Absolutely perfect vanilla cupcakes with vanilla frosting are super moist, buttery and melt in your mouth. Topped with silky smooth vanilla buttercream frosting – a classic combination!
Cupcakes experienced a serious boon in popularity about 10 years ago and boutique cupcake shops started popping up in every neighborhood. Forget about traditional cupcake flavors; things like red velvet, mocha, salted caramel and peanut butter were all the rage. And as good as those cupcakes are (seriously, I love them ALL), is there anything more iconic or nostalgic that a simple vanilla or chocolate cupcake?
My husband will always choose a vanilla cupcake with vanilla frosting, so I set about finding the best combination of each a long time ago and fell in love with this recipe!
Perfect Vanilla Cupcakes with Vanilla Frosting!
These cupcakes are extremely buttery, supremely moist, and totally melt in your mouth, plus they come together in absolutely no time at all, which make them a quick and easy weeknight or weekend project.
A lot of cupcake recipes use oil instead of butter to keep them moist, but for a vanilla cupcake, I much prefer the pronounced butter flavor which shines through so wonderfully.
Why Are My Vanilla Cupcakes Dense, Crumbly and Taste Like Cornbread?
One of the biggest complaints about homemade vanilla cupcakes is that they often turn out dense or (horror of horrors) taste like cornbread! So what gives? Why does this happen? How can you prevent it?
Make sure all ingredients are at room temperature. This is essential – be sure that the butter is FULLY softened and that the sour cream and eggs are also at room temperature. If the ingredients are not all at the same temperature, they will not incorporate properly or thoroughly, which can cause a dense cupcake.
Do not overmix the batter. This goes for most baked goods! Overmixing can cause too much gluten to be developed, which can also cause dense cupcakes.
This is my absolute favorite frosting recipe, one that I began using a long time ago, and is the base for such things as my Espresso Buttercream Frosting (which made an appearance on top of the Mocha Cupcakes), Maple-Bacon Buttercream Frosting (which topped the Pancake Cupcakes), and The Best Chocolate Buttercream for Cupcakes. Needless to say, it is my go-to frosting recipe, and I hope it will become yours too!
With all of those crazy cupcake flavors floating around today, a simple recipe for vanilla cupcakes and vanilla frosting is a must have for a baker of any experience level!
Absolutely perfect vanilla cupcakes with vanilla frosting are super moist, buttery and melt in your mouth. Topped with silky smooth vanilla buttercream frosting - a classic combination!
Make the Cupcakes: Preheat oven to 350 degrees F. Line standard muffin/cupcake tin with paper or foil liners.
Whisk together flour, sugar, baking powder, and salt in bowl of standing mixer fitted with paddle attachment. Add butter, sour cream, egg and egg yolks, and vanilla; beat at medium speed until smooth and satiny, about 30 seconds. Scrape down sides of bowl with rubber spatula and mix by hand until smooth and no flour pockets remain.
Divide batter evenly among cups of prepared tin. Bake until cupcake tops are pale gold and toothpick or skewer inserted into center comes out clean, 20 to 24 minutes. Remove the cupcakes from tin and transfer to wire rack; cool cupcakes to room temperature before frosting.
Make the Vanilla Frosting: Using the whisk attachment of your stand mixer, whip the butter on medium-high speed for 5 minutes, stopping to scrape the bowl once or twice.
Reduce the speed to low and gradually add the powdered sugar. Once all of the powdered sugar is incorporated, increase the speed to medium-high and add the vanilla, mixing until incorporated. Whip at medium-high speed until light and fluffy, about 2 minutes, scraping the bowl as needed. Frost cupcakes as desired (cupcakes are pictured with the frosting piped using a Wilton 1M decorating tip). The cupcakes can be stored at room temperature in an airtight container for up to 4 days.
Recipe Notes:
You can store the frosting in the refrigerator in an airtight container for up to 3 days; let it come to room temperature and then give it a quick whip in the mixer before using.
I’ve been maxing these for last 5-6 years and they are my favorite!!!!! I don’t understand all the not so great reviews. These were one of the first homemade cupcake recipes I used and they came out and still come out perfect every single time! The only thing I do differently is I make cream cheese frosting because that’s my preference to buttercream. But, my oh my, these cupcakes are divine! 🥰🧁🥰
I wish I would have read the comments before picking this recipe for my daughter’s birthday party. Is the ingredients list missing some kind of liquid? Milk? Buttermilk? Something? The mixture was more like dough than cake batter.
I made these yesterday and they came out great. I’m also glad I didn’t read the comments beforehand but I’m a fairly new-ish baker and baking IS tricky but like most skills in life, the more you do it, the better you get. I made homemade red velvet last week and the cake sunk in the middle and I did everything right like not over-mixing and bringing all cold stuff to room temperature. I think you gotta have patience with baking and be willing to fail along the way. When you nail it, you feel great! This recipe is a winner and I’ll be making them again. I also like that it makes smaller batches. Sure I can halve recipes but it’s nice not to have to either.
When you state to add the butter, sour cream, etc…do I just dump them all in at once then mix or do I add one ingredient at a time and mix after each one?
I always come here for baking recipes. Unfortunately, these cupcakes missed the mark for me. They did end up very dense, even though I made sure to follow the recipe exactly. One friend commented that they had the consistency of cornbread muffins. But the taste is wonderful and the butter flavor comes through well. The crumb just wasn’t what I like in a cupcake.
