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.
I originally published this recipe in 2016 and have since added new photos, a video tutorial, and more helpful success tips. This recipe is such a fan favorite, that it deserved a spot in print! You’ll also find this recipe in my cookbook, Sally’s Baking 101.
As soon as I developed it many years ago, 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!) Like my classic chocolate cupcakes with vanilla frosting, these vanilla cupcakes hold a sacred spot in my baking repertoire. 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 dessert 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.
One 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! ★★★★★“
Another reader, Jennifer, commented: “Holy smokes! Best vanilla cupcakes I’ve ever had. First time using a real vanilla bean—amazing and so fluffy! ★★★★★“
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 and if you need a refresher, I have a helpful tutorial on how to cream butter and sugar.
- 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
- Strawberry Cupcakes with Strawberry Buttercream
- Cookies & Cream Oreo Cupcakes
They’re also wonderful for filling with a variety of jams/jellies, frostings, and dessert sauces. I especially love them with this raspberry cake filling in the middle. See my How to Fill Cupcakes post and video tutorial for directions on how to do so.
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. The raspberry frosting from my lemon raspberry jam cupcakes or the cinnamon-swirl frosting from my snickerdoodle cupcakes would also be fantastic. For a lighter, less sweet option, I love pairing these cupcakes with whipped 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.
- Cupcake liners
- Handheld mixer or stand mixer
- Vanilla beans
- Icing knife or Wilton 1M piping tip + piping bag
Simply Perfect Vanilla Cupcakes
- Prep Time: 45 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. This recipe is also in my cookbook, Sally’s Baking 101.
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 (8 Tbsp; 113g) unsalted butter, softened to room temperature
- 1 cup (200g) granulated sugar
- 3 large egg whites, at room temperature
- 1/2 cup (120g) full-fat sour cream at room temperature
- 2 teaspoons pure vanilla extract
- seeds scraped from 1/2 of a vanilla bean (optional)
- 1/2 cup (120g/ml) whole milk at room temperature
- vanilla buttercream
- sprinkles, for garnish (optional)
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.
- In a medium bowl, whisk the cake flour, baking powder, baking soda, and salt together. Set aside.
- In a large bowl using a handheld or stand mixer fitted with a paddle attachment, beat the butter and sugar on high speed until light and creamy, about 3 minutes. Scrape down the sides of the bowl as needed. Add the egg whites, vanilla extract, and vanilla bean seeds (if using) and beat on high speed until smooth and well combined, about 2 minutes. Add the sour cream and beat on medium-high speed until combined, about 1 minute. With the mixer running on low speed, add the dry ingredients, and then slowly pour in the milk and beat just until combined. Do not over-mix. You may need to whisk it by hand a few times 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. Cool the cupcakes in the pan set on a cooling rack for 20 minutes, then remove them from the pan and return to the rack 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. Store covered in the refrigerator for up to 3 days.
Notes
- Make Ahead & Freezing Instructions: Cupcakes can be made ahead 1 day in advance, covered, and stored at room temperature. For best results, make the frosting the day you plan to serve the cupcakes. Frosted or unfrosted cupcakes can be frozen up to 2–3 months. Thaw overnight in the refrigerator.
- Special Tools (affiliate links): 12-count Muffin Pan | Cupcake Liners | Glass Mixing Bowl | Whisk | Electric Mixer (Handheld or Stand) | Icing Knife | Piping Bag (Reusable or Disposable) | Wilton 1M Piping Tip | Cupcake Carrier
- 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 a 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; 240g/ml) 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.
- Mini Cupcakes: For about 30–36 mini cupcakes, bake for about 11–13 minutes, same oven temperature.
- 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 (you can skip the sprinkles in the batter).
- Be sure to check out my 10 tips for baking the BEST cupcakes before you begin.
Reader Comments and Reviews
Looks great!. Can the sugar be reduced or substituted for monkfruit sweetner or Swerve without affecting the end product?
Hi Vivian, We’d love to help but we are not trained in baking with sugar substitutes. For best taste and texture (and so you don’t waste your time trying to adapt this recipe since it may not work properly), it may be more useful to find a recipe that is specifically formulated for sugar substitutes. Thank you!
Would it be too much to add an additional teaspoon of vanilla extract? I really like the very vanilla cupcakes but I like that these ones are less dense.
Hi Jane! That shouldn’t be an issue.
Can buttermilk be used in place of the whole milk?
Hi Lacey, you can replace the whole milk AND sour cream with buttermilk in this recipe (1 cup total).
I love your website and recipes so much! I’m going to make a batch of these cupcakes for my friend’s birthday which is coming soon. Though, I want to half the recipe but I don’t know what to do with the 3 egg whites; do I use 2 or 1 for half of the recipe?
