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.
I’m new to baking cakes as I’m normally a cookie person. This was a pretty easy recipe to follow. I prefer my desserts to be less sweet so I reduced the sugar by a fourth and doubled the recipe to make extra. And because my oven is weird, I had to bake the cupcakes longer. Thankfully the cupcake was still moist and super delicious. I also agree with Melissa, these cupcakes taste great plain, too!
Mine turned out dry. What did I do wrong? I always have success with your recipes,
Hi Lisa, we’re happy to help troubleshoot. How are you measuring your flour? Be sure to spoon and level (or use a kitchen scale) to ensure the flour isn’t over-measured—-that can significantly dry out the cupcakes. Be careful not to over-mix the batter, as well–mix until the ingredients are just incorporated. These cupcake tips will be helpful to review, too. Thank you for giving these a try!
What baking adjustments are needed to make mini cupcakes?
Hi Mary, For around 30–36 mini cupcakes, bake for about 11–13 minutes, same oven temperature.
I accidentally used plain flour instead of cake as I didn’t read the instructions. And they actually turned out great. Not sure how but still good.
Any recipes, lactose intolerance? What would you suggest? I only have one, all the other love what I make, but I would love to make something he would enjoy too
Can you double the recipe?
Hi Cyndy, for best results (and to prevent over or under mixing), we recommend making 2 separate batches rather than doubling.
Oh. My. Goodness. These are the best of any cakes or cupcakes I’ve ever made. They are literal perfection in a cupcake. I could tell from the batter that they would be amazing, and they baked up so beautifully I had to try one cooled even though I’m not frosting them for another few days. They are SO GOOD I could eat the whole batch plain. Sally, you literally cannot fail. Thank you!!
I need them in a few days for my daughter’s birthday party, so I’m planning on freezing them today and thawing the morning of the party (about an hour before I frost them). Do you have any other tips for successfully freezing and frosting later?
Thank you!!
My batter was super thick, there was no way I was pouring it. They are in the oven now so maybe they will turn out. I’ve just never had batter this think before. I weighed all my ingredients, even temped my butter to make sure it was room temp. Is this correct?
Hi LeAnn, how did the cupcakes turn out for you? The batter is slightly thick, but shouldn’t be so thick that it’s un-pourable. Perhaps one of the ingredients was over measured by chance, or was the batter over mixed? If batter is over mixed, that can start to thicken the batter and cause the cupcakes to become dense once baked. Let us know if we can help troubleshoot further, and thank you so much for giving these a try!
This is my go to recipe for vanilla cupcakes and always amazing!!! The batch I made this evening, I put half a lindor milk chocolate ball in the middle half way through baking…big hit!
Hi, could I swap out regular milk with oat milk?
Hi Cara, for best results, we recommend whole milk, but you can substitute nondairy milk in a pinch.
I made this recipe gluten free using a 1 for 1 replacement flour – they turned out as well as the wheat flour batch I made yesterday! This is definitely a keeper. Thank you!
My family usually prefers chocolate cake but I made these tonight for a friend’s birthday and they turned out so good!
Can I double this recipe? I have learn baking is a science and don’t wanna mess it up. Thank you!
Hi Gemma, for best results, I recommend making 2 separate batches.
Hey I want to make both your vanilla and chocolate cupcake recipe. Can I simply add cocoa and espresso to make half a batch of chocolate?
Hi Quincie, unfortunately it is not that simple as cocoa powder is a tricky ingredient. Here’s our super moist chocolate cupcakes recipe.
Rave reviews from my family, who have some pretty high standards. Unfortunately, I haven’t tried them myself since I am gluten allergic. But I will let you know if I try them with gluten free flour.
This is the best homemade vanilla cupcake recipe. So moist and delicious! This will be the only recipe I will be making for vanilla cupcakes moving forward. Thank you!
These turned out great, except for some reason I lose an inch of the cupcake stuck to the bottom of my cupcake liners. Could this be a result of the type of liner I used, or an error I made while making the batter?
Hi Shauna, We love using these cupcake liners. We also swear by these parchment paper liners or any quality liners labeled “grease-proof.”
