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.
Love the recipe!
I just tried it for my daughter’s graduation party. It’s moist, light and delicious!
I’m so happy you enjoyed that. Thank you for sharing that with us, Kay!
Can I use this recipe for mini cupcakes and how long should I bake them?
Hi Jeannie! That should be fine. Likely will take closer to 12mins to bake, so keep an eye on them.
My fav cupcakes ever ! Thank you Natasha 💓
You’re so welcome, Beata! I’m so glad you enjoyed it!
Hi Natasha! Thank you for answering about the frosting. I realized soon that I should add the flavoring before mixing the cream cheese mixture with the whipped cream or else it flattens the cream. Can I whip it again after mixing the cream cheese and the whipped cream?
For this cupcake recipe, I wanted to make mini cupcakes so I used this recipe but baked for 10 mins. It turned out a bit dense, maybe because I over beat the mixture. Is there anything else you can recommend for making mini cupcakes with this recipe? Thank you!!
You can gently re-whip it on low to medium speed to fluff up if it’s deflated. If it’s separated, curdled, or grainy- it has been over whipped and it won’t help.
Regarding sense cupcakes, over mixing the batter and using too much flour are the most common causes. Be sure to measure your flour correctly. Watch my How to Measure Ingredients (Wet and Dry) VIDEO.
Are the calories for cupcake and frosting total on nutrition info or just cupcake without frosting
Hi Richard, the nutrition label is just for the cupcake. The frosting is a separate recipe. I hope you love the vanilla cupcakes!
I have made this recipe countless times and the cupcakes are always moist and fluffy. This is my go to recipe. I don’t understand the corn meal reference, in my experience this recipe is the bomb.
Flavor is definitely delish – but like other comments – it’s a little corn-bready texture. Not fluffy like I was hoping.
This vanilla cupcake recipe is an absolute gem! The cupcakes turned out incredibly soft and fluffy, with a delightful vanilla flavor that wasn’t overpowering. The instructions were clear and easy to follow, making the baking process a breeze. I paired them with your vanilla frosting, and the combination was perfect. These cupcakes were a hit at our family gathering, and I received numerous compliments. Thank you for sharing such a wonderful recipe!
This recipe is fabulous,these cupcakes are so flavorful,moist and fluffy,this is now my go to recipe for vanilla cupcakes!
I’m so happy you loved it, Michele!
Hello Natasha,
Can I use cake flour instead of all purpose flour?
Hi Stacy! I have not tested cake flour but some of my viewers have. Some reported good results.
Completely ruined my cupcakes! I should’ve known that much baking soda was suspicious…
Hi Layla! We don’t use baking soda in this recipe, we use baking powder.
sorry thats what i meant…i swear i did use the baking powder as stated in the recipe
I made the blueberries muffins.
Absolutely amazing.was a hit for the family.
Love your recipes Natasha🥰
I’m so glad everyone loved it, Charmaine!
I used a kitchen aid in place of an electric handheld mixer. I think they were over mixed because they came out like cornbread like another comment said. I’m pretty sure I didn’t miss anything else though. I measured all the ingredients accurately and they came out very salty like they had a ton of baking soda in them. Which is wild because there’s no baking soda in them.
Hi Lauren! I’m sorry to hear that. Yes, over-mixing can definitely be a cause. Did you use unsalted butter? If you are using salted butter, you will need to omit the salt. Also, make sure your ingredients are room temperature as instructed above to ensure a proper emulsion and even batter.
Hands down, this was the best recipe I’ve ever tried. It came out perfect and my little one loved it for Easter! Will definitely use this recipe (and only this recipe) for all celebrations 🙂
Hi! Just want to say I made them tonight. This is second time and they are so so very good! Thank you for the wonderful recipe!
That’s great to hear, Kerry!
Can I able use just whole milk instead buttermilk?
Buttermilk adds flavor and helps create the light and fluffy texture. If you don’t have buttermilk, you can make your own by mixing 1 cup of milk with 1 tbs lemon juice or white vinegar.
Hello, Natasha’s team! I made these cupcakes and enjoyed the taste very much. I have two questions:
1) When I add the 2nd egg, the mixture looks a bit curdled, is this normal?
2) My cupcakes got a crusty top, I’m not sure why.
Thanks!
Hi Alejandra, it can look a bit grainy and that is normal but shouldn’t look curdled. Make sure your ingredients are at room temperature which helps them blend together properly.
I have a question, please.
I don’t normally buy buttermilk, opting to make my own with fresh lemon juice or vinegar.
Do you think it will work in this recipe? And if so, do you think lemon or vinegar would work best?
Thank you!
Hi Beth, either would work, 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. I hope that helps.
Thank you Natasha. They came out amazing. Beautiful easy recipe with staple ingredients. This will be my go to recipe in the future. I am testing a few in the freezer to see if they still okay when defrosted.
You’re very welcome! So glad you loved it.
How do you store them, counter for up to 3 days with frosting ?
Hi there, it should be fine to keep it in room temperature for up to 3 days. Use an airtight container and keep them away from direct sunlight.
I’m glad I wasn’t the only one who thought these came out dense and like cornbread. I followed the directions exactly. Not sure I’d make these again. I have loved every recipe I’ve made from your website, and I have made A LOT! But this one just isn’t great. The only thing I may have done is slightly over mixed, but I’m hesitant to try again!
Hi Andrea, I’m sorry to hear these didn’t turn out as expected. Did you make any substitutions in the recipe? Over-mixing is definitely a culprit because it can develop gluten and create a tougher crumb. Also make sure to measure ingredients correctly since too much flour can make for dense cupcakes. Make sure ingredients are at room temperature. Lastly don’t over-bake which can dry out the cupcakes.
No substitutions. I did make my own buttermilk with milk/lemon juice. I have another batch in the oven as I write this. I used real buttermilk this time and I’m positive I didn’t over-mix. Fingers crossed!
Hi Natasha.
I have been making these cuo cakes and evertime they turn out fantastic.
But now, Can I make a loaf cake instead of cup cakes with the same recipe?
If so, for how long do I bake it?
Hi Rashida! I assume that would work fine, like my Vanilla Cake Recipe but I don’t have the instructions for how much batter you’ll need or how long to bake.
Perhaps try folding in the flour alternating with milk instead of beating with the mixer. That worked great for me.
Yes, this is key!! I’ve made these so many times without the stand mixer and always came out great, but the one time I did it with the stand mixer, they came out really dense.