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
thank you for your advice! will definitely try! that’s the fun of it isn’t it , but definitely using your recipe as the base! thanks!
if i add expresso coffee in and make it a coffee cupcake, do i need to alter the liquid content you think? thanks
Lovely cupcakes!
If you’re just adding some instant espresso powder to the batter you shouldn’t need to make any adjustments.
I see, good idea of adding the powder straight in! However what if I want to make tea infused ones..it does come in liquid because it needs to be brewed first, should i reduce the sour cream and add in the infused tea for example? Thanks
I haven’t tried it so it’s hard to say. You would likely need to reduce the amount of sour cream to compensate for the liquid. You could possibly reduce the brewed tea down to get a stronger flavor and not add as much liquid.
Hi ! What ca n i substitute for sour cream aside from yogurt? Can i prepare a selfmade sour cream?
You could use buttermilk, but it will change the taste and texture of the cupcakes a bit.
Hello! I absolutely love this recipe!! I was wondering why the top looks the way it does? It looks like the same texture as a sponge would. It’s absolutely amazing, I just wanted to know if there’s a reason behind why it looks like that or if there’s anything I can do to fix it? Thanks!!
Are you mixing the butter and sugar together until thoroughly combined (about 3 to 4 minutes)?
This is the best recipe i’ve ever used. I have been trying different recipes for cupcakes and the others come out dry or use a lot of unnecessary ingredients. I previously used this recipe last year, and then tried others. I decided to come back to this recipe after the trials and this is honestly the best one i’ve ever tried. I’m encouraging anybody to use this recipe for their cupcakes! The last time I used it, I put a little bit of meringue powder in the icing for it to keep its shape.
First time making these and I added the zest from one meyer lemon to spice them up a bit. The flavor and texture was awesome! But for some reason the cupcakes burst…As in they spewed out melted batter along the sides. Any idea why that might happen?
I’m not quite sure why that would happen. Did you happen to put them in the oven before it was preheated? Or was your oven too hot?
Can i freeze the buttercream frosting of i have too much left over?
Yes, it will freeze well for up to 3 months.
I tried the recipe twice and the recipe is okay. I say that because it came out kind of rubbery-ish. I know i’m not doing anything wrong but I don’t know. Also the batter kind of taste like banana pudding lol which in my opinion is not a bad thing but maybe for others.?
I am an excellent cook but I tried to make 2 cakes from scratch and it was horrific. I think I’ll try again with this recipe. Fingers crossed ? ?
How can I double this recipe? Do I double all the ingredients to make more servings?
Yes, you can double it. You will want to double all of the ingredients.
Made these today (with a different frosting recipe. I’m not a huge buttercream fan). The cake was so good just on its own! Big hit with the family. This will most likely be my go to cupcake recipe. ?
Hi there! Would this recipe work for a muffin pan that holds 6? How long should I bake them in this case?
Do you mean a regular or jumbo muffin pan? If it’s just regular muffin pan, the baking time should be similar. For a jumbo muffin pan, you will want to increase the baking time.
My question is for the frosting can I leave out the heavy cream, or is there a substitute for it? Because I don’t have any and don’t want to make a trip fo it to the grocery. I have not baked your cupcakes yet but I will today and I wanted to know can I add dry milk to the batter as well. Thank you much ?
You can replace the heavy cream with milk. I don’t recommend adding dry milk to the batter though.
How long can you keep the frosting in the refrigerator
You can store it for 3 to 4 days.
How much buttercream does this recipe yield?
About 2 and 1/2 cups.
I just tried making these cupcakes ( by half the recipe I baked 7) , but there is a problem
The frosting is too sweet
Is there anyway to lessen the sweetness in the frosting ? Thanks
You can reduce the powdered sugar in the frosting, just keep in mind that it will be softer and not as easy to pipe.
Thank you so much . these cupcakes are moist and delicious for a treat !
Eating one as I type this …..Delicious and easy to make . I know what I’m having for breakfast tomorrow… don’t tell anyone !!!
Can these cupcakes be frozen?
Yes, absolutely! They should freeze just fine for up to 3 months.
Can you half the recipe?
Yes, that would be fine.
So I haven’t made these yet but I am going to be. I have two questions because I am going to be making these for my son’s first birthday party. My first question is I want to keep every thing home made with the icing but I also want to write happy 1rst birthday on them as well. Would I just add like food coloring to the icing for a different color to write happy birthday on? My second question is, is there a way that I can make these chocolate as well? I can always look up another recipe for chocolate I want to have a combination for the party .
Yes, you can separate some of the icing in a small bowl and add food coloring to it to write with. I also have a chocolate cupcake recipe here.
I never rate things but this deserved it. These were the best cupcakes! Have made this recipe at least 3 times. Going to try it as a cake today!
These cupcakes were absolutely delicious! Thank you!
Hello
Does the sour cream have to be room temperature?
It is best for the sour cream to be at room temperature.
Hi
I think this is a good recipe. I will add sour cream to make it more moisr.
Thanks for sharing.
I just baked this cupcakes, the came out REALLY GOOD!!
I just substitute the sour cream for greek yogurt. I’m keeping the recipe in my TOP!!
Thank you!!
Can you you convert this recipe into a cake rather than cupcakes?
Yes, that’s fine! It will make one 9-inch cake, but you can double it for a layer cake.
How long would you need to cook it for as a cake?
It just depends on the size of the cake pan that you use. For a 9-inch cake pan it should be about 25-35 minutes.
I had just given this a random rating at 5 because I did not make these yet, so I do not know if they will be good or not, but anyways, I was just wondering if I had to use the sour cream or not, it just sounds kind of gross, or will the sour cream not taste like anything when it is done? Thank you so much, I appreciate it! (plus, I am only 13 and have to do this for a project in school my Monday or Tuesday so I need to know as soon as possible, thanks!)???
Yes, I do recommend using the sour cream otherwise the cupcakes will be very dense. You can’t taste it, it just helps to keep them from drying out.
This is the BEST CUPCAKE recipe ever. LOVE IT! LOVE IT ! I have been baking them at least twice a week!- for a month! Ha!ha!ha! And no one is tired of eating them! Sometimes I add corn kernels too. If I cannot find Sour Cream, I replace it with your homemade buttermilk recipe (100g)
And it is just as Yummy too! Thank you so much!
Now I am going to bake your Classic Banana Bread!
I need to ask WHY the corn kernels? I think that is such an odd addition to a vanilla cupcake. If these were corn muffins I would understand, but in vanilla cupcakes?
Maybe she meant candy corn? It’s a head scratcher.
I am a beginner and I’m going to try to make these for my sons birthday. Could I add sprinkles to the batter and it still turn out fine?
Yes, that would be fine! Just be sure to use the longer sprinkles and avoid the small round ones because they will bleed their color into the batter.
Really keen to try these out but planning on making 2 days ahead. will they stay fine in the fridge or will they dry out?
thank you so much 🙂
They will keep in the refrigerator for 2 days, just be sure to let them come to room temperature before you serve them.
thank you. will the refrigerator not dry them out? should I leave them at room temperature to avoid drying out?
As long as they’re stored in an airtight container, they should be fine. They will be fine at room temperature too though.