Moist Vanilla Cupcakes
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These Moist Vanilla Cupcakes are super easy to make and so moist – for days! They are my new favorite vanilla cupcake!
Moist Vanilla Cupcakes Recipe
I mentioned a couple weeks ago that I’d be bringing you some new basic favorites and I started with my easy moist chocolate cake. Today, we are talking about these moist vanilla cupcakes and I’m pumped! One of the things that I’m always messing with is vanilla cake/cupcakes. It’s the never ending quest for all the best versions. I’m a believer that if you don’t have a good vanilla cake, you have NOTHING! 🙂 Ok, dramatic, but it’s like the “tell”. If you don’t have a good vanilla, can anything else really be that good? There are so many ways to vary a vanilla cake and I want the best of all of them! I’m greedy like that. Plus, I know not every has the same idea of the perfect cupcake, so I like to have options.
You may or may not have tried my original vanilla cupcakes. They are loved by many and were my favorite for some time. I still remember the batches upon batches of cupcakes I made while testing those and the fabulous friends that lined them up and tasted tested them all to help me find the best one. If you haven’t tried them, they are worth checking out. But while I still love them, these are my new fave. Sorry “OG cupcake”, there’s a new star in town. 😉
So let’s talk a bit about these cupcake. There’s no need for creaming to get involved, which is kind of a plus. Creaming butter and sugar together makes quite a fabulous cupcake, but sometimes you just want quick and easy and to barely even need to use a mixer. I mean, basically like a box mix but not, you know? These are those cupcakes. The “OG cupcake” was that way too, but used butter and were a little denser. These cupcakes use oil and are lighter.
We’ve got the usual suspects in this cupcake, starting with the dry ingredients: all-purpose flour, sugar, baking powder and salt. Easy, common ingredients that you should totally have in your pantry already. Mix ’em all together and set ’em aside.
Next are the wet ingredients: milk, vegetable oil, vanilla extract and eggs. The oil is the fat component instead of butter and in my opinion, tends to make a more moist cake that stays moist for longer. Totally true for these cupcakes. The milk (I typically use 2%) adds to the structure of the cake, in addition to adding moisture. Milk adds fluff and I love some fluff. 🙂 I used a full tablespoon of vanilla extract to make sure there’s plenty of delicious vanilla flavor. Then the eggs add more moisture, structure and flavor. I switched it up in these and went with whole eggs instead of egg whites. No more egg yolks getting wasted here!
Once the wet and dry ingredients are combined, the water is added.
There’s so much moisture in these cupcakes! I love them! I’m a big, big fan of their ease of making, their flavor and moisture. They use such simple ingredients that you likely already have in your pantry too – score! When topped with my favorite vanilla buttercream, these vanilla cupcakes really are a dream! They were a big hit in our house and I hope you love them as much as we did!
Read transcript
You might also enjoy:
Moist Vanilla Cake
Moist and Fluffy Vanilla Cake
Perfect Moist and Fluffy Vanilla Cupcakes
Easy Moist Chocolate Cake
NOTE: Some people have reported having trouble with this recipe, while others love it. I have no idea why some people have trouble. There could be any number of factors – improper measuring of ingredients, oven type, altitude, etc. I have never had an issue with these and cannot troubleshoot a problem that I cannot recreate. If you’d prefer a more traditional vanilla cupcake that uses butter and a little bit of oil, as well as the creaming method, and seems to be less finicky for people, try out these Easy Homemade Vanilla Cupcakes. They are currently my favorite vanilla cupcake.
Moist Vanilla Cupcakes
These Moist Vanilla Cupcakes are super easy to make and so moist – for days! They are my new favorite vanilla cupcake!
- Prep Time: 15 minutes
- Cook Time: 15 minutes
- Total Time: 30 minutes
- Yield: 24-26 Cupcakes 1x
- Category: Dessert
- Method: Oven
- Cuisine: American
Ingredients
VANILLA CUPCAKES
- 2 1/2 cups (325g) all purpose flour
- 2 cups (414g) sugar
- 3 tsp baking powder
- 1 tsp salt
- 1 cup (240ml) milk
- 1/2 cup (120ml) vegetable oil
- 1 tbsp vanilla extract
- 2 large eggs
- 1 cup (240ml) water
VANILLA FROSTING
- 1/2 cup (112g) salted butter, room temperature
- 1/2 cup (95g) shortening
- 4 cups (460g) powdered sugar
- 1 1/2 tsp vanilla extract
- 2–3 tbsp (30-45ml) water or milk
Instructions
1. Preheat oven to 350°F (176°C) and prepare a cupcake pan with liners.
2. Add the flour, sugar, baking powder and salt to a large mixer bowl and combine. Set aside.
3. Add the milk, vegetable oil, vanilla extract and eggs to a medium sized bowl and combine.
4. Add the wet ingredients to the dry ingredients and beat until well combined.
5. Slowly add the water to the batter and mix on low speed until well combined. Scrape down the sides of the bowl as needed to make sure everything is well combined. Please note that the batter will be very thin.
6. Fill the cupcake liners about half way and bake for 15-17 minutes, or until a toothpick comes out with a few moist crumbs.
7. Remove the cupcakes from oven and allow to cool for 2 minutes, then remove to a cooling rack to finish cooling.
8. To make the frosting, combine the butter and shortening in a large mixer bowl and mix until smooth.
9. Add 2 cups of powdered sugar and mix until smooth.
10. Add the vanilla extract and 1 tablespoon of water or milk and mix until smooth.
11. Add remaining powdered sugar and mix until smooth.
12. Add remaining water or milk as needed and mix until smooth.
13. Pipe the frosting onto the cupcakes. I used Ateco tip 844.
Notes
If you’d prefer a more traditional vanilla cupcake that uses butter instead of oil, and the creaming method, try out these Favorite Vanilla Cupcakes.
Keywords: vanilla cupcake recipe, easy vanilla cupcake recipe, vanilla frosting recipe, how to make vanilla cupcakes
Enjoy!
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I’m from South Africa.
1 cup = 250ml here.
I see the flour is 2 and a half cup = 325grams in your recipe,. Should I just follow the recipe as is and ignore the cups and work on the grams?
Yes, I’d just follow the grams. I actually use the grams and weigh the ingredients when I bake so they’ll be accurate.
And hi in South Africa! That’s where my husband is from. 🙂
I don’t know what went wrong but I followed the instructions and recipe and it didn’t taste good. I wasted time and materials, I will stick to my original recipe. No offense. Thanks for sharing though.
Hi, I tried these cupcakes and they came out so moist and delicious, I just used the one cup measure that I bought from Walmart, I didn’t weigh any ingredients and I didn’t use an electric beater either, I just used a whisk and followed the recipes instructions and I was really happy with the result. I’m originally from South Africa as well but I’m in Savannah Georgia now. Great recipe, I’ll be using this one only from now on????
What did you mean by “shortening” or like what is it than I might try this recipe today or tomorrow great website
It’s a butter substitute, but you could replace it with additional butter.
Hi i have a question can you use coconut oil instead of vegetable oil in the recipe?
I haven’t tried it to say for sure, but I think others have commented that they did and it worked well.
I too am from SA 🙂 I must just say thank you so much for sharing your vanilla cupcake recipe, my little girl and I have now happily mastered the perfect cupcake, due to your recipe. Absolutely perfect!
I’m so glad you enjoyed them!
Should I just half the ingredients
To make less amount of cupcakes
Change your sugar quantities please I have just made you cupcakes and the sugar is wrong should be 200grams or there about snot 400 that will teach me not to watch and go on automatics grrrrr
The sugar is correct. I use the gram measurements when baking them and it’s right.
Hello, I just want to add my 2cents. I tried both the vanilla and the moist chocolate. WOW! Both are amazing! I never need to try any other. Love them both. I didn’t change anything EXCEPT I didn’t use separate bowls for wet and dry. I combined the dry ingredients and added the wet into the same bowl all at once. (Less dishes????)
I am very happy with both recipes. Wouldn’t change a thing.
Thank you
I’m so glad to hear you enjoyed them both!
Unrelated to this question, but. What are your thoughts on using a different sweetener? Maple syrup?
In my experience, that alters the texture of the cupcake. You could experiment with it, but I’m not sure how it’d turn out.
This is the most disgusting cupcake recipe I have ever tried. It stuck to the wrapper, the texture was odd, and it definitely did not taste good.
It’s good I even gave it a star it’s horrbile it tastes like a cookie and I even followed the instructions nothing like vanilla you also have to put less then half mine cane literally out of the pan
★
Great recipe ! The only thing I adjusted was the sugar , I used half a cup less. Came out perfect and so easy. What I love is the tops aren’t hills, they are nice and flat , perfect for piping ! Thanks for sharing !
I’m going to try and use the same recipe but convert to make chocolate cupcakes,see how that goes.
