These vanilla cupcakes are, by far, one of the most-loved recipes on this website. Using creamed butter, plus cake flour, sour cream, and egg whites (no yolks!), guarantees a soft, fluffy, and cake-like crumb. Pure vanilla extract plus the optional addition of vanilla beans seals in a classic vanilla flavor. Use a piping tip or knife to garnish each with vanilla buttercream.
Originally published in 2016, this vanilla cupcakes recipe has soared to the top of my Essential Baking Recipes list. This list includes recipes that are in regular rotation in my kitchen including banana bread, chocolate chip cookies, and sugar cookies. (So many favorites!) In fact, today’s cupcakes have been so popular around here that I’ve used the base recipe to create several other varieties.
Here’s Exactly Why This Vanilla Cupcakes Recipe Works:
Baking is a science and that’s proved over and over again in base recipes like this. Like when making white cake and vanilla cake, it’s not only the measurements you use, but the specific type of ingredient. Using cake flour instead of all-purpose produces a fluffy, soft crumb. Skipping the egg yolks keeps the cupcakes light. Sour cream helps supply a tight, yet moist crumb. My team and I have done the testing and we are confident in the results. These homemade vanilla cupcakes are simply perfect.
Reader Kristin commented: “This recipe was delicious and will definitely be a go to! I frosted with your Homemade Rainbow Chip Frosting and had rave reviews… several asked for the recipes!”
Use These Carefully Selected Ingredients
This cupcake batter calls for 11 ingredients, including the handful mentioned below, as well as basics like baking powder, baking soda, salt, and sugar. Let me explain why the following ingredients are “power ingredients” in this recipe:
- Cake flour: Cake flour is much lighter than all-purpose flour and helps to produce the softest, lightest cakes and cupcakes you’ll ever eat. It’s sold next to the regular flour in the baking aisle and I promise that you’ll use up the entire box in no time after you taste these! Note that you do not need cake flour for chocolate cupcakes because cocoa powder is already very light.
- Softened butter: A base of creamed butter and sugar (instead of using melted butter or oil) often helps achieve a soft, cake-like structure. Make sure it’s proper room temperature butter.
- Egg whites: While egg yolks are rich in fat and moisture, they can weigh down your baked goods. Skip the egg yolks and use the whites purely for giving structure to the cupcakes. Since we are losing a little fat from the missing egg yolks, we add it back in with sour cream and whole milk.
- Sour cream: This is a power ingredient because it lightens and moistens the crumb. Though plain yogurt could be used in its place, I find that cupcakes made with sour cream are lighter.
- Vanilla Extract & Vanilla Bean: For the most well-rounded vanilla flavor, use both vanilla bean and vanilla extract in the cupcakes, just like we do in strawberry shortcake cupcakes. You can usually find vanilla beans in the baking aisle, but if you’re looking to purchase them online, I recommend these vanilla beans. See recipe Note if you’re skipping the vanilla bean or if you want to use vanilla bean paste.
- Whole Milk: Milk with fat such as whole milk or 2% milk is your best choice here. Nondairy milk is great in a pinch. I use buttermilk in this vanilla cake recipe, which is typically a fine substitution for both sour cream and regular milk in baked goods. For these cupcakes, however, the crumb stays a little tighter when using sour cream + whole milk.
Tip: Make sure ALL cold ingredients are room temperature before beginning, otherwise your batter could split and the results aren’t pleasant. Read more about why room temperature ingredients are important in baking.
Want to kick the vanilla flavor up a notch? Replace store-bought vanilla extract with homemade vanilla extract and regular granulated sugar with vanilla sugar.
Success Tip: Filling Your Cupcake Pan
The batter comes together with a mixer. Give it a quick whisk by hand to make sure there are no more lumps at the bottom of the bowl.
When filling your lined cupcake pan, fill the liners only 2/3 full, which is about 3 heaping Tablespoons of batter each. Filling them only 2/3 full gives you about 14 cupcakes from this batch. Using more batter per cupcake leads to overflowing or even sinking.
This Is a Multipurpose Batter
Since the results are so crowd-pleasing, this vanilla cupcake batter has become a go-to standard for many other cupcake recipes on this website. Using this recipe as the starting point, I’ve created all of the following cupcake flavors:
- Mimosa Cupcakes
- Chai Latte Cupcakes
- White Chocolate Strawberry Cupcakes
- Sprinkle Cupcakes
- Pistachio Cupcakes
- Caramel Coconut Cupcakes
- Peanut Butter & Jelly Cupcakes
- Wedding Cupcakes with Champagne Frosting
Can I Turn These Cupcakes Into a Cake?