Thank you!
Hi Evie, For half the recipe you will want to use 1.5 egg whites. You can use one whole egg white and for the second only use half of it (which should be about 1 TBS).
Can I replace butter with oil?
Hi Tai, it’s not possible to cream oil. The creaming step is crucial to this cupcake’s texture. You’ll also lose a lot of flavor. You could try solid coconut oil instead, but we fear the texture will be greasy (and, of course, lacking butter flavor).
I am about to make this recipe for the first time, as a 6” cake, confident it will be fantastic!
Sally’s is my go to source for baking recipes… the recipes are so well tested they turn out great every time
Thanks Sally!
Hands down the best vanilla cupcake recipe and I’ve tried many! It’s moist, fluffy and melts in your mouth. This has been my go-to recipe that never disappoints. Thank you!
I agree with you! This recipe was amazing!
What’s the difference between this recipe and the recipe of the very vanilla cupcakes…
I see it’s the same ingredients but we are using a mixer to mix this and that we are mixing with just a whisk by hand … why is that?
Hi Nam, These are much lighter and fluffier with the cake flour, egg whites, and creamed butter. Both have great flavor!
Hi! Can I use liners and a silicone muffin pan for these?
Hi Lo, you can use cupcake liners for these cupcakes. We haven’t tried a silicone pan, but we can’t see why that wouldn’t work.
Hi There,
I was wondering if I could use plain curd instead of Sour cream
Hi Alka, we haven’t tested this recipe with curd before, so we’re unsure of the results. For best taste and texture, we recommend sticking with the sour cream (or a plain, full-fat yogurt).
Hi there,
I tried baking this recipe as my first baking attempt alone, and the taste was great! The only thing was that my cupcakes were a bit sunken in the middle… they were really nice and light otherwise. Do you have any idea of what I might’ve done wrong? I used all the suggested ingredients and tried to follow the recipe closely, but I might’ve made a mistake as it was my first time baking.
Thanks i’m advance!
Hi Diana, sunken cupcakes usually mean that they are slightly underbaked. An extra minute or two in the oven should help for next time. Also make sure your baking powder and baking soda are fresh. We find they usually start to lose strength after about 3 months. Thanks so much for giving this recipe a try!
This is a HUGE HIT!! The icing is fluffy and light PERFECT!
Like some of the other comments, my cupcakes turned out delicious but had a more dense texture than expected. I used cake flour and did not overmix or overbake. Could it have anything to do with the age of the cake flour? I don’t use it often and it was the last of the box. I wish I knew what I can do differently next time I try the same recipe.
Hi – I make your Favorite White Cake for all of our family birthdays and it is our favorite! I was going to cut the recipe in half to make cupcakes, but then found this cupcake recipe. Since this cupcake recipe yields a smaller amount of batter, I am curious why there is a 1/2 cup of sour cream in both the white cake recipe and the cupcake recipe. All the other ingredients amounts are cute down. Why isn’t the sour cream cut down? Thanks.
Hi Joanna, this is a great question and something I went back and forth with when testing the recipe. I actually created this cupcake recipe before the white cake! The recipe isn’t *perfectly* halved from the cake, but it just about is. I kept the sour cream at this amount because it keeps the cupcake’s crumb nice and tight, while adding just enough moisture. If I doubled it for the cake, there was too much moisture. I hope this helps!
Sally I looked to see if this question has been asked before. Can I use Buttermilk instead of Whole Milk?
Hi Cyreise, you can replace the whole milk AND sour cream with buttermilk in this recipe (1 cup total).
Have you tried doubling the recipe? Just wondering if it it works by straight doubling of each ingredient or any modifications need to be made?
Hi Emma, when making cakes and cupcakes, it’s best to make two separate batches rather than doubling. Doubling can make it hard to incorporate the ingredients evenly and the excess of ingredients makes it more like to over mix the batter, which can lead to dense cupcakes. Hope this helps!
I love this recipe. I cooked it last week and my cupcakes turned out great! This week, they all sunk in. The first tray felt slightly under packed, so the next tray I baked for a little longer and they still sunk. What could have gone wrong?
Hi Laura! Thank you for trying these vanilla cupcakes! Are your baking soda and baking powder fresh? We always replace mine after 3 months because they begin to lose strength quickly after that. The cupcakes will rise then quickly sink if there is a problem with the leaveners.
These cupcakes are wonderful! I had to make over 300 cupcakes for my brothers wedding and 100 of them were these vanilla ones. They held up great! They are sturdy but yet so light and fluffy. They are wonderful and prefect cupcakes! I also used clear vanilla which made them even whiter and even more gorgeous!