Xx South Africa
★★★★
There are some adjustments to be made for the chocolate version. Here’s my chocolate cupcake recipe, which is pretty much the same with a couple adjustments. //www.duliri.cn/moist-homemade-chocolate-cupcakes/
Hi Lindsay
Do you think I can sub the milk for coconut cream or coconut milk ?
★★★★★
I haven’t tried it to be able to say how it affects the outcome. I’m sure they would bake fine, it just may alter the texture or flavor of the cupcakes a little bit.
I made these tonight. They came out excellent. My husband loved them also. I will always make this recipe. Tomorrow I will figure out an easy icing to make which I may have the ingredients in the house. Running low on ingredients. Not a good time to go shopping….
★★★★★
This is the BEST cupcake recipe ever. This is my third time making them and everyone loves them <3
★★★★★
This recipe is delicious and super easy to make.
However, I would highly recommend cutting back to 1 cup sugar – the 2 cups makes the sweetness a little too much.
Hello,
I tried these cupcakes today and they’re yummmmm and super moist. I halved the recipe and got 12 cupcakes and a small mini cake 😊
Hello , I am writing all the way from Nigeria.
I have made this recipe twice and it came out fabulous. The first time it was too sweet so I made the following alterations:
– 1 cup of sugar
– 1/4 tsp of salt
-2.5 tbsp of baking powder
– 1 1/4 cup of milk
– 3eggs
– no water added.
Hi there, what temperature should the water be? I usually use recently boiled water for cakes but wasn’t sure, thanks
It’s not super important in this recipe. Room temperature is fine.
Hi I’ve been using your recipe fior quite some time now cupcakes are so delicious. I’ve just looked again for this recipe to print if and noticed you say half a cup of all purpose flour as before it said 2 and a half cups is that a typo error. As I want to make sure I have the right amount.
Thank you so much again
Tara
It still says 2 1/2 cups. Not sure what happened, but I’d try printing again.
Is it suppose to be this watery?
★★★★
Yes, it’s a very thin batter.
The amount of sugar in this recipe is way too much. I was going to make cupcakes for Halloween and was so excited until they came out way to sugary. I don’t know what I did wrong as many other reviews are saying wonderful things about this recipe.
I’m only twelve and I did this for my mom it worked really good she was so proud of me thank you so much for this 😁
1 cup = 250ml if its a liquid (milk, water, oil)
1 cup of flour weighs 120 grs.
Hi,
could i substitute buttermilk for milk in this recipe
thanks
I haven’t tried it to be able to say for sure.
I used buttermilk instead of milk and it turned out great, tastes wonderful and I didn’t use any water
I use this recipe everytime I need to make cupcakes or a cake. I love how light and airy it is, and super moist! Personally I think it’s fail proof. I have never had these come out bad, so if yours does it must be human error. 10/10 recipe! Thank you
★★★★★
I was wondering if I could also substitute the water out for milk! I have grown up on cupcakes using milk and I was wondering if I could incorporate milk instead of water!
I haven’t it tried it that way to know for sure, but you could certainly give it a shot!
Did you try this recipe with all milk? I’ll be making them for a wedding and was wondering how it tasted.
Hello, how many cupcakes does this recipe make? Thanks!
12-14 cupcakes
ok
Mine made 24!. Did I do it wrong?.
Could I use coconut oil instead of shortening? I also only have coconut oil and EV olive oil in the house, so which would you use instead of vegetable oil? I’m leaning toward coconut, but wanted your opinion, as it’s your recipe. Thanks!
I’ve honestly never tried either in frosting. Coconut oil does sound like the better bet, but it will be softer than vegetable oil, so you’ll want to account for that.
I get 24 , both times I used this recipe and I got the same amount
★★★★★
I absolutely love this recipe ..I make these cupcakes at least once every 2 weeks .
My husband and nephew ask me to make them all the time.
They are so moist and flavourful.
So glad to hear that!
Hi
I want to make 3 x 7inch cake, will this recipe be enough or do i neex to double it?
Also, will it still be moist after being in the fridge?
Thanks
Hi Lindsay,
I am definitely not a Baker, but this recipe is winner! I usually do the box cakes and cupcakes, I decided to try your recipe. I baked the cupcakes for 20 minutes and they turned out perfectly. My husband and son thoroughly enjoyed theirs. I made my own version of frosting with purple colouring and chocolate sprinkles. Very sweet which is what I love.
I have already saved your link to my phone and can’t wait to try your other recipes.
Thanks a million again all the way from South Africa.
Candice xxx
★★★★★
I’m so glad to hear you enjoyed them!
Hi
I tried making the recipe exactly as directed from your post but I found the cupcakes to be a little dense/gummy…..any suggestions as to how I can make a flufflier cupcake next time?
I’m really not sure. Some people seem to get this result and I can’t seem to recreate it. I’m sorry!
i don’t know what happened but i followed the recipe exactly. yet my cupcakes turned out weird and gummy. disappointed
I’m also from South Africa and this is my Go-To recipe for vanilla cupcakes! They’re always moist and fluffy! Yum.
★★★★★
So glad to hear that!
I usually just doctor up a boxed white cake mix, but I tried this recipe today and I’m sure glad I did. So amazing! I will use a real vanilla bean next time for extra flavor.
★★★★★
So glad you enjoyed them!
Hi, I see the recipe says I must use the egg whites. Does that mean I don’t use the egg yolks at all
Not sure where you’re seeing egg whites. This recipe uses whole eggs.
These cupcakes were terrible. Dont try. They had a doughy texture. It also tasted eggless. I do not know why they used only egg whites. We put it in the oven at 5pm it is 6:30 pm and it’s still baking. Please do not try it does not work. Tasted horrible. Please help. 🙁
But where did you read egg whites???? It says egg.
I’m also going to be making these tomorrow and fingers crossed- I’m also from South Africa but based in Botswana now., love your recipes and thanks for including the metrics measurements for some of us!! Do you use hot water or tap water?
Can this new cupcake recipe be used for a layer cake?
Yes it can. I have made it in three 8 inch pans and baked for about 20 minutes.
Made in two 8 inch pans. Came out great.
Any Lemon Cupcake recipes in the works? I searched your site and could not find any. Thanks!
Great!
I added Lemon Cupcakes to the calendar – that’d be delicious. 🙂 In the meantime, you could try these Lemon Blueberry ones and leave out the blueberries.
How full do you fill your 8″pans?
I’m not exactly sure how full they are, but I divide the batter between three 8 inch pans.
Hi, i made this and it turned like a puto cake.. i haven’t tried any vanilla cupcake before so i do not know if i got it right or not.. 🙂
★★★★★
I love the sprinkles on these cupcakes! They are so fun1
How is this cupcake supposed to come out like? Like texture, taste and all???
Super pretty cupcakes!
Thanks Joanna!
These cupcakes look so yummy! Where did you get the sprinkles? I’ve been looking for stars for quite a while. Thanks.
Thanks Karen! They are from the Sweetapolita Shop.
The cupcakes look wonderful, but I too would like to know can you use this batter for layer cakes also? My great niece has a wedding coming soon and she wants me to make her cake.How well does that icing hold up on a layered stacked wedding cake? Thanks so much in advance for your input.
Yes, you can use it for a layer cake. I made it in three 8 inch cakes and baked them for about 20 minutes I believe. The frosting also does well on cakes. I’d double it – or even use 2 1/2 recipes worth, but I’m a heavy froster. 🙂 I’ve used it on wedding cakes before with plenty of success.
when using this recipe for a cake do you have to grease or flour the pan?
Yes, you’ll want to use something. I usually use a non-stick baking spray. Here’s an instance where I used this recipe in a cake, for your reference.
Whenever I make vanilla cake or cupcakes the end result is never as light in color as your cupcakes turned out. Do you use regular vanilla or clear vanilla? Or what am I doing wrong? Any suggestions would be welcome.
Thank you.
I use regular vanilla extract. It’d be so hard to say what is causing it without seeing it and watching. Have other cakes you made used baking soda instead of baking powder? I have noticed that that can make a darker cake sometimes.
The color of the cake can depend on cook time, your ovens accuracy with temperature, and also whether you are using light or dark pans. The dark pans retain more heat and can cause cakes to brown faster.
ALso, it could be the yolks in the eggs. Usually white cakes only use the whites. I noticed that when I use Egglands Best, the yokes are almost gold, I too made a white cake and called for 3 eggs, I use daily 2 egg whites and the the third egg I used the whole gig and the cake was more yellow than white.
Could this be halved with the same results?
Thank you.
Definitely! 🙂
Made these last night and they were perfect. My husband left his out uncovered over night by mistake, and it was still ridiculously soft/moist in the morning – well done, thank you!!
Awesome! Glad to hear it! 🙂
If i halve the doses, should i Also halve the egg and use 1?
Yes, if you cut the recipe in half, you’ll also want to use half the number of eggs.
