A truly perfect Vanilla Cupcake recipe! These Vanilla Cupcakes are easy to make, moist, and bake up beautifully every time! Light, fluffy and flavorful! Got the baking bug? Try my Lemon Cupcakes and Chocolate Cupcakes too!
Perfect Vanilla Cupcakes Recipe
This week I’ve made 6 batches of vanilla cupcakes and a vanilla cake. I feel like my oven has been on for 42 hours straight! =) What are all these cupcakes for, you might ask. Well, for me… and for science, and for you too. Confused yet? I’ll explain…
I have been on a search for a perfect vanilla cupcake recipe for several years. I have tried Martha’s, Magnolia’s, Billy’s and Amy Sedaris’. I’ve read the Cake Bible from cover to cover (really!). I’ve googled until I can’t google anymore! Some of the recipes were good, just not perfect. I’ve considered just giving up… maybe my expectations were to high. I wanted a vanilla cupcake recipe that was as light and fluffy as a box mix, but without all the funny chemicals. I wanted a cupcake that was flavorful and moist. And I wanted it to be almost as easy to make from scratch as from a box.
The BEST Vanilla Cupcakes
This week, I wasn’t going to stop until I found what I was looking for. So I baked and baked… then went to the store for more butter and sugar, and baked some more! I tried recipes with butter, oil, or some of both… recipes with milk, buttermilk, or sour cream… 1 egg, 2 eggs, 5 eggs… baking powder, baking soda… bake at 350*, bake at 325*…
I made cupcakes that were lopsided, over-flowing, over-baked, and just plain ugly…
And then I made these…
They looked beautiful and tasted perfect, so I double checked all my notes to make sure I could remember what I put in them… then I made another batch to make sure it was THE ONE.
They were just as perfect!! I think I heard angels singing….
I am SO happy to share the results of my many experiments! These cupcakes were absolutely delicious and I look forward to making them again and again. Now certainly, peoples tastes and preferences vary greatly. I love these, my husband (my #1 taste tester) loves them, and I hope many of you will too. As with any recipe, it is very important to use the best quality ingredients you can.
Ingredients Needed
You will notice the recipe calls for cake flour, which is a bit more expensive than all-purpose flour, but I have found it is essential to produce the light and fluffy texture I was looking for. Also, the recipe uses oil instead of butter. I realized most cupcake recipes (from scratch) call for butter, and yet box mixes (which have the texture I was looking for) are baked using oil.
I was concerned that using only oil would leave the cupcakes without adequate flavor, but I found that with good quality vanilla, these cupcakes are delicious and flavorful.
- 1 1/4 cups cake flour
- 3/4 teaspoons baking powder
- 1/2 teaspoon baking soda
- 1/2 teaspoon salt
- 2 eggs
- 1 cup sugar
- 1 1/2 teaspoons pure vanilla extract
- 1/2 cup oil (vegetable, canola or extra light olive oil)
- 1/3 cup milk (whole or low fat, but avoid fat free)
- 1/3 cup sour cream (full fat or light, but avoid fat free)
How To Make Vanilla Cupcakes
- Preheat oven to 350*F.
- In a medium bowl, add cake flour, baking powder, baking soda and salt. Stir together with whisk, and set aside.
- In the bowl of an electric mixer, add eggs and beat 10-20 seconds. Add sugar and continue to beat on medium speed about 30 seconds. Add vanilla and oil, beat.
- Reduce mixer speed to low and slowly add about half of the flour mixture. Add the milk, then the rest of the flour and the sour cream. Beat until just combined. Scrap down the side of the bowl.
- The batter will be thin. Pour batter into a muffin pan prepared with paper liners. Fill liners about 2/3 full.
- Bake cupcakes in pre-heated oven for 12-14 minutes.
- Cool in pan 1-2 minutes, then remove cupcakes from pan (carefully) and finish cooling on a wire rack.
- Frost as desired when fully cool. I love to use my favorite Vanilla Cream Cheese Frosting recipe.
- Feel free to use this recipe for a cake as well. The recipe above will work for a 6″ cake. Double the recipe for an 8″ or 9″ cake.
* A note about Cake Flour- Cake Flour has a lower protein content than traditional all-purpose flour, which results in a more tender, delicate crumb in the finished product. If you can not find or access cake flour, feel free to substitute as necessary, but your results will vary from the original recipe.
RECIPE UPDATES
I have made this recipe many times with success, but in an effort to always be improving (even great recipes) I’ve made a couple small updates to this recipe (which are now listed in the recipe card).
My original recipe included 1 1/4 tsp. baking powder (now reduced to 3/4), 3/4 cup sugar (now increased to 1 cup) and 1/2 cup buttermilk (now updated to 1/3 cup milk, 1/3 cup sour cream).
