There are tons of recipes for the most classic cupcake of them all. The vanilla cupcake! I have lost track on how many different recipes, that I have tried to myself. Some were good, some were bad and some failed to a disaster. There are many different opinions on what makes a good vanilla cupcake. So, no wonder why there are thousands of vanilla cupcake recipes out there.
I went through a stack of old recipes, and I were thrilled to find an old recipe for vanilla cupcakes. I remember them as a bit too greasy but with a good taste. So I decided to make some small modifications to the recipe and made a test batch. They came out great.
A perfect vanilla cupcake! That bake perfect too. Half of the paper cases were filled with a heaped tablespoon of batter and the rest were filled 3/4 full. They are good without frosting but they are certainly also good with a nice swirl of frosting on top. So far, I have tried them with Angel Feather Icing. It is a really good combination. I cannot wait to try them with other types of frosting.
These cupcakes are also good the next day. Would you like to try the classic vanilla cupcakes? Then scroll down for the recipe.
Vanilla Cupcakes
One of the best vanilla cupcake recipes that you will find.
This one is tested to be very good if you follow the directions and include all of the ingredients.
Ingredients
- 125 g (1/2 cup – 4 oz + a little less than a tbsp) unsalted butter (room temperature)
- 175 g (7/8 cup – 6 oz) white sugar
- 2 tsp vanilla extract or seeds from 1 vanilla bean
- 3 large eggs (room temperature)
- 225 g (1 5/8 cup – 8 oz) all-purpose flour
- 1 1/2 tsp baking powder
- 1/4 tsp salt
- 80 ml (1/3 cup) cream (heavy cream)(room temperature)
- Muffin tray
- 12 cupcake paper cases
Instructions
- Preheat oven to 170 C (325F) No fan used.
- In a bowl, whisk well together flour, baking powder and salt. Set aside.
- In a large bowl, cream the butter & sugar until pale and well combined (If you are using vanilla seeds, then add this before creaming the butter & sugar)
- Add 1 egg at a time. Mix in between and remember to scrape down the sides before adding a new egg.
- Add the dry mixture, along with the cream and vanilla extract. Mix just until incorporated. Alternative use a spatula for this part.
- Take your muffin tray with the cupcake paper cases and fill them with the cupcake batter.
- -If you want a “flat” cupcake? You should only fill 1 heaped tablespoon per cupcake.
- -If you want a more “domed” cupcake? You should fill the paper cases 3/4 full.
- Place the muffin tray in the middle of the oven and bake the cupcakes for 30-35 minutes or until a tester comes out clean and they are light golden on the top.
- Note: If some of the cupcakes should have a little “open crack” on the top. Gently press it down with the back of a spoon, the minute after you have taken the cupcakes out of the oven.
- Transfer the baked cupcakes to a cooling rack and let them cool completely before decorating them with frosting.
Notes
TIPS: When making the cupcake batter, only use low/medium speed on your mixer. I like to use my handheld mixer, as this gives me a better feeling with the batter.
It is important that you don’t over beat the batter.
You can use other types of flavor, like almond instead of vanilla.
Or if you would like to try another great cupcake recipe? Why not, try these Best Banana Cupcakes?
Happy Caking!
Louise
Where is a recipe???
Tried this recipe tonight for my son’s birthday. The taste is delicious. Unfortunately I will not be able to use it. Instead of cupcakes, I doubled the recipe to make a 9-inch layer cake. Both halves stuck to the pan and crumbled as I tried to remove them, so off to find an alternative recipe. I’ve never had this happen previously, so not sure why (pans were greased). Will definitely try again when needing cupcakes, but did not work as a cake.
Do you sift the flour? Also I find that that whenever I add the egg to butter/sugar mixture, the mixture will curdle so I end up mixing it (with kitchen aid mixer) for much longer in hope to get rid of the curdle. Does your mixture curdle too? If not, then where am I going wrong?
Hi I’m a student at the culinary arts school
I have a quick question how long does it ussually take you to make this recipe
If all the ingredients have been measured and ready to use I think about 45 mins including baking.
Hi,
Can anyone tell me what is the best cupcake tin to use (brand)??
Thank you!
When writing tin you mean the pan/tray where you place in the cupcake paper cases right?
Hi Louise,
The above cupcakes look golden in color and rustic texture. How can I create a whiter looking cake with softer crumb? Thanks very much.
Dear Louise,
I am entering a baking competition in my school and we only have an hour to mix the batter, bake the cupcakes and decorate them before we have to hand them in. I’m worried that I will not have enough time to bake the cupcakes but I really want to use this recipe. Is their anyway I can shorten the baking time? I have used a different recipe for cupcakes before which only required 15 minutes baking time.
Dear Louise,
I just recently discovered your side.
I’m loving it.
I want to try the classic vanilla cupcake recipe.
I have one question? When to put in the whipping cream.
Or is this for the topping.
Sweet greetings, Melisa.
