Homemade vanilla cupcakes are tender, moist, and made entirely from scratch. These yellow cupcakes are topped with a sweet and velvety American buttercream frosting.
This recipe for vanilla homemade cupcakes makes the perfect birthday cupcake. Made with simple, easy to find ingredients, these cupcakes turn out perfect every time.
They're incredibly moist, tender, and soft - the perfect homemade cupcake recipe. After many reader requests, I've even made this recipe into a sheet cake - you can find the recipe here: vanilla sheet cake (with directions for 3 pan sizes!).
I've topped these cupcakes with an American buttercream frosting. Another great option is my chocolate buttercream frosting. Buttercream frosting is very sweet, like a bakery frosting. If you'd like a less sweet option, try making a homemade whipped cream for topping your cupcakes instead.
Ingredients and substitutions
Baking is an exact science, and each ingredient serves a purpose in the recipe. I don't have many substitutions to offer because swapping ingredients can change the texture, moisture, and rise of your cupcakes. If you don't have the listed ingredients on hand, I highly suggest searching Google for an exact recipe that fits your needs without substitutions.
- Unsalted butter - Adds moisture and buttery flavor to your cupcake batter. Unsalted butter (and the listed salt) can be substituted with salted butter if desired.
- Eggs - Add stability and moisture to your cupcake batter.
- Whole milk - Adds moisture to your cupcakes. For best success, I suggest using whole milk, not skim or 1% milk. Your cupcakes will turn out but may potentially be less moist (or may dry out faster) than if using whole milk.
- Cake flour - Cake flour has a lower protein content than other flours, like all-purpose or bread flour, giving your cupcakes a smaller, more tender crumb. I highly recommend using cake flour rather than all-purpose flour. When readers have substituted with all-purpose flour, they frequently complain of a 'cornbread' type texture.
- Baking powder - Cannot be substituted with baking soda, the two are not interchangeable.
- Salt - Enhances the flavor of your cupcakes without making them "salty".
- Vanilla extract - Enhances the flavor of your cupcakes.
- Granulated sugar - Sweetens your cupcakes and also helps your cupcakes retain moisture. I do not recommend using sugar-free substitutes in this recipe because I haven't tested these alternatives and can't guarantee how they'll turn out. I suggest doing a Google search for a recipe that fits the ingredients you have on hand.
Tips and tricks
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.
- 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. Similar to my strawberry filled cupcakes recipe, these cupcakes can be filled with jam or fruit compote.
Yes, with adjustments. When doubled, this recipe makes a two-layer round 8 or 9 inch cake. Follow my recipe for vanilla sheet cake, which includes directions for three different pan sizes (including a layer cake).
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 eggs)
- 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.
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.
Cupcakes 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 vanilla 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
Homemade Vanilla Cupcakes
Ingredients
Vanilla cupcakes
- 1.5 cups (168 g) cake flour
- 1.5 teaspoons (4 g) baking powder
- ½ teaspoon (3 g) salt
- ½ cup (113 g) unsalted butter, room temperature
- 1 cup (198 g) granulated sugar
- 2 large eggs, room temperature
- ½ cup (113 g) milk, room temperature
- 1 teaspoon (5 g) vanilla extract
American buttercream frosting
- 4 cups (454 g) confectioner's sugar
- 1 cup (226 g) unsalted butter, room temperature
- 3 tablespoons (42 g) heavy cream, or more as needed
- 1 teaspoon (5 g) vanilla extract
Instructions
Vanilla cupcakes
- Preheat oven to 350 degrees Fahrenheit. Line a cupcake pan with liners and set aside.
- In a bowl add your dry ingredients: flour, baking powder, and salt. Whisk to remove clumps and set aside.
- In a large bowl, add butter and sugar. Using a hand mixer or stand mixer, beat until creamed and fluffy, about a minute Add eggs and vanilla extract, beating until smooth and fluffy, about a minute.
- Add half of your dry ingredients to butter mixture. Stir until just combined. Add half of milk, again stirring until just combined. Repeat once more, adding remaining dry ingredients and remaining milk, stirring until just incorporated.
