far in life. It’s a great “base” for SO many creative recipes. I have no doubt that you can turn these cupcakes into a single layer cake, too. And yes, melted butter is my jam. Love using it in vanilla cupcake recipes.

    LOVING the sprinkles and cream filling! Sometimes it’s hard to shoot all white cupcakes, all white frosting, and all white filling but your photoshoot is gorgeous.

    Reply