Everyone loves cupcakes! This is the only vanilla cupcake recipe you will need. They are super easy to make and the texture is light, fluffy, and melt-in-your-mouth good.
Watch the video tutorial below and you will be a pro in no time. We love these with our Cupcake Frosting because a cupcake isn’t a cupcake without frosting.
This post may contain affiliate links. Read my disclosure policy.
Watch Vanilla Cupcakes Video Tutorial!
These cupcakes are perfect for birthday parties and baby showers and they always disappear fast which is why I always make a double batch for gatherings. They are quick and easy to make and homemade cupcakes taste way better than boxed cupcake mix.
Ingredients for Vanilla Cupcakes:
This recipe makes exactly 12 cupcakes and requires simple ingredients: all-purpose flour, butter, sugar, eggs, buttermilk, baking powder, salt and vanilla. The combination of softened butter and buttermilk creates an amazingly soft cupcake crumb that just melts in your mouth. Also, if you haven’t tried our (2-ingredient) Homemade Vanilla Extract, it will take your baked goods to the next level.
How to Make Vanilla Cupcakes:
These cupcakes are easy to master and you will be making bakery-quality cupcakes in no time.
- In a medium bowl, whisk together dry ingredients: flour, baking powder, and salt.
- In a second bowl (or bowl of your stand mixer), beat together softened butter and sugar on medium-high speed 5 minutes until thick and fluffy.
- Beat in eggs 1 at a time, mixing to incorporate with each egg then blend in vanilla and scrape down the bowl.
- Reduce mixer to medium speed and add the flour in thirds, alternating with adding the 1/2 cup buttermilk and beating well between additions.
- Pour batter into 12 lined muffin tins, filling 2/3 full. Bake in the center of the oven at 350˚F for 20-23 minutes, or until a toothpick inserted into the center comes out clean. Let cool 5 minutes in the pan then remove cupcakes to a wire rack to cool completely.
Tips for the BEST Cupcakes:
- Room Temperature Ingredients – eggs, buttermilk and butter must be at room temperature to keep your batter an even consistency.
- Alternate Adding Flour and Buttermilk – this keeps the mixture uniform and well blended. If you add in all of the flour or buttermilk at once, it can saturate the creamed butter and cause the mixture to separate. Mix well between each addition.
- Measure Correctly – be sure to use the proper measuring cups for wet and dry ingredients. Watch our video on measuring ingredients to ensure great results every time.
- Don’t Overfill – Fill cupcake liners 2/3 full or they will overflow and cause a muffin top. If you divide evenly between 12 cupcakes, you should have exactly enough batter. A trigger release Ice Cream Scoop makes portioning easier.
How to Decorate Cupcakes:
Once your cupcakes are cooled to room temperature, it’s time to decorate. This is a great vanilla cupcake base for just about any kind of frosting and toppings. We pipe frosting on with a pastry bag and our favorite Wilton 1M Tip. We have so many frosting options so pick your craving:
- Vanilla Cupcake Frosting – our go-to cupcake frosting
- Swiss Meringue Buttercream – well worth the extra effort
- Chocolate Cream Cheese Frosting – whipped and decadent
- Blackberry Frosting – you’ll love the flavor and color
Common Questions:
Can I Make Cupcakes Ahead? Once cupcakes are at room temperature, cover and keep at room temperature overnight or refrigerate if storing for longer. After cupcakes are frosted, refrigerate until ready to serve. Cupcakes are great served chilled or at room temperature because they don’t harden with refrigeration.
Can I Use This Batter to Make a Cake? We’ve had great results turning it into a Vanilla Cake. You would need to double the recipe for two 9-inch cake layers.
Can I Substitute the Buttermilk? Plain kefir will also work well instead of buttermilk. You can also make your own buttermilk at a ratio of 1 cup whole milk to 1 Tbsp fresh lemon juice. Combine and let it sit 10 minutes to curdle then stir and use.
How Long to Bake Cupcakes? Bake until the tops are springy and a toothpick inserted int the center comes out clean. These were perfectly baked at 350˚F for 22 minutes in a conventional oven.
More Cupcake Recipes:
Who can resist a cupcake? They’re just so cute and easy to love. We enjoy getting creative with cupcakes and they are one of the easiest desserts to make. These are our top-rated cupcake recipes:
- Moist Chocolate Cupcakes – this is a great base and so easy
- Pumpkin Cupcakes – with a marshmallow-soft frosting
- Honey Cupcakes – with a cherry filling
- Dark Chocolate Cupcakes – with white chocolate frosting
Perfect Vanilla Cupcake Recipe
Ingredients
- 1 1/4 cups all-purpose flour
- 1 1/4 tsp baking powder
- 1/2 tsp salt
- 1/2 cup unsalted butter, softened
- 3/4 cup sugar
- 2 large eggs, room temperature
- 2 tsp pure vanilla extract
- 1/2 cup buttermilk, or plain kefir, room temperature
Instructions
- Preheat the oven to 350°F and line a cupcake/muffin pan with cupcake liners.