- Portion batter between 15 cupcake liners, filling about halfway full. Bake in preheated oven for about 18-20 minutes, or until centers pop back when gently pressed in the center. If an indent is left, your cupcakes need more time.
- Remove pan from oven and allow to cool for 5 minutes before transferring cupcakes to a wire rack to finish cooling.
American buttercream frosting
- In a large bowl, add room temperature butter. Using a hand mixer or stand mixer, beat until creamy and smooth, about a minute.
- Add confectioner's sugar, 1 cup at a time, mixing slowly until combined. Then, whip at high speed for 2-3 minutes, or until light and fluffy.
- Add vanilla extract and heavy cream, then whip until fluffy, another 1 to 2 minutes.
- Pipe or spread frosting with a knife onto cupcakes and serve.
Equipment Recommendations
Video
Notes
- Cupcakes are best served the same day of baking, but will remain moist for up to 48 hours when covered in a sealed container.
- This recipe can be made with all-purpose flour instead of cake flour, but the texture will be coarser and cupcakes will not turn out as tender. I highly recommend using cake flour.
- The frosting recipe makes enough to pipe tall, dramatic frosting onto each cupcake (like shown in the photos). If you'd like to make less frosting and spread on with a knife, cut the recipe in half.
- I do not suggest substituting or omitting any of the ingredients that add moisture to this recipe, including eggs, butter, whole milk, and granulated sugar. Otherwise, cupcakes can turn out dry.
- Be sure to check out my 10 tips for baking cake, based on reader comments and questions!
Heather, I think that the gram measurements of the sugar is incorrect. 1cup of sugar = 200g. I love this recipe.. It is my go-to recipe for vanilla cupcakes!
Hi Martina, thanks so much for pointing this out! I've fixed the typo in the recipe card. So glad you enjoy the recipe!
These are lovely and light. I topped with a fresh strawberry buttercream. Very pleased with the result
Strawberry buttercream sounds like a great addition! Glad you enjoyed them!
Hi I made these and they were delicious. No issues at all! Everyone loved them so much and two people asked me to make more.
Question: can the batter be saved? I only need 6 cupcakes for an event on Tuesday and then 6 for an event on Thursday. I know you stated the cupcakes should be eaten the same day baked.
Cake batter is best baked within about an hour. Cake batter can be frozen in a freezer bag (I haven't personally tried it with this recipe) and baked cupcakes can also be frozen to keep their fresh texture and flavor.
I followed the recipe exactly, weighed ingredients and although the cupcakes were moist, they didn’t rise (no dome and middle collapsed) and were way too sweet! Why do you think they did not rise?
Hi Rob, I'm sorry to hear that your cupcakes didn't turn out as expected. It's hard to say without being in the kitchen with you as to what went wrong. If they didn't rise at all, the baking powder could be expired. This may also be why they tasted too sweet - if they didn't rise at all, your ingredients were all compacted together instead of spreading out and baking up light and fluffy.
Cupcakes can collapse for several reasons:
- Expired leavening agents (or too much/too little of a leavening agent).
- Underbaked - they look done, but when removed from the oven they sink in the middle and have a wet center.
- Overmixed batter - whipping extra air into the batter will cause that extra air to escape and deflate during the baking process.
- Adding more wet ingredients can cause the batter to be too moist/heavy to rise properly (probably not the case since you followed the recipe as written).
I followed the recipe and my cupcakes were extremely dry
Hi Cynthia, I'm sorry to hear that your cupcakes turned out dry. I noticed that I haven't updated this post with my detailed section on 'how to prevent dry cake' so I'll be sure to add it to this post as well for future readers. Here are a few reasons why cake turns out dry:
- Substituting or omitting ingredients that add moisture to the cupcakes - eggs, sugar, butter, and milk.
- Adding too much flour - I recommend measuring with a scale or using the spoon and level method, rather than scooping with the measuring cup.
- Overbaking - If your oven runs slightly hotter than mine, your cupcakes may be done a minute or two sooner than my recommended times.
I feel like this would be good with chocolate chips
Hi,
Can I use buttermilk instead of milk?
