Easy Recipe To Make Vanilla Cupcakes

Don’t overlook the classics! These vanilla cupcakes are sweet and tender and full of vanilla flavor. Top them with your favorite frosting for the perfect treat.

If you don’t think vanilla cupcakes are anything special, then you don’t know what you’re missing. If you use really good vanilla and know how to make a super tender cake, you are in for a real treat!

So don’t sleep on this vanilla cupcake recipe. I can promise it’ll make you ask for vanilla cupcakes all of the time.

Gluten Free Vanilla Cupcakes Recipe

Don’t let anyone tell you that vanilla is “boring.” That probably just means they haven’t had a good vanilla cake or cupcake before!

The truth is that vanilla cupcakes are a classic, and when they are done right they can be really flavorful on their own or make a great slate for pairing with your favorite frostings and fillings (see “frosting and filling ideas” below).

These vanilla cupcakes are tender, moist, and packed FULL of vanilla flavor thanks to both a vanilla bean (or vanilla bean paste) and vanilla extract. They will totally make you rethink how you see vanilla!

Easy Vanilla Cupcakes

Cake flour: Cake flour makes for a super tender crumb. I really like Swan’s Down cake flour, but you can also use my cake flour substitute if you don’t have any on hand. Make sure you also know how to measure flour properly before starting.

Kosher salt: I usually use kosher salt in this recipe, although I have also used fine sea salt. Check out my guide on the types of salt for more info.

Whole milk: I prefer to use whole milk in this recipe, but you could probably use a non-dairy milk substitute just fine.

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Vanilla bean or vanilla bean paste: Is there anything better than seeing little flecks of vanilla bean in a recipe? If you don’t have vanilla beans, feel free to use your favorite vanilla bean paste in this recipe instead.

Vanilla extract: We want tons of vanilla flavor in these cupcakes, but let’s be real: vanilla beans can be pretty expensive. So I like to use one vanilla bean or a bit of paste for those gorgeous vanilla bean flecks and combine it with vanilla extract to boost that flavor.

Unsalted butter: Make sure your butter is at room temperature before you get started. Learn how to bring butter and eggs to room temperature.

Easy Vanilla Cupcakes Recipe

Granulated sugar: Granulated sugar gives us the sweetness we need in these cupcakes. They’re just sweet enough to balance well with a sweeter frosting.

Egg whites: For this recipe, we are just going to use the whites of the eggs, not the yolk. Beating the egg whites and folding them into the batter helps to lighten the batter and make for a tender cupcake.

Using a mixer, beat the butter and sugar together for about 3 minutes, until light and fluffy. Alternate adding the flour mixture with the milk mixture, beginning and ending with the flour. Mix until just combined after each addition.

Best Vanilla Cupcake Recipe

Stir ¼ of the egg whites into the batter. This helps to lighten the batter so we can fold in the rest of the whites.

Gently fold in the remaining whipped egg whites, one half at a time, by cutting the spatula down the middle to the bottom of the bowl, then sweeping it around, up and over. Turn the bowl 90 degrees and repeat until no streaks of egg whites remain.

These classic vanilla cupcakes make a great base for adding all of your favorite fillings and frostings. These cupcakes bake up just the perfect height for topping with a beautiful swirl of frosting.

Easy High Altitude Vanilla Cupcakes

But don’t be afraid to get creative with your frosting flavors! The lemon-lime frosting from my lemon-lime cupcakes or the nutella frosting from my banana nutella cupcakes are two great examples.

Store undecorated vanilla cupcakes at room temperature in an airtight container for up to a day before frosting. You can also freeze them, tightly wrapped in a zip-top freezer bag, for up to 2 months before decorating.

Store decorated cupcakes in the refrigerator for up to 3 days. If you are using a buttercream frosting and your house is not too warm, you can store them at room temperature for up to a day.