Yes, instead of cupcakes, you can use this exact batter for making a vanilla 6-inch cake. For a 1-layer vanilla cake, I recommend my similar recipe for 1-layer sprinkle cake. You can skip the sprinkles. See recipe Notes for larger layer cake options.
Frosting for Vanilla Cupcakes
This vanilla buttercream is a top choice for garnishing your vanilla cupcakes. But your frosting options are pretty much endless, including Swiss meringue buttercream, white chocolate buttercream frosting, strawberry buttercream frosting, chocolate buttercream, lemon buttercream, or cream cheese frosting. For a lighter, less sweet option, I love pairing these cupcakes with whipped frosting. You can even fill them with raspberry cake filling before frosting.
You can swipe the frosting on with an icing knife (pictured below) or with a piping bag + tip such as Wilton 1M (images in the post above). If you’re just learning how to use piping tips, my piping tips guide is a helpful resource.
And finally, here’s just one photo of our multiple test variations. The left cupcake had way too much liquid and produced a wet, squat cupcake. The right cupcake was from our final batch, simply perfect!
Printable recipe & video tutorial below.
Recommended Tools
- 12-count muffin pan. I use and love this muffin pan and this muffin pan. Both are excellent quality and you can’t go wrong with either.
- Cupcake liners
- Handheld mixer or stand mixer
- Vanilla beans
- Icing knife or Wilton 1M piping tip + piping bag
Simply Perfect Vanilla Cupcakes
- Prep Time: 25 minutes
- Cook Time: 20 minutes
- Total Time: 3 hours
- Yield: 14 cupcakes
- Category: Dessert
- Method: Baking
- Cuisine: American
Description
This is my favorite recipe for homemade vanilla cupcakes. Using creamed butter, cake flour, sour cream, and egg whites, these cupcakes are soft, sweet, fluffy, and infinitely buttery.
Ingredients
- 1 and 3/4 cups (207g) cake flour (spooned & leveled)
- 3/4 teaspoon baking powder
- 1/4 teaspoon baking soda
- 1/4 teaspoon salt
- 1/2 cup (113g) unsalted butter, softened to room temperature
- 1 cup (200g) granulated sugar
- 3 large egg whites, at room temperature
- 2 teaspoons pure vanilla extract
- seeds scraped from 1/2 of a vanilla bean (optional)
- 1/2 cup (120g) full-fat sour cream at room temperature
- 1/2 cup (120ml) whole milk at room temperature
- vanilla buttercream and sprinkles for decorating
Instructions
- Preheat the oven to 350°F (177°C). Line a 12-cup muffin pan with cupcake liners. Line a second pan with 2 liners—this recipe makes about 14 cupcakes. Set aside.
- Whisk the cake flour, baking powder, baking soda, and salt together. Set aside.
- Using a handheld or stand mixer fitted with a paddle attachment, beat the butter on high speed until smooth and creamy, about 1 minute. Add the sugar and beat on high speed for 2 minutes until creamed together. Scrape down the sides and up the bottom of the bowl with a rubber spatula as needed. Add the egg whites, vanilla extract, and vanilla bean and beat on medium-high speed until smooth and combined, at least 2 minutes. Scrape down the sides and up the bottom of the bowl as needed and then beat in the sour cream. With the mixer on low speed, add the dry ingredients until just incorporated. With the mixer still running on low, slowly pour in the milk until combined. Do not over-mix. You may need to whisk it all by hand to make sure there are no lumps at the bottom of the bowl. The batter will be slightly thick.
- Pour/spoon the batter into the liners—fill only 2/3 full to avoid spilling over the sides. Bake for 19–22 minutes, or until a toothpick inserted in the center comes out clean. For around 30–36 mini cupcakes, bake for about 11–13 minutes, same oven temperature. Allow the cupcakes to cool completely before frosting.
- Frost cooled cupcakes with vanilla buttercream. You can swipe the frosting on with an icing knife or use a piping tip such as Wilton 1M. Leftover cupcakes keep well covered tightly in the refrigerator for 3 days.
