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vanilla cupcake with sprinkles baked in an chocolate frosting on top.
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Birthday Cupcakes Recipe

These Vanilla Birthday Cupcakes are the perfect recipe for any occasion, but especially birthdays! They are soft and delicious with the best options for frosting!
Prep Time20 minutes
Cook Time18 minutes
Total Time38 minutes
Course: Dessert
Cuisine: American
Servings: 14 cupcakes
Author: Dorothy Kern
Cost: $10

Ingredients

  • 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)
  • ¾ cup (132g) rainbow sprinkles

Frosting Options:

Instructions

  • Preheat oven to 350°. Line cupcake pans with cupcake liners.
  • 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, or until a toothpick comes out clean. Cool completely before frosting.
  • Frost cupcakes as desired (chocolate frosting shown piped using a Wilton 1M open star tip). Sprinkle with additional sprinkles.

Notes

  • 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.
  • Store cupcakes in an airtight container at room temperature (if it’s very warm, refrigerate but serve at room temp).
  • Cupcakes can be frozen with or without frosting
  • I recommend using jimmie type sprinkles – the long rod kind

Nutrition

Serving: 1serving | Calories: 4116kcal | Carbohydrates: 685g | Protein: 60g | Fat: 128g | Saturated Fat: 77g | Polyunsaturated Fat: 8g | Monounsaturated Fat: 31g | Trans Fat: 4g | Cholesterol: 765mg | Sodium: 1563mg | Potassium: 1245mg | Fiber: 10g | Sugar: 408g | Vitamin A: 3962IU | Calcium: 536mg | Iron: 19mg

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