Moist And Fluffy Vanilla Cupcakes Pretty. Simple. Sweet

Serving: 1 unfrosted cupcake | Calories: 154 kcal | Carbohydrates: 22 g | Protein: 2 g | Fat: 6 g | Saturated Fat: 4 g | Polyunsaturated Fat: 0.3 g | Monounsaturated Fat: 2 g | Trans Fat: 0.2 g | Cholesterol: 17 mg | Sodium: 98 mg | Potassium: 41 mg | Fiber: 0.3 g | Sugar: 14 g | Vitamin A: 196 IU | Calcium: 39 mg | Iron: 0.2 mg

The default measuring system on My Baking Addiction is US Customary. Unit conversions are provided as a courtesy; please be aware that there may be some discrepancies.

The vanilla cupcakes are the absolute very best I have tasted in awhile. The cake is firm yet light and airy. yet doesn't fall apart. It's not crumbly.

Just Because Simple Vanilla Cupcakes

Hi Dena – I haven't attempted this recipe with egg whites from a carton, so I can't speak to the volume you would need. I would check on the carton to see if there is an equivalency chart to use. -Jamie

Hi Dinaz – I haven't attempted to make it into a layer cake, but I am sure it would work. I would do either 2 9-inch layers or 3 8-inch layers, although I can't speak to how much time they would need to bake. I usually find that 9-inch cakes need to bake for around 30 minutes, but I would start checking after about 20 minutes just to be safe. If you give it a try, I'd love to hear how it goes. Happy baking! Jamie

I'm curious about the amount of milk if I were to add strawberry puree. Do you think I should decrease the liquid?

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I would definitely decrease it a bit. Sometimes I use strawberry preserves instead of puree to keep the frosting from getting to runny. -Jamie

Hi! Is it possible to use both egg whites and egg yolks as well. And substitute whole egg for evaporated milk? Thanks

Hi! I am looking for a frosting as well that is good in piping flowers. Please advise. Thanks.. I’ve used your chocolate cake recipe and it is delicious.xx

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Hello! I haven't attempted this recipe with this substitution, so I am not sure of the result. If you happen to give it a try, I'd love to know how they turned out. Thanks so much for stopping by. -JamieThese Vanilla Cupcakes are super easy and simple to make, they’re light, soft and fluffy and bursting with vanilla flavor, you wont be able to stop at just one. Decorate them with vanilla buttercream because a cupcake without buttercream isn’t really a cupcake, they’ll be the best you’ll ever taste.

I’ve made more batches of vanilla cupcakes than I could count and I say with confidence this is a perfect recipe. They’re melt in your mouth delicious, super moist and never dry. Vanilla Cupcakes go perfectly with vanilla buttercream but they’re also perfect for so many other flavors and coloring. Think birthday parties and celebrations, cupcakes are always a hit and so fun and easy to decorate for a theme.

In a medium bowl if you’re using a hand mixer or the bowl of a stand mixer add the room temperature butter.

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Add the two eggs to the bowl, one at a time mixing the batter together until the egg is combined before adding the next. Pour in the vanilla essence.

Mix the cupcake batter together until combined. Make sure not to over mix, just long enough until there is no dry flour, or the cupcakes will become dry and tough.

Divide the cupcake batter between 12 cupcake liners, an ice cream scoop works really well here. Place the cupcakes into a 180C/350F oven for 20 minutes or until the cupcakes spring back when lightly pressed in the centre.

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Yes you can. This recipe can be double, tripled or halved depending on how many cupcakes you would like to make. Make sure you have enough cupcake pans and space in your oven to bake all the cupcakes or I would recommend just making the recipe twice.

Sour cream works really well in this recipe but it isn’t essential. If you don’t have sour cream, natural unsweetened or greek yoghurt will do the same job but failing that you can just use the same amount of milk.

Like most baking, the fresher the better. I would recommend to eat these cupcakes the day of or the day after baking. By day three the cupcakes do start to dry out and become stale. Keep them in an airtight container at room temperature.

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Make sure the butter is at room temperature before trying to cream it with the sugar. Just remove it from the fridge 1-2 hours before you need it.

This is a great basic vanilla cupcake recipe. Try adding 1 cup of fruit or chocolate chips to change up the flavor.

Thank you for sharing your recipes with us! I made these cup cakes with the vanilla frosting and my apartment smells so good!

Simple Vanilla Cupcakes