Love BEB but this recipe wasn’t my favorite. The crumb in the cupcake was too dense for me. I loved the frosting and will keep that for other recipes in the future. I think I was looking for something lighter -I should’ve known with all those yolks that it wasn’t going to be light enough.
I made these today & was pleasantly surprised. The cupcakes came out light & moist. They didn’t deflate or were grainy. Will most definitely use this recipe again.
Hi Laura, I think that frosting is always best fresh, but you CAN freeze it; let it thaw in the refrigerator overnight, then take it out and let it come to room temperature, give it a whip with the mixer (stand or hand, either is fine) or a strong whisk, and it’ll be ready to use.
This recipe came out on the dry side for me— excellent buttery vanilla flavor, but really not the plush, moist yellow cake I was after. I wouldn’t go so far as to compare it to “cornbread” but I was disappointed. I followed all the instructions (using the weights), mixed it up by hand, and my resulting batter was quite thick— not smooth or satiny. They baked quickly— 20 minutes exactly (rotated the pan halfway through). The frosting recipe was easy and smooth. Overall, while I don’t think the cupcakes are unservable at a casual event, I’m still looking for a vanilla cake I can use for birthday parties.
I made this recipe as both cupcakes and as cake. I have struggled with white/vanilla recipes for various reasons, but I overthink everything! Today I asked my family to taste this recipe (as cake) compared to another site’s white cake recipe. This recipe won!! For taste and texture, this recipe won. Both recipes made a beautiful cake, but this one is more flavorful, a bit more colorful, and slightly moister. My son tasted this as cake and cupcakes (I didn’t tell him both were the same recipe), and he chose this recipe for both cake/cupcake. I will use this recipe as a base for marble and chocolate chip cakes, as well as vanilla/white cake with lemon curd and raspberry puree fillings. Of course, this cake will be great with vanilla and chocolate buttercream, and even citrus flavored buttercreams. Thank you!
Made the cupcakes exactly as described. Still came out dense and “cornbread”-like. Not impressed at all. The flavor seems great, but texture is absolutely lacking. dry and crumbly.
The icing was divine! Will definitely make it again. However, the cupcake itself was less flavorful and more dense than a standard vanilla cupcake. The texture was more like a corn cake even though I mixed all the wet ingredients first before adding in the flour at the end and mixing gently on low.
Will have to try these on my 9 year old grandson who prefers a vanilla or over chocolate cupcake. These look YUMMY!! I love it when a good recipe is brought to my attention.
I’m usually a chocolate all day every day kind of girl, but every once in awhile, I get a hankering for a good vanilla treat…when I make my cakes or cupcakes strictly vanilla, I LOVE to use a variety of vanillas to get the best, most vanilla-y flavor. I use a true Mexican vanilla, a Tahitian Vanilla, and Madagascar Vanilla Bean Paste (for the flecks!). Each imparts it’s own flavor…Mexican is a little smoky, Tahitian is a bit flowery, and paste is SO intense and I love the flecks. It doesn’t become medicinal (like if you add too much almond or coconut extracts). I stick to the same amt. as per recipe, but just break it up into thirds and add each one. Give it a try. I’d love to know your thoughts.
Hi Laura, I use large size eggs, when I Googled, it says that large eggs are about 2.125 ounces per egg, which translates to 60 grams. I hope that helps!
I usually love all of the cupcake recipes on here. This is the exception. The cupcakes came out hard as a rock. I should have known better and just put in the flour last.
thank you so much for this recipe! I have a quick question though… I used to make it at least once a month a few years ago because family, friends and colleagues loved these cupcakes so much. After having two kids over the past three years (ergo too little time or energy to bake), I finally came back to this recipe today. For some reason the ingredients aren’t ringing bells in my mind… the egg yolks and the 1/2 cup sour cream, for instance. Has this recipe been altered over the past three years?
Don’t get me wrong though… it’s still awesome!!! Just wondering if a) I’m losing my mind, b) I’m suffering from breastfeeding dementia or c) it really has changed? ;)
Hi Ute, HA I totally understand! I’m about to have my 3rd in 3 years 2 months 😂🙈 But, to answer your question, I haven’t changed this recipe at all, but there is another vanilla cupcake recipe on the site you may have been using? https://www.browneyedbaker.com/classic-yellow-cupcakes-with-chocolate-frosting/ I hope that helps!
Made these today for my daughter’s birthday. I don’t bake or even eat cupcakes but they are divine. Thanks for the recipe. My first from scratch batch :)
Whenever I make homemade cup cakes they always turn out tasting like corn bread or overly sweet sugar cookies or they end up tasting like a mix of both. I don’t know how to fix this, I have tried many recipes but they all turn out like this. Please help!!
Hi Heather, This is a pretty common problem and is usually a result of overmixing, or too much flour. Use the measurement of 7.5 ounces for the flour and see if those two things help!
We used to have the “cornbread” texture problem at the bakery where I worked and it was because the owner would leave the mixer on too long (doing other things). I have found that if I stop mixing 30 sec. before the recipe says, and mix the last bit by hand, just to make sure everything is incorporated, no more cornbread texture!
hi if i dont include the sour cream will it still be okay? bec i want to make now before i actually make for my friend who ordered from me. hope you could reply soon. thank you.
Made the cupcakes as written and it was delicious. Not too sweet and very moist. I went a step further and filled them with rum-scented pineapple filling. Heavenly!
This recipe was very salty and sour at the same time and I did not enjoy it. Also I had some of my friends try the cake for my grandma’s funeral and they spit it out. I am so embarrassed.
