Our 10 Best Cupcake Recipes
Everyone loves cupcakes, and these recipes are guaranteed to be a hit anytime you serve them. From classics like chocolate and vanilla to homemade versions of store-bought favorites and cupcake versions of favorite cocktails and everything in between, we have a cupcake for every occasion!
Cupcakes are the perfect party dessert; they’re portable and individually portioned. We’ve been making and loving them for decades!
The list below features the ten recipes that have been visited over and over again, garnering thousands of five-star reviews from readers, and are time-tested favorites. They include classic flavors like vanilla and chocolate, but also other creative and unique flavors that you are going to LOVE!
Before we get to the list, I’ve also rounded up all of my favorite equipment for cupcake baking so you can arm yourself with the best tools.
Favorite Cupcake Tools
Part of making fabulous cupcakes is having the right tools for the job! I’ve made hundreds upon hundreds of cupcakes and below are my recommendations for the best equipment for making delicious, beautiful cupcakes:
- Regular Cupcake Pan: USA 12-Well Muffin Pan
- Mini Cupcake Pan: USA 24-Well Mini Cupcake and Muffin Pan
- Liners: I usually stick to classic white paper liners unless I make a specifically themed cupcake.
- Piping Tips: This set of jumbo tips is perfect for big swirls on top of cupcakes.
- Piping Bags: I prefer the slightly larger 16-inch decorating bags for more piping control.
- Food Coloring: I HIGHLY recommend soft gel paste food coloring to give vibrant color without thinning the frosting.
- Cupcake Carrier: Cupcakes are meant for sharing! Transport them without fear of them tipping over with a sturdy carrier. This collapsible cupcake carrier can hold 24 cupcakes or up to a 10-inch round cake.
Now, let’s get on to this epic list! I’ve been sharing cupcake recipes since 2007, and these are the ten that have risen as the best of the best and most beloved among readers. Enjoy!
Our 10 Best Cupcake Recipes
10. Ultimate Chocolate Cupcakes
These are the BEST chocolate cupcakes - a moist chocolate cupcake recipe made from scratch with a chocolate ganache center and dreamy chocolate frosting.
9. Apple Cupcakes with Cinnamon-Cream Cheese Frosting
These apple cupcakes are subtly spiced, full of fresh, shredded apples, and topped with a cinnamon-cream cheese frosting.
These margarita cupcakes are simple vanilla cakes infused with lime and tequila, brushed with more tequila, and topped with a tequila lime buttercream frosting.
Fluffy, buttery vanilla cake batter is studded with rainbow sprinkles and baked into cupcakes. Topped with a classic vanilla buttercream frosting and more rainbow sprinkles.
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Moist, luscious chocolate cupcakes, filled with a fluffy marshmallow cream frosting, topped with chocolate ganache, and garnished with the nostalgic finishing touch: white curly-cued icing.
5. The Absolute Best Vanilla Cupcakes
These moist vanilla cupcakes are an absolute delight! These light-as-air cupcakes are topped with a sweet vanilla buttercream frosting, that is not only easy to make but also easy to enjoy. Perfect for birthdays and other celebrations, you will never need another vanilla cupcake recipe again!
4. Pumpkin Cupcakes with Cream Cheese Frosting
Pumpkin cupcakes with clean pumpkin flavor shining through! Subtle spices round out the flavor and the cupcakes are topped with a delicious cream cheese frosting.
3. Red Velvet Cupcakes with Cream Cheese Frosting
These are the absolute BEST red velvet cupcakes! A gorgeous red color, moist and fluffy, and topped with a luscious cream cheese frosting.
2. Guinness, Whisky, and Irish Cream Cupcakes
The classic cocktail shot transformed into cupcakes - Guinness chocolate cake, Jameson whiskey ganache filling, and Baileys buttercream frosting.
1. Mocha Cupcakes with Espresso Buttercream Frosting
These mocha cupcakes are coffee and espresso-infused, with a subtle chocolate flavor, and topped with an espresso-spiked buttercream frosting.
For even more cupcakes, check out our entire archive of cupcake recipes.
Do you have a favorite cupcake recipe that wasn’t mentioned here? Share below!
Do you want to request to see a special cupcake recipe featured on the site? Leave a comment below, letting me know what it is!
I agree with you. I haven’t had any cupcakes at all these little shops that have blown me away. Always dry.