- In a medium bowl, whisk together 1 1/4 cups flour, 1 1/4 tsp baking powder, and 1/2 tsp salt. Set flour mix aside.
- In the bowl of an electric mixer, beat butter and sugar on medium-high speed 5 minutes until thick and fluffy, scraping down the bowl as needed.
- Add eggs one at a time, beating well with each addition then scrape down the bowl. Add 2 tsp vanilla and beat to combine.
- Reduce mixer speed to medium and add the flour mixture in thirds alternating with the buttermilk, mixing to incorporate with each addition. Scrape down the bowl as needed and beat until just combined and smooth, and don't overmix. Divide the batter evenly into a 12-count lined muffin or cupcake pan, filling 2/3 full.
- Bake for 20-23 minutes at 350 °F, or until a toothpick inserted in the center comes out clean. Let them cool in the pan for 5 minutes, then transfer to a wire rack and cool to room temperature before frosting.
Nutrition Per Serving
If you make this recipe, I’d love to see pics of your creations on Instagram, Facebook and Twitter! Hashtag them #natashaskitchen
This recipe was first published in June 2012 (below is the original photo). After testing countless batches, we improved the recipe, swapping out oil for softened butter and took out the baking soda to create a super soft crumb. Everyone agrees, these are the best cupcakes. Just read the reviews!
P.S. Thank you all for trying this recipe and sharing it with the people you love.
I have never made cupcakes from scratch. I am making a pull apart cake for a birthday party so I’m testing out recipes. This was the first one I tried and will be the ONLY. I haven’t made the frosting and honestly with my trial ones they dont even need it. Thank you so much for this easy and perfect recipe!
I’m so happy you enjoyed the recipe!! Thank you for reporting back 🙂
Hi
is it possible to make these in advance? are they freezable ?
thx
I haven’t tried freezing them so I’m not sure. If you test it, let me know how it works out.
Thank you for sharing this wonderful cup cake recipe. The best I ever made. They tasted divine even without the frosting.
I’m so happy you loved it! thank you for the great review 🙂
Okay, so right now I’m on the hunt for THE perfect vanilla cupcake. Because so far, the vanilla cupcakes I’ve attempted always tastes like MILK. Like sweetened milk. I’ve added 1/2 vanilla bean + 1/2 tbsp vanilla bean paste, but the vanilla flavor just is not there! 🙁 So I will try this out and see how it goes!
I hope you enjoy these! 🙂
My son is allergic to cow milk, I substituted the milk for soy milk and the cupcakes were still amazing!! the fluffiest and softest dairy free vanilla cupcakes I have made so far! thanks for the recipe!
Julissa, thank you for a great review and for sharing how you made it dairy free :).
Thank you Natasha. I feel so lucky to know your website. I have been looking for a perfect vanilla cupcake recipe and finally I found it! I’ve just make 12 cupcakes last night, following exactly your recipe and my kids LOVE it!!! My son ate 2 this morning for breakfast. I am more than happy!
Thanks again!!
That’s wonderful! Thank you for sharing that with me. I can just imagine the smiles on their faces – cupcakes for breakfast!! 🙂
I live in a high altitude city and made some adjustments. I added 1 extra egg, 2 tbsp of cake flour, and when making my own buttermilk, I used half and half rather than milk and added a bit more vanilla. They turned out great and did not fall flat!
Michelle, thank you very much for the tip, I’m glad they worked out :).
I made this cupcakes today with my daughter and they were perfection!! Light and fluffy, and taste delicious. I’m saving this recipe as my gold standard cupcake recipe, thanks so much for sharing as well as providing the step by step tips.
That is so great! Thank you for the amazing review. It’s quite a compliment! 😉
I love vanilla cupcakes, but my frosting came kinda soft and runny 🙁 did I did something wrong or how to make it more thick next time?.
Hi Natasha, the most likely reason is underbeating the heavy cream. Did you get it to a spreadable whipped consistency before folding it into the cream cheese? Also, did you make sure to use heavy whipping cream, which tends to whip better.
Yes I did all that, and I used the heavy whipping cream as well. I’m thinking maybe I should of put the cream in the refrigerator?!
Normally it’s not necessary unless you were going to wait awhile before using it. I wonder if you just needed to beat the heavy cream a bit longer?