I made these this evening and they are fabulous! I was hunting for a Baked and Wired-eque cupcake recipe, which I still dream about from my DC days (now based in London) and came across this one. Couldn’t be happier with how the batch turned out. Although I over filled the cases and they spilled over a little, the tops have an almost vanilla cookie crunch while the texture when you bite in is rich and fluffy, just perfect. I turned these into funfetti cupcakes by adding half a cup of sprinkles, and iced with a vanilla cream cheese frosting. Thanks for posting this recipe! 110% recommend.
Love the frosting recipe. However, when you redirected people to the updated yellow cupcake recipe you didn’t note the difference in yield between the two recipes. I made a double batch of the updated yellow cupcake recipe, and double the frosting recipe here. I frosted half my cupcakes and am now waiting for butter to soften to make ANOTHER batch of frosting.
Could you maybe flag the difference better so others don’t experience the same frustration?
these are divine. the interplay of the tang of the sour cream in the cake with the beautifully simple frosting is perfect. you are a baking genius! love your recipes, thanks for sharing.
i added milk to the buttercream icing and ran out of powdered sugar after about 1 1/3 cups and used granulated sugar for the rest. It made the frosting have a slightly crunchy texture instead of a creamy one and it is actually really really good, i mixed it ALOT more too. But anyway, thanks for the recipe the minis came out amazing and made sooo many!
Hi Michelle, I made these, the ultimate chocolate and red velvet cupcakes and while the last two turned out beautifully, both batches of the vanilla ones never puffed up but had a flat slightly hard top. I followed the recipe to a T. Is there a tip to get these fluffier?
Sorry, we did not care for these at all. The kids each ate one, and I ended up pitching the rest a week later. That’s a first in our house. We do prefer a sweet buttercream, but this is sugar overload. Even my sugarholic 10-year-old thought so. I’ll stick with my tried and true Best Ever Vanilla Bean Cupcakes
Hi! I’m making these for a friends engagement shower, the batter is very thick. I was just wondering if that was normal? Is it supposed the a denser cake?
Hi, This is my totally first time baking and is the dough supposed to look like bread dough. Like I said this is my very first time baking but i mixed all the wet ingredients first then sifted in the dry slowly while I mixed and its pretty thick. Any help would be greatly appreciated.
So I made the cupcakes anyway and they turned out more like a muffin then a cake. They had pretty good flavor and the frosting was awesome but I was wondering what I did wrong. Anytime I’ve made cakes in the past the batter was very smooth and this batter was just like bread dough.. Any help would be much appreciated.
I love this recipe.I’ve been trying to find a good vanilla cupcake recipe for the longest and I finally found one I’m happy with.Thanks so much.I wasn’t a fan of the icing because of how sweet it was and I ended up just using a store bought buttercream.When you made yours we’re they super soft? Mine were very soft and I’m not sure that that was a good thing lol.Thanks again and I look forwRd to using this recipe again.
I just made these with my daughter and followed the recipe exactly. We both felt like the cakes tasted more “muffiny” if that makes sense. It did yield 12 well-portioned cakes but the flavor was pretty plain. Frosting was good, not out-of-this-world. I had almost added coconut milk to everything and toasted coconut on top…really wishing I had. Thank you for the recipe anyway.
Hello! These look SO delicious! I am thinking I am going to make them for my daughters 1st birthday party this weekend! I am wanting to do a little smash cake for her and wondered if you think this recipe would work? If so, how would you go about with cook time, etc..? Thanks xx
I was looking for a simple cupcake recipe for cupcake decorating. I did add some seeds from a vanilla bean since I have them and rarely use them. I’d say that was a good idea. They we’re effect for decorating and very yummy:)
Hello, yes I googled it and figured that out. As far as the smart balance, mistake! I think I read in another comment and i had the same result, the icing wasn’t thick and so it had a melty look to it. I will make sure to buy and use actual butter next time. Other than the cupcakes were delicious! Thanks for the reply.
Hello there, I am new here, came across your site while searching easy recipes for my picky husband. :) for the frosting i ran out of sugar but i do have Domino confectioners sugar can i use that? also i dont really cook nor use butter so the closes thing i have to it is the Smart Balanc Buttery spread, will this work? Thanks and i will be coming back here on a weekly basis, i love this site and your recipes, and your FRIDAY section!
Hi Celeste, Yes, confectioners sugar is the same thing as powdered sugar. I am honestly not sure if the Smart Balance will work; I never use butter substitutes in my baking.
Hi! I’m so excited to come across this recipe! I have been desperately searching for a vanilla cake recipe and was starting to think there was no such thing and it was either yellow or white but I personally don’t think either of those are vanillaee enough (yes I know I made up a word with horrible spelling lol) I plan on using this to make a double or triple layer cake that I will then cover in frosting rosettes. I already had a frosting recipe picked out for it’s stiffness (uses shortening) but yours sounds so much more decadent, do you think I could use your frosting and still have it hold shape for the rosettes? I live in Florida and made a cake the other day that had half butter half shortening buttercream and it kept melting on me so I’m concerned about that. Btw I am new to your blog but am absolutely loving it!!
Hi Maame, I have not attempted this recipe by just mixing with a spoon. I’m not sure if you could aerate the mixture properly, but if that’s all you have, it’s certainly worth a try. Let me know how it goes!