I have a conventional oven so the fan is going all the time. It’s so hard to find a vanilla recipe that works well for me and that darn oven. How do you think this recipe will be in this type of oven? Any adjustments you can suggest? All your recipes look amazing! 🙂
I’m not very familiar with baking in a convection oven. I’m sorry! I wish I could be more help. My guess is you’d want to use less baking time, but I don’t know if it’ll effect the way it bakes.
For convection cooking you should reduce the cook time sometimes as much as ten minutes or if the recipe calls for 350 for 15 you might want to try it at 335. Your owners manual can help you with that. I only bake on convection, would not use anything else, I find I get a much more even bake. I have a high end convection oven though and just like gas stoves quality of bake can change depending on quality of the stove. Most importantly though, read the owners manual for baling tips.
I think that the issue for many ppl is the website layout for a mobile view. The add cuts off he very beginning of the recipe, and it kinda looks like only 1/2 cup of flour is needed. I immagine that all ppl saying that it didnot worm, or baked for 1 and a half hour and still bot ready is the provlem that they dont notice the 2 which gets cut of wiyh the add. I tired and they are lovely! So I cant immagine how can so many people fail, must be the flour part.
Is the batter meant to be runny when you make these? I tried to make them and the batter was very liquid like. Cakes turned out Ok, but II just wasn’t sure if this was normal as the recipe doesn’t state how the batter is supposed to turn out 🙂
Thanks!!!
Yes, it’s a fairly thin batter. If you watch the video, you should be able to see just about how thin when I pour the batter into the cupcake liners. I hope that helps!
In response to Samantha, regarding convection ovens – I purchased one a year ago and my manufacturers instructions said to bake at 25 degrees less than called for in the recipe. My oven is optional to use convection or regular bake. Also be wary of non-stick coated pans – they cook everything dark and temperature should also be reduced for these. (I am gradually getting rid of them and replacing with good quality aluminum pans – the best for even baking results in my opinion.)
Thanks for helping with that Nancy!
This was my exact same question. Was worried about the consistency of the batter. The cupcakes are now in the oven. See you back here in 15 minutes 🙂
Nancy
Nairobi, Kenya.
So excited to try this recipe without the use of sour cream. I’m a huge fan of your snickers cupcake that it is my go to chocolate cupcake recipe. Every time I make them I always wonder why it can’t be this simple to do a non-chocolate version. Love everything you make, your cookbook is so beautiful it is almost daunting. Love this site!
Thanks so much Jessica! Yes, if you’re a fan of that chocolate cupcake, you should love this vanilla version! 🙂
So finally made these and the tops to mine were fairly moist to the touch the next day. Not sure what I did wrong.
Did you happen to put them in a container while they were still warm? If so, condensation from inside the container can cause that.
Hey there .. finally!! A perfect vanilla cupcake!! They are amazing!! Truly thank you! When I cook them some bubble off to the side .. what am I doing wrong?
I’m so glad you enjoyed them! 🙂 I’ve actually seen the bubble thing happen with all different recipes. I’m not sure why that happens. It has to be some weird reaction in the ingredient in the occasional cupcake.
This is the best cupcake recipe I’ve ever tried, thank you so much for sharing it. All my friends and family loved it 🙂
★★★★★
Yum, I made the moist vanilla cupcakes yesterday and they were great. A lot of holes in the baked cupcake and a sponge sort of texture. The flavor was delicious and the frosting was great.
I didn’t use the shortening and 1/2’d the recipe for frosting (I only frosted the 12 cupcakes with about 1/2 cup left over.). I made 12 cupcakes and one 8 inch cake. Wish I could attach a picture, because they looked great (pink frosting). Thank you for all your great recipes!!
Thanks Karen! Glad you enjoyed them!
Did you use all butter frosting or just eliminated the shortening and didn’t replace it with anything? I can’t find shortening here and your reply would be very helpful!
I’m not sure what Karen did, but you can definitely replace the shortening with additional butter.
Hi how is the vanilla cake recipe and cupcake recipe different? I want to make fluffy and moist cupcakes for my sisters bridal shower.
The recipe i normally make tends to be crumbly. Which recipe of yours should i use?
To be honest, it’s been quite a while since I’ve made the vanilla cake as cupcakes. If I remember correctly, they are a tighter crumbed cupcake, perhaps softer feeling. These moist cupcakes aren’t as tight a crumb, but are really moist and still very soft, not dense. Which one to use is a tough call for me to make, since everyone seems to have a different idea of what makes a great cupcake. These are super easy, so they’d be quick to try and if you don’t like them as much, you could try the others. You could also try these cupcakes. They are almond in that recipe, but replace the almond with vanilla extract and you’ve got another option. Between the three, I’d say the almond one or this one. Main differences are creaming method vs non-creaming and butter vs oil. Both are delicious.
I just made your cupcakes and they taste phenomenal! They were fluffy, loose (not muffin-like), appropriately shaped, and just little bites of heaven. I should have discovered this earlier because I made cupcakes for a recent party and these would have been a MUCH better and more presentable cupcake to bring (the others were not nearly as good). Well done and I absolutely adore this recipe!! Thank you sincerely, Lindsay!
Awesome! So glad you enjoyed them Carmen!
Please help me! I just made this recipe, followed it to a T and the cupcakes tops have crystallized texture and the texture inside is doughy although it’s evenly cooked if I bake any longer they would darken and dry out. I been searching for a good recipe and trust me these cupcakes came out STUNNING! I want to know what I did wrong please help!
I tried so many vanilla cupcake recipes. I love a moist and dense cupcake. I’m going to try this right now. Praying it works out. Here goes nothing!…
I hope you enjoyed it!
Hi!! Is the icing suppose to be creamy????? Mine is creamy.
I’m not sure what you mean by creamy?
What did you use to mix your icing?
Hello Lindsay… trust you are good? I want to make the fluffy cupcakes tomorrow but was wondering how hot the water should be. Looking forward to your response.
I just get hot water out of the faucet. It doesn’t need to be boiling.
Made these tonight and so happy with the results!! To be honest I hate creaming butter and sugar to make cupcakes and loved that I was able to mix by hand using just a spatula for this recipe. I was a little worried my batter was too runny but it came out perfectly light and fluffy. Thank you for sharing!
Awesome! So glad you enjoyed them! 🙂
So i just made these with my kids and followed the directions, except I substituted soy milk for milk and used some food coloring because my girls wanted pink cupcakes and my boys wanted blue and they came out of the oven looking big and nice and they shrunk! I’ve never had this happen before! I’m sure they’ll taste delicious I’m just trying to figure out why they got smaller!
If the only change you made is the soy milk, that could be the culprit. I wouldn’t think it’d make a huge difference, but haven’t tried it to know for sure. I haven’t had an issue with these shrinking before.
This has happened twice for me ???? They’re delicious and I followed the recipe but can’t figure out what I’m doing wrong! I even bought new baking powder and made sure my ingredients weren’t expired.
I’ve had this happen with a chocolate cupcake recipe a few times. I think it may have to do with overmixing but not positive. I used to use my mixer, and now I do it by hand and haven’t had that problem since.
Is this batter too thin for a cake pop maker
I haven’t used a cake pop maker so I’m not sure how they work. This is very thin batter though.
Thank you for this delicious recipe! Tried it tonight and the cupcakes were very soft and moist. Was a hit in our home.
How many days can I keep the cupcakes and what is the best way to store the remaining/left-overs?
Thanks!
Glad you enjoyed them! I’d say they are probably best for 3-4 days. They should be stored in an air tight container. I usually keep them on the counter, but if you choose to use an all butter frosting, they are probably best refrigerated.
Hello!
I am going to make these for Valentine’s Day and I was wondering if there are any high altitude adjustments that may need to be made?
I’m not familiar with high altitude baking, so I’m not sure. Sorry!
I am an experienced baker, but I have yet to find the absolute perfect-every-time, moist, vanilla cupcake recipe. I looked at the ingredients in this cupcake recipe and thought, this is it! I measured everything in grams and mls, but they came out so gummy. They also have very little flavour which I thought was strange since they have a full tablespoon of vanilla. Maybe it’s the amount of oil in them. Off I go to search again!
★
I was looking for an easy and delicious reciep and I found it, I use almond instead of vanilla and was delicious too. Thank you for sharing !
hi Lindsay, i will be trying this recipe tonite. pls let me know tht while mixing the wet ingredients it shud be done wid electric beater or spatula ?
I use my mixer
Hi. I am wondering if the cupcakes (frosting)needs to be refrigerated? Can I frost them the night before a party and keep them out?
Thanks!
If you use half butter and half shortening, as I do, then I leave them at room temperature. If you use all butter, I’d suggest refrigerating.
I always use butter, real butter, not margarine shortening, I’ve never added or used shortening in my frosting, and I always leave mine out and have never had a problem. I’ve done this for over 40 years now.
I don’t have shortening. What can I replace shortening with please
You can just use more butter.