Can’t wait to try making the dark chocolate peanut butter recipe!
Plain vanilla has always been my favorite! Great selection!
Your cupcake making skills are absolutely BOMB DIGGITY! How beautiful they all are! I’d have to say that my favorite would probably have to be my Annabelle Carrot Cupcakes: http://bit.ly/gOr2em They’re soooo flavorful and moist, the perfect couple of bites. Plus, they have a bittersweet story behind them.
My favorite cupcake comes from a silver Airstream trailer on South Congress Avenue in Austin, Texas. The place is called Hey, Cupcake! Their 24-Karat cupcake is a revelation! It’s a world-class carrot cake confection with cream cheese frosting. For a few pennies extra, they’ll put a whipped cream “shot” right down into the middle of it. Have mercy, it’s fantastic!
Hey Cupcake is the best! I can’t wait to try some of these recipes myself today. I love Brown Eyed Baker’s sugar cookies with royal icing. Taught me how step by step-thank you! Made the cookies for a bachelorette party this weekend that were not only cute, but everyone thought they tasted fantastic! Thanks Brown Eyed Baker!
I’ve always been a huge fan of Hey Cupcake! Once I left Austin I had to start learning how to bake cupcakes myself cause I missed them so much. We have Trailercakes up here in Dallas, and they have some really delightful flavors and combos. Their PB&J cupcake is amazing, and their Carmel Eileen is out of this world.
I’ve made nearly every cupcake she has on this site, and have to say the Margarita and the Guinness/Baileys/Jameson ones are my favs, and always go over so well.
guinness chocolate cupcakes (or cake!) with whipcream/ cream cheese frosting are my all time favorite. the guinness lends a very unique, though subtle, extra something to the cake.
design sponge has the recipe i use. it’s my go-to for anyone requesting a chocolate cake!
Yummy! The dark chocolate with peanut butter frosting would be my favorite ones.
I love cupcakes! So thanks for sharing all of these that look absolutely delicious!
I have to make those tiramisu cupcakes. They are absolutely gorgeous and packed with some of my favorite flavors. As for the gourmet cupcake shops, I agree with you completely about the dryness of the cupcakes.
I’ve made your recipes for the mocha, red velvet and vanilla. They’re all just wonderful. Thanks for the wonderful recipes, Michelle!
Have you ever tried Georgetown Cupcakes? They have 2 locations–1 in Georgetown (Washington D.C.) and one in Bethesda, Maryland. I’ve only been to the one in Bethesda.
They.are.AMAZING.period. The BEST cupcake I’ve ever devoured.
Hi Francesca, I have been to Georgetown Cupcakes (their Georgetown location), actually on the same day we went to Baked & Wired, so it made for a good comparison. I thought their cupcakes were average to good – not bad but not terribly special either. In my opinion, Baked & Wired blew them out of the water.
I actually JUST went to Georgetown cupcakes last week and was so terribly underwhelmed. Expensive and just not very good. Dry and flavorless cake paired with sub par frostings. I’ve made many of your cupcake recipies and they are so much better.
for a Arabian Travel Market Exhbition in Dubai they floe the chefs all the way to Dubai to try out DC cupcakes… Was a big fan the girls show but not so much after I got the chance to try thier cupcakes its avarage cupcakes with nothing special.
Are Georgetown cupcakes that bad?
They’re not *bad*, but they aren’t amazing, and they aren’t worth the price or the hype, in my opinion. I’ve had them on several occasions, and I found the cake to be dry and the frosting to be overly sweet. I’ve actually never had a moist cupcake from there before.
That’s a fun list! It’s a toss up for my fav depending on the day – spice or white, both with vanilla frosting. Mmm mmm.
You could open your own chic little cupcake boutique with these darlings! I was wowed the first time you posted your margarita cupcake! I haven’t done much cupcake baking before, but this list is inspiring!
The tiramisu cupcakes are gorgeous! My favorite cupcake that I’ve made is probably red velvet with cream cheese frosting
I don’t bake cupcakes enough. I need to try all of these!
I’ll take one of each please! They all look so delicious!
I’ve made your mocha cupcakes with espresso frosting….oh-my-goodness-amayzingness!!! I seriously could eat the frosting a la carte! :)
My absolute favorite are these that I made about a month or two ago… Chocolate Chip Cookie Dough cupcakes! YUMMMMMM! http://caleighskitchen.com/categories/Desserts.aspx
Wow, not even sure which ones I would choose first! They all look so delicious!
