Luscious and Moist Vanilla Cupcakes

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These are the perfect vanilla cupcakes!

Everyone needs a go-to vanilla cupcake recipe, and this is mine. I’ve tried many, many recipes and when I started using this one, everyone raved about it! I usually use it with my Swiss Merengue Buttercream recipe, and it’s my base recipe for my extremely popular cookies and cream cupcakes. I made a few tweaks to it over the years, and I learned a lot about what is important when mixing it in a stand mixer. One thing I found is that 30 seconds overbaked makes a huge difference, so watch them carefully, note the time it takes to bake in YOUR oven (it varies, I promise!), and remember, it’s never a failure – it’s a learning experience.

So let’s get down to the recipe ingredients. 

Since this is a vanilla cupcake recipe, the ingredients are pretty basic, and you probably have them in your pantry unless you just started baking (if that is your case, GO YOU!!! Have fun and enjoy the learning process! Baking is the yummiest thing you’ll ever learn!).

All-purpose flour I use King Arthur unbleached All-Purpose flour. I get consistently good results with it, so I prefer to stick to what I know. 

Baking powder This recipe has quite a bit of baking powder in it, which helps your cupcake rise properly.

Salt Even sweets need salt! Salt is that secret little ingredient that really brings out the flavors in everything. You won’t taste it and you can not eliminate it. 

Butter Everything is better with butter! Always bake with unsalted butter so you can control the amount of salt in your recipe. Butter should always be brought to a cool room temperature before using. It will mix much better.

Granulated sugar You can’t have a sweet cupcake without sugar! Whipping the white sugar with the butter until it’s pale and whipped well helps bring air into your cupcake and makes sure your butter and sugar are thoroughly combined before adding any other ingredients.

Eggs Eggs help emulsify ingredients, add fat and flavor, and build structure in your cupcake. Use whole eggs at room temperature.

Whole milk whole milk adds liquid and fat to your recipe. Make sure your milk is room temperature. Milk is often added alternately with dry ingredients. Don’t overmix, but mix until it’s not “sloppy” anymore.

Vanilla I always use pure vanilla extract or paste, often homemade. I usually add it to my liquid ingredients so I know it incorporates well.

Very Important Points to remember:

Get your ingredients out early (unless the recipe says otherwise). Room temperature ingredients will mix way better than cold ones. I give it at least an hour, more if my kitchen is cool. You’ll learn how your ingredients respond to your environment with a little practice.

Always preheat your oven. You want it nice and warm – walls and all! I like to start preheating before I prepare my pans or start measuring. This usually allows it at least 20 minutes to heat up.

When mixing with a stand mixer, scrape your bowl often – and don’t forget the bottom! You want everything evenly combined. Do this even if you have a scraping beater on your mixer. 

Don’t overmix! After you add your flour, you need to worry about developing gluten. Gluten helps give your baked goods structure, but too much will cross your cupcake over to the tough side. 

Add eggs one at a time and mix them in well before adding another one. I also break them into a separate prep cup, like this one, to make sure I don’t ruin my cupcakes with a bad egg or accidentally get shells in your mixture.

If you are adding mix-ins to your cupcakes, fold them in manually with a rubber spatula until it’s just combined. Remember – you don’t want to create too much gluten!

Use a scoop to evenly fill your cupcake wells. I use my Pampered Chef scoops. For a regular cupcake, I use the large one unless otherwise specified. Don’t heap it, level it off with the edge of the bowl. This ensures even baking. 

Always check your cupcakes early! You can tell if they are still wet in the middle, they need more time. But as they get close, you’ll want to use a toothpick or cake tester to make sure it comes out clean. If you touch the top of your cupcakes, they will bounce back. The edges may just start to lightly brown. 

Cool for 5-10 minutes in the pan, then transfer to a cooling rack and cool completely before icing them, unless you want to melt your icing and have it slide right off. However, the cupcakes will continue cooking a little, so if you think they may be on the overbaked side, remove them at 5 minutes. 

Store in an airtight container. You can put them in the fridge for extended storage (or if your icing requires it) but they are best if brought to room temperature before serving.

Most importantly – HAVE FUN! Don’t stress! You are always learning, no matter how long you’ve been baking! Enjoy the process – and the cupcakes! Experiment with decorations and icings too. BE FEARLESS! 

Use your favorite frosting or try my Swiss Merengue Buttercream!