Originally published in 2018, this vanilla cupcake recipe has become my go-to (and many of yours)! I recently updated the photos to showcase how beautifully moist and fluffy they are. I love this recipe because it’s easy, consistent, and yields deliciously soft cupcakes that are packed with rich vanilla flavor. They’re also extremely versatile – top them with vanilla buttercream for the ultimate vanilla cupcake or frost them with just about any buttercream flavor and you’ll have an amazing dessert.
One Reader, Uchenna, Says: “Wow! This recipe is truly amazing. I have literally tried dozens of vanilla cupcake recipes and had given up. I read the ingredients and was excited to try this one and I am sure glad I did – this one is by far the best! It will definitely be my go to recipe!” ★★★★★
Why You’ll Love These Vanilla Cupcakes
- Wonderfully Soft and Moist. The soft texture of these cupcakes comes from a balance of incorporating cake flour and extra moisture. Cake flour has a lower protein content than all-purpose flour, which means the batter is able to retain more moisture (the higher the protein content, the less ability to retain moisture, aka the drier the cake). That being said, the cake flour makes sure that none of the extra moisture from ingredients like sour cream, egg yolks, and whole milk go to waste.
- Perfect Vanilla Flavor. I use an entire tablespoon of vanilla in this recipe and the results are ideal!
- Super Dependable Recipe. Before writing my own recipes, I was very dependent on Betty Crocker box mixes for cupcakes (and cake!) because it’s just so trustworthy. Many of the from-scratch recipes I’d tried resulted in cupcakes that had sunken in the middle, had a weird cornbread-ish taste, were too dry, and just lacked luster. So I spent countless hours concocting the perfect ratio of moisture, fluffiness, flavor, and magic for this recipe. The result? A dreamy, melt-in-your mouth texture that’s soft as box mix, only without all the ingredients in a box mix you can’t pronounce.
- Always a crowd favorite. You can never go wrong with vanilla cupcakes topped with vanilla buttercream and sprinkles, ever!
The Perfect Vanilla Cupcakes Ingredients & Substitutions
These vanilla cupcakes are soft, moist, and taste like a dream thanks to these key ingredients. If needed, I’ve also shared some ingredient substitutions that can be made in case you’re in a pinch:
- Cake Flour. To achieve the super soft texture in these cupcakes, I swear by cake flour. It produces a much fluffier texture than all-purpose (or plain) flour because of its lower protein content (the more protein in your flour the stiffer the dough and less ability to maintain moisture). You can find cake flour at most grocery stores, but if all you’ve got is all-purpose flour in your pantry, here are instructions for how to make your own cake flour. Keep in mind that if you do use the homemade version, the gram measurement will weigh more (295g instead of 265g) since all-purpose flour is heavier than cake flour.
- Baking Powder + Baking Soda. The leavening agents in this recipe. Using both gives the perfect amount of rise.
- Unsalted Butter. The main fat in this recipe, which adds lots of moisture, great structure, and rich flavor. If you only have salted butter on hand, you can substitute that but be sure to omit the salt in the recipe if you do.
- Granulated Sugar. This not only sweetens the cupcakes, it creates a tender crumb as well. You can substitute this with caster sugar if you wish and it will be even more soft.
- Large Eggs. I use three large eggs in this recipe, which add the perfect amount of structure and help bind the cupcake batter together.
- Sour Cream. Sour cream adds the perfect amount of moisture to these cupcakes. If you don’t have that locally you can substitute it for plain yogurt or Crème fraîche.
- Pure Vanilla Extract. I use an entire tablespoon of vanilla extract in these cupcakes, which takes the flavor beyond! I recommend using a quality vanilla extract here (not imitation). You can substitute the extract for vanilla bean paste if you wish.
- Whole Milk. Since it has the highest fat percentage of any milk (aside from buttermilk), the whole milk creates a rich crumb while binding the ingredients together. You can technically substitute this for another kind of milk, but whole milk is going to yield the best results.
