Vanilla Cupcake Recipe
This homemade vanilla cupcake recipe isn’t short of pure vanilla flavor! The cupcakes are moist, and the buttercream is smooth and creamy. This is the perfect dessert for any occasion!
If you think vanilla cupcakes are boring, you’ve clearly been eating the wrong ones.
When done properly, homemade vanilla cupcakes are moist, tender, and full of vanilla flavor. I’m happy to report that these cupcakes tick all the boxes, and then some!
I topped these vanilla cupcakes with vanilla frosting to stick with the vanilla theme, but you’re welcome to use any flavor of frosting you’d like. You can even add a few drops of food coloring to transform the cupcakes into a special holiday treat.
This scratch recipe is almost as easy to prepare as a box mix, but with 10 times more flavor!
Recipe Ingredients
This truly is the best vanilla cupcake recipe, in terms of both results and ingredients. It uses everyday ingredients I always have on hand, which is perfect for last-minute entertaining.
Here’s a quick summary of the key ingredients needed to make them:
- Flour: Be sure to spoon the flour out of the bag and into your measuring cup. If you scoop the flour out of the bag with the measuring cup, you’ll end up compacting it and will measure out too much by mistake. I have a full post that explains more about the spoon and level method here.
- Unsalted butter: I always use unsalted butter for baked goods because the amount of salt in salted butters can vary between brands. You may use salted butter in the cupcake batter, but you will need to reduce the salt to 1/8 teaspoon.
- Sugar: You’ll need one cup of granulated sugar to make the cupcake batter. These cupcakes are sweet, but the sugar doesn’t outshine the vanilla flavor.
- Vanilla extract: The vanilla is the star of the show, so it’s important to use a good-quality bottle. Pure vanilla extract is preferred.
- Sour cream: Full-fat sour cream adds moisture to the cupcakes and also ensures they’re sturdy enough to hold a lot of frosting while still remaining light and fluffy.
- Heavy cream: Produces the richest vanilla frosting, but whole milk or half and half will also work.
How to Make Vanilla Cupcakes
This is such an easy vanilla cupcake recipe that bakers of all levels can master. I’ve provided detailed instructions in the recipe card at the end of this post, but here’s an overview of the baking process.
First, you’ll make the cupcakes:
- Prep the baking pan: Preheat the oven to 350°F. Line a 12-count muffin pan with cupcake liners. This recipe makes 14 cupcakes, so you’ll either need to use a second muffin pan or you can bake the cupcakes in batches.
- Combine the dry ingredients: In a large mixing bowl, whisk together the flour, baking powder, and salt.
- Combine the wet ingredients: In another bowl, beat the butter and sugar until light in color and fluffy. This step may take about 4 to 5 minutes, so be patient! Then, add the eggs, vanilla, and sour cream.
- Finish the batter: Add the dry ingredients to the wet, taking care not to overmix the batter.
- Bake: Divide the batter among 14 cupcake liners and bake until a toothpick inserted in the center comes out clean.
While the cupcakes are cooling, you can make the vanilla frosting:
- Beat the butter: Using either a stand mixer fitted with a paddle attachment or a handheld electric mixer, beat the butter until smooth.
- Add the remaining ingredients: Add the confectioners’ sugar and vanilla and mix until combined, then mix in the heavy cream on low speed until smooth.
- Frost the cupcakes: Once the cupcakes have cooled completely, you may frost them. I have a full tutorial on how to frost cupcakes, if you need some assistance!
Can This Recipe Be Made in Advance?
Absolutely! The cupcakes can be baked 24 hours in advance. Let them cool completely, then store in an airtight container on your countertop. The frosting can be prepared 1 to 2 days in advance as well. Store in an airtight container and refrigerate until ready to use. Allow the frosting to come to room temperature on the counter, then frost the cupcakes.
The frosted cupcakes may be stored in an airtight container at room temperature or in the fridge one to two days ahead of time. If you store them in the fridge, I’d recommend letting them come to room temperature on the counter before serving.
Can the Sour Cream Be Substituted?
I highly recommend using full-fat sour cream in this vanilla cupcake recipe if at all possible. The cupcakes won’t taste like sour cream at all, it simply adds moisture to the cupcakes.
If you’re out of sour cream, you may replace it with an equal amount of plain Greek yogurt. In a pinch, buttermilk will work, just note that using buttermilk will somewhat alter the texture of the cupcakes.
Can This Recipe Be Used to Make a Cake?
Yes, you can bake the batter in one 9-inch round cake pan and increase the baking time to 30 minutes. For a layered cake, you may double the recipe or try my classic vanilla cake recipe instead.
