This classic, easy vanilla cupcake recipe is soft and moist with a distinct vanilla flavor. No complicated ingredients and less than an hour from start to finish! Recipe includes a how-to video!
Why You’ll Love This Vanilla Cupcake Recipe
- Basic ingredients are best: a whole egg, regular all-purpose flour, all butter, and no oil. Buttermilk is as complicated as this ingredient list gets!
- Soft and moist texture with a buttery, distinct vanilla taste. A bit of brown sugar complements the vanilla amazingly and gives these cupcakes an unparalleled flavor.
- Pairs well with any frosting, like chocolate fudge frosting, strawberry frosting, salted caramel frosting, or even fruity pebbles frosting! I include a few more ideas in the recipe notes below 🧁
- Easily doubles if you need to feed a crowd! Or, make this recipe and my chocolate cupcake recipe for a little bit of both flavors.
- Carefully researched and tested. As with all of my recipes, this one went through rigorous trials and taste-testing. Scroll down for a sneak peek of the behind the scenes of one of the recipe testing sessions.
Every good baker needs a good vanilla cupcake recipe. While many people have converted my vanilla cake into cupcakes (and it works great!), I just wanted a dedicated, standalone cupcake for this space.
It took months of working to perfect this recipe, about 8 Google Doc pages full of notes, and multiple test runs past my taste-testers, but we finally nailed it. With its light, moist crumb, a buttery, vanilla-infused flavor, this vanilla cupcake recipe holds its own as one of my favorites many years later!
Today I’m re-sharing this classic with an updated frosting (the winning core recipe remains unchanged–it was perfect as written!). My favorite chocolate frosting still pairs just as nicely, but I’m changing things up with a vanilla bean buttercream today. I can’t wait to hear what you think!
Ingredients
My vanilla cupcake recipe uses all basic ingredients that you probably already have in your pantry:
- Butter. Often when making cupcakes I like to use oil for the best texture and a moist crumb. This vanilla cupcake recipe, however, was carefully crafted to be made with all butter and still be perfectly soft and moist with a light, flavorful texture!
- Sugar. We’re using both granulated and brown sugar today. The brown sugar enriches the flavor and makes the cupcakes more moist. Don’t skip it!
- Flour. I use all-purpose flour and recommend you do the same. You could substitute cake flour, but I actually don’t prefer the results (more on this below!).
- Buttermilk. Buttermilk is another key ingredient that helps makes these vanilla cupcakes tender and flavorful. If you don’t have buttermilk handy, my easy buttermilk substitute can work in a pinch, but real buttermilk is best.
- Vanilla extract. These cupcakes have a great vanilla flavor (but it’s not overpowering). We’re using a generous 1 ½ teaspoons for 12 cupcakes.
SAM’S TIP: Use room temperature ingredients! This helps your ingredients to combine properly when mixing. Ingredients of different temperatures could leave you with an unevenly mixed batter and dense cupcakes. I have a trick to quickly bring eggs to room temperature if you forget to set yours out ahead!
Remember, this is just an overview of the ingredients I used and why. For the full recipe please scroll down to the bottom of the post!
Behind the Scenes: Recipe Testing
I rigorously tested many different variations of this vanilla cupcake recipe to make sure it truly was the best it could be. Here are notes on a few of the many versions we tried. Since readers often ask me if they can make changes I thought this would be helpful for those of you interested in substituting oil or cake flour or reducing the sugar, etc.
- Winning recipe: the softest cupcakes with best structure.They maintain their buttery flavor and soft texture well into the next day (and beyond!).
- Oil instead of butter: I expected these cupcakes to be softer and to stay softer, but they weren’t. The flavor also wasn’t as good as the winning recipe. If you were refrigerating the cupcakes, perhaps it would be softer, but I still recommend the winning recipe.
- Cake flour: this version had a tighter crumb and more cottony texture than the version made with all-purpose flour. It also seemed more dry than the others, which I attribute to the way the finer crumb melts on the tongue.
- Less sugar: using 2 tablespoons less brown sugar resulted in more domed, but also more dry cupcakes. It wasn’t worth the flavor or texture sacrifice for higher cupcake tops.
- Reverse creaming method: these tasted good, but they sunk and had a tighter crumb. I was surprised at how well they didn’t do, honestly!
How to Make Vanilla Cupcakes
Make the Cupcake Batter
- Cream the butter and sugars until light and fluffy. This step is critical for the best light and fluffy texture, so don’t be shy about it!
- Stir in the egg and vanilla, making sure both are well incorporated.
