These light and fluffy vanilla cupcakes are perfect for your next birthday party or afternoon tea. They are easy to make and can be decorated with any frosting you like!
Over the years, I have made A LOT of cupcakes. It all started with a charity cupcake bake-off at my old firm when I was a junior lawyer. Up until that point, I really hadn’t done much baking. I can’t recall what prompted me to enter the bake off but I did…and much to my surprise I won!
From that point on, making cupcakes became my thing – I would regularly bring them into the office to share and give them as gifts. I loved experimenting with different flavour combinations and the versatility of the humble cupcake.
Speaking of versatility, you won’t find a more versatile cupcake than the vanilla cupcake. These days, I don’t have time to experiment with flavours as much – my three young children don’t really care for my wacky flavour combinations! What they do love are these vanilla cupcakes. Apart from My Favourite Chocolate Chip Cookies these are my kids’ absolute favourite treat. They always feature on the menu at their birthday parties and are always the first to go.
Why you will LOVE My Favourite Vanilla Cupcakes
- They are incredibly light and fluffy: In my opinion, a vanilla cupcake needs to be light and airy, not heavy or dense. These cupcakes are super soft inside and light as air to eat. Trust me, it will be hard to stop at one!
- They are super versatile: This recipe is my base cupcake recipe. You can tweak the flavours very easily – try adding some grated lemon zest for some zing or cinnamon for some spice. This recipe makes 12 regular sized cupcakes or 24 mini-cupcakes.
- You can use any frosting or topping: These cupcakes go beautifully with any frosting or topping you so choose. In the photos, I have frosted them with my favourite vanilla buttercream frosting and my favourite chocolate buttercream frosting which are classic pairings. They also taste amazing with a cream cheese frosting (my personal favourite and the frosting I use on this Easy Banana Cake) or if you want to keep it simple, try topping them with a dollop of freshly whipped cream and fresh berries- perfect for an adults’ afternoon tea.
What you will need
Equipment
- You will need a:
- stand mixer or electric beaters; and
- 12 cup muffin/cupcake pan or 24 mini-cupcake pan.
Ingredients
- Cake & Pastry Flour: Cake and pastry flour has a lower protein content and has a finer texture, both of which really help to make these cupcakes light and fluffy. If you can’t get hold of it (I know it can sometimes be difficult to find in Australia) see below for how you can make an easy substitute. Alternatively, you can substitute plain (all purpose) flour – the cupcakes won’t have as light a crumb but they will still be delicious and you will still love them!
- Baking powder & Baking (bicarbonate of) soda: These two leavening agents give these cupcakes the lift and rise that make them light and fluffy.
- Salt: A pinch of salt balances out the sweetness of the cupcakes.
- Unsalted butter: Make sure your butter is at room temperature before you begin.
- Caster (superfine) sugar: I like to use caster sugar as the finer texture makes it easier to incorporate into the batter. You can absolutely substitute granulated white sugar if that is what you have in the pantry.
- Vanilla extract: What is a vanilla cupcake without vanilla?? I always prefer using vanilla extract rather than vanilla essence. Vanilla extract is a natural product whereas essence is a synthetic vanilla flavouring. You will get a far better (and natural tasting) flavour when you use vanilla extract. You can however substitute with vanilla bean paste in the same quantities without compromising the vanilla flavour.
- Eggs: You will need two large eggs at room temperature. If you forget to take the eggs out of the fridge you can place the eggs in a bowl of warm (not hot!) water for 5 to 10 minutes before using.
- Buttermilk: The buttermilk really gives this cupcake a lighter and more tender crumb. You can make your own buttermilk by combining 1 cup of milk with 1 tablespoon of lemon juice or vinegar (the mixture with thicken upon standing). Alternatively, you can substitute whole milk – the crumb won’t be as light but the cupcakes will still taste great.
How to make an easy substitute for cake & pastry flour
- Measure 1 cup of plain (all-purpose) flour.
- Remove 2 tablespoons of the plain flour and replace with 2 tablespoons of corn flour.
- Finally, sift the flour and corn flour together at least two times. That’s it!
How to make my favourite vanilla cupcakes
- Sift the cake & pastry flour, baking powder, baking soda and salt. Set aside.
- Cream the butter and sugar until pale and fluffy.
- Mix in eggs, one at a time. Mix in vanilla extract.
- Alternate mixing in sifted flour mixture and buttermilk until combined.
- Spoon or scoop batter into cupcake pans.
- Bake!
My Favourite Vanilla Cupcakes
- Prep Time: 20 minutes
- Cook Time: 16- 18 minutes
- Total Time: 38 minutes (plus cooling)
- Yield: 12 cupcakes 1x
- Category: Cupcakes
Description
These light and fluffy vanilla cupcakes are perfect for your next birthday party or afternoon tea. They are easy to make and can be decorated with any frosting you like!
Ingredients
Scale
- 1 1/4 cup (160g) cake & pastry flour (see note 1 for substitutions)
- 1 teaspoon baking powder
- 1/2 teaspoon baking (bicarbonate of) soda
- 1/4 teaspoon salt
- 125g unsalted butter, at room temperature
- 1 cup (225g) caster (superfine) sugar
- 2 eggs, at room temperature
- 1 teaspoon vanilla extract
To decorate:
- 1 x quantity of My Favourite Vanilla Buttercream Frosting or 1 x quantity of My Favourite Chocolate Buttercream Frosting
Instructions
- Preheat oven to 180C conventional or 160C fan-forced. Line a 12 cup cupcake/muffin pan (or 24 mini-cupcake pan) with cupcake liners. Set aside.
- In a medium mixing bowl, sift together the cake and pastry flour, baking powder, baking soda and salt. Set aside.
- In a stand mixer fitted with the paddle attachment (or using electric beaters) cream together the butter and sugar until pale and fluffy (this will take approximately 3 to 5). This is a really important step for making these cupcakes light and fluffy so don’t be tempted to rush it! Use a spatula to scrape down the sides of the bowl and if using a stand mixer, I like to scrape all the way to the bottom of the bowl (directly underneath the paddle) to make sure all the butter is incorporated.
- Add the eggs, one by one, beating well after each egg.
- Add the vanilla extract and beat until combined.
- Alternate mixing in the sifted flour mixture and buttermilk – add a third of the sifted flour mixture and mix until just combined, then add half the buttermilk and mix until just combined and then repeat finishing with the remaining third of sifted flour. Be careful not to over-mix the batter.
- Spoon or scoop (I like to use an ice-cream scoop) the batter into the cupcake liners, filling them two-thirds full.
- For regular cupcakes bake for 16 to 18 minutes or until a skewer comes out clean when tested. Bake for 10 to 12 minutes for mini-cupcakes.
- Allow the cupcakes to cool in the pan for 5 minutes, then carefully remove and allow to cool completely on a wire.
- When completely cool, decorate with your choice of frosting.
- Enjoy!
Notes
- Cake and pastry flour substitute: See how to make a substitute cake and pastry flour in the above post. You can otherwise substitute plain (all-purpose) flour.
- Storage: Store cooled, unfrosted cupcakes in an airtight container at room temperature for up to one day. Once frosted, store in an airtight container in the refrigerator for up to two days. Bring the cupcakes to room temperature before serving. Individually wrapped cupcakes can be frozen for 2 to 3 months.
Keywords: Vanilla cupcakes
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