This is awful, but I’m a sucker for a good funfetti cupcake with rainbow chip frosting . . . *hangs head in foodie shame* ;)
I understand. I call them ghetto cupcakes. I can make these wonderful creations, but for some reason those still still are wonderful to me…
I think I’ll have one of each! It would be a hard call to pick a favorite,I love so many different varieties and yours all lookincredible! I guess if you twisted my arm I would say my favorite is a vanilla cupcake with raspberry filling and buttercream icing with a touch of almond extract and vanilla beans, okay I did it!
I always have cupcakes on the brain. I especially like any that have cookies or candy in the batter. I’m making chocolate salted caramel cupcakes for a party this week and I know just from the name that I will love them. Also, cupcakes that have a filling piped in…yum.
I love me some cupcake roundups. Love this post! Those Irish Car Bomb Cupcakes look particularly tantalizing…they’ve been added to my baking bucket list.
My favorite cupcake? That’s a toughie. But I’m going to have to go with carrot cupcakes. With ginger-cream cheese frosting. mmmm!
it’s nuts to me that Baked and Wired is virtually unknown, but two blocks away another cupcake shop has a tv show and lines out the door. as far as i can tell they only won the popularity contest because they’re on the main street, NOT because their cupcakes are better.
I can vouch for the deliciousness of your chocolate peanut butter cupcakes and red velvet! I’ve made both, to rave reviews. I really want to try the tiramisu ones!
Oooh chocolate with peanut butter icing sounds amazing!
I’ve made the tiramisu ones and they are out of this world! I’m looking forward to trying the margarita ones this summer-they look perfect for an outdoor BBQ!
This just reminded me that I don’t make cupcakes often enough! So many delicious variations to choose from:-)
all your cupcakes look fabulous but, the mocha cupcakes are calling me! love the contrast of cake to frosting!
quick q: do you ever use non-stick baking spray inside the liners?
i am always concerned about the baked cupcakes sticking to the liners…but, i do not like the “greasy” appearance when sprayed.
Hi Linda, I never spray the pan for cupcakes, I always use liners. I just think they’re easier/less messy (plus cuter!) to pick up and eat with liners. I do sometimes just spray and omit the liners for muffins though.
I have been spraying the inside of the liners lately and it works wonderfully to decrease the amount of cupcake lost to paper. If you are using colored liners, however, the spray may contribute to color fade!
I love your red velvet cupcakes recipe and the tiramisu are also my favorites!. From other blogs I love Annie’s Eats “Triple Chocolate Cupcakes”
They all look wonderful but I really want to try the Irish Car Bombs..anything w/ choc and bailey’s is an automatic winner!
It is very sad that you are tasteless enough to call this cupcake an ‘Irish bomb’. Many of us lost friends and relatives to the Irish bombing campaign. Very sad. Utterly tasteless.
You need to chill out. She isn’t tasteless. Have you ever heard of the drink the Irish Car Bomb? It’s common in the United States. I’m sure she didn’t refer to the historical events.
The shot is a “bomb shot,” but it is also named after the many bombings that took place in (mainly) Northern Ireland during the Troubles. The shot is only available in the U. S. and many Irish-native or ancestral bartenders refuse to serve it. I wouldn’t ask for it in N. Ireland, Ireland, or Europe unless you are into fisticuffs.
That said, she is just naming it after the shot. I doubt she knows the history of the name and its controversy.
You need to wake up Veronica! I wonder if you’re one of many insensitive US surbanites who have no clue what other parts of the world really live on day to day basis. I am ashamed of you. Naming a cupcake or drink after events that hurt and destroy the lives of others is heartless to say the LEAST.
I agree. It was originally a terrible and tasteless name for a shot–there is no reason to replicate it on a cupcake. (think of a “9/11 cupcake” if you need a similar reference). I notice that the name has been changed, thankfully. Just a heads up–the picture caption has not been changed, and still comes up .
Oh, for Christ’s sake. It’s a freaking CUPCAKE. Want to be outraged? How about getting your panties in a knot over child sexual slavery? Or the fact that people are being beheaded and burned alive by savages? Or the impending extinction of so many animals in the world? But, a cupcake? Get a frigging grip.