Tips for the BEST Vanilla Cupcakes:
If you want these vanilla cupcakes to be the very best, I recommend the following:
- Use store bought cake flour. The homemade cake flour works in a pinch and is better than plain all purpose flour, but store bought cake flour is always going to yield the softest texture.
- Start with room temperature ingredients. Baking is a science, and when ingredients like eggs, butter, and dairy are at room temperature, they form an emulsion which traps air in the batter. Once you place that batter in the oven, the trapped air expands and gives your cupcakes a good rise and lovely, tender crumb. If you want your cupcakes to live up to their true potential, don’t skip this step.
- Use fresh baking powder and baking soda. Each of these leavening agents lose their power to make cupcakes rise after about 6 months, so be sure to keep fresh baking powder and baking soda on hand for best results.
- Be careful not to over or under mix. Under-mixing the batter will prevent important chemical reactions from happening in your cupcake batter, and over-mixing will lead to too much gluten development (aka dense cupcakes). In order to help you mix perfectly, I’ve listed all of the mixing times and speeds in the recipe below regardless of whether you’re using a hand mixer or stand mixer. Follow them exactly for best results!
- Know your oven. I’ve written this recipe (and all of my recipes) for a conventional oven. If you have a convection or fan-assisted oven, you’ll want to reduce the baking temperature to 325ºF (163ºC) and check for doneness a few minutes earlier than specified.
Vanilla Cupcakes Recipe Video
I whipped up a quick video showing you how to make these vanilla cupcakes from start to finish!
If you love recipe videos like this one, be sure to check out my YouTube channel! I’ve got a growing collection of cake recipes, decorating tutorials, and Cake Basics over there. Hit the subscribe button on my page so you never miss a new video.
The Ideal Vanilla Buttercream for Cupcakes
I love frosting these vanilla cupcakes with a swirl of this vanilla buttercream, which is my personal go-to. It’s an American buttercream that’s so silky smooth, bursting with vanilla flavor, perfectly pipeable, and I’ve customized it to be less sweet than average. If you prefer a more buttery vanilla frosting that’s even less sweet than American buttercream, I also have this vanilla swiss meringue buttercream recipe that takes a little more effort but is so delicious!
If you’re looking to switch up the frosting flavor, nearly any of my frosting recipes will be delicious paired with these vanilla cupcakes.
I hope you love these vanilla cupcakes as much as I do! Let me know if you make them in the comments below (don’t forget to rate the recipe!) and tag @sugarandsparrowco on Instagram to show me if you post a photo. I love to see what you create with my recipes!
Perfect Vanilla Cupcake Recipe
Ingredients
Vanilla Cupcakes
- 2 1/2 cups (265g) sifted cake flour
- 2 tsp baking powder
- 1/2 tsp baking soda
- 1 tsp salt
- 3/4 cup (170g) unsalted butter, softened to room temperature
- 1 3/4 cup (350g) granulated white sugar
- 3 large eggs, room temperature
- 1/2 cup (120g) sour cream, room temperature
- 1 Tbsp pure vanilla extract
- 1 cup (240ml) whole milk, room temperature
Vanilla Buttercream
- 2 batches vanilla buttercream
Instructions
- Preheat the oven to 350°F (177ºC) and line standard cupcake pan(s) with liners. This recipe makes about 32 cupcakes.
- Add the sifted cake flour, baking powder, baking soda, and salt into a bowl and whisk to combine. Set aside.
- In the bowl of your stand mixer fitted with the paddle attachment (or with an electric mixer and large bowl), beat the butter on high for two minutes until creamy. Add the sugar and continue to mix on high for another two minutes. Scrape down the bowl and paddle. Turn the mixer to low speed and add the eggs one at a time, mixing thoroughly after each addition. Add the vanilla and sour cream, then turn the mixer to high speed and mix for one minute. Scrape down the bowl and paddle as needed.
