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! what would be a substitute for buttermilk? could I use almond milk or does it have to be plain kefir or buttermilk?
Hi Elli! I haven’t tried using just almond milk or non-dairy milk. 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.
Hi,
Can I use cake flour instead of all purpose flour?
I like the texture of cake flour when baking.
Hi Paula, I have not tested it but one of my readers said, “ I used cake flour instead of all-purpose flour the cupcakes turned out very dense, but still very delicious.” I don’t know if the cake flour had something to do with it. I hope that helps.
I made these today as it is my birthday… They are too dense . My kids love cupcakes and they did not like these
Hi Sarah! I’m sorry to hear that. Dense cupcakes are most likely due to using too much flour or over-mixing the batter. I have a tutorial on how to measure ingredients HERE.
I used this recipe for my uncle birthday. I had the same outcome and followed the instruction to the T. If I had time and extra money I’d would have found a new recipe and remade them. They’ll have to do for now. I’ll just explain to everyone.
Hi Crystal! I’m sorry you ended up with dense cupcakes. We have excellent results using this recipe. It is well-loved on our website with excellent reviews. Dense and dry cupcakes are usually a result of using too much flour, not measuring wet/dry ingredients correctly, over-mixing the batter, or over-baking. I highly recommend using an internal oven thermometer to see how your oven heats, every oven bakes differently and adjustments may need to be made. Also, see my tutorial on how to measure ingredients correctly, HERE. I hope that helps in your future baking endeavors. 🙂
Hi Natasha, I’ve only tried this recipe once, and I’m sure that I followed it correctly, but after cooling, I found that the cupcakes and the liner were quite greasy. It’s possible I added too much bitter, but I don’t think I did…is there anything else that could have caused that? Perhaps not mixing for the whole 5 minutes?
Thank you
Hi Rachel, are you using the correct amount of butter? 1/2 cup = 8 Tbsp of butter. Also, make sure it’s softened and not melted. It could be the mixing if that is the only thing that was changed. I haven’t had that experience where the liner turned out greasy.
The BEST cupcake ever. They were delicious and I will be making them often!
Great recipe! I used cake flour instead of all purpose flour the cupcakes turned out very dense, but still very delicious.
I thought I measured the flour exactly and made sure it wasn’t packed in, but this is my first time trying cake flour in cupcake recipes so I’m assuming my change of flours is what did it and not the fault of the recipe. 😊
Actually, I also used pure vanilla bean paste instead of pure vanilla, but I’m not sure if that would have been significant enough to make a difference.
Would adding a little oil into the batter into a thick batter be a reasonable fix if it happens again?
The taste of the cake was beautiful! Thanks for the recipe!
Hi Christy! I’m glad you loved the taste of these cupcakes. I always recommend making the recipe first as instructed and then making adjustments/substitutions from there. I have not tested this with cake flour to advise on what the issue would have been. Dense cupcakes usually result from too much flour. Here is a helpful tutorial on how I measure ingredients, HERE.
Best recipe ever! My kiddos loved it and cupcakes are so fluffy. First time making cupcakes and they were a hit with my kids! Thank you
That is the best when kids love what we parents make. That’s so great!
hi, im nevaeh. I love baking and this cupcakes where amazing thanks for the recipe my fam loved them. YOUR AMAZING
It’s wonderful to meet you and thank you for your kind message.
didnt turn out very nice. there was a film of wet moisture on top and I followed the recipe exactly. I did however use oat milk instead. wont be making these again.
Hi Kim, I haven’t had that experience and I suspect it was the substitution of oat milk that might be the culprit. I haven’t tested that in this recipe but it’s good to know it does not work well.
Cupcakes shrink considerably when cooling. What could be causing this? Lovely dome when pulled out of oven, then it’s like they deflate in just minutes.
Hi Lisa. I’m happy to help troubleshoot. A couple of things to check. Make sure your baking powder is not expired and that your oven is fully preheated before putting in the cupcakes. Often times this could be due to the oven temperature so I recommend using an internal oven thermometer to check and see how your oven is heating. You may also find my tutorial on how to measure your ingredients correctly, HERE helpful. Measuring correctly will ensure the most consistent and a well-balanced batter. Be sure to not over-mix your batter. I hope this helps.
Heavy batter. More like a muffin. Not tasty, not bad , just not good.
Sorry to hear that. Did you make any substitutions or do anything differently? I have not had that experience with this recipe. A dense and heavy batter is usually due to using too much flour. Watch my tutorial to see how to measure your ingredients HERE.
I couldn’t place the texture but yes, definitely like a muffin. Maybe even more so.
Can I just use regular milk as I don’t even like butter milk make me sick to my stomach even just the smell of it
Hi Pearl, yes you can, but the buttermilk is what gives this cake its amazing crumb and texture. You can also make your own buttermilk at home using 1 cup of milk to 1 tbsp of white vinegar, stir and let sit for 5-10 mins until curdled. This is not quite like store-bought buttermilk so it may not effect you the same way but this substitution works really well in place of buttermilk in cakes.
We made these cupcakes and they were absolutely amazing! Can I add sprinkles into the cupcake batter to make it into a confetti cupcake?
Awesome, thanks for the great review! I’m sure that will be a good addition to these cupcakes.
The cupcake was really good, but the icing came out soupy. Any advice?
Hi Brie, there are several factors. It could be because o using too much cream, overbeating the mixture, or using more egg white than necessary. I recommend rewatching the video and making sure that the ingredients were all measured correctly too.
Amazing!!! I am usually not a great baker because I don’t have patience to follow all the steps but this time I did – followed the recipe to a tee and they were absolutely perfect!!
Very nice and great job! I hope you’ll love all the recipes that you will try.
Would these cupcakes taste good with oreo frosting?Great cupcakes though i personally dont like vanilla added so i dont put it and it tastes great.
Hi Emma! This recipe is versatile. I think Oreo frosting would be great.
Making these tomorrow! I bought all of the ingredients but forgot buttermilk. 🙁 do you think that it would be possible to substitute it with plain yogurt? It’s a organic brand and pretty runny.
Hi Kristina! I haven’t tested it but that may work. You can also make your own buttermilk with 1 cup milk and 1 tbsp vinegar. Stir and let sit for 5-10 mins until it curdles and its ready to use.
Hello going to try soon. Is it possible to use whole milk instead of buttermilk? Would it make a difference
Hi Misa! Buttermilk gives this the best texture and flavor. You could use whole milk to make your own buttermilk. 1 cup milk and 1 tbsp white vinegar, stir and let sit for 5-10mins until it curdles and its ready.
If I’m using Jumbo cupcake liners/pan what does bake time change to? Thanks
Hi Mo! I have not made this in the jumbo version to advise. You will have to keep an eye on them and start with an extra minute at a time.
Thanks so much Natasha for another amazing recipe!
I am about to make this for my son’s birthday for his classmates. I am wondering is it ok if I double the ingredients to make 24 cupcakes? Or better to do each dozen separately?
Yes, you may double the recipe. If doubling the recipe, I would recommend using the same ingredients without substitutions, otherwise, it’s a guessing game and needs testing.
I usually use a scale to measure how many grams I need when I bake. May I ask how many grams is equivalent to your 1 cup？
Hi Lolo, click on “metric” in the recipe card and you will be able to see the grams.
Hi Natasha
can i substitute the butter with sunflower oil?
Hi Carlyn, I haven’t tested that so I can’t make that recommendation.
Thank you for your response Much appreciated kind regards xx