These cupcakes are phenomenal! I used this recipe for a small baking competition at my high school last year (although I used yogurt as a substitute for sour cream, as we had to make a healthy substitution as a requirement), and I won first place and $50! I topped them off with homemade caramel, and my friend is still asking me to make her some. This is my go-to cupcake recipe when I’m in the mood to bake from scratch. Thanks for sharing! :)
This is my son’s favorite recipe. Could I turn this into a sheet cake by doubling all the ingredients? If so what is the cook time? He is requesting this for his birthday. Thanks. Love all your recipes!
Hey, I have to say that these cupcakes looks delicous and I plan to do them tomorrow.. but I have to say it would be easier for many of us if you used metric system :/ sometimes I get really confused by all the cups which vary in dry and other ingredients…
Hey these cupcakes look amazing! im making them for my little sisters birthday party and was wondering if it would be crazy if i put sprinkles on them? :))
I just made these to test them. I plan to make some more later tonight for a school party tomorrow. They are terrific!
I read through a lot of the comments, just to be sure I wasn’t missing any good tips. A lot people complained about crumbly, cornbread-like cakes. I did not have that experience, and I think I know why. The recipe says to mix for 30 seconds THE FIRST TIME you mix. That’s just to get things started. You need to mix again after you scrape down the sides. You can’t just mix the batter for 30 seconds. I mixed a few times with scraping in between before I got the silky consistency. It won’t be super thick anymore by then. It won’t be thin, but definitely not like cookie dough. Of course people will say that you shouldn’t overbeat, but you do have to beat enough.
I am a terrible baker & these were the easiest and tastiest cupcakes I’ve ever made. My mother-in-law was shocked when I told her I made them from scratch!
Hi, I love your blog, I love your dogs and I love your recipes!!! I’ve made this before and they turn out fantastic, but this time I’d like to make mini cupcakes with this recipe. Do I need to ajust something in the recipe or can I just use it as it is? And as for time and temperature in the oven…do you have any suggestions for me? Thank you!!
Hi Carolina, You can use the recipe as-is, keep the temperature the same, but reduce the baking time. I would start checking for doneness around the 8-10 minute mark.
Have you ever doubled this recipe? I have made many of your recipes and they are always perfect! However, this was a disaster. I have no idea where I went wrong!! They tasted great though :) I topped them with a Oreo whipped cream frosting. I will definitely try these again.
I am planning to use your recipe to make cupcakes for my friends bridal shower. We will be making an engagement ring out of cupcakes. Do you have any suggestions for keeping the frosting white (besides clear vanilla extract) for the cupcakes that will make up the diamond? Also, any modifications for the icing I plan to tint silver for the ring? My guess was extra powdered sugar but wanted to double check! Thanks!
Hi Michelle, The trick most bakeries use to ensure completely white frosting is to use all shortening (no butter) and clear vanilla extract. You shouldn’t need to do anything different to the frosting that you plan to tint. It sounds like a super cute idea!!
I found your site searching for a vanilla cupcake recipe, and just finished baking and frosting these amazing cupcakes. They came out perfectly. My kids and I think these are the BEST vanilla cupcakes we have ever had! Thank you for the wonderful recipe.
Hi Michelle! these were fantastic, fluffy and soft on the inside and a lovely crisp on the out! Please girlies! try this recipe it is fantastic and of course tastes fantatsic as well! xx
These came out great even though I kind of screwed them up. I made 1/2 a recipe for mini cupcakes. I over-beat the mix at the end (I went well over the 30 seconds and there was no point for stirring) and used light sour cream (that’s what happens when you try to buy sour cream around Cinco de Mayo). The resulting cupcakes have a really fine texture with a nice vanilla/butter flavor. I don’t bake often and have one of those v. basic hand mixers. I mixed all of the wet ingredients together then added that mix to the dry ingredients. I wasn’t sure if it was ok to add the wet items separately to the dry mix. They were ready to come out of the over in about 12 minutes.
This is the best vanilla cupcake recipe ever!!!!!! and I have tried box mixes and made them from scratch as well. I don’t even need a frosting for this I just put in food coloring and swirl it. it looks so pretty. not one of my siblings refused a second cupcake and they are really picky being that they are ages 9,12,and 17
Hi I’m nine years old and I’m hoping to make these cupcakes today! But I’m wondering if I can substitute the sour cream for something else, I’m not sure what though. Please respond soon!
Hi Zoe, I’m sorry it took me a few days to get back to you, I’m on vacation this week. You could substitute whole milk for the sour cream. I hope you enjoy them!
I made these the other day and they were the best I have ever had, hands down. I did substitute 1 c white flour for 1 c whole wheat to make myself feel like they were healthy. Haha! While normally this seems to make baked goods drier, these were still amazingly moist. This is going to be my go to recipe from now on. Amazing!!!
great recipe – definitely made more than 12 cupcakes though. I doubled the recipe for fearing of only ending up with 12 and got closer to 40. They are delicious.
I have made these cupcakes so many times, and every time super super good! I am baking them again for my twins’ 5th bday party two weeks from today, but I need like…60! Do these freeze good? What would you suggest? And thank you for sharing this great recipe.
Really great recipe! I made these and added colorful sprinkles, to make confetti cupcakes for Easter. Came out perfect, fluffy and creamy, didn’t know that was possible from a cupcake! Thank you for posting this, I will continue to refer to this recipe for vanilla cupcakes! 10 out of 10.
