White cupcakes are soft, delicate, and surprisingly easy to make from scratch. Moist, tender, and delicate, they're perfect for weddings, events, and birthdays.
These white cupcakes are truly heavenly. They are light, tender, and moist. Best of all? They are surprisingly easy to make (especially when using a kitchen scale!).
This white cupcake recipe is also the base for my popular strawberry filled cupcakes recipe. While they may be soft and light, these cupcakes can hold up to any frostings and fillings you may want to add.
I've topped these cupcakes with my reader-favorite whipped buttercream frosting. For an even lighter frosting, try adding a dollop of homemade whipped cream or piped ermine frosting to each cupcake instead.
Ingredients and substitutions
- Cake flour - I do not recommend substituting the cake flour in this recipe. Cake flour gives your cupcakes their tender, small crumb. If you substitute with all-purpose flour, your cupcakes will, in comparison, have a coarser crumb that readers often describe as a 'cornbread' texture.
- Baking powder - This cannot be substituted with baking soda, the two ingredients are not interchangeable.
- Unsalted butter - If you need to substitute with salted butter, reduce the amount of salt to ¼ teaspoon.
- Granulated sugar - Adds sweetness to the cupcakes and helps them retain moisture after baking.
- Vanilla extract - Adds flavor to the cupcakes. Could be substituted with other extracts to change the flavor (like maple or lemon).
- Egg whites - Egg whites can not be substituted with whole eggs. Using egg whites in this recipe makes your cupcakes light, fluffy, and white (hence the name). If you want to use whole eggs (with the yolk) to make cupcakes, I suggest trying my vanilla cupcakes recipe. It uses the same ingredients (in slightly different measurements) and is written to use two whole eggs.
- Whole milk - This recipe will technically work with a lower fat milk, like 2%, 1%, or skim, but whole milk will help keep your cupcakes moist from the added fat. For best results, use whole milk.
Tips and tricks
Here are a few tips for cupcake success, taken from reader questions and reviews:
Leavening - Make sure you're using baking powder and not baking soda. The type of leavening used in a recipe depends on the other ingredients involved. Baking powder is a must in this recipe. Make sure your leavening is not expired, otherwise your cupcakes may not rise as intended.
Measuring flour properly - I highly recommend using a kitchen scale to measure your ingredients, especially the flour. If you don't have a scale, use a spoon to scoop flour into your measuring cup, then level off the top with a knife. Scooping directly from a bin using the measuring cup compacts flour into the cup, adding extra flour to the recipe. This can make cupcakes dry.
Cake flour - Do not substitute cake flour with all-purpose flour. Using all-purpose flour will give your cupcakes a 'cornbread' type texture (per readers who have attempted this substitution).
Don't overmix the batter - Only mix your batter until the ingredients are incorporated. Overmixing your batter can whip extra air in, causing your cupcakes to rise quickly and then fall in the center when they bake.
Allow cupcakes to cool - Do not unwrap your cupcakes while they're still warm. Your cupcakes will stick to the liners until they are fully cooled throughout. Once cooled, your cupcakes will easily unwrap.
Do not frost warm cupcakes - Buttercream is sensitive to heat and will melt between 90 to 95 degrees Fahrenheit. Instead, allow cupcakes to cool completely before frosting.
Frequently asked questions
To bring butter to room temperature quickly, slice it into smaller pieces and set on the counter top for 30 minutes. To bring eggs to room temperature quickly, place whole eggs in a bowl of warm water for ten minutes. Milk can be microwaved in 10 to 15 second increments, stirring in between, until room temperature. Take care not to melt butter or bring milk to a warm or hot temperature. Hot ingredients can ruin the texture of the batter, causing cupcakes to turn out dense when baked.
Buttercream frosting is made with two main ingredients: confectioner's sugar and butter. It's popular because it's easy to prepare with minimal ingredients. However, because it's mainly made of sugar, it's very sweet. Unfortunately, making it with less sugar means it will begin to taste like butter, the other main ingredient. Instead, I highly recommend making a frosting that's already written to include less sugar, like ermine frosting. You could also add a dollop of whipped cream instead.
- Whipped buttercream frosting - fluffier than a traditional buttercream (this recipe is included below).
- Whipped chocolate buttercream frosting - A fluffier chocolate buttercream frosting.