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Ingredients
- 1 1/4 cups cake flour
- 3/4 teaspoons baking powder
- 1/2 teaspoon baking soda
- 1/2 teaspoon salt
- 2 eggs
- 1 cup sugar
- 1 1/2 teaspoons pure vanilla extract
- 1/2 cup oil vegetable, canola or extra light olive oil
- 1/3 cup milk whole or low fat, but avoid fat free
- 1/3 cup sour cream full fat or light, but avoid fat free
Instructions
- Preheat oven to 350*F.
- In a medium bowl, add cake flour, baking powder, baking soda and salt. Stir together with whisk, and set aside.
- In the bowl of an electric mixer, add eggs and beat 10-20 seconds. Add sugar and continue to beat on medium speed about 30 seconds. Add vanilla and oil, beat.
- Reduce mixer speed to low and slowly add about half of the flour mixture. Add the milk, then the rest of the flour and the sour cream. Beat until just combined. Scrap down the side of the bowl.
- The batter will be thin. Pour batter into a muffin pan prepared with paper liners. Fill liners about 2/3 full.
- Bake cupcakes in pre-heated oven for 12-14 minutes.
- Cool in pan 1-2 minutes, then remove cupcakes from pan (carefully) and finish cooling on a wire rack.
- Frost as desired when fully cool. I love to use my favorite cream cheese frosting or buttercream frosting with these cupcakes.
I’m so happy I stumbled upon your website! 😀
Your Vanilla Cupcake is now my go-to recipe! I have made it 3x already and every time each cupcake comes out perfect! My family loves it too. I’ve also tried your recipe for Vanilla Cream Cheese Frosting and giiiiirl, it didn’t fail me!
Thank you, thank you, thank you! 😀
I tried these today, I didn’t have cake flour, so I used the Cornstarch measurement from the comments section (and sifted twice). Also used milk and lemon juice (didn’t have butterrmilk). They came out light and fluffy just like your picture and my husband loved them. Thanks so much!!
Glory, I made your cupcakes for my daughter’s birthday and they are really delicious! We are gluten and dairy free so I had to make some substitutions using gluten free flour and coconut coffee creamer in place of whole milk. They turned out amazing! You wouldn’t have known they were gluten and dairy free. Thank you so much for all your hard work creating this recipe to perfection. This is my go to for vanilla cupcakes.
This is by far the best Vanilla cupcake recipe I have ever used. They are little heaven pillows of vanilla fluffiness. Thank you so so so much. I made a double batch by accident, I started getting the milk ready because it is extremely difficult to find buttermilk in Chile. So I warmed half the milk and infused it with tea and let it cool before topping up and adding the apple cider vinegar since i did not have white (my little experiment haha flavour did not come through though). I started on the milk and when i was done i realised i had a full cup now of Rooibos tea infused “buttermilk”; so i figured why not make a double batch instead. So i did, I did not have cake flour (again thank you Chile) so i did the corn flour meets all purpose. I also did not have veg oil so i caved and used olive instead, i was so worried that it would come through too strongly but hey you live and learn. The cupcakes came out perfect, no olive oil taste, they’re ridiculously soft and fluffy and look just like the pictures. They are definitely my new go-to recipe for those rainy day cupcakes. Thank you again so so so much >__<
I should add, I also had to do everything by hand as I do not have and electric mixer T__T I need one for my birthday haha.
Could you please put the ingredients in ounces or grams as do not understand cup measurements. Thank you, looks lovely cupcakes. Mrs. Forrest
I’m sorry, but I am only familiar with U.S. measurements, but if you do a quick google search I’m sure you can find a measurement conversion chart to keep on hand.
I to need this recipe in grams, I have found a conversion site, Google, best thing ever! So will have to give it a go!
Cup method is ok if you don’t have butter, trying to get a accurate amount isn’t easy so I measure in cups for other ingredients and just convert the butter only, works really well!
I made these cupcakes today. They were amazing!! However, they rose so much that they stuck out over 1/2 an inch over the top of the liners. I followed the recipe exactly, and the batter made 15 cupcakes. I’m not sure why mine rose so much! Besides that, these cupcakes were so delicious and everybody loved them!
How should I alter recipe for 9×13 cake?
I too was searching for that perfect yellow/vanilla cake recipe and I am so glad I found this!!!! This is it….no more looking for me. Thank you for your research. This cupcake was absolutely moist, delicious, fluffy, perfect yellow color, and taste. I added it with a strawberry buttercream (I didn’t have cream cheese on hand) They were perfect! Plus they made my house smell like heaven 🙂
Hi. I just tried this recipe out last night and my cupcakes turned out really well! Yah! I used Nielsen Massey Pure Madagascar Vanilla Extract. How would the recipe be effected if I replaced the extract with the companies paste or beans? I want a really flavorful vanilla cupcake. If you have any other suggestions please let me know.
I am really sorry I didn’t double the recipe. They came out just like the picture. Finally truth in recipes.