Well, I’m sad to say that I re-made these today WITH the butter and they were basically the same! A little more moist for sure but still a bit crumbly and “cornbread”ish… they don’t look like the one you have picture at ALL! Yours looks almost translucent… golden and moist and shiny looking! MINE looks wrinkled at the top with craters… looks like a muffin, tastes like cornbread. I mixed it on medium for 30 seconds, and the rest I did by hand. The batter was sticky and dense and felt like the liquids were missing! :( The cake was tasty, but the texture was definitely crumbly and a little on the dry side. HELP! could you re-make this and post some pictures??? seems strange that so many of us are having the same problem…
I also thought these tasted like cornbread… and they didn’t look as nice as the ones in the photo… and so I was about to write the comment on this page when I went back and poked around the kitchen and realized (are you ready for this?): I FORGOT THE BUTTER!! They were still DELICIOUS but more on the crumbly slightly cornbreadish side. but tasty a great! SO, I’m going to remake them tomorrow because that was the easiest batch of cupcakes I’ve ever made… although I should have realized when it was that easy that something was missing… ;)
These turned out absolutely delicious! I ended up using a hand mixer instead of the stand mixer with the paddle attachment, and though the cupcakes were a little denser, they still tasted delicious. Yum!
Kia Ora! I just baked these the other day and they turned out amazing :) I was wondering though If I could add oreos to this recipe just to turn it into a cookies and cream cupcake without the cupcake being dry? Thanks!
I just stumpled upon your page when looking for a vanilla buttercream receipe. I just made it, and oh my gosh-delish. I caught myself licking the bowl out. So simple, but so good. I have created a list of your cupcakes that I will be trying in the future. Really looking forward to the Red Velvet. Thanks again!
This is my go to blog/site for most baking recipes. Never made anything from here that didn’t turn out amazing! Just made these today for my daughter’s birthday. I goofed and only added half of the butter. :/ They’re still cooling so not frosted yet. But they look good and smell amazing! The frosting is soooooooo good! I’ll be saving some to take to work for to smear on crackers…anything to assist in the appearance that I *don’t* have a problem. :)
I would like to try this recipe but I only have a hand blender….the kind with two whisk attachments. Will it still turn out ok? Should I mix the wet ingredients together first and then add to the dry ingredients? I really want nice fluffy cupcakes for my daughters birthday party : )
I just made 2 batches of these, one last night and one today, and they also came out with a texture reminiscent of corn bread. The flavor tastes like a yummy vanilla cupcake, but the texture is much more of a muffin. They look nothing like the moist, soft ones in the photo above! I followed the recipe to a “t”, even counting the seconds of mixing together to a smooth & satiny finish on medium speed of my mixer. Very strange. I too feel like they need some moisture to get that “cupcake” texture we all are looking for. Compared to the chocolate ones I also made from your website, they look COMPLETELY different – even teh batter!!!!
So…these looked great. I got a wild hair and added a can of pineapple chunks about 1/2 cup fresh orange juice and about a cup of coconut flakes. Butter cream frosting with a hint of orange dipped in coconut. Just sounded good…lol They. were. awesome!
just made these yesterday turned out SOOOOO good! they’re are delicious! I even added a few chocolate chips to some of the cupcakes. and added vanilla bean to the frosting and now there is yummy specs of vanilla bean! I will definitely make these again!
The batter is delicious, however for me the baking time is too long. At 350, it’s more like 10-12 minutes. I took my first batch out at 14 minutes and they were slightly burned on the edges and a dark golden brown. Perhaps reduce to 325 for 14-16 min? Yummy cupcake, I wlil definitely use batter again!
Your buttercream recipe saved me and my fiancé lives. Elliseh( my soon to be wife) has already commented saying how great it was buti just wanted to expand on it. And also , hello michelle , you are invited to our wedding tomorrow as you saved our lives . We will email the details to you
Thank you soooooo much for your buttercream recipe . It saved my life as nothing else describes it in cups . I am also getting married tommorow and these are the perfect recipe for my after party. My husband , calum and i, are very happy about this website and will visit the site again.
Hi Juanita, I have not personally tried this, but others have commented that they’d have success. You would want to double the recipe to make a two-layer 8-inch or 9-inch cake, or a 9×13-inch cake.
Hi! This is my first time making cupcakes and i was wondering if the dark chocolate cupcakes would go nice with the vanilla buttercream cause my friends don’t really like peanut butter when i ask them if they wanted dark chocolate cupcakes with peanut butter .
mine came out tasting like cornbread too! and the tops came off… :( they looked NOTHING like the cupcakes in the photos…
I am in europe and the flour here is almost exclusively CAKE FLOUR… so that’s what I used… could it be that? We most certainly didn’t overbeat! The dough was think like for cookies, I too thought there was a liquid ingredient missing…
I followed your directions exactly and the cupcakes and icing were perfect! They aren’t as light as commercial cupcakes but they aren’t supposed to be. Cakey, moist, buttery goodness. And the buttercream is amazing! I’m trying salted butter this time for a little extra zip.
I am going to try this recipe this week but I was thinking of trying vanilla paste. What are your thoughts on vanilla paste versus extra? Thanks in advance, Jane
So, I made these last year, in November, but they did not come out right… BUT, because I knew exactly what I had done wrong, I did not post a review. Today, I made them again, did everything right… AND, they are the best vanilla cupcakes EVER!!! Lol!! Thank you! I have tried a gazillion cupcake recipes and this is the recipe I have said “I do” to!
um…is there a liquid component to this recipe because my batter looks more like moist cookie dough, will the sour cream balance this out while the cupcakes are cooking?
Just baked these for my daughter. They turned out perfect! Thank you so much. I gave never baked before and so your instructions were right on and easy to follow.
