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 dairy-free by substituting the buttermilk with 1/2 tsp apple cider vinegar poured into a half-cup measure and filled to the brim with almond milk. I Used plant based butter in lie of the butter.
I also used bourbon vanilla paste instead of vanilla extract. It’s just what I had on hand.
They tasted great.
Thank you for sharing that with half Kaytee!
Hi Natasha I have made these twice and I can’t get them to rise.the flavour is great don’t know what is going on .i have been asked to make 180 for a wedding I need your advice help please. I love my cookbook and all the little family bits you put in.
Hi Barbara, I would check your leavening ingredients to ensure they are not expired. Are you possibly using a different size cupcake? I would check the video and recipe again for any steps that may be missed. Also, ensure you are using baking powder and not baking soda.
Hi Natasha. I made both the vanilla and the dark chocolate cupcakes for my granddaughter’s 4th birthday, topped with the cream cheese icing tinted pink). The recipes were a success and the cupcakes were a hit! I highly recommend your recipes – thank you!
That’s wonderful to hear, Carolyn! Thanks so much for sharing.
They are fabulous, a little dull, but other than that I adored them
I’m so glad you enjoyed it, Karen.
Just made these for the first time! Made a test batch before making them for my nephew birthday. I will never go back to boxed cupcakes!!
This recipe is a definite winner and my family loves them!
One question, mine didn’t puff up, they sunk down after I took them out of the oven.
I had to make my own buttermilk.
Any suggestions to make them puff up on the top?
Thank you for a great recipe!!
Hi Monika! I’m glad you’re loving this recipe.
Be sure to fully preheat your oven before you bake them. I highly encourage the use of an internal oven thermometer (Amazon affiliate link) to ensure your oven is heating correctly. Mine registers 25 degrees less than what my oven screen says.
I would also check that the leaving agent is measured corrected and that it’s not expired, and still active.
Avoid opening the oven during baking, the change in temperature can cause the cake to deflate. I hope that helps troubleshoot.
Made these last night and it’s a good recipe i would try again with some tweaking. I would want to figure out why they weren’t airy and a little less tough. Any ideas what might have made them that way?
Hi Jenn! The most common reasons for that would be over-mixing the batter or using too much flour. Please watch my tutorial on How to measure ingredients here.
I have made this recipe soo many times and it’s now a family favorite! I was wondering if you think it would be possible to add sprinkles to do a funfetti version?!
Hi Jenna! I’m glad you love it. I haven’t tested it myself. I assume it could work fine. I would use jimmies – the long rainbow sprinkles. Nonpareils (little round sprinkles) are more prone to bleeding.
Hi Natasha! Can I substitute sour cream for cream cheese? I love the idea of incorporating heavy whipping cream, but I don’t like the thickness of cream cheese.
Hi Marci! I’m not sure how that would turn out. I worry it would be too runny.
I watched the video tutorial and saw that you thoroughly mixed the flour into the batter. Most recipes say don’t over mix, so I was wondering if this recipe does indeed call for mixing it like that or if I should not overmix. I just wanna make sure I do it right. Can’t wait to try this recipe! 😊
Hi Amirah. That’s correct, you don’t want to over-mix the batter but following this recipe as I did in the video, it was not over mixed.
I hope you love the recipe!
Hands down the best cupcakes ever. I make those every year for my son’s birthday and everyone asks where I get them from. They don’t believe I made them!!
Thank you for your wonderful feedback,. Allysa!
I followed the recipe exactly, but feel like my cupcakes came out more crumbly than cake-y. They kind of remind me of a softer cornbread consistency. Any ideas?
Hi Stephaneie, did you possibly use 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.
Hi Natasha, I make several of your recipes and love them all.
My question is, can I make the icing and freeze it for later. Thank you
Dianne Frame
Hi Dianne! The cupcake frosting I used in this recipe (heavy cream with cream cheese) does not freeze well. If you want a freezer friendly frosting, you may consider my vanilla buttercream frosting.
I made these and and they were wonderful! I was wondering if I wanted chocolate ones if I could just add cocoa powder to the recipe.
Hi Andi! I haven’t tested cocoa powder in this specific recipe to advise. I recommend my easy chocolate cupcake recipe.
These cupcakes were so scrmptios i ate 18 of them at once! Thank so much for this recipe I LOVED ITTTTT. Amazing work on this recipe thanks for posting these scrumptious cupcakes
Wow, that’s a lot of cupcakes!!!
These are my fave cupcakes! They are simple, but so delicious. They have a soft airy crumb. I make these anytime I want a cupcake. I prefer them to a box cake mix for sure. Thanks Natasha.
That’s wonderful to hear, Katy!
I am disappointed . It’s usually my cupcakes moist and test good . Don’t recommend this recipe .
Hi Irina, I’m sorry to hear these didn’t work out for you. Did you change anything in the recipe? I highly recommend watching the video to see where things may have started looking different with your cupcakes.
I made these for a ladies game night dessert! So delicious! Moist and tasty. I made with Natasha’s Vanilla Cupcake frosting (which made more than I needed for the cupcakes, however that wasn’t a problem for me, I just ate some of the frosting with a spoon). If the frosting doesn’t touch a cupcake I heard that it is calorie free 😉
Hi Wendy! That’s great to hear. Thanks so much for sharing!
Also if I need to flavor them with fruit flavours, do you recommend adding fruit purees to the batter?
Hi Aarthy, I haven’t tried adding a fruit puree to the batter itself to advise. If you experiment, let me know how you liked the recipe.
Hi, I tried these out. It was soft and moist and great until I stored them in air tight container in refrigerator after frosting. Then we thawed for 30 mins yet it was dry and crumbly. Any tips on how to keep them moist and avoid drying out?
Hi Aarti, Once the cupcakes have cooled, you can store them in an air-tight container at room temperature. If you are frosting them, they should be refrigerated. Let them come to room temperature before consuming them, this will help them get softer. Also- be sure to measure your flour correctly. Using too much flour or over-baking can cause them to be dry. I have a tutorial on how to measure ingredients to help.
Can I use something other than buttermilk or kefir? This recipe looks great but I don’t have those items to use.
Hi Sabrina. You can make your own buttermilk using 1 cup milk with 1 tbsp lemon juice or white vinegar. Stir and let it sit for 5-10mins and it’s ready to use.
These cupcakes are so good they don’t need frosting. I ate ten of them in one day and I’m an ordinary size person (for now).
That’s so great! It sounds like you have a new favorite, Lisa! I’m so glad you love it!