Other Frosting Options
I paired these vanilla cupcakes with vanilla frosting, but you can top them with any flavor of frosting you’d like. Here are a few other options that you can try:
- Strawberry Frosting
- Peanut Butter Frosting
- Swiss Meringue Buttercream
- Chocolate Buttercream
- Ermine Frosting
- Coffee Frosting
Baking Tips
- Bring all of the ingredients (eggs, butter, sour cream, etc.) to room temperature for best results. This helps the batter come together more evenly and makes for a better cupcake.
- Only mix in the dry ingredients until just combined! Over mixing the batter can lead to dense cupcakes.
- Make sure to only fill each cupcake liner a little over halfway full. It won’t seem like much, but the cupcakes will rise quite a bit as they’re baking in the oven.
- You must wait to frost the cupcakes until they’ve cooled completely to room temperature. If you try to frost them when they’re still warm, the frosting will melt and slide off.
More Easy Cupcake Recipes to Make!
- Red Velvet Cupcakes
- Chocolate Cupcakes
- Chocolate Oreo Cupcakes
- Carrot Cake Cupcakes
- Pumpkin Cupcakes
Recipe Video
Vanilla Cupcakes
Ingredients
Vanilla Cupcakes:
- 1 ⅓ cups all-purpose flour spooned & leveled (165 grams)
- 1 ¼ teaspoons baking powder
- ½ teaspoon salt
- ½ cup unsalted butter softened (115 grams)
- 1 cup granulated sugar (200 grams)
- 2 large eggs
- 2 teaspoons vanilla extract
- ½ cup full fat sour cream (120 grams)
Vanilla Frosting:
- 1 cup unsalted butter softened (230 grams)
- 3 cups confectioner's sugar (360 grams)
- 2 teaspoons vanilla extract
- 2 tablespoons heavy cream (30ml)
Instructions
To make the vanilla cupcakes:
- Preheat the oven to 350°F (180°C). Line a 12-count muffin pan with cupcake liners. Line a second muffin pan with 2 liners (this recipe will make 14 cupcakes). Set aside.
- In a large mixing bowl, whisk together the flour, baking powder, and salt. Set aside.
- In the bowl of a stand mixer fitted with the paddle attachment or in a large mixing bowl using a hand-held mixer, beat the butter and sugar until light and fluffy. Beat in the eggs one at a time, then the vanilla. Add in the sour cream and mix until fully combined.
- Add the dry ingredients to the wet ingredients and mix until just combined, making sure not to over mix the batter.
- Scoop the batter into the cupcake liners, filling them a little over half way full. You should end up with exactly 14 cupcakes.
- Bake for 18 to 22 minutes or until a wooden toothpick inserted into the center of the cupcakes comes out clean.
- Remove from the oven and allow to cool for a couple of minutes. Remove all of the cupcakes from the pan and transfer to a wire rack to cool completely.
To make the frosting:
- In the bowl of a stand mixer fitted with the paddle attachment or in a large mixing bowl using a hand-held mixer, beat the butter on medium speed until smooth.
- Add in the confectioner's sugar and vanilla and mix on low until fully combined. Slowly add in the heavy cream and mix on low speed until the frosting is smooth and well combined.
- Frost the cooled cupcakes as desired.
Notes
I made these with my kids tonight and it is so delicious. Please tell me how to make this into a vanilla cake.
We have been spending a lot of time in the kitchen and this has been our favorite so far. Thank you so much for sharing!
You can make a 9-inch cake with it, I’m not sure on baking time but I would guess 30-35 minutes.
I made 6 ????……but they were very sweet and they turned out really well and soft … my family enjoyed
I made these today and they came out soooo light and fluffy! They were moist and not too sweet. Thank you for the recipe! I substituted sour cream for greek yogurt
Hi! Can I use cake flour instead of all-purpose flour?
Yes, I would use 1 and 1/2 cups of cake flour though.
I made them and they tasted more like cornbread muffins than cupcakes.. they were not very fluffy or sweet 🙁
Sorry you didn’t like the cupcakes. Did you make sure to spoon and level your flour and did you happen to make any adjustments to the recipe?
Can i use cake flour?
Yes, that’s fine. Cake flour is lighter than all-purpose flour though, so you’ll want to use 1 and 1/2 cups of cake flour.
This is the best cupcake recipe I’ve ever tried!
My son’s 5th birthday is tomorrow and he’ll love them!
Thank you for sharing!!!
Hi,
These cupcakes came out brilliant! Thank you for the recipe. Was wondering if I can add blueberries to the same recipe?
Thanks
That should be fine!
Wonderful recipe,moist.It made 13large cupcakes.Thanks for a great recipe.I only had skim milk , but turned out delicious.
