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Don’t overlook the classics! These vanilla cupcakes are sweet and tender and full of vanilla flavor. Top them with your favorite frosting for the perfect treat.
I know that everyone is all about flavored cakes and cupcakes: chocolate, lemon, strawberry, peanut butter…the list goes on.
But don’t overlook vanilla!
If you don’t think vanilla cupcakes are anything special, then you don’t know what you’re missing. If you use really good vanilla and know how to make a super tender cake, you are in for a real treat!
So don’t sleep on this vanilla cupcake recipe. I can promise it’ll make you ask for vanilla cupcakes all of the time.
THE BEST VANILLA CUPCAKE RECIPE
Don’t let anyone tell you that vanilla is “boring.” That probably just means they haven’t had a good vanilla cake or cupcake before!
The truth is that vanilla cupcakes are a classic, and when they are done right they can be really flavorful on their own or make a great slate for pairing with your favorite frostings and fillings (see “frosting and filling ideas” below).
These vanilla cupcakes are tender, moist, and packed FULL of vanilla flavor thanks to both a vanilla bean (or vanilla bean paste) and vanilla extract. They will totally make you rethink how you see vanilla!
HOW TO MAKE VANILLA CUPCAKES
If you’ve made my funfetti cupcakes, this recipe might look familiar to you. That’s because they’re really similar!
The funfetti version obviously includes sprinkles, while the vanilla version includes two different types of vanilla!
Ingredients you’ll need
This vanilla cupcake recipe is simple, but that just means that all of the ingredients are important!
Cake flour: Cake flour makes for a super tender crumb. I really like Swan’s Down cake flour, but you can also use my cake flour substitute if you don’t have any on hand. Make sure you also know how to measure flour properly before starting.
Baking powder: Baking powder is our leavening for this cupcake recipe.
Kosher salt: I usually use kosher salt in this recipe, although I have also used fine sea salt. Check out my guide on the types of salt for more info.
Whole milk: I prefer to use whole milk in this recipe, but you could probably use a non-dairy milk substitute just fine.
Vanilla bean or vanilla bean paste: Is there anything better than seeing little flecks of vanilla bean in a recipe? If you don’t have vanilla beans, feel free to use your favorite vanilla bean paste in this recipe instead.
Vanilla extract: We want tons of vanilla flavor in these cupcakes, but let’s be real: vanilla beans can be pretty expensive. So I like to use one vanilla bean or a bit of paste for those gorgeous vanilla bean flecks and combine it with vanilla extract to boost that flavor.
Make sure to use a really good quality vanilla extract in these cupcakes, though. Don’t use artificial vanilla here!
Unsalted butter: Make sure your butter is at room temperature before you get started. Learn how to bring butter and eggs to room temperature.
Granulated sugar: Granulated sugar gives us the sweetness we need in these cupcakes. They’re just sweet enough to balance well with a sweeter frosting.
Egg whites: For this recipe, we are just going to use the whites of the eggs, not the yolk. Beating the egg whites and folding them into the batter helps to lighten the batter and make for a tender cupcake.
Making this recipe
This recipe makes 24 cupcakes, so line two standard cupcake pans with paper liners.
To prep the dry ingredients, sift the flour, baking powder, and salt into a bowl.
To prep the wet ingredients, whisk the milk and vanillas together in a measuring cup.
Using a mixer, beat the butter and sugar together for about 3 minutes, until light and fluffy. Alternate adding the flour mixture with the milk mixture, beginning and ending with the flour. Mix until just combined after each addition.
Beat the egg whites with a hand mixer on medium-high speed until stiff peaks form.
Stir ¼ of the egg whites into the batter. This helps to lighten the batter so we can fold in the rest of the whites.
Gently fold in the remaining whipped egg whites, one half at a time, by cutting the spatula down the middle to the bottom of the bowl, then sweeping it around, up and over. Turn the bowl 90 degrees and repeat until no streaks of egg whites remain.
Divide the batter between the prepared cupcake tins and bake for 18-24 minutes. Let the cupcakes cool completely before decorating.
FROSTING AND FILLING IDEAS
These classic vanilla cupcakes make a great base for adding all of your favorite fillings and frostings. These cupcakes bake up just the perfect height for topping with a beautiful swirl of frosting.
Some of my favorite classic frostings include my homemade buttercream frosting, homemade chocolate frosting, and strawberry frosting.
But don’t be afraid to get creative with your frosting flavors! The lemon-lime frosting from my lemon-lime cupcakes or the nutella frosting from my banana nutella cupcakes are two great examples. Cinnamon frosting would also be delicious!
And don’t forget about filling your cupcakes! Some of my favorite fillings include:
- Microwave lemon curd
- Strawberry jam (or your favorite jam or preserves flavor)
- Strawberry pie filling (cut the berries into small pieces if using it as a cupcake filling)
- Nutella
- Peanut butter
You can also use any flavor of frosting as a cupcake filling as well.
STORAGE AND FREEZING
Store undecorated vanilla cupcakes at room temperature in an airtight container for up to a day before frosting. You can also freeze them, tightly wrapped in a zip-top freezer bag, for up to 2 months before decorating.
Store decorated cupcakes in the refrigerator for up to 3 days. If you are using a buttercream frosting and your house is not too warm, you can store them at room temperature for up to a day.