Sorry Melissa, I thought that I have edited the recipe. Use cream like heavy cream for the recipe 🙂 Mix it in when you add the flour.
Hi Louise
Thanks for a fantastic website, I love it and I have learnt so much already. I am from South Africa and have just started making cupcakes and love it. What I need to know is – can I use this recipe for a large cake as well of do you have a nice moist vanilla cake recipe that I can use. I am looking for one that will stay moist and fresh for a few days. What I have experienced is that when you order a nice novelty cake the decorations are stunning but the cake very dry and I do not want that to happen to me when I start baking for clients.
I don’t have good experience turning cupcake recipes into cake recipes. Try and visit Rosie from Sweetapolita’s blog I know that she have lots of different vanilla cake recipes. Maybe you will find the right one there 🙂 https://sweetapolita.com/
I am having a problem keeping a dome using a gas oven. I can get them to dome in the oven but when i take them out they deflate. I also live in a humid area. I follow the recipe,temp and time.
I don’t have any experience with gas ovens 🙁 Recipes and ovens is often a very tricky combination. There are some recipes that just don’t work for me but work for my friends. Very strange.
Delicious recipe! Well done!
Hi Louise,
Thank you for the fabulous vanilla cupcake recipe. It was delicious! Love the recipe, even my fussy husband like it too. Thank you!
Just a quick question, I’ve tried your recipe twice, and somehow in both trial, the next day after baking, the paper cup is not sticking to the cake itself, do you know why did this happen? I’ve used 2 different cupcake papers and both of them gave me the same result. On the day I want to display them, they look quite ugly as the paper came out from the cake. any hint for me?
Thank you!
What kind of paper cups do you use? Link? I use this type of baking cups and I have never had problems https://layercakeshop.com/index.php/Shop/Shop-by-Theme/Easter-Spring/Electric-Pink-Baking-Cups.html
Hi Louise, i’am one of ur silence reader.i really love ur blog.I tried this recipe it turned out great.I wanted so much to try out this recipe but i dont have cream so i used milk!!it turned out non greasy n i substitued abt 75 grms flour to cocoa to make chocolate cupcake.Anyway thanks for ur lovely blog.
Thank you for sharing 🙂
Hi,
I am a novice baker, and this recipe looks easy enough for me to try. The cupcakes look so pretty. Can I also use this recipe for a sheet cake, or do I have make some modifications?
I have not tried it for regular cakes like a sheet cake, not sure if it will be too dense?
Hi Louise, thanks for all your help. I do use grams on my scale when necessary and I also fill my frosting bags standing them in a glass. It’s possible that my bag was a little bit too small. I probably just had a messy day. Our grandson turns 5 today and I will be baking and decorating a dinosaur birthday cake for him. Luckily his family party is next week so I have a little time. I am contemplating creating fondant dinosaurs. Today I am going to experiment with coconut cupcakes and coconut frosting. We love coconut here.
Hi Louise, I baked a batch of vanilla cupcakes earlier today. The liners didn’t separate which was excellent although I did see a little bit of grease on the paper bottoms and in the pans but that was not an issue with me. I only baked the cupcakes for 25 minutes and not the time mentioned in the recipe. I wished that I had set the timer for 20 minutes because they were too done. I usually bake cupcakes for 18-20 minutes and then check them. I wish I had done that today. I’ll remember next time. I topped them with the Angel Feather icing. I think this icing is better suited for frosting a cake. I made quite a mess trying to get the icing in the pastry bag. Also, I always bake with King Arthur flour which made me wonder if that was why the cupcakes were a little more dense. We enjoyed a cupcake and a hot cup of tea. I’ll be trying this recipe in a cake pan next. Thanks for your assistance.
No ovens bakes the same, unfortunately. I do hope that it works the next time. For the icing it is much more easy if you place the piping bag in a tall glass or pitcher before you fill it with icing.
I just printed your Classic Vanilla Cupcake recipe and will give it a try tomorrow after I go to the store to buy some cream. A few months back I bought a kitchen scale that has both ounces and grams so I shouldn’t have any trouble with weighing the ingredients. I haven’t made too many cupcakes up until now and when I did I used a cake recipe. I also recall using a few recipes from Martha Stewart’s cupcake book. I appreciate your reply.
Good to hear that you have a kitchen scale. I find it much better to use than cups. Do use grams if possible.
Hello Louise, like you, I am self-taught. When I use grease proof cupcake liners they pull away from the cupcake after baking and it looks unsightly. Am I supposed to then put the cupcakes into another cupcake liner? I did it and found it looking too messy. Perhaps I should have removed the liner and put it into a second one? Can you detect my frustration. I’ve made hundreds of cakes and wedding cakes in the past but now that there are grandchildren in the family I find myself making cupcakes more. I love them but I am not getting the result that I like. Any thoughts would be appreciated. Thanks!