- With the mixer on low speed, add in the dry ingredients all at once and mix until just combined, then add the milk in a steady stream. Continue mixing for another 20-30 seconds, until just combined. Scrape down the sides and bottom of the bowl and give it a few stirs to make sure there are no lumps (without over-mixing). The batter will be slightly thick.
- Spoon or pour the batter into the cupcake tins until they’re about ⅔ full, then bake for 14-18 minutes, until they spring back to the touch and a toothpick inserted into the middle comes out clean. Let the cupcakes cool in the pan for about five minutes before removing them from the pan and continuing to cool on a wire rack until room temperature. Make sure they are entirely room temperature before adding any frosting.
Assembly
- To create the look pictured, make the vanilla buttercream and add it into a piping bag fitted with Wilton Tip 1M. Pipe a swirl onto each cupcake with the buttercream and top with rainbow sprinkles.
How much oil should I use in place of the butter? I just like the moisture that oil adds more than butter.
Hi Eileen! I’ve never tried this recipe with oil as a sub, so it would be an experiment. I’d try either subbing half the butter with oil or all or it. Let me know if you do try it, I’d love to know how it goes!
Hi Whitney! Love your recipes!! Can I frost the cupcakes and leaving it out of the fridge to eat the next day or should I put it on the fridge until last minute? Weather is getting warmer here(Sydney). Thank u!!
Hi Milena! I’m so happy you’ve been loving my recipes 🙂 Yes – you can leave the frosted cupcakes out at room temperature overnight. There’s no need to refrigerate them.
Delicious cupcakes!! But mine came out very flat and also overflowed and stuck to the muffin pan. Should they be flat? Thank you!
Hi Kathy! I’m so sorry these overflowed. They will be flat if they overflow. Next time I’d recommend filling the cupcake liners no more than 2/3 full, maybe even closer to 1/2 full. And check to make sure your baking powder/baking soda is not expired – those should be replaced every 6 months to ensure that they help your bakes properly rise. That could be another reason why they baked flat vs. domed. Hope that helps!
Love the texture and taste of this recipe. Thank you for sharing!
The issue I have is the batter is flowing over the top on the pan and is getting crispy edges. Also I’d there anything I can go about sticky tips. Would love to have this be my go to recipe. Also I’m using a 24 cupcake pan and I still have left overs.
Hi Ashlee! So happy you love this recipe. I would recommend filling the cupcake tins with less batter if you’re having issues with them overflowing in the baking process. Next time fill them 1/2 to 2/3 full. And as far as sticky tops go, that usually happens when you store the cupcakes in an airtight container (or under plastic wrap) before they’re completely cool. If you cool them to room temperature before storing them they shouldn’t be sticky on top.
Hi
If I add lemon zest and extract to this recipe will I have lemon cupcakes, or do you have a better recipe for lemon cupcakes?
THanks!
Hi Carolyn! I do have a lemon cake recipe that works great as cupcakes: https://sugarandsparrow.com/lemon-layer-cake-recipe/ it makes 32-36 cupcakes, so you can halve the recipe if you don’t need that many. Fill the cupcake tins no more than 2/3 full and bake at 350 for 15-18 minutes. Enjoy!
Let me start by saying this cupcake recipe is delicious! Moist and crumbly and holds up so well! I do have a question though: in some of the cupcakes I get the bitter, dry taste if the sour cream. Is this from under-mixing? I’m scared to over-mix, so just wanted your thoughts on that. Thank you!
Yay, Angie! So happy this recipe was a hit! If only some of the cupcakes have a bitter taste, my hunch is that you under-mixed. To ensure everything is well incorporated without over-mixing, you can always whisk the batter by hand at the end. It also helps to scrape down the bowl between ingredient additions. Hope that helps for next time!
Wow! This recipe is truly amazing. I have literally tried dozens of vanilla cupcake recipes and had given up. I read the ingredients and was excited to try this one and I am sure glad I did This is by far the best! It will definitely be my go to recipe. Thanks for sharing ☺️
Yay, Uchenna! Thank you so much for taking the time to let me know. I’m so happy to hear you’ve found your go-to vanilla cupcake recipe!