I would not recommend using buttermilk for this recipe. Buttermilk is more acidic and will react differently to the leavening agents. Here's a vanilla cupcake recipe that does use buttermilk: https://thestayathomechef.com/vanilla-cupcake-recipe/
I just made these cupcakes and used buttermilk because I had no regular milk in the fridge. They are delicious and I would definitely make them again with buttermilk.
These are by far the best cupcakes I’ve ever had. I’m partial to a light and fluffy cake over a dense one and this recipe is exactly that. It’s perfectly moist and the cake flour really makes a difference in the texture. I added almond extract to these and I loved the flavor, the only thing I would do differently next time is add more vanilla. Can’t wait to make these again, thank you for the fantastic recipe!
Have you tried to make mini cupcakes with these? I would like to know baking time and any other adjustments needed to do mini cupcakes.
Hi Lynette, readers have had success making mini cupcakes with this recipe. One regular sized cupcake will make three mini cupcakes, filling your mini cupcake liners just over halfway full. Minis bake in about 10-12 minutes at the same temperature, 350 degrees Fahrenheit. Let us know how they turn out!
The cupcakes were delicious. I had no problems making them, and your directions were spot on!
Made these tonight, it was my first time making any cupcake/cake from scratch. Recipe was easy to follow and these turned out DELICIOUS! The cupcakes are slightly crumbly yet still very moist, and they're just sweet enough. Really love them and will be making this one again no question! Thank you!! 🙂
That's fantastic!! So glad you enjoy them 🙂
Can i use Almond milk instead of cows milk?
Yes, almond milk will work!
Can I use this recipe to make a cake? Would it still turn out?
Hi Leslie, I haven't tried making these cupcakes into a cake, but if you give it a try let us know how it goes!
*update* I have made this recipe into a cake, you can find the full post here: https://thetoastykitchen.com/vanilla-sheet-cake/
So I tried this recipe as a cake, it would have turned out great except that the top of the cake stuck to the pan even though I greased it. I will try it again but I will put parchment paper in the bottom first. Thanks for the recipe!
Hi can i add maybe 1/4-1/2 cup of milk? i feel as the batter is too thick.
Hi Angie, I wouldn't recommend adding more liquid because the cupcakes may turn out too wet and dense when baked. As long as you can spoon the batter into your cupcake pan it should be fine!
The cupcakes are the best. They turned out perfect.and they taste good
I followed the recipe to the T. My cupcakes looked and tasted amazing (I got 12 out of the batter but I have a bigger cupcake pan). My husband and I felt they were a little too sweet. Any recommendations on lowering the sweetness of the cake but keeping the frosting rich?
Hi Brie, I'm glad you enjoyed the cupcakes! I haven't tested this, but you could probably reduce the sugar by 1/4 cup without affecting the quality of the cupcake. I also have a whipped buttercream frosting https://thetoastykitchen.com/whipped-buttercream-frosting/ that may taste slightly less sweet due to the addition of more heavy cream.
Made vanilla white recipe exactly. Taste is great but they were DRY. Any suggestions?
Baked 18 minutes exactly and they were light golden on top.
Hi Michelle, I'm sorry to hear that your cupcakes turned out dry! My first thought is that maybe your oven runs a little hot, so your cupcakes baked a little faster than mine did. If you try the recipe again, I'd start checking your cupcakes at 15 minutes instead.
Hi I tried these they came out really dense just delicious !!! I used margarine and brown sugar as that’s all I had and I only have a large toaster oven . They came out like a pound cake .. I refrigerated the batter as i was unable to finish baking last night . This evening will have a go at the icing and baking the rest . Thank you! Love from Trinidad 🇹🇹
Hi Ana, I'm glad the cupcakes tasted great! Margarine has more water than butter, and brown sugar will add more moisture to the batter than granulated sugar, which is potentially why the cupcakes turned out a bit dense.
I haven't tried baking them in a toaster oven but that may have affected the outcome as well. I hope you enjoy the rest!
Hi I am just about to bake mine do u have any idea if I can cut the amount of eggs down by two?