Haven’t tried these yet, and being an avid baker for over 40 yrs, it is hard to find a great vanilla cupcake recipe, so hoping this is it. Though the very reason I quit buying bakery cakes, is the added shortening in the frostings…it is just not needed and gross and your body does not like it. So many other non-shortening and powdered sugar frosting recipes out there that are so much better.
Feel free to replace it with additional butter. This is a preference thing.
Jan, I agree. I too have been baking for over 40 years and I too don’t buy cakes or cupcakes from bakeries for that very reason. And I really like my old buttercream frostings from my 1969 Betty Crocker Cookbook. It’s awesome. And no shortening. But a nice whipped cream frosting is nice too.
Sorry, but I did not like this recipe. It came out dense and spongy(although is was not dry).
Same here 🙁
I wondered what I did wrong and was looking for validation in the comments. LOL
Try making them again. These cupcakes are the only ones I use because they are light and airy and moist and literally to die for delicious! They aren’t dense at all. Maybe you over mixed them? I mix them by hand with a spoon. They are soooooooooo good!
Hi, I am definitely trying this. How many grams of powdered sugar does 4 cups equate to?
460g. I added it to the ingredients list.
I’m also wondering if it would be suitable to use almond milk instead of milk, I don’t drink regular milk. I have half&half, use it for coffee, but would that be too thick? Could I mix 1 part half&half with 1 part water? Please help, thanks!
I haven’t tried either so I can’t be sure how it’ll turn out. Either would probably bake fine, it’s just gonna change the texture of the cupcake.
Hi ! could i make this into tea-infused flavors?
heating up the milk/ water and infused the tea bags in them, then used as per normal in this recipe?
I would think it’d be fine.
Can you decrease the sugar by half and not alter the batter? I want to make these for my hubby’s bday on Saturday but want a less sweet option.
I’m not sure, since I haven’t tried it. It would likely change the way it bakes a bit, I’m just not sure how much of an issue it’d be. There’d be less moisture in the cupcake and it may stick to the liners.
That’s exactly what happened to me! They stuck to the liners. Normally I reduce the sugar in most baking recipes and this was the first time this has happened!
I tried this recipe and sadly mine did not turn out right. It may have been that I used the ‘cups masurement’ instead of how many grams. I’m not too sure if our cup measurements are the same. Now coming too my question, I’m wondering you could tell me how many grams if butter, shortening etc I would need in your icing recipe. I’m going to try the whole thing again tomorrow and hopefully it will turn out ????????????
I made this receipe also and used Cup measure of which i do in most of my receipes but to be honest as another lady wrote i will too be sticking to a Creaming receipe. I did not like the texture or the flavour. We all have to try something different to learn!
could buttermilk be used?
I haven’t tried it to say.
I did make these with buttermilk instead of plain milk in the cakes. Amazing! Great recipe.
Glad to hear it worked and you enjoyed it! Thanks Elizabeth!
Hi Lindsay!! so i’m about to try this and wondering if it’s okay to substitute milk for butter milk
I haven’t tried it, so not sure.
Thanks for sharing your recipe, my baby is turning one soon and I was going to order a cake, however during these times I’d rather make it. Can I substitute the sugar with brown sugar?
★★★★★
I have substituted half of it for brown sugar before with good results. See that here – //www.duliri.cn/blueberry-crumble-layer-cake/#tasty-recipes-32261
Hello! Can I safely increase the recipe x3 or x4 for latge batch baking *20 qt mixer. Thank you!
I haven’t tried it to be able to say.
Shouldn’t these have baking soda in them also?
Nope! Some recipes use baking soda and some recipes use baking powder. It really depends on the recipe and the texture you’re looking for.
How hot should the hot water be? Thanks!
Just hot water out of the faucet is fine.
Hey Lindsay! Can’t wait to try these out. Can i subsitute olive oil instead of the vegetable oil?
I haven’t tried it so I’m not sure.
You most definitely can! I used olive oil, and all organic ingredients. They turned out wonderfully!
Can u pls upload sm eggless cakes ad cup cakes videos
Hi Lindsay,
I tried to do your cupcakes. Everything was going smoothly until I took my cupcakes out of the oven. They colapsed…
What may be the reason?
I wanted to make them for my friends wedding which is this weekend 🙁
This happened to me the first time too. Each oven is different so it sounds like you need to cook longer. I took mine out at the mentioned time and they did the same thing!!! But I kept making them until I figured out what was going wrong. Watch the cupcakes in the oven, you will notice that the batter will bubble and pop as it cooks when this stops the cupcakes are done. You will also notice that they are really wet on top when they aren’t done yet. The wetness will subside a little and you won’t see any more bubbles popping. Did the trick and I have made hundreds since then!! Good luck!
Hi! I was going to try these for a party, but wondered if they would be okay the next day or better the same day.
Thanks!
They are good for 2-3 days.
Hi Lindsay! If I wanted to make this into rainbow cupcakes, when should I add the food colorings? Thanks!:)
I’d probably add it to the wet ingredients and then add additional if needed after combining with the dry.
Hey I was wondering have any of you made this for birthday party for little kids
Can you freeze the cupcakes? I want to bake them days in advance before frosting and serving them for a birthday party.
I haven’t, but I’m sure it’d be ok. Best to defrost in the fridge.
I have tried this recipe and froze a few for just a few days to see if it altered the taste and texture and I thought they still tasted great. Hope this helps.
Is there anything else we can put in frosting instead of shortening?
Sorry if i pronounce something wrong
Just replace it with additional butter.
These cupcakes were awesome! It was my first time making cupcakes with oil and it tasted great. Thanks a lot for the recipe. I’m going to use it more often. 🙂
Hi, please tell me if we can back these off and use them a day or two later in a airtight container? My home bakery in Gauteng South Africa.
I meant to say Bake… excuse me 🙂
You can, but of course they are freshest right after baking. 2-3 days is when they are best.
Hi
Can we use butter instead of vegetable oil if so how much
I haven’t tried it, but I don’t think it would bake the same. For a butter based vanilla cupcake, try these.
Bruh. I loved this recipe!! I’ve had a hard time with mimicking the same texture as my chocolate cakes and this is finally it!!😍😍 love how this recipe calls for oil and water, keeps things light moist and not dense. I also like the icing recipe. seems the shortening helps with a more professional look and I did a multiple color with it and it help up nicely. I read a lot of other comments and saw some complaints, but I dont understand the reasons behind them if you executed the recipe correctly. Will be using this recipe for now on! Thank you!!
★★★★★
Hi Lindsay! I would love to try this recipe it looks really moist! by the way, do you think if i could make these into tea-infused flavor (e.g. earl grey) , by infusing the milk with tea bags ?
I think that’d be fine. I feel like someone said they tried it and it was great – I’d definitely try it!
I made these cupcakes and they were delicious! Can I make as Bundt cake do you think?
I haven’t ever tried it. I’m not sure if this recipe would work well for that or not.
I used infused milk in recipes all the time, adds great flavour that’s just a little different! I’m sure it would work in this one. Put about a cup of milk in a saucepan, add the leaves from 3 or 4 teabags (or 2 to 3 tsp of loose leaves) to the milk, bring it to the boil. Then turn off the heat, let it cool, strain off the leaves. Add the milk to cake batter or icing. I like using earl grey, chai, vanilla or peppermint tea leaves, but any flavour you fancy would work! Happy baking.
I made these with my 3.5 year old today. WOW! They are so tasty and moist! We may never go back to the box mixes again!
The only thing I did different was cook for 20 minutes, which was surprising for my oven which usually requires a shorter baking time that recipes say. They were cooked perfect! Thanks!
So glad to hear to you enjoyed them! 🙂
So glad to hear to you enjoyed them! 🙂
Lindsay, thank you for the excellent recipe. Cupcakes
turned out on the first try!))
From Russia with love!))
Wonderful! Glad you enjoyed them!
Hy,my little one is a huge fan of filled cupcakes,After they are completely cooled can i fill them?Have you done this?THANK YOU
I haven’t filled this particular cupcake recipe, but it should be fine. I hope you enjoy them!
Hello! I would love to make this cupcakes! But i don’t know what is the shortening, could you explain it to me and where can i but it…thanks!????????????????
It’s a butter replacement. You can replace it with butter, if you prefer. I just find it at the grocery store near the vegetable oil and baking sprays.
Great recipe. I only used 1.5 cups of sugar and these were still delicious and moist. Thank you!
Once, I baked daily for 24 days straight different vanilla cupcake recipes and non of them pleased me. OMG!!! Finally!!!! The best vanilla cupcake ever!!!! Simply perfect. It’s moist and stays moist for days. Great vanilla flavor, perfect texture. I’ve been baking for 12 years and been looking for this ever since. And it’s so simple to make, not a lot of ingredients. My son’s birthday was two days ago, I wanted to make something simple since I didn’t have much time. I wasn’t even looking for something special. I found this recipe, baked them and OMG. Thank you, thank you, thank you!!!!!
