Believe it or not, out of all of the many desserts I make these simple vanilla cupcakes are the most requested treat among my circle of friends. Being friends with me does mean I will be taking cake and cupcake requests for birthday parties.
I’ve made this recipe for years and was SHOCKED when I realized it wasn’t on the blog, so I’m fixing that now and sharing this Super-easy and really delicious recipe with you. I made them for a friend’s birthday recently and the next day she texted me “How are they so moist on day two?!?” -That’s how good they are.
Pro Tips for Moist, Amazing Vanilla Cupcakes
- Measure your flour correctly! Adding too much flour to the recipe is the most common mistake. The best, and easiest way to measure flour is by using a scale. If you don’t have one then fluff your flour with a spoon, sprinkle it into your measuring cup, and use a knife to level it off.
- A bit of advice on the ingredients. You can get the cheapest flour, sour cream, milk and even butter but you have to get good vanilla for this recipe! It’s the main flavor and you want it to shine so go find a good real vanilla extract and it you want to get points for being fancy use some vanilla bean paste too while you’re at it. People love seeing the little specks of vanilla in the cupcakes.
- Feel free to modify this recipe! I especially love to make these cupcakes with a dollop of Italian meringue buttercream on top as it’s less sweet and lighter (Tasting not calories) than American buttercream or other frosting options.
- You can definitely add sprinkles to this, 1/3 of a cup should do, to make this an amazing funfetti cupcake!
- Cupcakes liners come in different sizes and everyone’s oven is slightly different. I like to turn my pan halfway through baking and toward the end of the baking time I keep a close eye on the oven.
- Once the centers are springy and a toothpick comes out clean the cupcakes are ready. Being watchful at the end lessens the chances of having caramelized dark edges on your cupcake, ensuring it’s light, soft, and moist!
Frequently Asked Questions
How long will these cupcakes keep for?
- These cupcakes are fine overnight, if left covered. You can refrigerate them for three days but they should come to room temperature before eating. Butter-based cake needs to warm up a bit.
- If unfrosted you can wrap and freeze the cupcakes for up to two months.
Can you make this cupcake recipe with whole eggs?
YES! I skip the yolks for a whiter cake but you can use the whole egg, just reduce the sour cream by 1/4 a cup.
Butter vs. Oil
I LOVE the taste of butter, which is why I’ve used it in this recipe but if you’re making cupcakes in advance and will be chilling them then you may want to sub in some vegetable oil or replace the butter all together. An oil based cake will stay softer when cold.
Which Type of Frosting is best for Vanilla Cupcakes?
American buttercream: Sweet and Easy
Beat the room temperature butter with powdered sugar, a pinch of salt and some vanilla extract. Super fast and a total crowd pleaser. Check out my vanilla buttercream post for all the tips and tricks as well as a full how to video!
Swiss and Italian Meringue Buttercream: Silky, light and not too sweet
Swiss and Italian buttercream are both meringue-based so you’ll be adding butter to a meringue made with egg whites and sugar. The result is light as air, smooth as silk and totally delicious. Not very sweet but really they let the cake shine though. I’ve got a very popular recipes with videos for both, click here for Swiss and here for Italian!
French Buttercream: Pipe-able custard
French buttercream is made with egg yolks, sugar and butter so it naturally has a beautiful pale yellow color. It tastes like a custard and has enough structure to pipe easily. Very underrated and you can use the extra egg yolks from this recipe to make it! Click over to my French buttercream post for the full recipe and how to video.
How to Make Vanilla Cupcakes
1. Preheat oven to 350 degrees F. Place cupcake papers in a cupcake tin. In a large bowl add the flour, leavening agents, salt and sugar.
2. Whisk the dry ingredients together until well combined then set aside.
3. Separate the room temperature eggs. Reserve the yolks for a custard or use them to make a batch of French Buttercream!
4. Add the sour cream, milk, vanilla, melted butter and egg whites to a bowl and whisk together. The mixture will probably not be completely smooth as the butter might clump up a bit but it will be fine so don’t fret!
5. Add the wet mixture to the dry.
6. Whisk batter together until smooth. Don’t over beat it though, you’re really just mixing until combined.
7. Scoop the batter into the cupcake papers and fill about 2/3 the way up and bake at 350F for about 18 minutes or until the centers JUST spring to the touch.
8. Allow cupcakes to cool completely in the muffin tin then top with a dollop of vanilla buttercream and enjoy. I’m using an 849 tip in the photo above but any star tip will do nicely.
IF YOU LOVE THIS RECIPE TRY THESE OUT!
If you’ve tried this homemade vanilla cupcake recipe then don’t forget to leave a rating and let me know how you got on in the comments below, I love hearing from you!