I had to post because I’ve been looking for a good basic vanilla cupcake recipe for a long time. I’ve never made good homemade cupcakes until I found this recipe, so thank you Natasha. Looking forward to making some of your other creations.
I’m so happy you loved the recipe! 🙂
Same here! I haven’t made a good vanilla cupcake until I found your recipe. The others made either moist but dense or fluffy but dry cupcakes.
The cupcakes I made using your recipe were soft, fluffy and moist even when served cold.
Thank you so much for this! 🙂
I’m so happy you loved the cupcakes. Thank you Catzie! 🙂
I live in high altitude and I’ve found that baking cupcakes at 325° rather than 350° helps them rise. I’ll try it with this recipe 😊
Hi Lisa, please do let me know how that works out. Many people have questions about high altitude adjustments and I can’t really test it since I don’t live in a high altitude area.
I have tried these cupcakes a couple times and once for my son’s birthday. I agree with the sweetness factor, I actually find them a little short tasting however, the fluffiness factor was amazing. My suggstion to those who said they fell flat is to turn the oven off and leave to door open for them to cool. mine were tall and fluffy, beautiful. to add a little extra sweetness without making them heavy, I added a 1/4 cup-1/2 cup powdered sugar. they were substantially yummier. they had it all:fluffiness and sweetness. thanks for the recipe, will use this one as my go to now for sure
Kate, thank you for the great review and for sharing your tips :D.
I had my sister make these and they didn’t rise properly. I am not sure what she did wrong so I will try making them myself next time and come back with an update.
Do keep me posted. Do you know if she measured using dry ingredients measuring cups? Also, do you happen to live in a high altitude area? Something about this recipe doesn’t work in high altitudes. Please keep me posted.
I was so disappointed with this recipe. I was looking for a new vanilla cupcake recipe and had high hopes. I followed the recipe exactly; the flavour is just ok and the cupcakes totally shrunk after baking and now look quite pathetic. I was making them for a baby shower tomorrow and now I have to go out and buy more ingredients to bake something else as I won’t serve these to people. Very disappointed with the time and money wasted.
Hi Jessica, I’m sorry to hear that. I haven’t had that experience and I’ve made these dozens of times, but I’m happy to help troubleshoot. Do you possibly live in a high altitude area (see notes at top of post)? Also, what kind of flour did you use and did you use dry ingredients measuring cups/spoons?
Can you refrig cupcake batter and bake it the next day? I ran out is cupcake liners…
Dianne, I think it’s best to make them soon after mixing, because you would activate the baking soda and baking powder. I would recommend greesing your muffin tin by brushing with oil or spraying with cooking spray and making cupcakes the same day. Hope this helps and let me know what you end up doing.
These did not taste or look like cupcakes. Dense and not sweet. Frosting didn’t even help.
It’s difficult to say what went wrong without being there, but I’m always happy to troubleshoot. I haven’t had that experience but it may be for the following reasons – do you happen to live in a high altitude area? This recipe doesn’t agree with high altitudes for some reason. Also, did you measure everything out exactly using dry ingredients measuring cups? Did you bake the cupcakes right away or let the batter sit for a long time before baking?
After I “made” the cake flour, I realized I had only 2 paper cups for the cupcakes, so I made a single layer cake, and thought it might not work because it was a little too much batter for one 9″ pan,but it came out fluffy and moist even when I thought I had over-baked it. My problem is frosting! Mine always comes out gritty and soupy no matter what recipe I use. I must be doing something fundamental wrong. For the cake, I didn’t have corn starch to make the cake flour, so I substituted 1 tbsp of tapioca flour and 1 tbsp of arrowroot starch instead and the flour was nice and light. My only complaint was the cake was on the sweet side, so with my bobo frosting, it just was a little much.
Thanks for sharing that with me Melissa! 🙂 Have you tried my cupcake frosting? It’s my go-to frosting recipe. Was it a specific recipe on my site that turned out gritty?
These cupcake designs are so simple yet so elegant, and I was wondering what kind of leaves are on top of them?
Those are basil leaves. Other good options include: mint or if you have a raspberry bush, you might be able to gather some tiny leaves that way too 🙂 – I used some to decorate a cake and it was lovely 🙂
Hi, I am wondering if this recipe makes regular sized cupcakes or mini sized ones. Thanks. I haven’t tried it yet, but it looks great.
Regular sized. 🙂
I was wondering if it is possible to turn this into a cake? if so how many times do i do the recipe to get two round layers?
Love this recipe, btw. I have done it countless times!
According to the gal that I got the recipe from, it can be turned into a cake. You should double the recipe for an 8 or 9″ cake.