Hi! I want to try these today for a fun Easter treat for my family! But- I only have baking soda. Can I substitute for baking powder?? We are trying to limit trips to the store. Thanks!
Hi, Brianne! Do you have any cream of tartar of hand? If so, you can make baking powder by combining 1 teaspoon cream of tartar with 1/2 teaspoon baking soda, then measure out 1 and 1/4 teaspoons.
Everything you said was true! These are the best vanilla cupcakes! I had to substitute plain organic yogurt for the sour cream. Turned out moist and texture was seriously perfect. Flavor – I went heavy on vanilla. Also doubled the batch. I made 24 cupcakes and then added orange extract to the remaining mixture and made a mini cake with an orange frosting. Again, texture and flavor are the two most important things I look for in my favorite “cake” and this is it.
Just for the record , I usually never take time to leave a review but these cupcakes were worth it.
These came out perfect for our Easter cupcakes!!! I tend to read comments before deciding on a recipe, just in case there are tweaks (which there were none!) ?
Just wanted to add – you have the patience of a Saint when responding to some comments! God Bless you. ❤️
Thank you, Dee! So glad you loved the cupcakes!
I used powdered sugar what do i do?????????/ for the frosting
I’m not quite sure what you mean?
Have you used this recipe and baked as layer cakes?
This would be enough for a single layer cake, you can bake it in an 8 or 9-inch cake pan. For a layered cake, you can just double the recipe.
These are amazing perfect and just straight delicious and the butter cream was perfect
Hi I was curious if I can use this recipe to make a round layer cake? Or if it won’t make enough batter? Thank you!
This would be enough for a single layer cake, you can bake it in an 8 or 9-inch cake pan. For a layered cake, you can just double the recipe.
How much time does it need to bake if you are doubling recipe to make a double layer cake?
It depends on the size of the cake pans you use. I would guess 25-35 minutes if you use two 8 or 9-inch cake pans.
We made 15 cupcakes today, absolutely delicious, moist and not too sweet. We filled them with Dulce de leche and decorated with Dulce de leche Butercream.
Thank you for the recipe, will make it again!
I don’t have sour cream what can I use? Also don’t have cup cake liner
You can use yogurt or plain Greek yogurt. If you don’t have any liners you can just spray the cavities in the pan with nonstick cooking spray or grease with butter.
Excited to try this! What if I don’t have powdered sugar?
You’ll need some powdered sugar for the frosting. You can just make the cupcakes and leave the frosting off though.
What can I use instead of heavy cream?
You can use milk in place of it.
Hi! Delicious ! My 11 year old made these and they turned out great ! Can I freeze any leftover icing ?
Yes, absolutely! It will freeze just fine for up to 3 months, thaw it overnight in the refrigerator, bring to room temperature and mix it before you use it again.
I made these for cake pops and i loved it so much!!! It was so good and most importantly not too sweet as most recipes are i would 100% recommend
Hello, what size cake pan did you use and how long did you cook it for?
How many calories are in these cupcakes? They are very yummy
I’m not sure on the nutritional information, but you can plug it into an online app or calculator to get an estimate.
Can I use this recipe for mini cupcakes? If so, about how many would it make and would it be same bake time?
Yes, I imagine it would make 28-30. Baking time should be 10-14 minutes.
I made this for some friends. It turned out ok, in look terms, but in taste it was fabulous! Thanks for the recipe, Danielle/
My icing came out really buttery when I put the correct measurements in what should I do ?
You can add a bit more vanilla extract to the frosting if you prefer.
Since we’re trying to limit store trips, what will the salted butter do to the frosting since there isn’t any other salt to omit?
If your butter doesn’t have too much salt in it, you shouldn’t notice too much of a different if you use it for the frosting.
MY CUPCAKES TURNED OUT FLAT AND CRUMBLY BUT VERY TASTY! I FOLLOWED THE RECIPE BUT SET THE OVEN TO CONVECTION AT 325 DEGREES.
Hi what can i substitute the sour cream for
You can use yogurt or plain Greek yogurt.
Can I use butter milk instead of heavy cream? Thx!
You can, but it will make the frosting a little tangy. You can replace the heavy cream with milk.
Hi,
I only have salted butter in the house. Is that ok to use?
You can reduce the salt in the cupcakes from 1/2 teaspoon to 1/8-1/4 teaspoon.
I made them today but they turned out very hard and dry. They were very hard as a rock. Why??? I did everything exactly.
It’s hard to say but did you make sure to spoon and level the flour? If so, it may just be that the cupcakes were over baked. Have you checked your oven temperature with an oven thermometer?
Might be cuz of expired baking powder. Happened to me.