Moist Vanilla Cupcakes
Video
Equipment
- Cupcake liners
- Cupcake pan
- Piping bag
- Stand mixer
Ingredients
For the Cupcakes:
- 1 2/3 cup all-purpose flour 213g
- 1 cup granulated sugar 200g
- 1/4 tsp baking soda
- 1 1/2 tsp baking powder
- 1/4 tsp kosher salt
- 3/4 cup unsalted butter 170g, melted
- 3 egg whites room temperature
- 1 tbsp vanilla extract 15mL
- 1/2 cup sour cream 120mL, room temperature
- 1/2 cup whole milk 120mL, warm
For the Vanilla Buttercream:
- 2 lb confectioners sugar 900g, sifted
- 1 lb unsalted butter 450g, room temperature
- 1 tsp vanilla extract
- 1 tbsp heavy cream
- 1 pinch kosher salt
- 1 tsp whole milk
Instructions
For the Cupcakes:
- Preheat oven to 350 degrees F. Place cupcake papers in a cupcake pan.
- Sift the flour, sugar salt, baking soda and powder into a large bowl, and whisk together.
- Separate the eggs. You can use the yolks for a custard or a batch French buttercream.
- In another bowl, whisk together the wet ingredients until combined. (The batter may be clumpy, do not worry!)
- Add the wet ingredients to the dry ingredients. Mix until combined.
- Distribute the batter evenly into cupcake papers, filling each paper with about 2/3 the way up.
- Bake for about 18 minutes or until centers are springy to the touch.
For the Buttercream:
- In a stand mixer fitted with a paddle attachment, cream the room temperature butter. Add in the confectioners sugar in two batches. Add salt, milk, cream and vanilla. Mix until fluffy.
- Transfer to a piping bag.
- Pipe a large dollop of buttercream on each cupcake.
Mae says
If I would use the egg yolks, then I could omit using sour cream?
John K. says
Hello Mae,
Yes! The sour cream is to add that extra moisture. If you’re using the whole egg, you can go ahead and omit the sour cream.
Best,
John
Cheryl says
I made these again for my son’s birthday and, per your suggestion in Baking Notes, added a tsp of vanilla bean paste. WOW – it’s amped these up over the top. EVERYONE raved about them. It was my first time piping frosting (which was yummy yummy-yummy, too. I made blue waves with a shark fin sugar cookie on top. Thanks for all the work you’ve put in to your recipes. It’s made four family events (so far) extra special…Vanilla Cupcakes, Berry Cake, Apple Tart, and Raspberry Cake.
Hermese says
I made this.. Simply delicious!! I made a cream cheese blueberry frosting instead.. Addictive!!!
John K. says
Hey Hermese,
I am so glad you liked it! The cream cheese blueberry frosting sounds like a tasty idea! What will you make next?
Happy baking!
-John
Niveditha B says
What can I use instead of sour cream?
Thanks
Niveditha
John K. says
Hello Niveditha,
Yogurt is a great substitute for sour cream!
Best,
John
Ashley says
I would like to make these for my daughter’s birthday.. Am I able to make them then freeze the cupcakes.. If so how do I defrost? In fridge.. On counter.. And then add buttercream?
If you don’t recommend freezing.. How far in advance can I bake the cupcakes?
I will be doing them with the Italian merangue buttercream.
John K. says
Ashley,
You could freeze these cupcakes about 1-2 days in advance ahead of time. Leave them out on the counter in the morning or overnight to defrost. Assemble the day of the event and everything should taste okay!
John
Sharon Bryant says
Thanks for the recipe John…I just watched your YouTube video on using cake strips and had to come hunt the recipe down on your blog. I will be using this recipe to make a strawberry cake this coming weekend. Will come back and let you know how it turned out.
John K. says
Hey Sharon!
I am so glad you found it useful! Cant wait to hear how it turns out!
Alyssa says
Hi! Should the butter be slightly melty in order to mix in with everything?
John K. says
Alyssa,
It’s easier to mix when the butter is in liquid form, but you can use room temperature butter too!
John
Cecilia says
I just tried this, but using Greek Yogurt instead of Sour Cream (because I didn’t have any Sour Cream handy at home). And, the cupcake was reaally good and moist :). Thanks for sharing!
The buttercream yielded too much for me 😉 And, I think it’s a bit too sweet combined with the cupcake. Next time I’ll try the Italian Meringue Buttercream as you suggested 😀
John K. says
Cecilia,
I’m so happy you liked the cupcakes! Italian meringue buttercream would be great with these!
John
Molly says
Hey John!
I love your site, your recipes are very well laid out and your pictures are BEAUTIFUL! I have made this recipe for cupcakes and it was delish! Now I am looking to make a 3-tier cake with 9inch pans. Would I need to triple this recipe to have enough? Also what is your guess for baking time?
Thanks in advance! Molly
John K. says
Molly,
I’m so glad you liked the cupcakes! Triple the batter and bake for about 40 minutes or until a toothpick comes out clean and the sides are pulling away! Don’t forget to use damp baking strips!!
John
Diana Ash says
I’m so glad I came across your YouTube channel which led me here. I just baked these cupcakes this morning and they are very easy and delicious! And we haven’t even iced them yet. I’m looking forward to making these for my kids birthday party. Thank you very much for sharing your recipes. And you’re videos are great too.
My cupcakes are still a bit yellow and I’m blaming the butter here in Australia. They still taste very yummy though.
My question is, does the cake freeze well?
John K. says
Diana,
So glad you liked the cupcakes! High quality butter will always have more beta keratin (which makes the batter yellow)! Try a cheaper butter if you’re wanting a very white cupcake! It may be different for you in Australia though!
John