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This easy, delicious recipe for Vanilla Cupcakes makes some of my favorite cupcakes! Perfect to frost and decorate to suit the occasion, they make a great cupcake for birthdays, parties and so many celebrations!
They are so festive topped with my rich, scrumptious Chocolate Buttercream frosting and colorful sprinkles!
Through the years, I have made so many cupcakes for children’s parties, birthdays, and any number of other get togethers. I can’t even begin to imagine how many I have baked and frosted!
There are two cupcake recipes that I turn to time and again for any number of occasions: my chocolate cupcakes and these vanilla cupcakes. Both are essential cupcake recipes that are so simple to make and absolutely scrumptious!
Easy Vanilla Cupcakes Recipe
Making these vanilla cupcakes couldn’t be simpler. The recipe uses standard ingredients you would most likely will have on hand in your pantry and refrigerator. Even though you can use an electric mixer to make your cupcake batter, it can just as easily be mixed by hand with a whisk!
How to Make Vanilla Cupcakes
To make them, you begin by preheating your oven and placing cupcake liners in your muffin tin. Then, spray lightly with cooking spray.
Add your dry ingredients – flour, sugar, baking powder, baking soda and salt – to a large bowl and whisk to combine.
Then, add your wet ingredients – milk, oil, egg, and vanilla – to the dry ingredients and whisk until well combined. Carefully pour in the boiling water and whisk until incorporated and your batter is smooth.
Fill your cupcake liners half full and then place into the oven and bake until a toothpick comes out clean when inserted in the center. Remove from the oven, carefully remove the cupcakes from the pan and transfer them to a wire rack to cool completely.
Once the cupcakes have cooled completely, top them with your favorite frosting.
Favorite Frostings for Cupcakes
Chocolate Buttercream Frosting
Strawberry Buttercream Frosting
Marshmallow Frosting with Coconut
How to Store Cupcakes
These cupcakes as written do not require refrigeration once baked. Simply store them on the counter under a cake dome or inside of a cupcake carrier. Be certain that the cupcakes have cooled completely before you enclose them as the moisture will cause the cupcakes to not stay fresh for very long.
If you add items to the cupcakes or to the frosting that requires refrigeration, then of course those cupcakes will require refrigeration.
How to Freeze Cupcakes
Once the cupcakes have cooled completely, wrap them well in plastic wrap.
Place each individually wrapped cupcake into a freezer-safe, air-tight zip top bag or container. Store in the freezer for up to 3 months.
To defrost the cupcakes, remove from the freezer and remove the plastic.
Allow them to reach room temperature before serving.
Here’s my Vanilla Cupcakes Recipe. I hope you love them as much as we do!
Vanilla Cupcakes Recipe
Ingredients
- 1 1/2 cups all-purpose flour
- 1 cup granulated sugar
- 1 teaspoon baking powder
- 1/2 teaspoon baking soda
- 1/2 teaspoon salt
- 1/2 cup milk
- 1/4 cup vegetable oil
- 1 large egg
- 1/2 teaspoon vanilla extract
- 1/2 cup boiling water
Instructions
- Preheat oven to 325º F.
- Place cupcake liners in muffin tin. Spray lightly with cooking spray.
- Add dry ingredients – flour, sugar, baking powder, baking soda, and salt – to a large bowl and whisk to combine.
- Add wet ingreidents – milk, oil, egg, and vanilla – to the dry ingredients and whisk until well combined. Carefully pour in the boiling water and whisk until well combined and the batter is smooth.
- Evenly distribute the cake batter into the cupcake liners. Each liner should be about ½ full.
- Place in the oven and bake until a toothpick inserted in the center comes out clean, about 25 minutes.
- Remove from the oven, carefully remove the cupcakes from the pan and transfer them to a wire rack to cool completely.
- Once cooled, frost the cupcakes and serve.
Notes
Nutritional Information
Enjoy!
Robyn xo
Can you make these gluten-free?
You can make these with gluten-free flour, Karine. Hope you enjoy the cupcakes.
Oh my word! Best cupcake recipe! Shocked at how good these are! One bite in and leaving a review 😂💕 I even used water with a bit of butter instead of milk. This is a keeper! Thank you!!!
Thanks so much, Taryn! I love that it only took one bite to know you loved the cupcakes.
Sooo good ! Huge success with the fam ! I find they get too greasy spraying the liners , does this need to be done? Also have you added any chocolate chips , sprinkles etc?
Leigh-Anne, you don’t have to spray the liners if you don’t wish. I just spray mine very lightly to ensure the cake won’t stick to the liner. I haven’t added chocolate chips or sprinkles to the batter but have added sprinkles to the frosting. So glad you enjoy the cupcakes.
LOVE these!!! I also love that the recipe doesn’t require a hand/stand mixer. Pretty much no fail. I like Japanese red bean (Adzuki bean) paste, so I added a little batter on the bottom, some red bean paste (that I formed into discs), and then more batter on top. Perfect!!!
Thank you so much!!!
Kim, I haven’t tried making these with the red bean paste but so glad the cupcakes worked out so well for you. Thanks for the tip.
do you think I could add cream cheese to this recipe? like about 2 oz?
Ashley, I haven’t tried making these cupcakes with added cream cheese.