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.
So I decided to give this a try today. Your recipe looks SO good. I did double it.
Let me preface this by saying… I can make amazing food, but for some reason cake is my kryptonite. I just can’t do it.
Okay, now for how it went. I followed along and I’m thinking maybe my butter wasn’t soft enough, could be a factor. But my biggest mistake was thinking I could DIY buttermilk by using 1c 1% milk an 1T lime juice. As someone who has never in my life seen or used buttermilk… I just assumed this was okay. Probably was the reason here for my downfall. I ended up with strange spongy textured, cornbread like cupcakes… however, I have toddles and they enjoyed it so that’s a win. However, I’ll be adding buttermilk to my grocery order and will try this again. Will update!
Hi Ruby. Thank you for sharing that with us. Mixing one cup of milk with 1 tablespoon of lemon juice or white vinegar has worked successfully for me in the past. Buttermilk is still the best option but that substitution works just fine here.
Typically, dense or cornbread like texture is due to a few different reasons- over mixing the batter, using too much flour, or the butter being too cold, or eggs/milk not at room temperature which makes it difficult for the ingredients to blend together properly without over-mixing.
You can watch my tutorial How to Measure Ingredients (Wet and Dry) VIDEO here. I hope that helps!
Thank you! Probably made ALL of those mistakes too 😂
I have just set out all of the needed ingredients that need to reach room temp, and I made sure to get the proper buttermilk. Will update later !
You’re welcome! I hope it turns out well this time.
Can I double the ingredients and make 24 cupcakes? Thanks 🙂
Yes you can! Enjoy the cupcakes!
My family love them so much! 😍 I want to make 24 mini cupcakes for my sons nursery and I think the same amount of the ingredients would work just fine ?
Hi Beatrise, 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.
in love 😍😍
I’m so glad you enjoyed it!
Hi Natasha, I’m looking to make funfetti cupcakes, is this a good base for that? Could I just add in sprinkles or should I adjust something? And would a cup of sprinkles be an appropriate amount?
Hi Leyna, I love the idea of funfetti cupcakes!! I bet that could work. Here’s what one of my readers wrote “I also used half a bottle of sprinkles and folded them into the batter to turn them into funfetti cupcakes. They turned out great!” I hope this helps.
Hi Natasha.
Would this frosting, or white chocolate frosting be stable enough to use on a birthday cake? To cover it?
Thanks:)
Hi! Yes this frosting (or a white chocolate version) is stable enough for a birthday cake if kept cool.
Dear Natasha,
I just tried your vanilla cupcake recipe — and it’s absolutely perfect!
The cupcakes came out soft, fluffy, and full of wonderful vanilla flavor.
Thank you so much for sharing such a delightful recipe — it’s now one of my favourites!
Warm greetings and gratitude,
Joanna
So I loved the cupcakes and they came out very good and moist. I think I overfilled them a bit but it was the only way to use the whole batter for the 24 muffin pan, so I hat to trim them a bit before frosting them. My issue is the liners came out very greasy, with even some greasy pearls in the bottom when I removed them. Why is that?
Hi Bea! It can be several reasons. The oven running too hot, the liners being too full which affects how they bake and the fat can separate and pool at the bottom. It could also be the quality of the liners. To help avoid that, use parchment or “grease-proof” liners (look for brands labeled grease-resistant).
Make sure to remove them to finish cooling on a cooling rack. If they sit too long in the cupcake pan, the liners will be more wet and greasy. You can let then cool on a paper towel to help absorb moisture and grease.
I know it’s not the oven because I checked the temperature and I did remove them quickly from pan to cooling rack so it has to be the liners. Thanks 🙂
I thought they turn out really dry. The longer they set I think the worse they got. Lol I made them for a baby shower. I’m a natural born Baker so I went right by the recipe. I mean I did have compliments on them.
Hi Debbie! The most common reason for dry cupcakes is over baking or using too much flour. I have a tutorial on How to Measure Ingredients (Wet and Dry) here.
Just made this recipe for the first time. I didn’t have buttermilk, so I substituted with regular milk and did half butter/half oil for the added moisture. I also used cake flour instead of AP flour. They are SO good. Super light and fluffy.
For anyone worried about overmixing, I folded the milk and flour mixture in by hand using a flexible spatula, then just used my hand mixer for about 20 seconds on medium-low at the very end to make sure I didn’t have lumps. That worked for me!
Only recipe I use for vanilla cupcakes-so good!
This recipe was easy and they came out delicious. I will be using this recipe from now on, thank you thank you!!!
Hi, Natasha
I love the cupcake recipe, but I find it too sweet, can I adjust the sugar to 1/2 cup instead of 3/4 cup ?
Hello Janice, sugar plays a big part in the moisture and texture of the cake, using less could result in a dry cake.
hey! thanks for the recipe.
are the cupcakes freezable?
Hi Bernardo, Yes, you can make them, make sure they cool all the way, and store them in the freezer in an airtight container, or wrapped well in saran wrap.
Whoops! Meant to give you 5 stars on this recipe, not 4! It’s fantastic!
Hi, Natasha! I absolutely love this recipe, but would you happen to know how long to bake for mini cupcakes with this recipe? I’m trying to make some for a birthday party!
I’m glad to hear that you love it! That should be fine. Likely will take closer to 12mins to bake, so keep an eye on them.
Hi! I’m wanting to make your vanilla and chocolate cupcakes for my son’s 1st birthday party. Can I make them ahead of time and freeze them undecorated?
Hi Natasha! Yes, you can name them, cool them, and store them in the freezer in an airtight container, or wrapped well in cling wrap.
Loved it but I did it the lazy girl way. I just put it all in my vitamix blender. I also didn’t have buttermilk so I used whey from homemade yogurt. They turned out perfect. They were so moist I didn’t even use frosting.
This is the best vanilla cupcake recipe I have ever made & I have been baking for 50 years! Thank you.
That’s so great! It sounds like you have a new favorite, Linda!
Hi! I have a question. If I don’t have buttermilk, can I use something else as an alternative?
Hi Sabreen. Yes, see my notes in the common questions sections above for alternatives recommended.