Actually, the 9/11 is a drink served in Ireland, and consists of two flaming shots served side by side. Seems that everyone tends to be tasteless when naming drinks as long as it’s not their country they’re being tasteless about.
She didn’t name the shot herself, and forgive her for not knowing, but I’m pretty sure you wouldn’t know every fact about American history if you weren’t born or raised here…and maybe not even if you were. Jesus people are crazy, back off! It’s what’s it’s commonly referred to in certain parts and though it may be a sensitive subject to you, being a total jerk about it is NOT the way to “spread awareness.” You’re just going to make more enemies.
Can not believe all this drama is on a cupcake website. What is wrong with people? Who wakes up, gets on a cupcake site and gets offended by the name of what sounds like an incredible cupcake? Rocky Road cupcakes offend anyone? Cause it offends the heck out of me. Was once walking on a rocky road when a truck past me and I felt the sting of a rock being propelled by the tire and hitting my bare leg. How about the famous Hurricane cupcake? Survived a hurricane as a child that cupcake just might put me in therapy. Turtle cupcakes. Aren’t some species of turtles becoming extinct? How dare they tarnish the name of turtles with a caramel chocolate nutty pastry. Screwdriver infused cupcake. Remember back in the 80s when screwdrivers killed all those people at the hardware store. Tragic! Last but not least the Christmas cupcake. Looks like a winter wonderland and tastes amazing but since its referencing to a holiday that not all people agree with then lets abolish it.
Girl, you’re one awesome chick!! I love your post!!
You are the one overreacting. From your facetious tone, I don’t think you understand exactly how brutal the Troubles in Ireland were and how offensive the name “Irish Car Bomb” is. Would you use the n-word to describe a chocolate cupcake? Then don’t make gross generalizations about other nationalities, races, etc. I am fully aware that the original commenter meant no harm, but that doesn’t mean she shouldn’t learn from her mistakes.
Brilliant post! And who gives them right to tell her what she can post or not ?!
What the heck is there somthing wrong people my husband died one year ago I own a very busy restaurant Italian my daughters and I named our famous meatballs pops balliness the whole town loved this we need to laugh a little more today I love your cupcake recipe its a ********** ten star recipe thank you keep doing it I love to bake God bless
What a bomb of a comment you wrote, Tracie! Was searching for cupcakes recipes and ended up reading this political correctness fIght….until i read about your feelings towards the rocky road cupcake(icecream) :)))
Made me laugh to tears! You’re very funny ;)
This aged well
These are the best I’ve ever made!! Everyone who doesn’t like them has no taste in cupcakes! They are delicious in every way and I’ve got taste, so there!!! :D
Oh good grief, give it a rest with the political correctness BS lady. This lady had no intent of offending your delicate sensibilities with a recipe named car bomb. I lost people in the twin towers. If somebody names a cupcake a twin tower cupcake I wont get my panties all in a twist and be all offended and bent out of shape. You progressive liberals need to grow up a little bit. Have you never heard of freedom of speech? I fully expect you to cuss me out now, for that is what politically correct types like you do……. but frankly, I could care less if you rant and rave.
Couldn’t have said it better ….liberals are like babies, everything they say and feel should be tolerated by others while others can’t say anything!
Why do you have to bring politics in to this? What purpose does that serve??
I am liberal to the point of considering myself a Social Democrat (that’s democracy with a heavy dose of socialism, FYI). I’m a feminist, in that I think there should be gender equality across the board. I’m a humanist in that I believe religions are more dangerous to the future of this planet than anything else out there.
That all being said, I’m not offended by the name, and am four-square against the overly PC culture that is being cultivated here in the US.
Maybe (rather then blaming X on whatever group the media has convinced you are your enemies) you can take a moment to realize that these are individuals with individual problems with the name, since is references a tragedy that may have affected them directly.
Not everything is politically polarized, and your insistence on posting things like this on the internet only illustrates how easily you’ve allowed yourself to be manipulated by those who profit on distracted masses.
You’re chastising her for getting political as you go off & do the same thing?! I wouldn’t go advertising that you’re a liberal – I’d keep a lid on that – you’re embarrassing
Get over yourself. That is a fabricated reference that is so obscure and reaching that no reasonable person would make that connection. Whiner.
same here i want to try it to