Hi Annie, I personally have not made these as rounds, but some other folks have. Just be sure to double the recipe, and they may need some extra time in the oven.
This was AWFUL. They were dry, crumbly, and unevenly baked. I baked them for twenty six minutes. The outside was brown and the inside was goop. I did it right, and my oven is working. Shame on you for posting such a repulsive recipie. >:-(
Amazing cupcakes!! I had to add half and half to the buttercream recipe that I doubled because it was to thick. Still tasted great! But im not sure why it origionally came out too thick.
Can I just say that this is the first time in ever that I made homemade frosting–and it was good. Spoon-outta-the-container-and-straight-into-the-mouth good. Can I know for how long this can stay refrigerated?:) I still have some left over from all that holiday baking, heh!
Hi Grace, You do not need to refrigerate the cupcakes once they are frosted. If you make the frosting and aren’t planning to use it the same day, you should refrigerate it.
hey they look delicious…. im gonna try it frst thing tomorrow…. but I dont have sour cream. can I substitute sour yogurt for this? would that make too much difference?
I made these last week, but because I have a serious addiction to your salted caramel, I added some caramel filling and a couple big spoonfuls of caramel to the buttercream. They were incredible, thank you. :)
Hi Michelle!!!. I made this cupcakes and LOVE them, specially the cake itself, it was so moisty and good!!!, i want to do some cinnamon-vanilla cake pops and i was wondering if you think this recipe could work in cake form :D xoxo
Hi Nicole, Since you need 60 cupcakes, it looks like you’ll need to make 5 batches of this particular recipe. I have not tried to scale it up on a large scale, so I’m not sure if you could make all of the batter at once without issue.
I made this cupcakes, and everything was perfect, they puffed up nicely, but then at the middle of the cooking time their center collapsed. Help !!! I love the flavor. Any advice will be appreciated . Thanks
Hi Mary, I’m sorry you had some trouble. Did you happen to open the door to rotate the pan and maybe tapped it against the rack? That could cause them to fall. However, if they weren’t touched, I’m not sure why they would fall halfway through; sometimes cakes and cupcakes will sink in the middle while cooling if they have not cooked the whole way through.
I made these cupcakes today the batter was thick and I was scared it would be dense but that was so not the case. they were light and fluffy and moist so great.
HI, I tried these cupcakes but they came out very dense and not very flavourful. I’m not sure what I did wrong :( also the buttercream was very melty and not the greatest. what vanilla did you use? could it be because I don’t have a stand mixer?
Hi Sarah, I use Nielsen Massey Madagascar Bourbon Vanilla Extract. The probably could be if you did it completely by hand and the ingredients didn’t incorporate well enough.
thank you so much for responding! is there anyway I can avoid that using a hand mixer? unfortunately a stand mixer isn’t in the budget right now….someday!
I finally decided on these for my first attempt at baking cupcakes. They seemed the least complicated for a newbie like me. I got everything ready and started, only to realize I had forgotten the sour cream! All I had in my fridge that was comparable were three Stony-Field Farm yogurts. I picked the raspberry, because it was blended and there were no seeds or fruit chunks like the other yogurts. I also had to use an electric mixer instead of a stand mixer. I was scared of over-mixing, based on some other comments, so I made sure to beat no more than 30 seconds and then by hand until I got all the flour pockets. I also followed your instructions on the eggs and butter being at room temperature. (I am learning quickly to pay attention to those notations!) The cake turned out super moist and really just delicious, nicely golden brown on top and great cake texture. I actually like the cake better than the frosting! Thanks Michelle for a great recipe and also for answering any questions I’ve had! :) Next on my list is that heavenly looking Apple-Pecan Spice Cake with the cream cheese filling and praline frosting!
I am trying these cupcakes and frosting tonight…. I LOVE vanilla cupcakes and am inspired but watching DC cupcakes……. I hope they turn out delicious and adorable!
Hello, I tried these vanilla cupcakes and replace the sour cream by some vanilla yogourt that was expired and they were fabulous, the kids ate them all, within a 24 hours all the 12 cupcakes had disappeared into lunch and desserts. I can’t wait to try the tiramisu cupcakes…thank you for sharing these great receipes.
Hi!! These sound amazing…making them as we speak. But the batter is really thick and not liquidy at all….is that the way it’s supposed to be? It almost reminds me of cookie dough…
Hey, I tried this recipe, but I lowered the sugar content in the dough to 3/4 cup and in the buttercream to 1 3/4 cup. For me it was still to sweet, but since it was my first time doing a buttercream I wasn’t sure how important is sugar. It’s possible to make a less sweet buttercream without changing the consistency?
Thanks! Btw, I just love your site, it’s really helpful. :) Keep up with the good job.
These were delicious!! I’ve been searching and searching for a good vanilla cupcake recipe and this one nailed it! It’s light, fluffy, and melts in your mouth. Thanks for the keeper!
Hi Michelle!! Do you think it would be bad if i substitute the sourcream for buttermilk? i’m not from US so i’m not quite sure of what is sourcream here!! Can’t wait to try this <3
Hi Michelle!!. I love how you’re so kind and reply everything, by far my favorite blogger <3. Besides, we share the same taste so i just know that if i make one of your recipes it would like me!.
Made the cupcakes today, found a way online to substitute sour cream and they were perfect!!!! So moist <3, the next time i make them i will try with just buttercream.
