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.
Just made this with granddaughter…. didn’t have buttermilk, used vanilla yogurt. One taste n I immediately saved to Pinterest. 🥰
You can also just melt the butter, mix together all dry ingredients, mix all liquid ingredients and combine and they taste the same and reduce mess and time considerably
Hi Maranda! You can, but we prefer the texture and results from creaming the butter and sugar. It’s an essential step to achieve a light, fluffy, and tender cake.
I have Made these so many times, including my twins first birthday and they were a hit! My husband loves it when he comes home to these cupcakes. He especially loves the frosting and he usually doesn’t go for sweets!
I thought these turned out nicely. I like that they aren’t too sweet since they will be loaded with sugary icing. I didn’t have buttermilk, so I mixed 1/4 c fat free Greek yogurt with 1/4 c unsweetened/unflavored almond milk. The texture came out to be a nice soft airy sponge. Since we have a bunch of little grands this works just fine. Less crumbs! I did beat the butter/ sugar a little longer than five minutes, scraping bowl about 3 times until it was a nice pale yellow. I do plan to double the recipe next time and was wondering if you had any additional tips.
I’m so happy you enjoyed that. Thank you for sharing that with us, Susan!
Gotta agree with the reviews. This is NOT a good recipe. I am a very experienced baker and mine came out with exact taste and texture of cornbread. Had to throw everything away. Do not waste your time or ingredients.
I’m sorry to hear they didn’t turn out as expected. A cornbread-like texture is usually a result from using too much flour, over-mixing your batter, or leavening issues. Also, be sure to use room temperature ingredients, as instructed. It will helps ensure a soft, even crumb.
I came to red the recipe first before baking. I read somewhere that in order to avoid vanilla/white cake tasting like cornbread is to use cake flour. I have wasted so many ingredients on “the best”, “perfect”, or “the only cupcake…” recipes to know I’ll never again touch one that uses AP flour.
I’M NOT CRAZY!!! I am an experienced baker. I wanted to try a new vanilla cupcake recipe. I tried this one. VERY DISAPPOINTED!!! As I read the comments, I agree…TOO DENSE! Very little flavor. Over all bad recipe. Again, I am not a novice baker. I served as the head baker for Panera a few years back. THIS IS DEFINITELY NOT THE PERFECT VANILLA CUPCAKE RECIPE! Natasha, I am not familiar with any of your other recipes and I am sure you are a wonderful baker. This is NOT your best recipe.
Hi there! Please watch my tutorial on How to Measure Ingredients (Wet and Dry). The most common reason is using too much flour. A few other things to check, make sure your baking powder is not old or expired. I highly encourage using an internal oven thermometer (affiliate link) to check for accuracy and make sure to fully preheat your oven before hand. If the temperature is too low, they won’t rise quickly, leading to a dense texture. Lastly, ensure your ingredients are at room temperature, and don’t overmix the batter. I hope that helps.
Hi have you ever made these into mini cupcakes?
Hello! One of readers shared this in the comments section at the bottom “I also baked these in my mini cupcake pan and it worked!! I just kept an eye on it for time, but they are delicious!” Hope that helps.
Hi Natasha,
I used to make the the recipe with vegetable oil and the cupcakes came out light and airy. I find the new recipe with butter to be more dense. Are you able to please share the recipe with oil again? It was my go to!
Hi Heidi! You can find the old recipe using this Internet archive website.
Is there a direct link? I also want the original recipe! I used it a lot when my kids were young, and came to get it today. I tried the Wayback link, but when I search for the recipe it doesn’t appear.
Hello Lin. Were you ever able to find the veg oil recipe?
Can you please just respond with the old recipe? the website you provided is not working.
Hello! I tried it and it still works. Just paste the link to the recipe and click the date.
I haven’t made these cupcakes yet, but I am wondering…Do you need buttermilk, or can I use regular milk?
Hello there! Plain kefir will also work well instead of buttermilk. You can also make your own buttermilk at a ratio of whole milk to 1 Tbsp fresh lemon juice. Combine and let it sit 10 minutes to curdle then stir and use.