Notes
- Make Ahead & Freezing Instructions: Cupcakes can be made ahead 1 day in advance, covered, and stored at room temperature. Frosted or unfrosted cupcakes can be frozen up to 2-3 months. Thaw overnight in the refrigerator.
- Special Tools (affiliate links): USA Pan 12-cup Muffin Pan or Calphalon 12-cup Muffin Pan | Cupcake Liners | Glass Mixing Bowl | Whisk | Electric Mixer (Handheld or Stand) | Icing Knife | Piping Bag (Reusable or Disposable) | Wilton 1M
- Amount of Batter: This recipe yields between 3-4 cups of batter which is helpful if you’re reviewing the Cake Pan Sizes & Conversions page.
- Cake Flour: Cake flour is the only ideal flour for this recipe. In a pinch, you can make your own homemade cake flour but the cupcakes won’t taste as light. You can find cake flour in the baking aisle near the all-purpose flour.
- Leftover Egg Yolks? I have some recipe ideas for you!
- Vanilla: For best flavor, pure vanilla extract is strongly recommended. If using imitation, increase to 1 Tablespoon (3 teaspoons). If you can’t get your hands on vanilla bean, simply leave it out or replace with an extra 1/2 teaspoon of pure vanilla extract. If you want to use vanilla bean paste instead of vanilla extract and vanilla bean, use 2 teaspoons vanilla bean paste.
- Whole Milk & Sour Cream: Whole milk and sour cream are strongly recommended for the best taste and texture. A full fat plain yogurt would work instead, though the cupcakes may not be as light. Same goes with a lower fat milk. Nondairy milk works in a pinch. You can replace both the whole milk and sour cream with buttermilk (1 cup; 240ml) if needed.
- Room Temperature Ingredients: All refrigerated items should be at room temperature so the batter mixes together easily and evenly. Read here for more information.
- Vanilla Cake: I suggest following my white cake recipe as the base, which is almost double this cupcake recipe. I also have a taller 3 layer vanilla cake recipe as well. For a 1 layer cake, I recommend this 1-layer sprinkle cake and you can skip the sprinkles in the batter.
- Be sure to check out my 10 tips for baking the BEST cupcakes before you begin.
Hi! I’m kind of a rookie baker and have never used vanilla beans. Do you just drop the whole bean in and mix it up? Does it blend in okay?
Hi Joan! No, you cut the bean in half (the long, skinny way) and scrape the beans out to add to the batter. You can see how to do this in our homemade vanilla extract video (below the recipe!).
Could you use this recipe with a big cupcake pan
Hi Bri, This recipe yields between 3-4 cups. You may find our Cake Pan & Conversions page helpful.
Sally, you mention that I can make a 6-inch cake using any of your cupcake recipes. That would just make a one-layer cake, right? So if I want a 6-inch three-layer cake, would I just triple the recipe? That would make sense, but I want to be sure! Thanks so much for your help.
Hi Penny! Our cupcake recipes are generally the perfect amount of batter for a three layer 6 inch cake. You can read more about this in our 6 inch cakes post 🙂
Can I make these into mini cupcakes? How much batter? How long to bake?
Thanks!!!
Hi Paula, For around 30–36 mini cupcakes, bake for about 11–13 minutes, same oven temperature.
Made exactly as written, almost textured like angel food! So awesome. Used egg yolks for banana cream pie- also excellent!
This cupcake came out perfectly textured! Super soft and fluffy with a nice clean crumb inside without any large holes. A little light on vanilla flavor HOWEVER I will add I’ve NEVER made cupcakes from scratch before so I only have box mix to compare to. We had gotten cupcakes from a bakery that people were raving about and they had the texture of a muffin, large holes, gummy and no flavor at all. I wanted to show my mom that was NOT a cupcake! This recipe was EXACTLY what a cupcake should be!!! I just kept looking at the inside because I was just so impressed with how beautiful it looked. Now to find a good frosting because I’m not a fan of buttercream!
I absolutely love this recipe! If I want to double the recipe to make 28 cupcakes, can I make the double batter at once? Or is it best to make two single batters?
Hi Amanda, for best results (and to prevent over or under mixing), we recommend making two separate batches rather than doubling.
Hi Sally! You are a household name in my kitchen and I am a huuuge fan. When you followed my baking page on fb I got so excited a fan girl’d a little!!my question is, can I use this as a base for an earl grey cake? And if so, how would steeping the teabags in butter cream make the milk go weird if I heat it up?