I have been looking for a great Vanilla Cupcake recipe for years, and this one rocks! Thank you!! I’ve made your recipe in cupcakes and cakes many times and every time it turns out great. That frosting is delicious too! :)
I made a small batch of these to test them out before my son’t 1st birthday party and I didn’t have sour cream. What I did have was whole plain yogurt. They turned out great and I’m making 36 tonight with the yogurt. The kind I use has the cream on top so, I used up all that from a fresh container first. I’m not a baker so, I don’t know what the difference in substituting these ingredients makes but, these sure are delicious. Thanks for the recipe.
These are the best vanilla cupcaks I’ve ever tried making! I did not have any sour cream on hand, so I subbed for plain Greek Yogurt. And oh, my goodness! It was like eating vanilla ice cream in cake form, if that makes any sense! Delicious!
Hi, Any tips for high altitude? I’m in Utah. I’m a pretty seasoned baker, and was tempted to make my own adjustments, but wanted to follow the recipe as written, first. The flavor was good, but the cupcakes had an almost greasy, coarse crumb, rather than soft and velvety. Also, the tops pulled right off and tasted more like a sugar cookie than a cake. I’m sure it’s the altitude, as it messes with a whole lot of my baking. Any advice for this recipe? Thanks!
I made these this afternoon. I made the batter exactly as written, but it was way too thick. I ended up adding probably at least 1/2 cup milk to get it to the right consistency. After baking, the cupcakes were spongy and heavy. I have no idea what went wrong; I’ve made cupcakes dozens of times and this has never happened. Any ideas??? Thanks!
I’m not a frosting person, but this frosting was amazing! Really the best vanilla frosting ever! The cake however seemed spongy and the tops were crisp. I will be trying a different cake recipe to use with the frosting.
I have had a request for just a cupcake but are these light and fluffy? I’m making them for a friend’s birthday and she wanted that kind of light and fluffy spongey cake texture. I looked at your Perfect Party Cake recipe and wondered if I should make that into cupcakes instead of these vanilla cupcakes. What do you recommend?
Hi Anna, These are a little heftier than a light, fluffy sponge-cake like cupcake. I would recommend a different recipe if that’s the specific texture you’re after.
Hi Michelle! I’ve made this recipe 4 times and I LOVE LOVE LOVE the flavour of the cupcake and frosting! My new go-to :)
Mine came out crumbly too, even though I copied the recipe so very carefully. Almost a cornbread crumble. I kept reading message boards that said cutting out a bit of the baking powder can help with crumbliness in cakes/cupcakes. Do you think it’s worth trying? I’m making them for a work event Friday and I’m hoping there’s something that will make sure they stay together better as it’s a standing event and people might not want crumbs down their dress ;)
I’m sorry you had some trouble with the crumbs! I haven’t attempted adjusting the baking powder, so I can’t say for certain if that would work or not. If you have success, definitely let me know!
It did work! Was still hefty, but not crumbly at all. I did 1 tsp of baking powder and it made the difference. I wouldn’t go any more because it would probably be too dense.
I did three batches and then a fourth in a pan for cake pops and it was great. I had to travel a few hours with the cupcakes decorated and I couldn’t believe how well they stood up to the bumpy road. I was terrified I’d get there and the icing would have flattened out, but they were beautifully stiff!
This question is a little off topic, but, I was wondering what kind of vanilla extract you use. I have bought a few different kinds and I don’t really like the flavor because I can taste the alcohol more than I can taste the vanilla. Any suggestions? …other than quit being a cheapskate and quit buying your vanilla at Costco? ;) OH! and on that topic, where can you find dutch process cocoa powder? All my local grocery stores don’t carry it.
I’m so glad to hear you say that! I’ve had the same problem all along. I think my baked stuff tastes way too strong, but no one else does. And I’ve tried good pure vanilla extract all the way to cheap artificial. Maybe we’re just super vanilla tasters :)
My cupcakes were Pefect although it only took around 10minuts to bake! Not sure why but still they were yummy! Thankyou so much for the recipe…can’t wait to make some more!
I am wondering if you would be able to advise if the ingredient list for the cupcake is missing any fluid/wet component. The reason I ask is that like another commenter, I notice that the batter is doughy rather than “smooth and satiny”. Also reviewing the wet components, the ratio of sourcream with the dry ingredients don’t seem to be expected to come to a consistency as smooth and satiny. Any advice is appreciated.
Julie, I did the recipe without sour cream but they still tasted perfect! The sour cream just makes it less dry but if you put on lots of frosting then it wil taste fine. Hope that helped!
Hey! I’m really looking forward to making the Vanilla Cupcakes with my friend but I was wondering if I could use somthing insead of Sour Cream? Also Will it work if I use normal flour? Sorry i’m not an very experiance baker! :D Anyway please anwer ( making them today ) love you webbsite…
Hi Amelia, You can substitute plain yogurt or buttermilk for the sour cream. I’m not sure what you mean by “normal” flour – all-purpose flour is what most know as “regular” or “plain” flour. Enjoy the cupcakes!
These cupcakes rose up perfectly! My sour cream turned out to be spoiled so I didn’t have any sour cream. Is it ok that I didn’t add any? And if not should I combine Milk, lemon juice and butter for a substitute for sour cream? Btw love your website!!!!!
Hi Maddie, If you’ve already baked them, then it’s too late to add any other ingredients. The sour cream is important, though, it helps provide moistness. In the future, you can use buttermilk or plain yogurt as a substitute.