I used regular milk
And also vege oil instead of butter
Comes out fluffy
They always come out way too dense – I’ve tried this recipe a few times and they’re never serve-worthy, and I have to make a whole new batch. I’m not sure why they’re so highly rated.
Hi Katie! Please watch my tutorial on How to Measure Ingredients (Wet and Dry). The most common reason is using too much flour. A few other things to check, make sure your baking powder is not old or expired. I highly encourage using an internal oven thermometer (affiliate link) to check for accuracy and make sure to fully preheat your oven before hand. If the temperature is too low, they won’t rise quickly, leading to a dense texture. Lastly, ensure your ingredients are at room temperature, and don’t overmix the batter. I hope that helps.
this is the best cupcake recipe ever!!!!!!! I always use your recipe and it never disappoints.
these were incredibly dense and dry, borderline inedible the next day. I used the spoon and level technique for flour, used room temp ingredients, and was careful to not over mix.
I’m sorry to hear that, Katie! These get rave reviews. Did you refrigerate them? If so, be sure to allow them to sit for an hour or so before eating. Because the batter has butter, it hardens up in the cold so letting them sit to warm up will yield a softer and more moist crumb.
I tried this receipe and they came out very nice. It’s soft and the rise evenly. I will always bake them.
They came out extremely dense and almost like corn bread texture
Hi Ella! It’s likely that the batter was over mixed and you used too much flour. I have a tutorial on how to measure ingredients here.
Also- be sure that your ingredients are the right temperature as instructed in the recipe card.
Hi,
I did this cupcakes and they are delicious! The only problem it was that my liners where all greasy. Do you know the reason please?
Thank you in advanced and thank you for all the recipes!
Natasha)) you were right!! The best cupcakes and is the only recipe I will be using!! My kids love it! I made some for their weekly snacks and my daughter took some to school to share with her BFF :)! I also baked these in my mini cupcake pan and it worked!! I just kept an eye on it for time, but they are delicious!! This week I made them again and added some rainbow sprinkles and did some with chocolate sprinkles since I didn’t do frosting (is hard to pack for kids with frosting)Thank you!!
That’s just awesome! Thank you for sharing your wonderful review, Yolanda! That is the best when kids love what we moms make. That’s so great!
I added sprinkles, and put it in a jumbo tin. Turned out great! Just let them bake for a little bit longer. Just follow the recipe and it’ll turn out correctly.
Is it possible to add starberries to this recipe? My daughter requested starberry cupcakes for her birthday, wondering if I could finally chop some strawberries into the batter or what would work best. Thank you!
Hi Gabriela! I haven’t tested any add-ins. I think it would, just be careful not to add too much to weigh down the batter.
Also- these cupcakes would great to fill with jam or fruit filling too.
If I’m using a stand mixer, what attachment should I use?
Hello! If you will be using a stand mixer, the best attachment to use would be the paddle attachment (also known as the flat beater). Hope you love it!
Loved the batter! But the cupcakes did not turn out great. They were gummy and a bit dense. I followed the recipe exactly (only difference was that I made my own buttermilk with your recipe of whole milk and lemon juice) and baked at 350 for 20 minutes. What went wrong? How can I prevent gummy and get fluffy?
Hi Mya! This most often happens if your batter gets over mixed- it makes them gummy. Also, please watch my tutorial on How to Measure Ingredients to ensure you’re measuring your flour correctly. Using too much flour will result in a dense crumb.
I thought these were great! Only thing I’m wondering is, can I add more powdered sugar to the frosting recipe so that it is stiffer for decorative piping?
Hi there! Feel free to add more sugar to the frosting to nmake it stiffer for piping. Just be careful not to add too much because adding too much sugar could make it sweeter than you’d like, so taste as you go!
Can I make these cupcakes and freeze them to use 2 weeks later?
Hello Lori! Yes you can make them ahead, let them cool completely, wrap them individually, store them in the freezer for up to 2–3 months. Make sure to add the date in the label so you know when you made them.