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.
I have a friend that is allergic to dairy in their cupcakes. Can you substitute almond milk for buttermilk?
Hi Eva, I don’t know of any non-dairy substitutes, maybe others can share if they have successfully tried something else? You can also check the comments section below if someone else has tried it.
How many cupcakes does this make? I’m accustomed to seeing that listed at the top of recipes. Thank
Hi Emily, we have that listed at the top of the printable recipe card. This recipe makes 12 cupcakes. I hope this helps!
Hi! I made your recipe, but I replaced a couple of ingredients. First, I used all purpose gluten-free flour. Second, instead of buttermilk or kefir, I used Chobani blueberry yogurt. All in all, I ended up with delicious gluten free blueberry muffins. They turned out great! Thanks!
I’m so happy to hear it all worked out, Tricia! Thank you for sharing that with me!
I have your “perfect vanilla cupcake” recipe printed from 2015 (printed bc I must have loved it!). This Recipe is exactly the same except for the butter. Mine has 1/2 c oil instead of 1/2 c butter. We don’t like too much of a butter flavor. Just wondering why you changed it? I may do 1/4 & 1/4. Have you don’t that?
HI Diane, we found the texture to be better with the update. We only update when we feel it is a significant improvement. I’m so glad you love the cupcakes!
I made this recipe, and unfortunately the cupcakes were inedible. 2 tsp of vanilla is way too much and overpowered the whole thing.
Very disappointed.
Hi Claire, I’m sorry to hear that. I’ve never had that experience. Could it be the type of extract that you used? You can always use less as some can be more potent than others.
Hi Natasha,
What will be the baking time and temperature if I make these into mini cupcakes?
Hi Avi, I haven’t tried making a mini version of these cupcakes. I recommend checking out the other comments as others share how they made these into mini cupcakes!
Oh I tried with mini cupcakes and I just did what the recipe said which is 350° and baked them for 15 minutes. My oven is strong so depending on your oven it’s around 15-20 minutes at 350°. My cupcakes came out so good and so soft. You should really try it.
I’ve made these cupcakes 3 times…twice with the vanilla frosting and once with the chocolate buttercream frosting. My family likes vanilla cupcakes with chocolate frosting and chocolate cupcakes with vanilla frosting. To be honest you can’t go wrong no matter what, it’s a personal preference. I will say IF you follow each step exactly as instructed you will LOVE these! These are my go to vanilla cupcakes!! Everyone loves them! Thank you for sharing!!
Thank you for your thoughtful review, Vivian!
Do you think the icing could be made with Nutella instead of cream cheese? I need a Nutella icing recipe. Thanks.
Hi Helene, I haven’t tested that but if you happen to experiment, I’d love to know how you like that!
Hi Natasha! I made these cupcakes, and they turned out awesome! Instead of making ‘cupcakes’, I made the dough into cake pops! They were amazing!! Thank you so much!
(PS: My name is Isabela, and I love all your recipes! I have been a long time subscriber, too! I am 14 years old :)) I am a huge supporter of your business, and you inspired me! Now I own a home-bakery. (And by the way, I am Russian😊) Thank you!!)
Hi Isabela, nice to know that it was awesome as cake pops too! Thank you for sharing that with us, that is so useful.
beautiful flavour and texture! And they rose so perfectly too, will definitely be using this recipe again in the future!
I’m so happy you enjoyed that. Thank you for sharing that with us, Manu!
I love the cupcakes I make them a lot and my family loves it thanks for the amazing recipe
By the way, I’m 11 and u explain really well
Wow! That’s amazing, keep it up. I am so happy your family enjoys these cupcakes.
Do you have any gluten free cake recopies? very hard to find and expensive Thanks you
Hi Linda, my Almond Cake is gluten-free and so is the chocolate souffle recipe.
These cupcakes are the best!!! Yesterday I tried a different cupcake recipe… and it was a horrible fail – I had to throw them out. (Part of it was my fault…the butter was not at room temperature.) So I was determined to find and bake a better cupcake and came upon your recipe. I was specifically looking for one that didn’t use vegetable oil. I carefully followed the directions and oh my, they are delicious and the texture is PERFECT! I never have to use a box mix again!
Thanks for trying out this recipe, Peggy. I’m glad you loved it! Thank you so much for your awesome comments and feedback.
I had really high expectations for this one as it has very high reviews. But the cupcakes were dry and crumbly even though I followed the recipe as per instructions.
The frosting recipe was good though and saved it from going into dustbin.
I’m sorry to hear that. One of the most common reasons for dry cake/cupcakes is overbaking or using too much flour. Flour settles easily and becomes tightly packed in its container. Make sure you’re not scooping up packed flour, fluff it up a bit beforehand using a large spoon, then spoon the flour into your measuring cup and scrape off the excess making it level by using the back of a butter knife. I would also check the cupcakes a couple of mins earlier, as soon as a toothpick comes out clean, they are done! I hope this helps.
Hi I finished the batter but it looks really seperated will it be okay after baking it or do I have to start over. Please tell me what I didi wrong.
Hi Stella, it can look a little grainy if the temperature of the ingredients was a little too cool. I have had that happen and it still worked well in the end product.
Hello. I would like to try this recipe. Do you have this recipe using weight measurements in grams?
Hi Sharon, If you scroll down to our printable recipe card, most of our recipes have a metric conversion option on the printable recipe card. We are currently working on adding metric measurements to all of our recipes, but it is taking some time to add them one at a time. Thank you so much for being patient! In the meantime, check out our post on measuring which should help.
Hey Natasha! These cupcakes are super good! I could not believe what I was eating!
I’m so glad you enjoyed it! Thank you for the wonderful review, Angela!
Made this for my son’s birthday two days ago and everyone loved it! It was Ahh-mazing! It’s moist, melt in the mouth.. sooo delicious! Thank you Natasha for sharing your recipe! This one’s definitely a keeper! ❤️
Happy Birthday to your son! I’m so glad this was a hit!
I’ve made this recipe twice, and each time the cupcakes come out dense like pancakes. I think i might have used too much baking powder, but i thought I’d get an expert opinion before i try again.
Hi Magnus, I recommend ensuring your ingredients are not expired – especially the baking powder. Also, ensure you don’t add too much flour. Be sure to measure by fluffing the flour first with a spoon then spoon it into a dry ingredient measuring cup and scrape off the top. If you push your measuring cup into a flour bin, you will get up to 25% too much flour. Also, do not tap the flour down in the measuring cup.
Please help! I don’t have buttermilk in Mexico, any substitute that I can use?
They look amazing ! I can’t wait to try them! And neither my kids! Thank you!
Hi Maria, 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.