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.
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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
Filed Under
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.
Natasha. 1.) Bless you for this recipe you magnificent woman. 2.) Have you made these but substituted the buttermilk for fullfat sour cream instead?! I was out of buttermilk once & had to use half a cup of sour cream and my tastebuds exploded! Please try it one day & tell me what you think!
That sure sounds great! Thank you for sharing that and for your sweet comment which also made laugh “magnificent” eh? lol
I was looking for an alternate vanilla cupcake recipe that uses buttermilk. I thought I’d try these after seeing the ratings. Unfortunately, these are not the best cupcakes by far…the texture is rubbery, the crumb is tough and they don’t rise at all. They also taste very “eggy”. I’m also not sure how they got such a high rating.
Hi Kathy. I’m happy to help troubleshoot, but it’s difficult to say what could have gone wrong without being there. Did you do anything differently than what the recipe stated? I’ve never had them turn out eggy, rubbery or tough. Did you use dry ingredients measuring cups and spoons to measuring things out? Did you substitute any of the ingredients?
Love them!!! Can I make a cake using that recipe?
Thank you Olena! I haven’t tried but according the original recipe author, you can double the recipe and make two 9″ cake layers.
Hi Natasha,
I would like to make these for my daughter’s birthday party. Can you tell me the measurements to make 48 cupcakes? Thanks. (I get requests for these cupcakes.)
I’m so glad you like them! You would have to make 3 batches. I would make/mix each batch separately for best results since you don’t want the batter sitting out too long while some are baking.
Hi Natasha, I made two batches of cupcakes. The first one was the original recipe and the second batch I doubled the recipe. Everyone loved them!!! Many people asked for the recipe and if I could make them for their kid’s birthday parties!! I did post a picture on Facebook and Instagram with your hashtag. (I decorated them as Elmo and Cookie Monster.)
Thanks again for sharing!! LOVE,LOVE, LOVE the recipe!!
That’s so awesome and thank you so much for sharing the picture!! I’ll be sure to check them out! 🙂
I recently made these for 2 different events, one of which I added cinnamon to the mixture to make a cinnamon sugar cupcake, and everyone loved them!! The recipe was easy to follow along, and yielded a light and flavorful cupcake! Thank you for the recipe!
Have you ever tried this recipe with butter instead of oil? If so how did it go? Thanks again!
Thank you for the great review and for sharing your creative variations! I love the idea of a cinnamon sugar cupcake. Yum!!! How did you decorate it? I haven’t tried butter in this one but I have tried butter in another cupcake recipe and thought it wasn’t as soft and if you refrigerate them, they come out more firm after the fridge when using butter. I prefer oil.
Waaaay too salty. I reduced the salt by half and it was still salty. Will not be making this recipe again. Good thing I made a test run in advance – I could never serve this to guests. Not sure how it got such high ratings.
Hi Rebecca, 1/2 teaspoon of salt for 15 cupcakes is pretty normal and you’re the first to mention that they are salty. Did you possibly add half a Tablespoon by mistake?
I agree. I follow exactly the recipe and it turns out great. 1/2 teaspoon of salt is just perfect and nothing to worry about.
Thank you for your feedback! I sure appreciate it 🙂
Tastes amazing! Thanks for sharing!
You are welcome Melissa, I’m glad you like them 😀 .
Have these in oven now. Stuck a toothpick in after 14 minutes and they’re raw. Putting back in for a bit longer but I have no idea why this happened. Any idea?
That is unusual. Is it possible there is something wrong with the oven? Also, did you make sure you put it on 350˚F? Do you have an oven thermometer that you could use to test how the oven is heating?
These cupcakes are the BEST! The crumb is perfect and they aren’t too sweet! I didn’t have buttermilk so I “made” it with the milk and lemon juice. The batter tasted a little lemon-y (which I didn’t want) so I added another teaspoon of vanilla to the batter and it was perfect. This is going to be my go-to recipe for EVER!
I use a different butter cream recipe – very simple: 4 c. powdered sugar, 1 c. butter, 2-4 T. milk, 1-3 T. vanilla to taste – or could use different flavoring. I beat the butter until it is light and fluffy, add the vanilla, and then add the powdered sugar a little at a time, beating in as you go. You can add the milk at the end or the beginning. If you add it in the beginning and whip it up with the butter, it will be lighter but not hold up as well. These are not royal icings, and while food coloring can be added to them, they will definitely not work out for detailed decorating.
I’m so glad you enjoyed the cupcakes! thanks so much for sharing your buttercream recipe! 🙂
I was wondering if you could make mini cupcakes with these.?
I haven’t tried it but I imagine it would work. If you try it, let me know how it goes.
Yes! I made mini cupcakes with this recipe. I baked them for 12 minutes and I would say they’re a touch on the dry side so next time I’m going to try 10-11 minutes.