- Whisk together the dry ingredients in a separate bowl, then gradually fold in about ¼ of the dry ingredients. Do not use your mixer for this–switch to a spatula!
- Fold in ¼ of the buttermilk until just combined.
- Repeat this process until you’ve added all the flour and buttermilk and your batter is completely combined. Remember, be careful not to over-mix!
- Divide the batter into your cupcake liners, filling ⅔-¾ of the way full. Do not overfill your liners, or you will have a mess on your hands. It’s better to discard any leftover batter versus trying to cram it into the liners.
- Bake until the tops spring back when lightly touched and a toothpick in the center comes out with a few moist crumbs or clean.
SAM’S TIP: Over-mixing when adding the flour and buttermilk will cause your cupcakes to be dense and dry. You don’t want to under-mix (this is just as bad!), but do make sure you aren’t too overzealous either.
Vanilla Bean Buttercream Frosting
- Beat the butter until creamy, then stir in the salt. Gradually add the powdered sugar until completely combined.
- Stir in the vanilla bean paste until incorporated.
- Add the heavy cream as needed until you have a smooth frosting, then beat on high until fluffy.
- Pipe over your completely cooled cupcakes. I use the Ateco 848 tip for this!
SAM’S TIP: If you don’t plan to pipe your frosting as generously as I do here, you can halve the recipe. As written, it makes quite a lot of frosting!
Frequently Asked Questions
Frosted cupcakes will be fine at room temperature for 2 days or refrigerated in an airtight container for up to 5 days, but note that the fridge tends to dry out the cupcakes.
You can also freeze the cupcakes; just make sure to wrap them well and store in an airtight container. If you are trying to freeze frosted cupcakes, you may want to let the frosting firm up in the freezer for 10-15 minutes before wrapping and storing.
Yes! If you need 24 cupcakes instead of 12, feel free to double this recipe. You will need to double all ingredients (including the leavening agents and vanilla extract).
You could, and it’s even the basis for my birthday cake, but my personal preference for a classic layer cake is my vanilla cake recipe. It’s been one of my most popular recipes for years, so I think you will like it just as much as this one!
Note that if you do choose to make this batter into a cake, it’ll make a single 8″ or 9″ round layer, you will want to double the recipe for a two layer cake.
I shared an exclusive vanilla bean frosting recipe in the recipe card below; it’s the frosting shown in the photos and pairs beautifully with the cupcake recipe, letting the vanilla flavor really shine through the whole cupcake-eating experience. However, here are a few other great options:
Strawberry frosting
Cream cheese frosting
Chocolate frosting
Raspberry buttercream
Coffee frosting
Which frosting do you prefer on your vanilla cupcakes–chocolate or vanilla?
Enjoy!
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Vanilla Cupcake Recipe
Ingredients
Cupcakes
- 6 Tablespoons (85 g) unsalted butter softened
- ¾ cup (150 g) granulated sugar
- ¼ cup (50 g) light brown sugar firmly packed
- 1 large egg room temperature preferred
- 1 ½ teaspoons vanilla extract
- 1 ⅓ cup (167 g) all-purpose flour
- ½ teaspoon baking soda
- ½ teaspoon baking powder
- ½ teaspoon table salt
- ¾ cup (175 ml) buttermilk room temperature preferred
Vanilla Bean Frosting
- 1 cup (226 g) unsalted butter softened
- ¼ teaspoon table salt
- 3 cups (375 g) powdered sugar
- 1 Tablespoon vanilla bean paste
- 1-2 Tablespoons heavy cream as needed
Recommended Equipment
Instructions
- Preheat oven to 350F (175C) and line a 12-count muffin tin with paper liners. Set aside.
- Combine butter and sugars in the bowl of a stand mixer (or in a large bowl — and use an electric hand mixer) and beat very on medium speed until well creamed and light and fluffy.6 Tablespoons (85 g) unsalted butter, ¾ cup (150 g) granulated sugar, ¼ cup (50 g) light brown sugar
- Add egg and vanilla extract and beat well.1 large egg, 1 ½ teaspoons vanilla extract
- In a separate, medium-sized bowl, whisk together flour, baking soda, baking powder, and salt.1 ⅓ cup (167 g) all-purpose flour, ½ teaspoon baking soda, ½ teaspoon baking powder, ½ teaspoon table salt
- Use a spatula (not a mixer!) to gradually fold in about ¼ of the flour mixture until just combined.
- Add about ¼ cup of the buttermilk and use spatula to fold in until just combined.¾ cup (175 ml) buttermilk
- Continue to alternate until flour mixture and buttermilk are completely combined (I add the flour in 4 parts and the buttermilk in 3) — mix until batter is combined but be sure not to over-mix or your cupcakes could end up dense and dry.