Also how long can the cupcakes sit before eating? Thx 😁
Cupcakes are best served the same day of baking, but will remain moist for up to 48 hours when covered in a sealed container. Your cupcakes should be cooled to room temperature after sitting for about an hour.
Hi Lauren, this recipe requires two eggs, I do not suggest reducing or eliminating the eggs needed for the recipe. The eggs provide structure to the cupcakes, and combined with the flour give the cupcakes their needed height and texture. If you don't have the eggs needed for the recipe, I'd recommend searching for a recipe that does include the ingredients you have on hand. Since baking is so precise, I do not recommend altering the recipe. Hope this helps!
Hi Heather. Thank you for your small batch Cupcake recipe I really loved them, mine came out 12 Cupcakes. I followed the recipe exactly but🙈 I added the 1/2 cup all purpose flour instead of the full 1 1/2.cups of cake flour. I was scared how they will turn out. But Thank God they were amazing.. Thank you again will try your recipe from now on😊
Ok these tasted pretty darn good. I have to say I wasn’t sure how it was going to turn out because
1) I didn’t have any cake flour on hand and had to sub with some regular flour and corn starch
2) I didn’t have any baking powder either
3) I started making your white cupcake recipe and then realized it required too much egg white which I felt like was a waste and the fact that supply is just a tad bit scarce to come by these days not to mention the fact that I didn’t know what to do with all that egg yolk. So I ended up switching to this yellow cupcake recipe instead even though I had already mixed my 2 teaspoons of “baking powder” into my “cake flour.”
As you may have noticed I am not one to read through directions thoroughly prior to actually baking. 🙃 So being that I had already made a few mistakes to begin with, this turned out extremely successful as everyone in my family gobbled one right out of the oven.. my cupcake did have a hint of a cornbread taste due to the fact that I had to sub in corn starch but it was still light and fluffy and delicious! Will definitely make again. Thanks!
I'm glad you enjoyed the cupcakes, and that they turned out with substitutions! If you ever want to try the white cupcakes with egg whites, you can purchase a container of egg whites at the store, so you're not wasting yolks.
I may need to add a few egg yolk recipes to the site as well 🙂
This recipe is fool proof ! Delicious and easy! I only had 3cups of powdered sugar for the icing and it worked fine. Sweet enough so of you're not exact don't fret ! These are yummy ! Thank you !
OH MY DELICIOUS!!!! I made your cupcakes and buttercream frosting for my grandfather and neices Birthday today! I've never made homemade cupcakes or buttercream before and this recipe was easy to follow and just what I was looking for. I will definitely be making these again. Thank you so much for sharing! 🙂
Jessica, I am so glad you enjoyed the recipe! Thank you for the wonderful review!
Hello, is this a recipe that is ok to double or triple?
Yes, you can double or triple this recipe. If you click on the servings you can adjust the ingredients for as many cupcakes as you need!
It states to use 2 eggs but in the video it shows egg whites. Which one is correct?
This recipe uses two eggs.
There is a video for my white cupcakes recipe which uses egg whites, you can find that recipe here:
https://thetoastykitchen.com/easy-white-cupcakes/
I've tried this recipe twice and both times I made exactly 15 cupcakes. Both times batter spilled over the sides and the cupcake sank in the middle. But they taste amazing! I double checked my ingredients and measurements and they match the recipe. Any idea on what to tweak? I love the flavor but they keep turning out ugly.
Thanks!
Hi Jaclyn! My first thought is that maybe the batter is being over-mixed, which will whip air into the batter, doing two things. First, there will be a larger amount of batter in each cup, which will cause them to overflow when they bake. Second, once they start baking, the cupcakes will deflate, causing the middles to sink. I've had this happen to me before, and I was over-mixing the batter. Do you think that might be it?
Heather,
I just made these cupcakes today & they are fabulous. Made the 1-2-3-4 cake on the Swans Down Cake Flour box & even though it tasted just fine the cake texture was too heavy for me but these cupcakes are spot on for taste, texture & ease of making.
I think the secret is as suggested not over mixing.
Thank you
Hi Leslie, glad to hear the cupcakes turned out great for you!