Hi Jennifer! We have never tested an earl gray flavor cupcake, but you can try steeping your tea in the milk similar to how we make lavender milk in this blackberry lavender cake. Make sure it completely cools back to room temperature before using it in the cake batter. Let us know if you give it a try!
Hey there! I’m looking for a vanilla cupcake recipe for my daughters bday and she had an egg allergy. Do you have any tips on using this recipe and using applesauce in place of the eggs?
Hi Danielle, I haven’t tested egg substitutes in this cupcake recipe, so let me know if you do! I fear the texture will be compromised, but, again, let me know if you try anything.
I love this recipe! I love it so much that I’ll be making it when we travel to Colorado this week! Do you have any tips on baking these at a higher altitude?
Hi Elaina! I wish we could help, but have no experience baking at high altitude. Some readers have found this chart helpful: https://www.kingarthurflour.com/learn/high-altitude-baking.html
This is such a reliable recipe. Follow the instructions closely and you’ll get amazing flavor and texture. And PSA to my high altitude friends: I have never needed to adjust the recipe for altitude. That makes it so much easier.
Made this recipe for my sons 2nd birthday party and it was a huge hit! I made 2 separate batches and made half with your vanilla buttercream recipe and half with your chocolate buttercream recipe. I made the cupcakes the night before and made the buttercream the day of the party and put them in the freezer for about 2 hours (I didn’t have room in my fridge). Took them out half an hour before serving and everyone loved them! Received these comments, “spectacular”, frosting was “other worldly” and “the best cupcake I’ve ever had”
Thank you for the recipe! Will definitely make again!
Thank you so much for including the amount of batter this recipe makes! Because I was unsure if the recipe for Sally’s one-layer strawberry shortcake would yield enough batter to make individual berry bowls in my 6-bowl brownie bowl pan (which calls for 6 Tbsp’s per bowl), I was able to use this cupcake recipe instead. As expected, this recipe made a bit more batter than needed, so I slightly overfilled the cups, which ended up not being an issue at all (the cupcakes shrunk back after cooling).
I baked the bowls at 325F for 25-28 minutes, let cool for 10 mins before turning out of the pan, filled them with the whipped cream recipe from the one-layer shortcake, and topped with macerated strawberries. This was a perfect recipe (and use) for that pan and the dessert/individual portions was a big hit. Our family found the bowls way too big for a single serving of brownie + whatever filling, so finding a different (tasty!) recipe that makes good use of this pan is very much appreciated.
The texture of these are just perfect, but I thought the flavor fell a lottle flat. I didn’t have a vanilla bean but I used vanilla bean paste instead. Maybe I’ll make a tweak next time to get the flavor I was looking for. Otherwise GREAT recipe
I love this recipe. I haven’t made cupcakes in a long time so made a sporadic decision to make them today. They got a fabulous 10/10 from each family member #winningrecipe
If I need to make 100 cupcakes, can I just multiply this recipe buy ~7 and still have it turn out good? Or would you suggest I multiply it by less, and mix it up more times?
Hi Amanda, generally we recommend multiplying it by less and making several batches. Hope this helps!
It was a great recipe I used it for a cake walk at my daughter’s school and it got tons of votes!!!
I would recommend this recipe
Hi Sally, I made you chocolate cupcake recipe, it turned out soft, moist and looked really nice.
However, it had a bitter taste to it, what do you think could’ve gone wrong.
Not, I didn’t use it for cupcakes, I poured the batter in an 8 inch round cake pan and baked at 170⁰C for 35 minutes.
Please help with a solution to that, thank you I like all your other recipes
Hi Gloria, Did you change anything about the chocolate cupcake recipe? Make sure you are using buttermilk and not regular milk. Also check the amount of baking powder and baking soda you used – too much of either can lead to a bitter taste.
Hello Stephanie, I used regular milk and 1½ teaspoons of vinegar as a substitute for buttermilk milk, ¾ tsp baking powder and ½ tsp baking soda(I assume it’s the same as bicarbonate of soda), both were not fresh, could it have affected the result?
Yes, ingredients that are not fresh could certainly affect the taste.