Classic Vanilla Cupcakes
Equipment
Ingredients
- 2 ¼ cups cake flour
- 2 teaspoons baking powder
- ½ teaspoon kosher salt
- 1 ¼ cups whole milk room temperature
- 1 tablespoon vanilla bean paste
- 2 teaspoons pure vanilla extract
- 12 tablespoons unsalted butter at room temperature
- 1 ½ cups sugar
- 4 large egg whites room temperature
Instructions
- Preheat the oven to 350°F with a rack in the center. Line two standard cupcake pans with paper liners.
- In a large bowl, sift together the flour, baking powder and salt.
- In a measuring cup, combine the milk, vanilla seeds or paste, and vanilla extract.
- In the bowl of a stand mixer fitted with the paddle attachment, or with a hand mixer, beat the butter and sugar at medium speed for 3 minutes, or until the butter and sugar are very light and fluffy. Add 1/3 of the flour mixture, beating on low speed. Beat in half of the milk mixture, then beat in half of the remaining dry ingredients until well incorporated. Add the rest of the milk, beating until the batter is fully incorporated and smooth, then add the last of the dry ingredients, beating until the ingredients are thoroughly combined.
- Add the egg whites to a medium bowl and beat with a hand mixer on medium-high speed until stiff peaks form.
- Gently stir ¼ of the whipped egg whites into the cupcake batter with a rubber spatula until no streaks of egg whites remain. This will help lighten up the batter. Gently fold in the remaining whipped egg whites, one half at a time, by cutting the spatula down the middle to the bottom of the bowl, then sweeping it around, up and over. Turn the bowl 90 degrees and repeat until no streaks of egg whites remain.
- Use a large scoop or ¼-cup measure to distribute the batter between the 24 muffin wells, filling each well 2/3 full.
- Bake for 18-24 minutes, or until a toothpick inserted into the centers comes out clean. Cool on a wire rack completely before topping with desired frosting and decorating.
Video
Nutrition
Nutrition information is automatically calculated, so should only be used as an approximation.
I made this the other day along with your butter cream frosting recipe. The cupcakes were good but didn’t have enough vanilla flavor to my liking once baked so I will be adding more vanilla next time I make them. Also they had the texture and density of a muffin, not a cupcake. Any way to fix that? Thanks for a good recipe. I will make it again with a touch more vanilla next time!
I was wondering if you could use any other kind of milk? like non-fat or 2%? I absolutley love your cupcakes! I have tried so many of your recipes. :)
Hey Jamie,
I <3 all of your recipes but this one is one of my favorites, including. Some other ones. How do think and know when the batter or frosting is too sweet, beacause I an seem to do that. You have a great talent Jamie!
Thanks for all of your help,
Grace Colley
Grace-
If you are worried about the frosting being too sweet, just make sure to taste as you go. You can certainly adjust the amount of confectioners’ sugar if you feel this frosting will be too sweet. Thanks so much for stopping by.
-Jamie
Just made them and they are awesome! One of the best cupcakes I have ever had. Perfect balance of sweet and creamy! Thank you for the amazing recipe! It was the perfect end to the day!
This recipe is really nice. The cupcakes came out very light and fluffy and with a very wonderful vanilla flavor. It isn’t overly sweet which is a plus (for me anyway). The recipe said it yielded 18-20 cupcakes using 3 tbsp of batter per vessel but even after following the exact measurements I ended up with 30 regular sized baked cupcakes.
This is the best vanilla cupcake I have ever had. They came out perfect and can’t wait to share them with co-workers tomorrow.
i made these tonight and they were very yummy! so moist and fluffy! almost like a sponge cake! the only problem i had was that it made way more than 18. i put it into 24 cups and they still were too full after baking!
What do you do if you don’t have any vanilla bean to mix in the cupcakes and the frosting? Do you just make it as is without it? Or do you add my vanilla extract in it? And if so how much more?
Brittany-
I would probably add in about more teaspoons of vanilla extract. The cupcakes will not have the same flavor as the version with the vanilla beans, but they should still be quite tasty.
Jamie
Hi Jamie,
I got an order in for vanilla bean cupcakes and I chose your recipe because of how wonderful they looked as well as the rave reviews! I just took them out of the oven, and unfortunately, they formed somewhat of a air dome on top, it has a sort of rubber texture at the bottom and they turned golden at the edges. They still came out very fluffy and moist and delicious though :) Can you tell me what I may have done wrong?
Michelle-
Sorry these didn’t work out for you. I have made this cake recipe more times than I can count. The original version is a Dorie Greenspan recipe from her book, Baking: From My Home to Yours. Judging from the browning and air dome, this leads me to believe it may have been a temperature issue. These have never stuck to the liners for me; however, I only use greaseproof liners. I am sorry I am not more a help on this issue – I’m kinda stumped.
Happy Baking!
Jamie
I guess it may have just been my oven then…and the customer asked for foil wrappers which I hardly ever use so that may have been it. But they said nothing but good things about the cupcakes after they picked them up! So thank you :)
Oh thank god! I was so sad i would never be able to make this recipe! How do you get the seeds to spread evenly throughout the batter? A lot of times when I use vanilla bean seeds, they just clump up in one spot. Btw thank you for replying so fast. It’s awesome when people maintain their blogs as well as you do!