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An easy recipe for vanilla cupcakes topped with a delicious chocolate buttercream frosting. They make the perfect cupcakes for every occasion!
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
Excellent cupcakes.!!! Where do you get the liners you used?
Thanks, Tracy!
They are called tulip cupcake liners. I think I got them at Amazon. So glad you like these cupcakes!
Would love to have your chocolate frosting recipe!!!
Victoria,
The frosting in the photos is my Perfect Chocolate Buttercream Frosting. In my post, I list links to several of my frostings that you can use on these cupcakes including my chocolate buttercream. Hope you enjoy!
Where did you get those liners?
Nancy,
I think I got these at Amazon. They are called tulip cupcake liners. Hope you enjoy the cupcakes. Thanks!
Hi. Have you ever tried using a 9×13 pan to make it into a sheet cake instead of cupcakes? Just wondering if it would turn out ok. I guess I don’t see why not, but wanted to see if you’ve tried it. Thanks you!
Jana,
Thank you for catching that error in the number of cupcakes this recipe makes. It does make 12 cupcakes instead of 36.
This looks wonderful! Can I make a Bundt cake with this batter?
You can make this in a bundt pan, Patricia. It will just need to cook a little longer. Hope you enjoy!
Has anyone tried this in a Bundt pan? Just wondering how it turned out & did you need to adjust oven temp & what was baking time. Thanks!
Can you replace the vanilla with lemon extract to make a lemon cupcake?
I haven’t made these cupcakes with lemon extract instead of vanilla, Mallory. You can usually substitute lemon extract for the vanilla in a 1:1 substitution. However, sometimes the lemon extract can cause a bitter taste so you may have to adjust the amount to your taste.
I would like to know what size cupcake liner to use to make 12 cupcakes . I don’t have any like the ones you have used . Thank you
You just use standard cupcake liners, Shirley. These are called tulip liners but hold the same amount as regular cupcake liners.
What kind of milk do you recommend? Buttermilk or 2%?
I used whole milk in this recipe, Danielle, but you could use buttermilk if you prefer.
These cupcakes turned out really yummy but the texture was more muffin like. Any tips for what I might’ve done wrong? I used buttermilk. Could that be the issue?
Danielle, the buttermilk should cause the cupcakes to be more tender than whole milk would. If these cupcakes were more dense, they could have been over-mixed, especially if you used an electric mixer.
Love your recipes. Could I make this eggless? What would be the best egg substitute in this recipe?
Thanks!
Charanya, you can substitute 1/4 cup of applesauce for the egg. I have also used a commercial egg substitute.