I have an event coming up in June that i am going to be making over 40 of these cupcakes. i am planning on using the filling from your Strawberry Shortcake cupcakes and filling them. My question is: Will these cupcakes hold up to filling them with the strawberry filling? I also plan on using your Not-So-Sweet Whipped Frosting. Thank you for your assistance.
Hi Debbie! Yes, these cupcakes hold up great with filling.
Can I use regular flower? I don’t own cake flower.
Hi Mary, Cake flour is the only ideal flour for this recipe. In a pinch, you can make your own homemade cake flour but the cupcakes won’t taste as light. You can find cake flour in the baking aisle near the all-purpose flour.
thanks!
Is it okay to double or triple this recipe or would you recommend just doing individual batches?
Hi Rachel, for best results (and to prevent over or under mixing) we recommend making separate batches.
I have used this recipe before and LOVE it! Now i’m faced with a small challenge! A friend of mine cannot eat eggs! Can i substitute buttermilk for the egg whites and will it still turn out the same????! I think I’ve used 1/4 cup of buttermilk for each egg I was replacing, but don’t know if it’s different with just egg whites?! Thank you so much!!!
Hi JoAnn, we haven’t tested an egg-free version of these cupcakes, so we’re unsure of a suitable substitute that will give you the same great taste and texture. If you’re interested, here are all of our egg-free recipes. Hope you can find one there to enjoy!
I love this recipe, but I only have 2 eggs left, can I use 2 whole eggs to replace the 3 egg whites?
Hi Diane, egg whites give these cupcakes their light and fluffy structure, while also keeping them pristine white. It would take additional testing to adjust the recipe for whole eggs. If you try using 2 whole eggs here, expect a slightly denser cupcake crumb.
Love this recipe! I want to make these ahead of time for a party on Sunday. Can I bake them Wednesday and ice Friday? Do I freeze after I bake, before I ice? Or will they stay good in fridge/counter until Sunday? Thanks!
Hi Amber, the will start to lose a bit of freshness by then, so we’d recommend freezing them (before frosting), then thawing overnight in the refrigerator before you’re ready to frost and serve.
Love this so much, I was wondering if the batter could sit in the fridge for a day or two or if that would change anything about it
Hi Corey! Cake batter should be baked right away.
Absolutely loved these cupcakes! Perfect taste and texture
I made your cake version of this and it was the best! I have leftover egg whites in the freezer, how many tablespoons is an egg white?
Hi Giselle! A large egg white is usually about 2 Tbs.
Hi! I tried these today- they taste really good and rose beautifully and are very soft. I used a standard ice cream scoop and got 15 slightly domed cupcakes. What I did not like was the slight rubbery texture. All my ingredients were at room temp and measured by weight. Only thing I did differently was use 1tsp vanilla extract and 1tsp vanilla paste. I used a hand mixer.
Any ideas what I could be doing wrong? Thank you!
Hi Sam! A rubbery texture can come from over-mixing the cupcake batter. Make sure to *just* mix until combined.
Hi Sally!!! I’m gonna try your recipes but I have one doubt….can I make de vanilla cake recipe as cupcakes or what’s the difference between the two recipes: vanilla cake and vanilla cupcakes?
I already made the “Easter Cookies” and they are DELICIOUS!!!
Hi Mariana! The recipes are very similar, these cupcakes just make a smaller batch and are a little fluffier.
I am planning to make several different filled cupcakes and would like to use the same cupcake batter for all of them. One of the cupcakes will be your Strawberry Shortcake cupcake. I noticed the cake recipe for the Strawberry Shortcake cupcake is slightly different from your Simply Perfect Vanilla cupcake recipe. Which cupcake recipe would you use? the other cupcake fillings I’m considering are Key Lime Pie, Cannolli or Oreo stuffed / Cookies and Cream.
Hi Andrea! These simply perfect vanilla cupcakes would be a perfect base for all those fillings. Happy baking!
Hello Sally,
I doubled the recipe but my batter came out extremely thin. I added an extra 100 gr of cake flour but it stayed thin. Instead of 6 egg whites, I used 200 ml pasteurized egg whites from a carton (it said 500ml = 15 egg whites, so 6 eggs makes 200 ml). The cupcakes sunk in and looked like a crème brulee on top.
Do you know what I dit wrong here?
It must have been something with doubling the recipe. I’ve doubled it before with no issue, but do have better results when I make individual batches. I wonder if there was a mistake when doubling the ingredients?