So glad you hear you are happy with them! Thanks Emily!
Thank you for the recipe, I was so excited as it is almost similar to your chocolate cake recipe which I use, however I made this cake and it was rather dense and dried out quickly, I then made cupcakes, it didn’t rise and was extremely dense, however I love the flavour, I wonder what I am doing wrong? I am from South Africa and I used your cup measurements and not grams, could this be a possible cause?
Hmm, I actually found it to be similar to the chocolate cake, though maybe a little less crazy moist since that one is freakishly amazing. 🙂 I actually do measure my flour and sugar by weight, so those should be accurate. I’m not sure what it’d be. It’s so hard to say from a distance.
I added sprinkles inside of these and used them for a kids party and everyone loved them ! Was a bit nervous because they looked very watery but they came out perfect! Thank you
Thanks for the recipe! I was wondering if I could add berries to the batter and make strawberry cupcakes with this recipe? I’m wondering if this batter would be too thin to hold fruit but I would like to try an oil-based (vs. butter- based) recipe for moist cupcakes. Thank you in advance!
Yes, this batter is very thin so it wouldn’t work very well. I’d suggest trying these Fresh Strawberry Cupcakes.
Just a another work of art from a nice woman keep going
I followed to a tee and cupcakes were very heavy dense. Not moist or fluffy. Not sure what went wrong. Flavor was good
★★
Have you tried this for Mini cupcakes, and if so, what would be the time in the oven? Thanks so much, can’t wait to try these!
I haven’t tried it. I’m going to guess around 8-10 minutes or so.
I made these into tiny little cupcakes (petit-four size) and they worked great. Didn’t take long to cook but I recommend keeping a close eye on them as it doesn’t take long for them to go from cooked to too brown.
Hi love ❤️ your blog and recipes
Thank you Kaya!
I was excited to try this recipe as I am always in search for the best Vanilla cupcake recipes. I baked this today. I liked the flavor and they definitely are nice and moist. Only concern is it seemed to break apart quite easily and when I took baked cupcake out of liner it fell apart. I am curious if anyone else had this happen or if you have any suggestions?
So I just made these for my son’s sixth birthday party. I was looking for a moist cupcake recipe and stumbled across this one. I have to admit, in the midst of making these I was VERY concerned about how watery they were! I didn’t add all the hot water because the batter was literally like water itself! I ended up cooking them like 10 minutes longer than described in the instructions because of how wet they were. This made them rubbery, but still good. I did a second batch, added all the water and cooked them only a few minutes longer. They definitely came out better. These cupcakes were a hit although I felt they were pretty dense (yet not dry). This will be a go to recipe because of all the compliments I got at the party.
Glad to hear everyone enjoyed them!
This recipe is not good at all. The cake turns out super doughy and is not a good flavor. ????☹️????
I was looking for a great vanilla cupcake recipe for our upcoming Girl Scout Easter party. And I think I have found it. I was wondering if you have tried these as chocolate? If so how much cocoa powder did you add?
This would be the chocolate version. You’ll just have to adjust for cupcakes, since it’s written as a cake.
I have tried to bake these cupcakes twice and each time they are too wet and dense. What am I doing wrong? The tops are moist and soft (lovely). the height is very nice, but the inside is too wet.
I had a hard time determining when the cupcakes were done. They didn’t brown at all and i left them in for 20 min or more. Still not sure they’re done properly. Any suggestions/
They shouldn’t be brown on top. To test them, insert a toothpick into the center and if it comes out with just a few crumbs on it, they’re done.
I must have done something wrong – maybe too much liquid because they never got “done”. I’ve never thrown anything away that I baked, but these all went in the garbage.
I’ve used less water (about 180 ml) because it seemed as too much and baked them for 20-25 minutes. I’d also use less sugar than the recipe calls for because they were too sweet for my taste.
can these be made without an electric mixer?
Yes, they are quite easy to mix.
Hello Lindsay, I just wanted to tell you I made these for my class and they were a major hit! Thank you so much for your amazing recipe 🙂
So glad you enjoyed them!
Hi! I’m from the Philippines and I’m very new to baking … I have no clue what to do at all! lol.. Still, I bought some ingredients and utensils and stuff and decided to try your recipe tonight at home. Because I couldn’t afford an oven for now, I bought this cute cupcake maker and I need your help! I don’t know where I went wrong with the recipe but I followed the measurements and directions but still the cupcake didn’t turn out well. It tasted good but the problem was that it was wet inside even after baking it for 15-17 minutes. The batter was thick too and not as runny as yours in the video. Should I add more hot water to the batter? The cupcakes also didn’t rise as high as the ones you made.
I’m not sure – I’m not familiar with the cupcake maker and that could have something to do with it. If the water was thicker than it looked in the video, are you sure something didn’t get missed?
I made one batch but they sunk and didnt turn out the way I expected. I beat the wet ingredients very well and then added the dry ingredients and beat it again. I guess that was what went wrong.
Trying them out again today.
Could u pls tell me the exact temperature of the hot water.
These really don’t need to be mixed a lot. Just until things come together. It’s a pretty simple mixing process. Also, I recently played around with the water, and it’s really fine at any temperature. Doesn’t have to be hot.
I’m disappointed, mine came out doughy.
I just made these (two nights in a row now), and the flavor is great, but they are super dense. I followed the recipe step by step (the second time) and they have come out the same. It’s almost as thick as cornbread. Is that the way they should be? Is there a way to make them more light and fluffy?
No, I would not say that they are dense at all. Certainly not like cornbread. It’s hard to say what is happening from a distance.
This was my first recipe from your blog, and they were a bust for me. The crumb was very dense, as in a pound cake and some (not all…very strange) of the tops rose unevenly, with wonky bumps on the surface. I covered them with frosting, and served for my function anyway…guests did eat them and they were beautiful. Also, bake time was longer for me…22-24 minutes but that could be because I only got 18 (not 24) cupcakes out of this…I used some fun cupcake liners from Home Goods. My daughter (who introduced me to your blog) has made some of your recipes with great success, and has this one on her “to try” list. I’m looking forward to seeing her results! BTW…love your blog and your photography…I look forward to exploring it further!
Okay… I made these with my friend and we were underwhelmed. The frosting was OK, but the batter tasted like bland pancakes. just warning people out there who are looking for a solid vanilla cupcake recipe.
Hello lindsay, i tried this recipe and it turned out wonderful they’re soo light and fluffy. The only problem is they stick to the cupcake liners, almost half of the cupcake ends up stuck to the liner. How do i fix that?
Hmmm, maybe it could have to do with the liners?
I’ve tried 3 different liners but they still come out stuck to the liners ????????
Hi Lindsey,, if I’m gonna put some cream cheese in the mixture, which one I’m supposed to add less in it !! Greetings from Annie in Curacao
Are you adding cream cheese to the frosting to make cream cheese frosting? If so, here’s a recipe for that.
Lindsay, I found your blog last winter and have now made two different vanilla cupcake recipes, your AMAZING Boston cream pie cupcakes, and your chocolate chip cookie cake multiple times. All have been to die for. I felt the need to comment after reading some of the negative comments here. I’m even at high altitude (6300 ft) and these have turned out perfectly every time I make them. Moist and fluffy and heavenly! Thank you for the perfect vanilla cupcake recipe!
I’m so glad to hear you’ve enjoyed everything Jess! Thank you!
The cupcakes are cooling at the moment and i say everything is as what was stated about the recipe. This is my first take on vanilla cupcake as everytime i try a cake version, i always get that eggy taste that i dont like. Until this one. My niece easily gobbled down 2 cupcakes simultaneously and keeps on saying it was so good so i will take her word for it. Found my go to vanilla cupcake recipe finally. Thanks a lot for sharing.
Glad to hear you’re enjoying them! Thanks Leila!
Tried this cupcake recipe yesterday. I’m new to baking and I was skeptical about the sour cream but omg it was the best vanilla cupcake recipe I’ve tried so far! I loved it! My kids loved it!!! I filled it will homemade strawberry jam. And topped it with whipped cream frosting!
Can I do a combination of the veg oil and melted butter? Maybe half cup of each because I want to double the recipe for a layer cake and I am assuming the all oil mix won’t give me stability
I haven’t tried it, but I do think it would likely affect the outcome. I did make it as a layer cake in this cake and didn’t have issues with stability.
Hi, I made these and I loved them. Am thinking of substituting the hot water for hot milk, to make the cupcakes more creamy. Would this work?
Love from Taye from Nigeria.
I don’t think it’d make the cupcakes more creamy. I’d actually think they’d be slightly denser.
Can i replace the vegetable oil with corn oil or sunflower oil?
I haven’t tried it, but would think it’d be ok.