Natasha this recipe is fantastic! Have you or can you convert this into a full cake recipe?
HI Li-Hua, to be honest, but 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.
Just baked these for my daughter’s birthday tomorrow and they look amazing! They rose perfectly. We haven’t tried them yet, but I’m sure they taste as good as they look. I used coconut oil and added some rainbow sprinkles to the batter for that “birthday cake” look. Thanks for sharing your recipe!
Amanda, I haven’t tried these with coconut oil. Let me know how they work out, I’m very curious :).
Finally made it last night and yep, the cupcake itself without the frosting is great! But with frosting, ooooh it is DIVINE! 5 stars!!! Followed the recipe completely, except for the vanilla as I am using a highly concentrated vanilla extract, I only used 1 tsp.
Thank you for the great review! 🙂 Where did you find the concentrated vanilla? I’d love to try it out.
Mine turned out a little tough… I’m new to baking from scratch. Do you think it’s likely that I overmixed them or overbaked them? Thanks!
Hi Andrea, I’m happy to help troubleshoot. Did you measure everything out exactly (using dry ingredients measuring cups and scraping off the tops?) Also, what kind of flour did you use? Was your baking powder and soda fresh (here’s a good way to test it)?
Thanks so much! I did use dry measuring cups and scrape the tops, so I think measurements were accurate. I followed your instructions from another page to make my own cake flour. And I am pretty sure that my baking soda and baking powder are about 2-3 weeks old. I would think that’s recent, but maybe not to a regular baker?? Also, now that I think about ages, I know my flour was much, much older. Could that result in a tougher cupcake? The flavor was nice, they just weren’t as moist as I was expecting and were a little chewy. Oh, also, I just remembered that I bought fresh sugar to make these, but it was Florida Crystals pure cane natural sugar. I thought that would be an upgrade; it says it’s “less refined than traditional sugar” on the back. I also mixed 1/4 cup vegetable oil and 1/4 cup avocado oil because I don’t care for canola oil. Could the sugar or oil be a problem perhaps? When I tested them after 10 minutes, the toothpick already came out completely clean, which is why I thought perhaps I left them in too long. Any of your thoughts on my technique/substitutions would be greatly appreciated! Oh, and I’m not in a high altitude area.
Did you possibly have your oven on a convection setting?
No. Just the regular “bake” setting.
I baked these last week for my granny’s birthday. I was really worried because my Grandmother is a baker and I wanted to impress her. They looked beautiful, my only problem was that they came out like cornbread. 🙁 I do not know what I did wrong.
Did you measure everything out exactly (using dry ingredients measuring cups and scraping off the tops?) Also, what kind of flour did you use? Was your baking powder and soda fresh (here’s a good way to test it)?
Hi, okay, I can’t honestly say I measured everything right. Probably not. Also I think that I over baked them too, I started cleaning up and lost count of the time. And I have to bake another batch tonight for our office party, so I will purchase a fresh box of baking soda and also make sure I measure correctly. My goal is to get this down so that I am ready for Christmas baking season. LOL. I will keep you posted.
Let me know how it goes!! I’m super excited about the Christmas baking season too! 🙂
Woo Hoo! Perfect batch this time. Ok so I got a fresh box of baking soda and I left them in the oven for 16 minutes because they never got dark so I got nervous but also I didn’t want to over heat again. They passed the toothpick test. They are beautiful and yummy. You’re the best Natasha. #Frostingsfavoritecupcake
AWESOME! Thank you for reporting back and I’m so glad it worked out for you :D.
is that a lot of baking powder or is that just me. it says 1 1/4
Sidney, recipe calls for 1 1/4 tsp of baking powder.
Hi there, I want to make this recipe but I only have baking powder. Is it possible to make the recipe with extra powder instead of baking soda?
Chantal, with baking being such a science I can’t really give exact amounts without testing it myself.
The baking soda should be there to balance the acidity of the buttermilk in the formula. Just replacing the buttermilk with whole milk should keep everything in check. The batter will probably seem thinner though, since commercial buttermilk is pretty thick.
Just baked them. They came out lovely! I used buttersctoch flavour instead of the vanilla extract. They are so moist and soft, Thank you for sharing this amazing cupcake recipe 🙂
Butterscotch sounds absolutely delicious! Thank you so much for sharing that with me.
These cupcakes tasted wonderful, and rose A LOT. Instead of canola oil I used unsalted butter, and I think that made a difference. The only thing that didn’t come out quite so well is that the recipe only made around 10 cupcakes. 🙁 But for every one it’s different, and the cupcakes still tasted great! I just recommend you make 2 batches instead of 1.
I haven’t tried butter but it’s good to know it works! Thanks Dina 🙂
I used brown sugar and reduced the amount. My friend’s grandparents really liked it. Thanks a lot! 🙂
Thank you for the great review Michael and great job on improvising :).