Hi Whitney,
These cupcakes are delicious! Do you think it would work if I substituted the whole milk for coconut milk to make coconut cupcakes?
Hi Bridget! I’ve never tried that before so I’m not sure how it would turn out or if coconut milk would have enough flavor in it to make the cupcakes taste like coconut. If you’re looking for a good coconut cupcake recipe though, I would recommend using the cake recipe from this Almond Joy Cake: https://sugarandsparrow.com/almond-joy-cake-recipe/ you can bake it as cupcakes by filling your tins with the batter no more than 2/3 full, then baking at 350 for 15-18 min. Enjoy!
I made these cupcakes over the weekend for my nephews 1st birthday. They were a massive hit and people couldn’t believe they were home made! Thanks for a great recipe!
Yay, Corinne! That makes me so happy to hear that these were such a hit!
I love the flavor and texture of these cupcakes. Do you have any suggestions for keeping the edges white? When I took them out of the oven, nearly each one had a browned ring around the edge above the wrapper.
Yay, Kelly! So happy you love this recipe. As far as the edges go, do you think they’re overbaked? That and perhaps an oven that’s too warm are the only things I can think of. Maybe check your internal oven temp with a thermometer to make sure the inside of the oven isn’t hotter than what’s displayed and try baking the cupcakes for the minimum amount of time, until they spring back to the touch and a toothpick inserted comes out clean. Hope that helps!
Yes, I think it has to do with the oven temp. I was cooking all of my baked good on convection with a temp. Adjustment. I switched to regular and assumed it would fix my issue but learned the temp was still too high. Also, I have better cupcake luck with a pan that is lighter in color.
Hola me encanta tu blog, ojalá puedas leer mi inquietud. Puedo sustituir la mantequilla por aceite de girasol? Y si es así en qué cantidad sería la recomendada. Gracias
Hi Lina! Thanks so much for the kind words about my blog! I have never tried substituting sunflower oil (or any oil) for the butter in this recipe, so I’m not sure how it will turn out. You are totally welcome to experiment with it though!
Hi. What happens if I cannot find sour cream but have buttermilk?
Hi Natasha! You can omit the sour cream and use buttermilk as a substitute for the whole milk instead. In my opinion the sour cream makes this cake the most moist, but buttermilk (or even better, full fat coconut milk) helps add a fair amount of moisture in it’s place as a substitute.
Thank you so much. Cannot wait to try it this week.
Hi! Is it possible to cut the recipe in half to make 12 cupcakes? I’m not sure how to cut 3 eggs in half though.
Hi Grace! It is totally possible, just use 1 whole egg + 1 egg yolk to half the eggs!
Thank you for the quick response! I can’t wait to try it out!
Hi! Is it possible to make these using a mini muffin pan? Would I just decrease the bake time? I thought I’d make 12 full size cupcakes and then use the rest of the batter for a more bite size version.
I made your 6 inch 3 layer vanilla cake for my moms birthday in May and it was the best cake we’ve ever had. Can’t wait to make these!
I’m so happy you love this recipe, Jasmin! You can definitely make this recipe in a mini muffin pan. Keep the oven temp the same and bake for 10-12 minutes.
To make Coconut Cupcakes can I use this recipe and swap the milk for Coconut Milk and just add desiccated or shredded coconut?
Hi Rhianna! For Coconut Cupcakes, I recommend using my Coconut Cake recipe: https://sugarandsparrow.com/almond-joy-cake-recipe/ divide the recipe in half to yield 18-22 cupcakes. Bake at 350 for about 17 minutes and they’ll be perfect!
I just did this. Amazing!! I did forget to get coconut milk and I got to that point in the recipe and had to run to the shops haha. Sooo fluffy. Half the recipe made 16 cupcakes for me.
Yay!! I’m so happy the cupcake version of the coconut cake recipe was a hit!! Thanks for letting me know 🙂