- Cream cheese buttercream frosting - Slightly less sweet and tangy.
- Ermine frosting - A less sweet cooked flour frosting. Perfect for those who don't like the sweet taste of buttercream frosting.
- Homemade whipped cream - Light and much less sweet than buttercream.
For years I've used this simple Wilton cupcake decorating kit (Amazon) to decorate my cupcakes. It comes with four piping tips, bags, and easy to read instructions. I also purchased this additional coupler (Amazon) to make it easy to secure the piping tips and to change out tips halfway through decorating.
I test for doneness by gently pressing onto the top of a cupcake with a finger. If the cupcake pops right back, they're done. If an indent is left, they need more time. You can also use the toothpick method. Insert a toothpick into the center of a cupcake. If it comes back with batter, your cupcakes need more time. If the toothpick comes back with crumbs or nothing at all, they're done. Additionally, if you nudge the pan and your cupcakes are jiggly, they're not done yet.
Yes. I also use this cupcake recipe for my strawberry filled cupcakes. Jams or fruit compotes work great as a cupcake filling.
Yes, with adjustments. When doubled, this recipe makes a two-layer round 8 or 9 inch cake. Follow my recipe for strawberry filled white cake for detailed instructions.
Yes, ⅓ cup or more of rainbow sprinkles could be added to make funfetti cupcakes.
Troubleshooting
Baked goods can turn out dry for many reasons. No one intends to make dry cupcakes, but a step/ingredient could have been unintentionally missed while preparing your cupcakes. The most popular reasons include:
- Substituting/reducing the moisture adding ingredients (butter, whole milk, granulated sugar, and egg whites)
- Adding too much flour (I highly recommend using a kitchen scale to prevent this)
- Overbaking. If you haven't substituted/reduced any ingredients and are 100% sure that everything has been measured with accuracy, the only other reason baked goods turn out dry is from overbaking. I highly recommend watching your cupcakes through the door instead of relying on time alone. Ovens can run hotter or colder than the next oven, and some ovens even have hot spots, so I recommend testing early and often when trying a brand new recipe.
This can be caused by humidity in your home or storing cupcakes in a sealed container while they're still warm. This can't really be fixed, but can easily be covered with frosting.
Sinking can happen for many reasons. Overmixing the batter (which adds extra air that's released during baking), underbaking, using expired leavening, using the wrong leavening, or accidentally doubling the leavening can all cause your cupcakes to sink in the middle.
Cupcake can turn out dense from expired leavening, overmixing the wet and dry ingredients (this overworks the gluten), not whipping the butter and sugar long enough, or adding extra wet ingredients (like adding sour cream or applesauce to make cupcakes "extra moist"). If the balance of wet and dry ingredients is off, this can cause a change in texture, preventing your cupcakes from rising properly in the oven.
All cakes, even white cake, will brown on the outside edges due to a chemical reaction that happens when sugar is heated up. This is called a Maillard reaction and is completely normal. The insides will remain white and fluffy and the tops will be covered by frosting.
Recommended
📖 Recipe
White Cupcakes
Ingredients
White Cupcakes
- 1 ½ cups (168 g) cake flour
- 2 teaspoons baking powder
- ½ teaspoon salt
- ½ cup (113 g) unsalted butter, room temperature
- 1 cup (198 g) granulated sugar
- 1 ½ teaspoons vanilla extract
- 3 large (105 g) egg whites, room temperature
- ½ cup (114 g) whole milk, room temperature
Whipped Buttercream Frosting
- 1 cup (226 g) unsalted butter, room temperature
- 4 cups (454 g) confectioner's sugar
- ⅓ cup (76 g) heavy cream, very cold
- 2 teaspoons vanilla extract
- ⅛ teaspoon salt
Instructions
White cupcakes
- Preheat oven to 350 degrees Fahrenheit (with the oven rack set in the middle of the oven) and line cupcake pan with liners. Set aside.
- In a medium bowl, whisk (or sift) together the dry ingredients: cake flour, baking powder, and salt. Set aside.
- Add butter and granulated sugar to a large bowl. Using a hand mixer or stand mixer, cream together until light and fluffy, about one minute. Add vanilla and beat until incorporated. Then, add egg whites and beat until light and fluffy, about one minute.
