Buttermilk Cupcakes

Buttermilk cupcakes are tender vanilla cupcakes topped with buttermilk frosting. They're easy to make from scratch and a great treat to make when you have buttermilk on hand.

Prep Time 15

Cook Time 18

Total Time 33

Servings cupcakes

Author Heather

Ingredients

Buttermilk cupcakes

1 ½ cups (168 g) cake flour
½ teaspoon baking powder
¼ teaspoon baking soda
½ teaspoon salt
½ cup (113 g) unsalted butter room temperature
¾ cup (150 g) granulated sugar
2 large eggs room temperature
1 teaspoon vanilla extract
½ cup (113 g) buttermilk room temperature

Buttermilk frosting

1 cup (226 g) unsalted butter room temperature
4 cups (456 g) confectioner's sugar sifted to remove lumps
¼ cup (56 g) buttermilk cold
1 teaspoon vanilla extract
¼ teaspoon salt

Instructions

Cupcakes

Preheat oven to 350℉. Line a cupcake pan with liners and set aside.
In a large bowl, add flour, baking powder, baking soda, and salt. Whisk to remove clumps and set aside.
In a separate 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 the buttermilk, again stirring until just combined. Repeat once more, adding remaining dry ingredients and remaining buttermilk, stirring until just incorporated.
Portion batter between 12 cupcake liners, filling about ⅔ 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.

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 buttermilk, vanilla, and salt, then whip until fluffy, another 1 to 2 minutes.
Pipe or spread frosting with a knife onto cupcakes and serve.

Notes

Storage: Cupcakes are best served the same day of baking, but will remain moist for up to 48 hours when covered in a sealed container at room temperature.
Freezing: Cupcakes (frosted or not) can be frozen for up to 3 months. Transfer to a baking sheet and freeze until solid, then store in a freezer-safe container. Thaw on the countertop for 1-2 hours before serving.
Cake flour alternatives: 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 quite as tender. Readers have also had success using a cake flour substitute that calls for replacing 2 tablespoons of flour per cup with cornstarch.
Frosting quantity: 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 it with a knife, cut the recipe in half.
More tips: Be sure to check out my 10 tips for baking cake, based on reader comments and questions!

Nutrition