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.
Made these for the grandkids and they were delicious. I did use 2% milk because I didn’t have buttermilk and they were still great!
I’m so glad you enjoyed these, Sharon!
Hi there 🙂
Can I try this recipe even without using milk at all?
The milk is an important ingredient for the flavor and texture of these cupcakes.
Can’t wait to try these, can you please tell me how long do they keep for?
You can keep them in an airtight container in the refrigerator for 3-5 days. They will try out and become more stale the longer you keep them. They are best fresh and the next day.
These seriously are the best! Especially together with your frosting! 🧁🧁🧁
I’m so happy you enjoyed that. Thank you for sharing that with us, Soné!
Hi Natasha, I was thinking to use this recipe which seems great by the way but i have a question, if you dont have an eletric whisk can you use a wooden spoon ?:)
I’m not sure how will that work. When you are mixing in the dry ingredients, you just want to mix enough that there are no more dry streaks and everything looks well incorporated. It would be very hard to cream the sugar and butter to the right consistency by hand, so I highly recommend an electric mixer for that part.
Great recipe, I think 20 minutes is way too long. Closer to12 minutes is probably perfect
Hi Kendall, if using normal bake mode in a full size oven it takes about 20 minutes. I’m glad you loved the recipe.
Hi Natasha, its better to use low fat buttermilk or the regular one for best results?
I haven’t tried low fat but the regular one is what I use.
If i dont have butter can i replace with oil? And same measurement? Thanks
Hi Adrianne, this is a butter-based cake. I have not tested this recipe with oil.
My cupcakes had a small amount of texture like foam on the side of a couple what did I do wrong
Hi Sherry! I have not experienced that before. Did you make any substitutions to the recipe? I wonder if there was too much baking powder or if your batter was over mixed?
Make sure your ingredients (eggs, butter, buttermilk) are room temperature so that there is a proper emulsion of the ingredients. For best results, I also recommend using an Internal oven thermometer (affiliate link) to ensure the oven is at the right temperature.
I hope that helps.
Very delicious.. I did a few things to add to the recipe. One of them was warmed my milk. And the other I added one and a half teaspoons of oil. Thank you
Hi Shanda! Thank you for sharing. I’m glad you loved it.
What is the weight for the flour? I prefer weight when it comes to flour since a cup is not a cup is not a cup depending on humidity, type of flour etc.
Hi Brittany, 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.
Your recipe also has a way to increase the amount of cupcakes. Is that accurate? I found, but just increasing the recipe or doubling the batch it’s not quite the same. What is your thoughts?
Hi Yvonne! I have found that the tool on the website to increase the recipe is accurate. It doesn’t change the amounts in the instructions/steps written in the recipe card but it does change the ingredient list.
My granddaughter and I made these this morning, they were perfectly moist and tender with great flavor. This will be my go-to vanilla cupcake recipe. We ice them with chocolate icing because that’s what she preferred. Easy peasy to follow. Thank you for this delicious recipe!
That’s wonderful Judith! I’m so glad to hear that. Thank you for the feedback.
Can these cupcakes be frozen? In either a ziploc bag or freezer container?
Hi LuAnn, yes, You can store them in an airtight container at room temperature (without the frosting) for 1-2 days or refrigerate for longer. You can also freeze them for longer and then thaw them before frosting. They are best eaten fresh or within the first day or two.
I would like to make strawberry frosting using this recipe. Can you tell me how much dehydrated strawberries to use?
Hi Catherine. I haven’t tested that to advise.
Hi Natasha me again so I wanted to ask if I wanted to make 24 cupcakes what should my measurements be
Hi Nadine! In the recipe card, you can increase the number of servings and it will convert the ingredient list for you.
Hi Nadine! Tou can double it if you have a bowl large enough to incorporate all the ingredients well without over-mixing the batter. Also, it’s best to bake it right away and not let the batter sit so if your oven can accommodate that many cupcakes then you should be fine doubling the recipe.
Hi Natasha it’s me again so I tried the cake and it was amazing it was so soft and I used a whisk to make it definitely recommend we almost finished the cupcakes already
That’s awesome and great! So glad to hear that it was a huge hit. Thanks for sharing, Nadine.
Hi Natasha I have a question so can I use a whisk and if I do how long do I whisk it and how many strokes
Hi Nadine. I don’t have a specific number. When you are mixing in the dry ingredients, you just want to mix enough that there are no more dry streaks and everything looks well incorporated. It would be very hard to cream the sugar and butter to the right consistency by hand, so I highly recommend an electric mixer for that part.
Hello. I had lots of issues with this recipe. It made 18, not 12. They only took 15 min to bake, not 20-23. They had a very dry tough texture, and I’m pretty sure I didn’t use too much flour over mixed the batter. The flavor is good, but I was hoping for a softer, luxurious texture and it was more like cornbread. 😕
Hi Elizabeth, were you possibly using smaller cupcakes molds? If using smaller molds its likely the bake time will need to be decreased also.
Hi Natasha , I made the cupcakes and they turned out great but I was wondering what type of sugar did you use?
Hi Maia, we linked the exact sugar we used on the recipe card.
Thank you for adding me. I do so love all your recipes and your videos. The Lord bless you all.
Hi Hester! Welcome. I’m so glad you’re loving the recipes!
they’re ok… they taste like cornbread for some reason? also slightly tough. but aside from that they’re good!
Hi MW! This happens when you over-mix the batter. It releases more gluten and changes the texture. Also, be sure to measure your flour correctly. Using too much flour can cause them to be tough. I have a tutorial on how to measure ingredients. I hope that helps!
Hi. Originally the acidic buttermilk was needed to activate the baking soda but since you swapped it out for the baking powder, why are you not just using regular milk? Wouldn’t the extra acid throw off the basic-acidic balance of the baking powder? There is nothing else basic in the recipe so unsure of the acidic buttermilk. Thanks
Teresa
Hi Teresa! There are other benefits to using buttermilk. Buttermilk is a tenderizer so it makes the cake moist. It’s also tangy and provides great flavor and balances the sweetness. You can also use regular milk if you prefer.