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
These were great, and the frosting was fantastic! I made these last night and just ate one this morning. They seemed a little dense. Not light and fluffy. Do you have any ideas of why that would happen?
These are made with sour cream so they’re a little denser. Did you make sure to spoon & level your flour and not over mix the batter too? That can sometimes cause them to be dense too.
These are great!!! Will definitely make again! The remind me of Madeleine cookies (which I love).
Really easy recipe, the cupcakes turned out pretty well but I hadn’t read previous comments- definitely halve the salt or else you’ll be able to taste it in the cupcakes.
Did you make sure to use unsalted butter? I’ve always made them with 1/2 teaspoon and never tasted the salt.
Excellent cupcakes moist delicious !!! I doubled the recipe to make 24 cupcakes for my sons birthday it was a hit! Everyone loved them! Thank you
They turned out so good. I’m going to fill them with a chocolate bavarian type of cream and frost them with a strawberry flavored frosting. thank you .
Can I use milk or butter milk?
They do change the texture of the cupcakes, you can use plain Greek yogurt.
Can I use a lemon extract or a different flavor extract to this in lieu of the vanilla for a different flavor?
I want to make these today, but was thinking of something different
Yes, that would be fine! It would give you a light lemon flavor, but if you’re looking for a lemon cupcake recipe, I have one here too.
Light and fluffy! We are eating them without frosting and they are delish!
Thank you for sharing this recipe with us.
I live in Hawaii and my frosting ended up very thin, even though I followed the recipe exactly. Could this be because of the humidity and hot climate? I was also very sad because a fly flew into my bowl of frosting, got stuck, and then died. But the cupcake was delicious!
Sorry to hear that! Yes, if it’s too warm then the frosting can definitely soften. I would recommend trying to keep it in a cool area or using half shortening since it has a higher melting point than butter.
So freeze without the frosting and frost on day of right? Are these relatively not too sweet? Would it work to cut sugar back a bit? Thanks 🙂
Yes, that would be best. The frosting is a little sweet, but you do need the powdered sugar so that it will hold up. You could reduce the powdered sugar down to 2-2.5 cups.
Soooooo yummy! How should I store the frosting?
You can store it in the refrigerator for 2-3 days, just bring to room temperature before using it. You can also freeze it and thaw it overnight in the refrigerator.
Hi I used this recipe before and I love it I was wondering if I can I use it to make a 2 layered cake and if I’ll have to double the batch
Yes, that would be fine! You’ll need to double it for a layered cake.
Are these ok to freeze?
Yes, absolutely! You can thaw them overnight in the refrigerator, then bring to room temperature on the counter.
Hi my son doesn’t like sour cream or Greek yoghurt so I was going to ask if you can actually taste the sour cream
You can’t taste it at all, it just keeps the cupcakes moist.
I’m extremely picky with my recipes and I was shocked that I loved the cake and the frosting. Good job on the recipe!
Thank you, Candy!
This is my new go to vanilla recipe! Thanks they were delicious. I made it as the recipe called for but used plain Greek yogurt instead of sour cream since that is what I had on hand. They were moist and yummy, not too sweet.
Made this recipe exactly as stated. No changes. Was absolutely delicious and as others have said, frosting is to die for!! Thanks for the recipe, Danielle.
So glad to hear that you liked the cupcakes, Anthony!
I made only the cupcakes to use for individual strawberry shortcakes and they turned out AMAZING!!! I substituted whole milk greek yogurt for the sour cream (I had none on hand) and the whole family loved them!! This recipe is a keeper, thank you!!
Hello! I just love this recipe. Can you use it to make a layer cake or should I use your white cake recipe instead? Thanks so much.
Absolutely! You would need to double the recipe for a layer cake though. The white cake is also a good option!
The cupcakes were amazing, I absolutely loved them! Would it be fine if I added chopped up Oreos to the batter or would that ruin it?
I think that would be fine!
These were amazing. I’ve been searching for a yummy vanilla cupcake. I did a taste test with my friends and these were by far the winner!!
This is my favorite vanilla cupcake recipe. Turns out perfect. I leave out the cream in the icing because it makes a more stable icing for the tropical climate of South Florida. Thanks!
Can I use food coloring with this frosting?
Yes, that would be fine. If you’re using liquid food coloring, I wouldn’t use more than a few drops because it can thin out the frosting. If you’re needing a darker color then gel food coloring is a better option.
Thank you! So so so wonderful. I made them mini- baked for a little under 13 minutes.
I made this exactly as described aside from subbing 1/2 cup of sugar for Stevia in the Raw and I used my jumbo tin instead. I love bigger cupcakes 🙂 I got exactly 6 jumbo cupcakes and it took about 25 minutes for me, in case anyone needs a starting point. These rose beautifully as well! I haven’t tasted as they’re still cooling, but the batter was delicious.
I love this recipe!!!! Love, love, love. I replace the sour cream with vanilla yogurt and OMG. With that being said, I need to make a 9×13 double layer sheet cake. Will this recipe be okay for that or do I need to do something different?
So glad to hear that, Kim! Are you wanting to bake two 9×13 cakes? This recipe would just be enough for an 8 or 9-inch cake pan, you would need to double it for one 9×13 pan.
These cupcakes turned out perfectly ! Thank you for all your instructions! I followed the recipe exactly taking your idea of weighing the ingredients. I needed to make1 1/2 recipe to have 21 cupcakes for our family group. The frosting, I didn’t increase the recipe for that, and it was just the right amount to have generous beautiful cupcakes! I wish I had taken a picture of them! What I did do with the frosting was to make 3 different flavors and everyone loved them! I had some lemon curd that I’d recently made, so I didn’t add the vanilla, but added the frosting to the curd until it was just the right flavor! Then I took 1/2 of the remaining frosting and added some of my strawberry freezer jam until just the right texture and flavor. Then the rest of the frosting, I added a little vanilla, then some maple syrup. Oh, I did add a pinch of salt to the frosting recipe. They were so pretty and delicious!I will definitely be making these again!
I meant to give this cupcake and frosting recipe 5 big stars!
So glad you liked the cupcakes, Jeanette!
Would it be okay to add sprinkles to the actual batter? Or would it compromise the batter?
Yes, that would be fine!
These came out really good! Just all I would recommend if I didn’t do it wrong I would add not as much ch salt because they came it just a little salty but other then that me and my family loved them! And I’m only 12 years old and it was easy and came out very good. I didn’t make the frosting and I just added strawberries and it came out kind of like a scone muffin! Thank you soo much for this recipe
How could I turn this recipe into a marble cupcake recipe? Do I have to divide it and add coco powder
Adding cocoa powder to the batter would probably dry it out. You would likely need more liquid or moisture in the chocolate part, but I haven’t tried turning this into marble cupcakes so it’s hard to give suggestions.
Hi is it ok not to put sour cream?
You do need it, you can replace it with plain Greek yogurt if you don’t have sour cream.
Hey Danielle, I was wondering, How many salt will I use if I’m going to use salted butter instead of unsalted?
You can reduce the salt in the cupcakes to 1/8 teaspoon. If your butter has quite a bit of salt in it, you may want to stick with unsalted for the frosting.