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.
Hi Natasha,
I have made these cupcakes many times in the past and always remember using cake flour and it always came out great. Why has that changed to all purpose flour?
Hi Neepa, I’ve use cake flour before and it works but they are not as soft.
The 5 star reviews on this recipe are well-deserved! First time to bake cupcakes fr scratch and this recipe turned out great! Didn’t have a chance to frost them as husband and I gobbled on most after the cupcakes cooled down. The few left were shared with nephews. Will have to bake this again coz while both nephews enjoyed the cupcakes, they didn’t get to ice and pour sprinkles on them anymore. Thanks for sharing this recipe with us! Stay safe.
You’re welcome Alex! I’m so happy you enjoyed this recipe!!
Natasha–love watching your videos & thank you for sharing so many great recipes! The best recipes are the favorite “tried & true” ones! Have you ever put together a cookbook that would be for sale? You should…I’d be the first to buy a copy!! Let me know!
Thank you for that wonderful feedback Kathy! We have a book in the works! Stay tuned!
They turned out really good Natasha , no disappointment! Thank you
That is wonderful to hear! Thanks for sharing your great review with us.
I do not have buttermilk. What can I do?
And I do not have whole milk, just 2%.
Hi Elmis, check the post above where I mention how to make it yourself. You just need milk and lemon juice to make a quick buttermilk substitution.
Hi..Can use cake flour instead of all purpose flour for this recipe and if so how much..what would be the ratio for the vanilla cupcakes?
Hi Rebecca, I’ve done it and it works but they are not as soft. If you have corn starch and all-purpose flour, you can make your own cake flour easily.
As a vegan I really didn’t appreciate finding out that this recipe uses egg and milk. It is also very hard to find a good cupcake recipe. I and many others would appreciate it if you did a vegan recipe so everyone can go by God’s law and not use animal products.
Thank you for sharing that feedback, Kathy! Have you tried our eggless Chocolate Cake recipe?
You don’t aprecite? Like someone owes you a vegan receipe. Create your own
Delicious recipe! For some reason the cream is too much for 1 batch of cupcakes. Almost enough for 2 batches. I made these twice and I believe the 1st time I had to bake another batch to use up the cream.
This time I made again but forgot about amount of left over cream. So I just eat the cream by itself slowly with tea 😉
Hi Olga, you are correct, the frosting recipe makes enough to frost up to 24 cupcakes and the vanilla cupcakes recipe makes 12 cupcakes. I have the serving size in the recipe card towards the bottom if that helps. I’m glad you enjoyed the cupcakes enough to make them twice! Have a wonderful week.
This is an outstanding recipe. I loved them! My guests loved them!
I’m so happy you enjoyed that. Thank you for sharing that with us!
Hi! Recipe looks delicious! Can you use a mini cup cake mold? Or the same muffin tray you used in video? Can’t wait to try it! Thanks
Hi Samantha, that should work. It will make 36 mini cupcakes from one batch, just be sure to fill them only halfway and bake mini cupcakes for 10 minutes.
If I make your vanilla frosting will it be alot for mini cup cakes? Extra frosting? Would you cut recipe in half? If so
If so what recipe measurements? Can’t wait to try them! Thanks
Hi Samantha, I haven’t tried that yet to advise on the measurements. You might have to do an experiment on that one. Please let us know how it goes if you try it.
Delicious! I tried these for my sons birthday and they were amazing! I hope to try more of your yummy recipes again!
I hope you do too! Thank you for that lovely review Katy!
Hi Natasha, can I use half of the vanilla batter and convert it to chocolate cupcake batter? Let me know please. Thanks
Hi Lea, I haven’t tested that with chocolate but I think it could work. One of our readers wrote: “It is super moist and fluffy with a light vanilla flavour. After trying out the vanilla cupcakes a few times, I decided to ads a tbsp of cocoa powder for a chocolate cupcake and it still turned out great.” I hope that helps.
My cupcakes ended up sticky instead of moist, and a bit wet, I think it might have been because I used to much buttermilk on accident, but they were ok
Hi Rachel, that could possibly be the cause. Just make sure to follow the right measurements and it should be better next time. Please share with us again how it goes the next time you try it!
please how long will you bake it as 1 cake for? am 12 and i want to try it.
Hi Annah, I have not tried making this into a cake but the original recipe author said that if you double the recipe you can make an eight or 9 inch round cake. It seems as though she kept the baking instructions the same.
Hi Natashia! Can you use this recipe for a cake? Would you double the ingredients? Thanks!
Hello Jodi, check the notes in the recipe on converting this to a cake.
Hey Natasha can I use Greek yoghurt instead of buttermilk? This recipe looks so fascinating, cannot wait to try.
Hi Lakshay, I haven’t teted that with yogurt but I do recommend reading through the comments. One of our readers wrote in: “Just a side note, the reason you need buttermilk (or the vinegar/milk mixture) is because the baking soda will only work if it has an acid to react to, producing bubbles which help your cake rise and get fluffy. Buttermilk has lots of lactic acid in it, you can also easily substitute sour cream or yogurt. Just FYI 🙂 Kefir should work just fine because it does contain lactic acid producing bacteria which ferments the milk much like sour cream or buttermilk!” I hope that helps.
Since the new version of the recipe does not have baking soda (just baking powder) do I need something with acid like buttermilk? With the new version, can I just use whole milk? That’s what I have. I was going to add lemon juice or vinegar to make it a buttermilk substitute, but maybe now I don’t need to? Thanks much
Hi Karen, I haven’t tested this with plain milk. If you experiment, please let me know how it goes.
Hi Natasha…
Love your recipes, they are truly delicious. On these cupcakes, to make them a bit more fun for birthday parties, do you recommend food coloring on the frosting?
Hi Marisa, that should work as long as you don’t go overboard with the food coloring
Hi I tried this recipe twice each time it came out pale, it did not brown. And it was fluffy when i took it our of the oven but went flat. How do I fix that? P.s. the taste was awesome.
Hi Hartlyn, you might check to make sure your leavening is still active.
I’ve been using this recipe for a few years now, and I’m sad to see it was changed. Just wondering why?
Hi Anna, we updated the recipe and posted a new video tutorial. I hope you have a chance to watch the video. I think thew updated recipe is significantly better and I hope it becomes a new favorite for you.
I was so impressed with this recipe! I love that it was for 12 cupcakes instead of 24. However, I’m an avid Aldi shopper and I couldn’t find buttermilk or plain kefir. However, Aldi carries a lemon kefir so I cut the sugar to 2/3 cup and used the lemon kefir. As a foodie, I couldn’t detect any lemon flavor in the cupcakes. Thanks for a great recipe!
That is so great! Thank you so much for sharing your experience with us, Amy.
Hi! I put the cupcakes into the oven for the allotted time, but they were very pale. I increased the baking time by a 10 minutes, but is this supposed to happen?
Hi Dinah, Ideally, it should not but it may happen when your oven is not calibrated to the correct temperature. These will be a little more on the pale side as you see in the recipe photos. I do recommend using an oven thermometer to make sure it is calibrated.
I want to make them in the mini muffin tins. How long do you think they should go in the oven for?
Hi Sarah, that should work, if I recall correctly, I believe it makes 36 mini cupcakes form one batch, just be sure to fill them only halfway. Also, bake mini cupcakes for 10 minutes.