Easy Vanilla Cupcake Recipe (from scratch!)
There’s something magical about a perfectly baked vanilla cupcake—soft, fluffy, and bursting with sweet, buttery flavor. In just 20 minutes of prep, you’ll have a batch ready to bake, filling your kitchen with the comforting aroma of vanilla and warm butter.
Ingredients
Vanilla Cupcakes
- 1 stick unsalted butter, softened at room temperature
- 3/4 cup granulated sugar
- 2 eggs, at room temperature
- 2 teaspoons vanilla extract
- 1/2 cup buttermilk
- 1 1/4 cups all-purpose flour
- 1 1/4 teaspoons baking powder
- 1/2 teaspoon baking soda
- pinch of salt
Vanilla Buttercream Frosting
- 1 cup unsalted butter, softened at room temperature
- 4 cups powdered sugar
- 1 Tablespoon vanilla extract
- 3 Tablespoons heavy cream
Instructions
- Prep. Preheat the oven to 350°F and line a muffin tin with cupcake liners.
- Cream. In the bowl of a standup mixer, cream the butter and sugar together on medium-high speed until light and fluffy (about 2-3 minutes).
- Add the eggs and vanilla. Mix in the eggs, one at a time, on medium speed followed by the vanilla extract.
- Combine the dry ingredients. In a separate bowl, whisk together the all-purpose flour, baking powder, baking soda, and salt.
- Put it all together. Mix a third of the dry mixture with the wet ingredients, followed by half of the buttermilk. Repeat until you are out of ingredients, ending with the dry mixture.
- Bake. Spoon the cupcake batter into the prepared cupcake liners, filling each about two-thirds full. Bake for 18-20 minutes.
- Cool. Allow the cupcakes to cool in the muffin tin for a few minutes before transferring them to a wire rack to cool completely.
- Vanilla Frosting
- Cream the butter. Beat the butter on medium-high speed until smooth and creamy. On medium speed, mix in the vanilla and then the powdered sugar, 1 cup at a time.
- Adjust the consistency. On low speed, mix in the heavy cream, 1 tablespoon at a time, until you reach the desired consistency.
- Beat. Increase the mixer speed to medium-high speed and beat until light and fluffy.
- Frost. Spread or pipe the frosting over the fully cooled cupcakes.
Nutrition
Calories: 489kcalCarbohydrates: 63gProtein: 3gFat: 26gSaturated Fat: 16gCholesterol: 94mgSodium: 116mgPotassium: 52mgFiber: 0.4gSugar: 52gVitamin A: 819IUVitamin C: 0.02mgCalcium: 52mgIron: 1mg
Tried this recipe?Let us know how it was!