Finally! After trying about a million and one vanilla cupcake recipes, this one is my absolute favorite! Super simple to make and the cupcakes are so light, fluffy, and delicious . Can’t wait to bake a cake !
Question, I made this cake today and I want a tad bit more of a vanilla flavor and a bit more moisture. Would adding vanilla pudding, either powdered instant or a cup or 2 of already made make this both more vanilla and moist?
Hi!
Thank you for the recipe, these are delicious. This is the second time I made them and something happened to the batter, like it curdled. Could it be the baking soda?
Thank you!
Hi Stefanie! Batter will look curdled if all ingredients aren’t properly room temperature – the different temperatures keep the ingredients combining correctly. Some curdling is normal with wet ingredients, does it come together once the dry ingredients are added? Thanks for giving this recipe a try!
So I love this recipe, the cupcakes come out so much more moist and they’re not as yellow as other vanilla cupcake recipes. I do have one question- whenever I make these I notice the outside and bottom of the cupcake liners get greasy after baking. Any idea what causes this? Any way to avoid it?
Hi Lauren, sometimes certain brands of cupcake lines are greasier than others. If you have the option to try a different brand, we’d recommend that to see if it helps!
Flavor was great. I did the alterations from the coconut cake recipe. Mine came out tall and light, but when you cut into it, it seemed a little still stiff. I described it like a memory foam mattress. Do you know why that could be? I didn’t sift the cake flour before measuring because it said earlier in the post that you didn’t sift it. Could that have been the issue?
Hi Natalie, we’re happy to help troubleshoot. When you say stiff, were the cupcakes overly dense? If so, it could be possible that the batter was simply over mixed. These tips on how to prevent dry and dense cakes should be helpful, too. We don’t recommend sifting the flour in this recipe, so no worries there. Let us know if we can help to troubleshoot further!
I’m not sure how to describe it. It had a nice dome on it and everything. It was more like a sponge cake than a soft cupcake. Is that how they are supposed to be?
Hi Natalie! They should be soft. Perhaps your cupcakes were slightly over-baked? That would dry them out. The link Lexi shared above should be helpful for preventing dry cupcakes. You can also check out these tips for baking perfect cupcakes!
Hello! This has become our favorite cupcake recipe, thank you. In the past, with other recipes, I’ve been able to divide the batter and add cocoa to get a variety of both vanilla and chocolate. Is that possible with this recipe? If so, how much cocoa would you recommend adding?
Im baking 56 cupcakes for my sons 3rd birthday. While we prefer vanilla, he’s a chocolate dude all the way!
Thanks!
Hi Heather, cocoa powder can be a finicky ingredient because it’s so fine, yet so drying. You could use our Zebra Cake recipe instead, and rather than swirling the batters together, separate them into vanilla and chocolate cupcakes. Let us know what you try!
Hey dear can I use whole eggs instead of just whites? I really don’t wanna waste the yolk… As u run small home business I need vanilla cupcakes a lot and don’t feel like throwing away so much of yolks. Please help
Hi Ajita! Egg whites give these cupcakes their structure, while also keeping them pristine white. It would take additional testing to adjust the recipe for whole eggs. Are cartons of egg whites available to you? Those would work well in this recipe and wouldn’t waste any egg yolks. You could also try our larger recipe for vanilla cake (following cupcake instructions in the reicpe notes) which uses a combination of whole eggs and whites. Hope this helps!
You are the best
All your recipes are big hit with my kids. Big big thank you
Hi there,
I have to make two different sets of cupcakes on two different days. Am I able to use half the batter and put the other half in the fridge until the next day when I use it or will it go bad?
Hi Caterina, no we don’t recommend that. As soon as the batter is mixed together the leaveners are activated and if you wait too long to bake it the cake won’t rise properly. It would be best to bake them all at once, and then store half of the baked cupcakes for use another day.
Makes very fluffy and moist cakes! I made 2 6” cakes and 5 cupcakes with this batter and it was fabulous! The texture was light and fluffy with a great vanilla flavor. Goes perfectly with Sally’s Favorite Chocolate Buttercream.
I would like to say a big thank you Sally, I have tried several mini-cupcakes and I must say that you gave me the chance to make the best and especially with the buttercream icing, giving perfection in taste and lightness. I only had WOW WOW So I adopted you for all the desserts. Today the Chocolate Banana cake, can’t wait!!!
They taste amazing but my dough stuck to the muffin wrapper. Any suggestions?
What altitude are your recipes tested at? I need to calculate how much I need to adjust for my high altitude!
Hi Laura, 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
Hi! Perhaps my question was mid-read. I asked at what altitude the recipe was developed! I can do the calculations.
Hi Laura, our recipes are tested at just about sea level.