Thanks for sharing — this looks amazing and I can’t wait to try them for our bake sale this weekend! A couple of questions – how hot should the water be? Just warm or boiling? And how far in advance would you say I could make them? Sorry if you’ve answered these in previous comments, Thanks again all the way from Tanzania <3
The water temperature isn’t important. I’d initially specified hot water, but tested things and it doesn’t make a difference. I always like things best when they are fresh, so I’d say 2-3 days is best.
Hey Lindsay!! I am making these for a baby shower this weekend and was just wondering if the water is supposed to be boiling or not? I see the recipe calls for just water and then while reading the steps it says hot water. I have a recipe for chocolate that uses boiling water so i was just wondering if this is the same concept or not. Thanks 🙂
Either is fine. I’d initially specified hot, but it won’t change the recipe either way.
Should i use granulated sugar or powdered sugar in the recipe . Can the recipe be used for making a doll cake . Ie making the whole batter as a single cake and then layering it . Thanks for the reply in advance ????
It’s granulated sugar in the cupcake and powdered sugar in the frosting. I’m not sure about the cake. I wouldn’t normally recommend baking one large cake and then cutting it into layers. You could bake a couple layers and then torte those.
Hey Lindsay,
I am going to try your recipe this weekend. I have a question on the measurement. Do you use the same cup for flour and sugar? Because I see that you use 2.5 cups (325g) flour and 2 cups (414g) sugar. If you don’t, ignore me. If you use the same cup, if 2.5 cups flour = 325, then 2 cups sugar should be 260g.
Thank you!
I do use the same cup, but that’s the thing about weight versus volume. 1 cup of one ingredient won’t weight the same as another. I use weight measurements when baking, but have also measured by volume and they are written correctly both ways in the recipe. Most accurate will always be weight though, which is what I typically use when baking.
Hey Lindsay,
Of course!!! I totally forgot!! Hahaha, you can tell I don’t bake much! I am very excited to try this recipe!!! Thank you again!!!
How long does do you it take overall cooking and prep?
I would say about half an hour or so for prep and baking.
What other buttercream works well with these vanilla cupcakes aside from vanilla buttercream? Thanks.
Vanilla goes with just about anything.
Have you tried freezing these? Wondering if I can get a jump on party planning and have these ready to go and frozen in advance.
I haven’t tried it, but I’d think they’d freeze fine.
Did you ever try freezing them? Did they freeze well?
★★★★★
The ingredient list includes 1 cup of water but the directions state “add hot water” I’m sure that is the 1 C but should the water be boiling?
You can use any temperature water.
Hi Lindsay!
Do you think I would be able to substitute stevia for the sugar in the cupcake recipe?
I haven’t experimented with it to say, but I do believe it would change it a good bit.
Hi! I’ve been practicing this cupcake recipe, and I’m fairly new to making things from scratch. The taste of these cupcakes are great! The texture just seems to be a bit off to me. The best way I can describe how they are coming out is rubbery and sticky, just the top part of the cupcake though. Is it suppose to come out this way, or am I doing something wrong? The cupcakes also stick to the cupcake liners so they are hard to pull apart from the wrapper. Can you think of what I may be doing wrong?
I got the same result
I need help
What am I doing wrong?
Hello!!! I’m really excited to try your recipe! I’ve never baked before with shortening, Any brand you recommend? , is there a substitute I can use? Thank you!
I use regular unflavored Crisco. Some people aren’t fans of shortening though, so feel free to replace it with additional butter.
Hi Lindsay,
Which brand Vanila Extract do you use ?
Typically I use McCormick.
I’m not a baker and this cupcakes came out lovely soft, moist and delicious. I will definitely bake them again.
Thanks for the cupcake recipe! My picky husband finally loves cupcakes that I’ve made! Hahaha;)
However, just wondering – as I live in a humid area, the cupcakes start to shine on top after a while, and I’ve cut the sugar by 100g or so since my husband prefers not too sweet cupcakes. Any idea about the shiny top?
Do you have an eggless vanilla receipe for this cake. pls can you send me the receope eggless.
thanks
I don’t have an eggless cake recipe. I’m sorry.
Hello Lindsay I made these cupcake this weekend, and the cupcakes were great, but I was a little concern with the shine to describe how they came out is rubbery and sticky, just the top part of the cupcake. My question is did I do something wrong? The recipe called for hot water was I supposed to use room temperature water. The cupcake was good, and the Icing came out great . Can you advise me if I need to make changes
Hi. Just so you know your flour weight in grams is wrong. One cup of plain flour is 220grams, i just made your recipe, water thin. Supposed to be 550grams ????
Hi Nic! It isn’t wrong actually. I do weigh my ingredients, so the amount is correct as written. For a little info about my conversions, please see my conversion chart. The batter is meant to be very thin.
These cupcakes were very good! I had a little oops… added the water to the wet ingredients instead of after, but turned out ok. The batter being runny made me worried but they were fine. My only issue was that I halved the batch and it made 12 cupcakes fine, but halving the frosting and using slightly less frosting than you show pictured per cupcake I ran out w/ 3 cupcakes to go so that was a little annoying. Next time i’ll just make a whole batch and frost not quite as much and it will be fine. recipe is definitely a keeper, thanks!
’t think much of it. I double checked the oven time and temperature, but it was all set right. I had to bake the cupcakes for another good 15-18 minutes before they were baked enough to eat! ????! The cupcakes turned out dense and chewy and stuck to the wrapper, which is so strange as all your other cupcake recipes typically turn out amazing! I even tried a second batch and had the same results! Your frosting, however, turned out AWESOME! I had tried a meringue frosting using a different recipe many years ago, and it was awful. All melted and gooey! ????! I was scared to try it again, but I did (using your recipe), and I felt like I was in marshmallow-heaven! I may have licked my Kitchenaid stand mixer’s whisk more then once????! I truly hope you realize what a talented baker you are, and how baker-licious your recipes have proven to be. And don’t worry- just because your lemon meringue cupcakes didn’t completely work out, I will continue using your blog for as long as I bake (#forever)! Thank you so much for all of your wonderful posts!
Thanks so much Lola! I’m not sure why that recipe didn’t work out, but I’m glad you’ve enjoyed everything else!
hi
i loved your works they’re just lovely
but i’m not sure what the shortening is
can you tell me please ?
It’s a butter substitute. If you don’t have it or aren’t a fan, just replace it with additional butter.
Hi!! I am an avid baker, raised 4 boys so I needed to be! I am going to try a sample run on these tomorrow. I am making cupcakes for my last 2 kiddos graduation party this weekend and I was looking for an awesome vanilla cupcake recipe. Fingers crossed and I will keep you informed!!
I hope you enjoyed them!
I just made these cupcakes for a graduation party, not knowing how they would turn out or taste. They are the best vanilla cupcakes I have ever made. They came out all even and look just gorgeous. They are my new goto cupcake recipe. Thank you so much for the post.
So glad to hear you enjoyed them! 🙂
I made these cupcakes in 2 9-inch layers earlier this month. My family and i loved your recipe so now my daughter is making it for my birthday tomorrow. I made 1 1/2 of the frosting recipe, using 1:2 cup shortening and 1 cup butter. The consistency and flavor were perfect for our taste. Quick question…did you edit your recipe this month and take the “hot” out of the the water description? I thought for a minute that I was returning to the wrong recipe but I’m certain this is the one we loved. Thanks for the wonderful recipe! 🙂
I’m so glad you’ve enjoy it! Yes, I was getting a lot of questions about the exact temperature of the water, so I edited the recipe. Water temperature isn’t particularly important in this. 🙂
Can i replace the shortening to salted butter too? Will the frosting came out to be salty and sweet at the same time?
You can replace the shortening with butter, yes. If you are using all butter, I’d suggest either half salted and half unsalted or just use all unsalted and add a little salt (maybe 1/8 tsp). You just don’t want the frosting to be too salty.
Hi Lindsay,
Will it be ok to make the cupcake on Friday and serve on Saturday? is the cupcake still be moist? How to store them properly? Thanks in advance
Yes, definitely. Store them in an air tight container. If you make the frosting as listed (with half butter, half shortening), I’d store them at room temperature. If you use all butter, as some people like to do, I’d store them in the fridge.
Hello. This vanilla cupcake recipe is for 24-26 cupcakes so I need to cut half for all ingredients for 12 cupcakes? including the frosting?
Yes, cut everything in half. For the frosting, I could probably use all of what’s listed for half of the cupcakes. If depends on how much frosting you like on your cupcakes.
First of all these are super light and yummy! This has been one of my favorite recipes so far.
I followed the directions very closely but for some reason the bottoms of mine were burnt. I had the rack the position as previous cupcake bakes and didn’t have that problem.
I plan to continue making these as they were scrumptious. Any help would be appreciated.
I made this recipe the other day and it was great! is there a way to make this into a chocolate cupcake without altering this recipe?
