Perfect vanilla cupcakes with a vanilla swiss meringue buttercream. The recipe that every baker needs to keep handy.
No-Fail Vanilla Cupcakes
Vanilla cupcakes are just a staple recipe. Much like a pan sauce is to a cook’s repertoire of recipes, vanilla cupcakes are something every baker should have tucked away for various uses. This recipe for cupcakes is something I keep handy when I’m developing recipes, and it’s something you should keep handy, too!
What are Vanilla Cupcakes?
Something I love about this recipe is that you can adapt it, change it, and make it your own. Recipes have always been meant to be changed and tweaked. Everyone has different taste buds, so everyone may like things a little bit different. I just love this recipe because it sets the baker up for success, and it’s the perfect jumping-off point for everyone!
You can use this recipe for cupcakes as a base for many different flavors of cupcakes, like pumpkin, chocolate, caramel, etc. Or, you can just keep things simple and make the amazing vanilla cupcakes. You can also use this vanilla cupcake recipe as a cake recipe for 6-inch layer cakes (the perfect size cake IMO).
This vanilla cupcake recipe will make about 14 cupcakes, which is honestly the perfect amount for any small gathering.
Equipment you may need…
- Stand mixer: this is the one I have and I love it! I’ve had it for years now and I’ve never had any trouble with it. You definitely don’t “need” a stand mixer for this recipe, but it sure does make life a lot easier.
- Muffin tin: this is a need, and probably one of the most-used items in my kitchen. I bake a lot of muffins & cupcakes (you can check them out here and here), so I put mine to good use. I love this one because the light color prevents things from burning.
- Cupcake liners: always good to have on hand 🙂 for any recipe for cupcakes!
- Measuring cups/spoons: I’ve been linking these in all of my posts because I love them SO much! They are beautiful and look just like some other expensive ones on the market (but wayyy cheaper).
- Mixing bowls: I love these glass mixing bowls from Amazon. They’re especially perfect for food photography.
Ingredients for Vanilla Cupcakes
- Unsalted butter
- Vegetable oil
- Granulated sugar
- Large egg
- Pure vanilla extract– you’re welcome to substitute the extract with vanilla bean paste, it’s a 1:1 ratio!
- Cake flour – all of my recipes are tested using King Arthur flours, so I recommend you use the same!
- Kosher salt – I use Diamond crystal kosher salt always.
- Baking powder
- Buttermilk
- FROSTING: for the photos you see on this blog post I used a classic vanilla swiss meringue buttercream. You can top these with any of your favorites though, they’ll all be delicious 🙂
Tips for these cupcakes
- Use room temperature ingredients. This is across the board for the whole recipe. It’s so important both with vanilla cupcake recipe and when making a buttercream–room temperature ingredients are your friends. I like to set my butter and eggs out the night before so I don’t have to deal with getting them down to room temperature before I begin.
- Don’t over-fill the cupcake liners. If you over-fill these vanilla cupcakes, your batter will flatten out at the tops, and you won’t have those nice domed tops. I recommend shooting for 2/3-full, as I’ve found that to be the sweet spot for these.
- Top with a tasty buttercream frosting. Let’s be honest, cupcakes are just a vehicle for a delicious frosting. For the cupcakes you see in this blog post I’m using a vanilla swiss meringue buttercream, but you can use anything from American to French meringue, to Italian meringue. One of my personal favs is the cinnamon cream cheese frosting I used on these cupcakes. All will be tasty on this cupcake.
Can I make these ahead?
Yes! You can make the cupcakes on their own about 3 days ahead of when you’re going to serve them. Just make sure you let them cool completely, the keep them in the refrigerator in an airtight container until you’re ready to frost.
You can also make the buttercream about 1 day in advance. You can make the entire batch from start to finish, then when you’re ready to pipe it onto your vanilla cupcakes, give it a good stir with a rubber spatula or wooden spoon to get some air bubbles out, and continue on.
How to store
You can store these cupcakes in an airtight container in the refrigerator for 3 to 5 days. This is a great container for storage, and keeps all of your cupcakes away from each other!
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Sadly, no pic of Louie on this post, but we’ll try and catch him on the next one! I hope you all love this recipe, and if you bake these be sure to tag me @sarahsdayoff so I can see them!
If you have any questions about the recipe or you just want to say hi, feel free to leave a comment below 🙂
Love,
Sarah
“God blesses those who are merciful, for they will be shown mercy.” -Matthew 5:7-
No-Fail Vanilla Cupcakes
Ingredients
For the Vanilla Cupcakes
- 1 1/2 cups all-purpose flour
- 1/2 tsp baking powder
- 1/2 tsp kosher salt
- 1/4 cup unsalted butter at room temperature
- 1/4 cup vegetable oil
- 1 cup granulated sugar
- 1 large egg at room temperature
- 1 Tbsp pure vanilla extract
- 2/3 cup buttermilk at room temperature*
For the Vanilla Swiss Meringue Buttercream
- 1 batch Swiss meringue buttercream (recipe linked below)
Instructions
For the Vanilla Cupcakes
- Preheat oven to 350°F. Line a 12-cup muffin tin with cupcake liners. Whisk flour, baking powder, and salt in a bowl; set aside.
- Beat butter, oil, and sugar in the bowl of a stand mixer fitted with the paddle attachment on high speed 2 to 3 minutes or until color turns a pale yellow (use a large bowl and hand mixer or whisk, if you'd like to).
- Beat in egg and vanilla.
- Alternately beat in dry ingredients and buttermilk (3 additions of dry ingredients, 2 additions of buttermilk), starting and ending with the dry ingredients.
- Scrape down the bowl, and beat 30 seconds more on medium speed. Divide batter between muffin cups, filling each about 2/3-full.
- Bake 18 to 22 minutes or until the cupcake springs back when you touch the top or a toothpick inserted into the center of a cupcake comes out clean.
- Cool completely in pan before transferring to a wire rack to cool completely before frosting.
For the Vanilla Swiss Meringue Buttercream
- Make 1 batch of this swiss meringue buttercream.
- Transfer frosting to a piping bag fitted with desired piping tip. Frost onto cooled cupcakes.
Notes
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