- Add flour mixture to butter mixture in thirds, alternating with the milk, just until each ingredient is incorporated and batter is smooth. Do not overmix.
- Divide batter between 15 cupcake liners, filling each about ⅔ full. Bake in preheated oven for about 15-18 minutes, or until the center of a cupcake pops back when gently pressed down, or a toothpick comes out with crumbs (or clean). If an indent is left, or toothpick comes out with batter, cupcakes need more time.
- Remove pan from oven and transfer cupcakes to a wire rack to finish cooling.
Whipped buttercream frosting
- In a large bowl, add room temperature butter and beat until creamy, about one minute.
- Add confectioner's sugar and slowly mix until ingredients are fully combined. Then, whip at high speed for 2-3 minutes, or until light and fluffy.
- Add heavy cream, vanilla extract, and salt, and whip for an additional 2 to 3 minutes, or until light and fluffy. Add additional heavy cream as needed to reach desired consistency.
- Pipe or spread frosting with a knife onto cupcakes and serve.
Equipment Recommendations
Video
Notes
- Recipe makes enough frosting to frost 15 cupcakes with high, dramatic piped frosting (as shown in the photos), 24 cupcakes spread with a knife, a 9x13 sheet cake, or an 8-9 inch two layer cake. For a thin coating of frosting, cut recipe in half.
- Buttercream frosting will begin to melt between 90 to 95 degrees Fahrenheit. If your location is nearing this temperature, I recommend refrigerating your baked goods until an hour before you're ready to serve them. Refrigerating your frosted baked goods will not hurt them, but you will want to give them some time to come to room temperature before serving.
- Do not substitute cake flour with all-purpose flour - readers have reported that this gives cupcakes a 'cornbread' type texture.
- Do not substitute egg whites with whole eggs. To make cupcakes with whole eggs, try my vanilla cupcakes recipe instead.
- Be sure to check out my 10 tips for baking cake, based on reader comments and questions!
Hi
I only have extra large eggs. Could I use a half recipe and just use 2 of the extra large egg whites from the extra large eggs I have ? Thanks
Kathleen
Hi Kathleen, this recipe calls for about 105 grams of egg whites (or 3 large US egg whites). You could try weighing your egg whites with a scale if you have one on hand. A large egg white weighs about 35 grams and an extra large egg white weighs about 40 grams. For half the recipe you'd need about 52 grams of egg whites, so two extra large egg whites at 80 grams would still be a bit too much. You'd need a little less than 1.5 extra large egg whites for a half recipe or a little less than 3 extra large eggs for a full batch.
Thank you very much! I will measure with weight. In the kitchen starting on them now
Can you use this recipe for a cake instead of cupcakes?
Hi Sydnee, yes! I use this recipe (made with double the batter) as the base for my strawberry filled white cake recipe that you can find here: https://thetoastykitchen.com/strawberry-filled-white-cake/ which can be filled with frosting instead of strawberries if desired.
Hi Patricia, if the ingredients were exact and extra flour wasn't added, the only reason cupcakes would turn out dry is from overbaking. How long were they in the oven for and how often were you testing for doneness?
I'm a baker and have been searching for a white cupcake recipe. These were heavy , dense , and dry . Didn't over mix, bake ect... I was hopeful but not what I'm looking for in a white cupcake. 😞
Hi Dawn, I'm sorry to hear that the cupcakes didn't turn out as expected. The recipe definitely shouldn't produce a cake that's heavy or dense. Did they appear to not rise at all in the oven? It could be an issue of an expired leavening agent. Did you measure by weight or with measuring cups? Were any ingredients substituted?
Ive baked a lot so I made these thinking they’d be done perfectly in a short hour.. but i don’t know what happened all of my cupcakes were rising perfectly and then they all sank in the middle. I followed every instruction and took my time with the recipe what did I do wrong?
Hi Courtney, I'm sorry to hear that the cupcakes had issues, that can be so frustrating. Cupcakes can sink in the middle for many reasons, like underbaking, mismeasuring of ingredients, expired/incorrect leavening agents (this recipe uses baking powder), and overmixing/whipping too much air into the batter before baking. Here is a great article that helps explain each of these possibilities in detail: https://handletheheat.com/prevent-cakes-sinking/