- Fill cupcake liners ⅔-¾ of the way full with batter (do not over-fill, if you have any leftover batter discard it) and bake on 350F (175C) for 17-18 minutes or until tops spring back when gently touched and a toothpick inserted in the center comes out with a few moist crumbs or clean.
- Allow cupcakes to cool in pans for 5 minutes before carefully removing to cooling rack to cool completely before frosting.
Vanilla Bean Frosting
- Beat butter with an electric mixer until creamy. Sprinkle salt over butter and stir again to combine.1 cup (226 g) unsalted butter, ¼ teaspoon table salt
- Gradually, about ½ cup at a time, add powdered sugar, waiting until each cup is completely mixed before adding more.3 cups (375 g) powdered sugar
- Stir in vanilla bean paste.1 Tablespoon vanilla bean paste
- With mixer on medium-low speed, add the heavy cream, one tablespoon at a time until you have a smooth consistency. Once ingredients are well incorporated, gradually increase speed to high and beat for about 30 seconds.1-2 Tablespoons heavy cream
- Pipe or spread frosting over cooled cupcakes. Top with sprinkles, if desired. This frosting will be fine at room temperature for 2 days or refrigerated in an airtight container for about a week.
Notes
Doubling the recipe
This recipe doubles well; double all ingredients.Vanilla bean paste
If you can’t get your hands on vanilla bean paste, you can substitute 1 teaspoon of vanilla extract for a classic vanilla frosting.Frosting
This recipe makes enough frosting to generously pile the frosting on each cupcake (as shown in photos). If you want a modest amount of frosting, simply halve the recipe. Note that I previously used my favorite chocolate frosting to decorate these cupcakes instead of vanilla bean buttercream. Feel free to use that recipe if that’s what you prefer, or browse my frosting library for more options like:Nutrition
Nutritional information is based on third-party calculations and should be considered an estimate only. Actual nutritional content will vary based upon brands used, measuring methods, cooking method, portion sizes, and more.
I originally shared this Vanilla Cupcake Recipe 05/15/2017. Post has been updated and a video added. The recipe remains the same.
Molly
I’ve made these before and they’re DELICIOUS.
In your opinion, how long will they be good in the freezer (very well wrapped)?
I have A LOT of desserts to make, all from your recipes of course :), for Thanksgiving so I need to get a jump start on whatever I can.
If you don’t think they’ll be as good, I can wait, but any thoughts?
And, I’ll do these with your Cream Cheese Frosting, I assume that cannot (or should not) be frozen…
What do you think is best?
Thanks Sam!!
Sam
Hi Molly! Of course fresh is always best but these do hold up well in the freezer. They should stay good for at least a month in the freezer. 🙂
Luisa María Suárez Torres
Delicious and easy to bake
Luisa María Suárez Torres
This vanilla cupcakes recipe is easy to bake and delicious
Sam
I’m so glad you enjoyed them so much! I hope you’ll try some of my other recipes as well. 🙂
E.F.
I always use this recipe along with the vanilla bean frosting and my family loves them! I am using your ‘easy chocolate cupcakes’ recipe tomorrow and need to make red icing for them, so instead of the chocolate buttercream frosting, I was thinking of using this vanilla bean frosting (given that it’ll be easier to change white to red instead of brown to red). — In your professional opinion, do you think those flavors together would work ok?
Sam
Vanilla frosting will go very well with these vanilla cupcakes. 🙂
E.F.
I do always use the vanilla bean frosting with these vanilla cupcakes, but I was wondering if the vanilla bean frosting would go well with the easy chocolate cupcakes recipe you have.
Sam
Vanilla frosting on a chocolate cupcake is a wonderful combination! 🙂
Taylor
I’ve had serious issues with vanilla cupcakes and cakes in the past. This recipe turned out perfectly. Multiple people said it was the best vanilla cupcake they had ever tasted! Thank you!!
Emily @ Sugar Spun Run
Yay! We’re so happy our recipe was a hit for you Taylor 🥰
Grayson
The texture is just okay, and it lacks flavor. I think the salt needs to be increased, and it might benefit from some add-ins or additional extracts.
Sam
I’m so sorry to hear this, Grayson! Over-baking the cupcakes can cause a loss of flavor and an undesirable texture. 🙁
Sharon
I followed the directions step by step!
Was light and fluffy, but had a cornbread texture which I didn’t like! Even the color was dark, probably because of the brown sugar. I shared them with a friend who gave them a thumbs down 👎🏼 Sorry, but I won’t be making these again!