Will buttermilk change the texture rather than using the sour cream and whole milk?
Hi Amanda, you can replace the whole milk AND sour cream with buttermilk in this recipe (1 cup total).
Can I use pasteurized egg whites??
Absolutely!
Do you know if this recipe can be halved for a small batch or do you have a rec for a small batch cupcake recipe?
Hi Stephanie, you can halve this recipe, yes! When halving, be sure to use 1 egg white, then measure another egg white and use half (which should be about 1 Tbsp).
How long can batter sit
Hi Jesse, it’s best to bake the batter right away, however it’s okay to let it sit at room temperature for a short amount of time if you need to bake in batches. Just cover the batter with a clean kitchen towel.
Can I make it with gluten free flour?
Hi Phi, we haven’t tested this recipe with gluten free flour, so we’re unsure of the results. Let us know if you give anything a try.
I’m planning to double the recipe of this. Would there be changes necessary if I’m using a 24 muffin pan?
Hi Andy, for a 24-count mini muffin pan, bake for about 11–13 minutes, same oven temperature.
Wow! I don’t even like cake that much and these were perfect! They’re light and with a gorgeous crumb, plus the perfect level of sweetness. I will absolutely make these again. I didn’t have vanilla paste and I subbed Greek yogurt for sour cream and they were still amazing.
I have tried this recipe 4 times and every time the cupcakes turn out super dense and almost dry. All ingredients are room temp and I have even tried hand mixing after all the wet ingredients are mixed together to make sure I’m not over mixing with my stand mixer. I really wanted to love this recipe but I just can’t get it to work.
Hi Traci, we’re happy to help troubleshoot. How are you measuring your flour? Be sure to spoon and level (or use a kitchen scale) to ensure the flour isn’t over measured—that can significantly dry out the cupcakes. As you mention, be sure not to over mix by hand or by mixer, as that can make them dense. You’ll want to mix until the ingredients are just incorporated. These cupcake tips will be helpful to review, too. Thank you for giving these a try!
YES! I made the recipe again and this time measured out the flour specifically on my kitchen scale and this is the perfect texture! Thank you for your help!
Loved making these with my grandchildren. Needless to say they did not last long.
Followed the recipe as prescribed, and it did not turn out well. I used butter milk instead of the milk and sour cream (first and last time baking with buttermilk). They took way longer to bake than the time window given in the directions. First time trying something from this site, don’t know if I will try anything else. Cupcakes were soggy and flimsy.
I haven’t made this recipe yet but I can assure you, Sally’s recipes are FANTASTIC. Shes been my go to baker for over 7 years now. It is worth giving another try with one or two of her recipes. I love her salted caramel apple bars, brown butter cookies, cutout sugar cookies (I’m asked to make them for every event), sprinkle cookies, orange rolls (I’m asked to make them often), maple rolls, the list goes on but those are the ones I know off the top of my head and their names (similar names lol they may not be exact).
Greg……how can you give the recipe 1 star and complain that the recipe didn’t work out when you didn’t follow the actual recipe? That’s like leaving a crappy review for McDonalds even though you got your food from Burger King. Seriously, give your head a shake.
This is a winner of vanilla cupcakes! If you use a lot of icing on top of your cupcakes like I do, these will hold up nicely! they bake amazing. never any issues with this recipe. it’s always my go to! LOVE LOVE LOVE. I don’t make any recipe modifications except I have converted this to lemon cupcakes before 🙂 worked perfect.
How do I know if a sour cream is “full fat?”
Hi Gregory, the container should be labeled as such (or simply as “regular” sour cream). You do not want sour cream that is labeled as “low fat” or “reduced fat.”
This is my favorite cupcake recipe! I would like to make these for someone who cannot eat gluten. Could I substitute almond flour into this recipe?
Hi Marcy, we don’t recommend almond flour as it has very different baking properties and is not always a 1:1 swap. We haven’t tested it, but you might have success experimenting with a gluten-free all-purpose flour like Bob’s Red Mill or Cup4Cup. If you give anything a try, we’d love to know how it goes for you!