There actually two recipes that are options. One would be these cupcakes. They are slightly different in that they use more liquid and bake slowly at a lower temperature. The option is this cake, which can be made as cupcakes. I’d say this one is the chocolate version of these vanilla cupcakes. Both recipes are relatively similar. My all time favorite though is the first one. 🙂
Hello, I am wanting to know if this is a good recipe for a 14 inch cake pan? I know I would need to increase the amount of batter I make to have enough. I am going to make a wedding cake and wondered if this would work. My concern comes from some of the comments that said they had trouble with it turning out too wet or chewy and some even collapsing. Is there something I can do to eliminate that possibility?
I am new to your blog and I am absolutely amazed at your recipes. I am so excited to try them. I am mostly looking for great cake and cupcake recipes for weddings and showers.
I haven’t made this recipe in larger pans than a 9×13, so I don’t know for sure how it’d turn out. I’ve never had it turn out wet or chewy and I truly don’t know why some are having that issue to be able to say how to avoid it. Part of what I love about this recipe is that it’s so straight forward, but it seems it isn’t for some. I’m not sure why.
I made 28 regular cupcakes out of this recipe. One of the best recipes I found. love it! Thanks
Ok I don’t normally comment but I feel like I need to. I am a total cake snob. I have been making wedding cakes and specialty cakes for about 14 years, so if it isn’t good cake what is the point of eating it? Don’t even get me started on the “doctored cake mix” cakes… Yuck. Anyways, I loved this. I just pulled them out of the oven, they were very light in color and I wasn’t sure if they were done. After testing I realized they were (so people, don’t overcook) . I feel like I just bit into a cloud! This is a fantastic recipe I will be keeping around. Good job, your hard work is evident and the price of the vanilla and butter it took to perfect this recipe wasn’t in vain.
Hi Lindsay,
My cupcake didn’t rise. I half-ed the recipe.
Hi, I’ve been on the lookout for super fluffy, super moist cupcakes, but always failed.
I tried these and they are absolutely fluffy & I love it!
The only problem I’m facing is that they taste a lil gluey once eaten. What could be the reason?
Thanks,
Nash from Goa, India
Hi.
These cupcakes looked so good when they came out of the oven but upon cooling they all sunk down. What could be the reason?
Hmmm, not sure. Did they overflow at all? Sometimes that can cause them to fall as they cool.
Hi Lindsay,
I’m new to baking and really excited to try this recipe and the similar chocolate cupcake one! Could I use almond milk? Would it change the recipe or texture?
Thanks!
Laura
I haven’t tried it. You could see how it does. Almond milk has different properties than regular milk, specifically fat content. Fat gives the cupcakes some of their moisture and texture, so it’d likely change it a bit if it does bake up well.
Just made these today with almond milk. Might have changed the color a bit (almond milk is a bit gray) and perhaps the flavor slightly but put some chocolate icing on top and no one will know.
I made these recently and they were so tasty! They’re perfectly moist and fluffy and my whole family loved them. So glad I found a great simple vanilla cupcake recipe because I’ll be using it again. 🙂
this taste like egg.
How can we substitute shortening?
With additional butter.
What milk do you use in these, is it whole milk?
I use 2%, but whole should be fine.
Can I use Skim?
I prefer milk with a higher fat content for a better textured cupcake, but you could use skim.
Mine tasted like cornbread. ???? I mean, I like cornbread, just not as my cupcakes ????
Hi Lindsay!
If I want to bake this as a cake in a bundt cake pan, how long do you recommend I bake it? I used this recipe for the cupcakes and they were so good!
I’m so glad you enjoyed the cupcakes! I’m not sure how it’d do as a bundt cake. I’d guess you’d want to double it and bake for at least 45 minutes, possibly more.
Hi! I am baking these cupcakes this weekend for a party, and I was wondering if you spooned and leveled the flour into the measuring cup or if you scooped the flour right out of the container with the measuring cup?
I actually weight my ingredients these days so that it’s accurate. But when using a scoop, I’d typically stir up the flour so it isn’t packed in and then scoop out of the container.
This looks amazing. Do we have to use water at room temperature or warm??
Either is fine.
Unfortunately, I did not have a good experience with these. The cupcakes did not have any rise or fluff. They were dense with a doughy crumb. I tried baking a batch for a few extra minutes but it only helped slightly. Like another reviewer mentioned, I also had a lot of cake stick to the paper liners. The cake has a pretty good flavor and seems so easy to come together. Maybe I’ll try again but this batch was a sad waste.
Just made these for my daughter’s birthday party. The cake is super delicious and perfect flavor. The icing I didn’t care for however. I thought it was too sweet for me. Thanks for the recipe!
So I just made these cupcakes for my daughter’s birthday party tomorrow. While I love the frosting, the cupcakes are a miss. I followed the recipe exactly but the cupcakes do not rise and they leave the cupcake liners very wet. The flavor is very good and I will serve them, but I won’t be making this recipe again.
I’ve never had that happen with these cupcakes. The method itself is pretty straight forward so I’m not sure what went wrong. Sorry you weren’t happy with them. Feel free to try out these vanilla cupcakes or the vanilla cupcake base of these.
Once the cupcakes are made and iced are they ok to be left out of the refrigerator overnight? I am making them for a birthday party.
I usually leave them at room temperature, but if you use all butter frosting, you’ll probably want to refrigerate them.
I made these cupcakes and was pleased with the texture and how long they remained moist even after several days. I wanted to make them again but add more flavoring so I added vanilla bean and than some almond extract; I also put the water down to 3/4 cup. Now I know they say don’t mess with a good thing but I did. This time the cake came out tasting like corn muffins rather than a vanilla cupcake. Was it more the messing around with flavors or the less water added. Going to try them again but would love your thoughts.
Personally, I’d say it was the reduction of water. Some different extracts shouldn’t change the texture.
These were a miss for me. The flavor was good but the texture… gummy on top and kind of fluffy in the middle but paste-like when chewing. I wanted to like them 🙁
Hi this recipe looks wow..needed some help
1. It says vanilla extract can I use vanilla essence
2 it says large eggs..if I use medium eggs how many should I use
3. Can we use nutella ganache ie nutella with heavy cream on this cup cake
Thank you in advance for your help
DV
Can I add food coloring to this frosting for the cupcakes? Or will it mess it up. Sorry if that’s a stupid question but I am not much of a baker.
You should be able to add coloring without a problem.
Can i use caster sugar instead of normal sugar or does it not matter
That should be fine.
I made these for my son’s 5th birthday party, and they were a hit. Baked and iced the cupcakes on Saturday, outdoor party on Sunday afternoon, and the leftovers are still great on Monday (my coworkers are very appreciative). I set the cupcakes in the shade during the party, and the icing didn’t budge in the July heat in Tennessee. Thanks for such a great recipe! This will be my go-to vanilla cupcake from now on. 🙂
Wonderful to hear! Glad you enjoyed them!
Same Lindsay from last year, making these cupcakes again for the 6th birthday party, replying to myself so I don’t forget… I had to fill the cupcake liners 3/4 full. 🙂
(Thanks again for a great recipe!)
These sound delicious!! Is there a simple way to make these into chocolate cupcakes? I need to make 70 cupcakes for a 1st party party this weekend, half chocolate and half vanilla. So I was hoping to use the same batter 🙂 Thank you!
This is a chocolate cake version of these cupcakes. You should be able to use that batter with similar baking instructions.
This is the best cupcale recipe i have ever tried. I filled mine with caramel and they were so moist and delicious. Very easy to make. The frosting was perfect, the combination of butter and shortening is much better than use of one or the other. I will definatly be saving this recipe and sharing it around. Thank you for an amazing yummy recipe!
So glad you enjoyed them!
Followed this recipe exactly and mine were very dense and wet underneath (not undercooked, just wet). Tried drying them out a bit more in the oven but didn’t make any difference. Disappointing ????
I love the cupcakes, but i don’t really know how to ice really well. Would it still be ok if i half the amount of sugar in the icing?
The frosting won’t be as thick, but you could reduce the sugar if you like. Check out this post for more info.
Thank you Lindsay !! The post you gave me is really helpful! My family loved the cupcakes very much, the icing was super yummy!!! Thank you so much for your help! I will try baking a cake next time!! I want to ask, how do you actually ice the sides with a ice the sides with a icing bag, because every time I use the icing bag it breaks and my icing skills looks horrible. So i never baked cakes again because i can’t ice. Can you please teach me some methods I love baking so much!!!
So glad you enjoyed them! Where exactly does the bag break? I haven’t had that happen before I don’t think. You might find it helpful to look through some of my posts that include videos and watch some of the layer cake ones to see some clips of my frosting techniques.
I dont have shortening. What can I use instead? Thanks!
You can use additional butter.
These looked phenomenal but unfortunately lacked the depth of flavour that comes with using butter in a vanilla cupcake.
I guess it just depends on whether you like butter based or oil based. I get betterreviews for these cupcakes than butterred ones.
i Would like to use butter so how much butter would i replace the oil with? Also unsalted or salted would be best?