Sam
I’m so sorry to hear this happened, Sharon! The most likely cause of a cornbread texture paired with a dark color is over-baking the cupcakes. 🙁
Jess Lu
Every time I make these my friends and family will eat them all. It’s the only vanilla cupcakes I’ll be making.
Sam
I’m so happy to hear this, Jess! Thank you so much for trusting my recipe, I really appreciate it!!
Rachel Mckelvey
This is my go to! I was requested to use this recipe but to make 6” cakes; do you have any experience using this recipe for cakes? I have used your vanilla cake recipe before but my family really enjoys the addition of the brown sugar in this recipe.
Emily @ Sugar Spun Run
Hi Rachel! Check the FAQ section–we address your question there 😊
Alisia
Made a half batch of these yesterday. I was a little skeptical on using the brown sugar (afraid of a more dense cake). But, these were to die for. Needless to say, I’m writing is comment after finishing up the last cupcake. The only think I did differently was add a touch of vegetable oil after creaming together the sugar and butter (there wasn’t enough butter used to get that creamy consistency I was looking for). Outside of that, these were exceptional! Will be making again very soon. Will probably test out adding lemon zest to the cake and frosting mix to try out a new flavor as well 🙂
Mila Moore
I used an extra egg white since I planned to pipe a mousse filling into the cupcake and wanted big air to allow the mousse to be injected from the top it worked really well. I may have not needed the extra egg white I think it changed the texture too much since I’m made mini cupcakes. I also baked it into a cookie crust. It will be my go to for vanilla minis and the starting point for ideas I have. These were mini banana cream pie cupcakes. I took from 4 or 5 recipes to make all the components and went my own way. Can you convert to chocolate or I’d that a whole separate thing? And melted chocolate vs powder? I’m about to test an adjustment adding chocolate. Could be a disaster but we shall see. I loved it!
Emily @ Sugar Spun Run
We’re glad it worked out for you Mila! We’d recommend our chocolate cupcake recipe for a chocolate version 😊
Nadia
This recipe is amazing, light fluffy,delicious and everything you could want in a vanilla cupcake.
Diania Abernathy
I made these for my husband’s 70th birthday and they were a huge hit. My grandson who is a chocolate lover asked for these for his upcoming birthday. The frosting was Amazing. Thank you for a great recipe and the explanations of the testing method. I love the geek-y science part of it. I Always want to know why my baked good turned out the way it did! Found you via a YouTube suggestion. So happy. 😍
Tam
Hi,
I want to try this recipe. I have whole vanilla beans instead of vanilla bean paste. How would I substitute that in the icing?
Thanks
Sam
Hi Tam! I’d scrape half a vanilla bean into the icing, stir it in and taste test. If you feel it could use a little more, add the rest of the vanilla bean (I’d probably end up using a whole one but it depends on the size of the beans etc.). I hope that helps!
Tam
Thanks so much, I’ll try that!
Marisol
Can I substitute sour cream for buttermilk? and if so, how much sour cream would it be?
Sam
I haven’t tried it, but you could make my birthday cupcakes with or without the sprinkles instead. That recipe uses sour cream. 🙂
Marisol
Ok, thank you, I will do. I love your recipes, they are my go to recipes and are always a huge hit. Thank you so much for sharing your knowledge 🤗
Jackie
Ive made 60 of these for my bff’s baby shower. It was a lot to do same day of event bc I only have 1 oven and small kitchen. They turned out great, phew!
I’m making 60 again for my brother’s wedding 🤗 wondering, can i make these 1 day or 2 in advance and keep them fresh if I just wait to frost the day of event? Any help and advise is appreciated!!
Sam
That’s a lot of cupcakes! I’m glad you enjoyed them! These will stay fresh for several days in an air tight container at room temperature. 🙂
Helena
My cupcakes floded. I didn’t think I was adding that much batter to each liner. If I were to weight them how much do you think they should weight? Also I have added extra 10 min and they are not baked yet. I have an oven thermometer, everything got weighted, and recipe was followed as you shared. the only thing I didn’t have was buttermilk since in my country we don’t have buttermilk. I used your recipe for buttermilk. The batter did seem more liquid than yours. Any idea what could be the issue?
Sam
Hi Helena, unfortunately it sounds like something was accidentally mismeasured. The recipe has been tested with the buttermilk substitute and works fine with that so that shouldn’t be the issue. Were you using the scale set to ml to weigh your wet ingredients? I would recommend not doing that as scales are really only capable of weighing water in ml and not heavier liquids like oil or buttermilk.