Have you tried this recipe? I have not had any problems with my cupcakes baked in grease proof liners. Often it can also have something to do with the recipe. I am guessing that you have tried several recipes?
Hi Louise, I just love your recipes and tip that you give.I’m new to your blog & Facebook and may I say – W O W – this site is amazing. I have a little question for this recipe that i will be doing this weekend , can it be double to make a bigger batch or is it better to do them separately..??
I think it’s best to do one batch at a time. Because I only bake one tray at a time. If you bake more than one tray at a time you can of course make a double batch.
Nice cup cakes !
I like your Blog 🙂
Thanks a lot !
Tried the recipes! It was a very thick batter, but it baked beautiful and tasted great! Thanks for sharing!
I tried them and they are GR8 🙂 Thx a lot. my question now can i add cocoa powder to that mix to make chocolate cupcakes? if yes i want to know the measures please and do i have to add water to the cocoa powder or not … thx a lot.
I am sure that you can mix in some cocoa powder. Now I have not tried it for this recipe but I am pretty sure that you can use the measures from these light chocolate cupcakes https://cakejourna.wpengine.com/recipes/light-chocolate-cupcakes/ But instead of adding the 1/3 cup of whipping cream add 1/4 cup instead as you will be adding the water to the cocoa powder. Makes sense?
Let me know how it goes and how they taste. If they are good I will make sure to write this in the recipe. Thank you!
Hej Louise
Jeg skal igang med at bage nogle vaniliecupcakes og vil bruge denne opskrift 🙂 Jeg skal farve dejen i forskellige farver, så kagerne bliver som regnbuer 🙂 – vil du mene at denne opskrift til være god til det ? – og tror du kagerne vil være gode efter en tur i fryseren ?
Hej Gitte,
Jeg har ikke prøvet at farve dejen (endnu) Men mon ikke at det går? Feedback tak 😉 Ang. frysning, så er jeg ikke selv tilhænger af det. Da cupcakes er så små i forh. til alm store kager. Hvis man skal fryse cupcakes syntes jeg at det er bedst, med dem lavet af mudcake dej, de kan bedre klare det.
Tak for dit svar. Jeg plejer heller ikke at fryse cupcakes, men pga ferie, bliver jeg nødt til det denne gang 🙂
skal nok give en tilbagemelding på hvordan farverne bliver 🙂
I adore your website. everything is so delicate and great tasting. Thanks for your generosity in sharing it with us. I need to know if you would need to keep these cupcakes in the refrigerator (given the cream in the recipe). Can you decorate them and leave them for a couple of days?
Since you add the whipped cream to the cupcake batter, you do not need to store them in the refrigerator. You can make them 1 day ahead, not longer. Unless you freeze them. But I have not had great results freezing cupcakes in general.
Do you think I can use milk instead if whipping cream?
Of course you can 🙂 Use whole milk if possible.
Louise have you tried this recipe for at 20 cm cake in stead of cupcakes? Need to try a new recipe for my husbands work til weekend, and thought of trying yours with raspberry and vanilla fillings.
No, but why not? Do let know how it goes? Raspberry & Vanilla is always good 🙂
Are these cupcakes dense?
They are not light and airy in texture. So yes I would say they are dense.
I love the taste of vanilla and I have my own version of vanilla cupcakes but I’m going to give yours a try. My recipe is similar but has only 2 eggs. I’m guessing the extra egg will give a more sturdy crumb. What do you think?
I think there are a different if only using 2 eggs and to this recipe using 3 eggs. I have seen cupcake recipes using 4 eggs, which I think is too many. 3 makes a nice batter.
I love your web site and advice and regularly use it for recipes, hints and tips.
Will certainly try the Vanilla cupcakes! Can you advise whether the oven temperature you give is for a fan or convection oven please.
Kindest regards
Beryl Stockton
Sorry, forgot to add that. It should be convection. I never use fan when I bake cakes.
I think they look lovely:)
Hi, for creaming the butter and sugar together, do I mix it (in my kitchen aid mixer) until it’s pale, light and fluffy or just until mixed together?
The butter and sugar should be pale.
A.M.A.Z.I.N.G ! – Thats the only word I’v got! 🙂
These sound wonderful! U.S. bakers may want to go ahead and use the metric weights to get the intended results. In looking at the recipe, I notice the metric weight of butter is 125g, but our U.S. packaging of butter quarters states that 4 oz is 113g. I know the difference of 12g is a little less than a tablespoon, but even small amounts can make a big difference in baking!
Hi Dawn, It can indeed make a big difference. I always use the metric weights and I’m not sure what I should have done without my kitchen scale when I bake. I have added the tbsp to the recipe. Thanks !
These are so simple and yet so pretty. Stunning presentation and thanks for sharing the recipe.
I love a good vanilla recipe and have one I’ve used for years. I’m anxious to try yours and compare. These are beautiful!
Oh these look so pretty! I love vanilla cake/cupcakes with chocolate frosting, I’ll have to try these soon! 🙂