There’s a dinner coming up at my place and i want to use this recipe to make a layer cake. But I have made cakes using oil based recipes before and the texture turns out really crumbly and messes up the frosting. Does this recipe also gives out a crumbly result? Does it hold well to being frosted?
I don’t find this cake to have a bad result and I’ve made it dozens of times. That said, some people seem to be having issues with it that I can’t recreate. If you’d like, you can try this butter-based cake.
Hi, Lindsay
Your cupcakes recipe is phenomenon. I’m always struggling with anthing that has to do with vanilla. Can I use this for layer cake, would it be sturdy enough for 2 or 3 tier cake? Do you have any recipe for moist vanilla cake. I used the butter based ones and hate it because I always get reviews that my cakes were dry 🙁
So glad you enjoy them! I have used this for a 3 layer cake, which you can find here. I hope that helps!
Hi Lindsay
I made these today and true to their name they are a lovely moist, soft cupcake. They do lack flavour, even though I put a tbsp and a bit more of vanilla extract. I think the ingredients are all bland and the lack of butter is noticeable in this recipe.
Can I just use 1 cup butter for the frosting instead of shortening?
Yes, you can.
Hi I am trying this recipe just now. Wonder why there was no baking soda. Would it still be thesame as other recipes that have it? And btw ive added almond extract will it affect its texture?
This isn’t a recipe that uses baking soda. Just baking powder. The almond extract won’t affect texture.
I tried to make these, but when they were finished they didn’t taste like vanilla. They tasted almost like pancakes. I tried again, adding a little extra vanilla, but I got the same result. I followed the directions perfectly, I really don’t understand what I’m doing wrong.
Hello! I loved the cupcakes! However, they slightly tasted like corn bread? I was sure to follow the exact recipe, any idea what could have went wrong?
Thank you!
I don’t know what happened, but these did not work out. They smelled amazing and the flavor was good, but they barely rised and were so gummy on the inside
It was really strange and disappointing. I think it had something to do with the cup of water.
For Shortening do you use vegetable or butter flavored?
Vegetable
can you replace vegetable oil with butter when making the cupcakes?
I haven’t tried it to say. I don’t think you’d get the same result though.
Hi Lindsay,
I tried the recipe last night and my cupcakes flattened out when I pulled them out of the oven. I don’t think there is anything wrong with the recipe, I believe I messed up by measuring the milk and oil by weight instead of with a liquid measuring cup. Can you tell me exactly how you measured everything? Thanks for the recipe, I’m sorry I messed it up!
I weigh the dry ingredients, but use a measuring cup for the liquids. If you weighed them, that certainly could have been an issue.
If i dont have measuning cup what should i do?
I’m hoping to make a couple different flavors of cupcakes with just one recipe, as my friends hardly have any favorite flavors in common 😐
What might happen if I added cocoa powder to the dry ingredients to make half the batter chocolate? Would I have to compensate with more liquid? Would they come out so mildly chocolatey that it wouldn’t be worth the time? Your thoughts are much appreciated!!
This is the chocolate version of the same recipe. You could just adjust it to cupcakes. Alternatively, you could follow this recipe, which is a little bit different.
Thank you for this recipe! They look wonderful! My daughter is wanting mini cakes for her birthday. Do you have any suggestions on how to use this recipe for 4″ mini cake pans?
Thanks!
I haven’t ever made little cakes that small so I’m not sure.
Can I take the shortening out of the frosting and replace it with butter? I don’t have shortening.
Yes, you can
These are hands down the best vanilla cupcakes I’ve ever made. I made one change in the frosting I used 1/2 tsp of princess cookie and cake emulsion the combo was perfect. The texture of the cupcakes are amazing
I’m so glad you enjoyed them!
Hi i saw that the batter was a little bit runny not that stiff and useally needs more flour (at least i would have added a little bit more) first question this is the right conststancy?runny? Second question i want to bake them inside a baking cup would it be ok because of tne oil or should i use butter?i am afraid it might be very oily outside the baking cup and looks dirty.thank you very much
I have no idea what went wrong? My cupcakes turned out dense, more like a muffin. I feel like, perhaps it was too much flour. Looking through the comments, it doesn’t seem like anyone else had this outcome. I like my cupcakes to be light and fluffy and these turned out dense:( I’m bummed!
Can I use Vanilla paste or Vanilla Bean? If so, would I still use 1T? I just like to see the vanilla specks and Love the Vanilla flavor .
Yes, the paste should be fine. I would think a tablespoon should be enough.
Can you use canola oil instead of vegetable oil or is it optional?
I haven’t tried the canola oil, but I’d think it’d be fine.
I don’t think you’d want to make any other cupcake after making these. They are as moist as can be. I use “Best Vanilla Frosting” for the topping, which is a mixture of cream cheese and heavy whipping cream, which I pipe on. They are just so easy to make (no creaming) and go down a treat!
These cupcakes tasted terrible. A group of 6 year olds would not even finish a single mini cupcake.
Hi! I’m from Brazil. I made this cupcake, and … My God !!! Delicious!! I want to know if I can use this recipe for wedding cakes. My Brazilian recipes are not working well here.
The recipe does work for cakes. You can see an example here.
This is an awful recipe, and does not provide enough information for people outside of America. 1/10.
I never comment in anything, but I felt I needed to regarding this recipe.
I’ve never not creamed my butters and sugar together. I thought it was strange/a mistake that your recipe stated to add the sugar to the flour. By the last step, I was sure there was a mistake with the 1 cup of water because the batter was SOO runny – not even CLOSE to the consistency of any batter I’ve ever made before.
I decided “screw it, I’m this far in” and patiently waited for what I assumed would be a disaster.
I was amazed when the end result was probably the best cupcake I’ve ever had. Seriously, I’ve already eaten so many that I have a stomach ache and I’m still eating them. Thank you for such a great recipe!
So glad to hear you enjoyed them!
This is exactly how I feel. Almost word for word. In fact I started to think I had impulsively written it while in a cake coma. I was sure something was off but it turned out to be the best cake ive ever made. Possibly the only recipe I will ever use again!
I’m so glad you enjoyed it!
I made these cupcakes and my family loved them!!! Big winner in my house so a huge thanks. 🙂
Just have to say,besides my grandmothers recipe these are the best cupcakes I have made,my grandson loves to make cupcakes so he helped make them and my kids and grandkids devoured them in an evening. I tweeked the recipe by adding a tsp.of cinnamon,I am a fan of this spice and yum. Thank you for sharing this recipe. Everyone who bakes should give this one a try.
These cupcakes are delicious, I have made them three times! Can this recipe be used for a cake?
So glad you enjoyed them! Yes, it can. I used it in a cake here, if you’d like to take a look at those instructions.
Just made these cupcakes today. Only had almond milk so i figured I’d give it a try. They are amazing and soooo moist. I do get a hint of the almond milk but it tastes fine. Thanks for sharing the recipe.
I’m to hear they worked well and you enjoyed them!
Hi I’ve made these cupcakes twice and the flavor is great but I need help getting my cupcakes to dome nicely , instead both times I’ve made them they dome a little volcano-ish what can I do!! I’ve followed the recipe to the letter and i can’t figure out why the volcano tops
Hi, i just finished making this recipe, and omg…it’s taste amazing, flufy, moist its ….. yummy ????????
Only one problem i had now, after baked my cupcake round is srhink, so the cakes edges is separated from the paper cup. Is there something wrong that i did? (Im using bake paper cup)
Beside that, everything is perfect!! Great recipe ????????????????
Thank you ????????????
Hi. This is the first time I read about adding shortening to buttercream. Will it make the buttercream frosting more stable once piped? Will it add flavor to the frosting? Thanks.
I’d suggest checking out this post about why I use what I use in the frosting and then this post about consistency. 🙂 I hope that helps!
Hi Lindsay,
In all your cupcake recipe videos, you use a measuring cup to pour the exact amount of batter in each case, I was just wondering which size cup you use???
Are you referring to the scoop I use? It’s a 1 3/4 oz scoop.
Gave this recipe a go. Personally, not quite for me. The high liquid content, yes, makes it moist however I feel the recipe ends up being too sweet without the rich taste you’d expect from a Vanilla cupcake.
I need to make 36-48 cupcakes. Can I simply double the ingredients or do you suggest making two separate batters?
Doubling it should be fine.
should I use milk or water for the frosting? which one would you recommend?
I made these cupcakes exactly how it says and they turned out flat and raw even after baking for longer. Not happy with recipe as it was a waste of time and ingredients ????
Hello,
What would you recommend in Celsius for a fan forced oven? I can’t wait to try these!
Do you have a Marble Cake recipe
Not currently.
I have tried at least 30 different cupcake recipes and this one is by FAR the best. Light, fluffy, moist, perfect texture. Basically perfect. Thank you!!!