Hi Michelle, I made these a few days ago. The flavor was rich and wonderful, and the interior of the cupcake had a great moist crumb. The top of the cake turned out rather crunchy, though. Any idea what I could have done wrong?
Hi Nichole, If you’re using a dark/non-stick pan make sure you reduce the oven temperature by 25 degrees. It could have cooked the sugar on the top layer too much.
I’ve tried loads of your recipes and they’re always a success. Where I’m living I can’t get sour cream. Do you suggest Creme Fraiche, yogurt or cream treated with lemons as the best substitute? And would the quantity be the same? I also can only get poor quality vanilla essence but would like to use vanilla beans instead. Would 1 vanilla bean blended into the sugar in the cake recipe be appropriate instead of the extract?
the frosting is waaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaay to sweat i did every thing it said they turned out pretty but noone could eat the frosting
Looks so yummy!! i really want to do this recipe but i don’t understand what “one cup” represents. Is it a yoghurt cup ? i’m sorry, i’m french and i don’t see an equivalent of this! thanks!
Hi MIchelle, I just took to baking recently and I wanted to find out why you decided not to cream the sugar and butter in this particular recipe? Better texture or it doesn’t really make a difference?
Hello! I just wanted to say I love your blog. I did have a question, for the buttercream it says 1 tablespoon of vanilla extract. To me that seemed like too much and I couldn’t find any other comments about the measurement. So I just wanted to double check, it’s obviously delish from the feedback, I’m just extra thorough when it comes to new recipes. Thanks! Keep up the amazing work :)
Not a typical cupcake at all — good if you’d like to make something resembling a sweet cornbread or a pound cake. While moist, the cake itself is crumbly. I’m not at all new to baking, and I am sorry to say that this recipe is a complete disappointment for what I was trying to accomplish.
I am delighted to tell you that your recipe is the very first “from scratch” recipe I’ve used for cupcakes! My kids and I were inspired by Cupcake Wars and my 9 yo daughter stumbled upon your blog. Tonight we made a batch and enjoyed our creation while watching another episode of Cupcake Wars. It was so much fun! Though the batter turned out a bit dense, the flavor of it and of the frosting was amazing! These were by far the BEST cupcakes we’ve ever had! I wonder if we should have added 1 cup of sour cream instead of 1/2 cup to the batter? We don’t have a standing mixer, only a handheld so we had to improvise a bit. That, and all three children wanted to take turns mixing. Okay, Mommy wanted a turn too! We chose to do half vanilla and half almond flavor for both the batter and the frosting and we added a TB or two of sour cream into the frosting that really made it yummalicious! Thanks for being a part of the fun! Happy Baking!
Hi Mandy, Overmixing can definitely cause the cupcakes to turn out a bit dense. If you had multiple kiddos taking turns, I’m sure that could have been the culprit. I’m glad you enjoyed them!
hi, i made these cupcakes and they were so deliscious. the batter was quite thick and cupcakes a little heavy. am i doing something wrong. Love your website!!!
Hai as for the vanilla cupcake recipe, it says sour cream. I can’t really find sour cream. instead of that can i just butter milk or any other options.. thank you so much.
I am going to try these tonight. I have never made vanilla with the sour cream in it before. I have a random question. What patty pans do you use? I can never find the right size. They are either to deep and wide, or too shallow and wide. I have been on an endless search for the longest time. Do you use a special tin perhaps?
I have to say I was worried at first. Not your typically soupy cake batter from the box, this was more like cookie dough, even thicker than brownie batter. I’ve only had my own kitchen for a year and have always been a descent cook;) but just recently started to flirt with baking, not out of the Betty Crocker box baking, real baking. After looking through some cupcake recipes for a simple vanilla cake I found this and it is a KEEPER;) my husband even loved it! So this is now my go to cupcake recipes.
I made these cupcakes and they turned out great the first time :) But when i made them a second time they were puffy and then they fell inward. Also the inside wasnt baked :( i dont understand i followed the recipe and did everything correctly :( I also made sure of my baking temperature. Can you please tell me what happened?
Well, I just popped a pan of these tasty babies in the oven, BUT, is this mix supposed to be as thicky-sticky as it is? I twas not at all a runny mix.. I followed directions to a tee, so fingers crossed.
While it IS a very heavy cupcake, its a good cake. It would be way too heavy (imo) for a frosted cake. It is heavy like a cornbread-pound cake, but not as dense airy as a pound cake, at the same time. Its strange, but its NOT LIGHT AND FLUFFY. Moist, absolutely. Flavorful, absolutely (but I added a little extra vanilla too). Icing I made a lot of mods to, and turned it into strawberry limeade icing, lol. Ill use it again because I did like the thickness of the cupcake, it didnt crumble or break, but I might add a touch of something to make it a teeny bit fluffier..may sift everything, not sure. Thanks for the recipe!
made these cupcakes without the icing- they were really amazing very easy to make and so scrumptious, couldn’t stop eating them, i am planning to make some more tonight:) …
The cupcakes themselves are delicious. I am not impressed by the icing however. It just tastes like sweetened butter, not like any buttercream frosting I have tasted. I did use great value butter and great value powdered sugar but I have never had this problem before. The icing to me tasted awful by itself and acceptable on the cupcake. Suggestions?
All in all I will be making the cupcake recipe again but will be substituting the icing with something else.
I made these cupcakes for my boyfriend one lazy weekend. We both love vanilla, but I was not prepared for how much he LOVED these cupcakes!! At first I was afraid that they were under-baked, but soon realized that they were just gooey and moist thanks to the sour cream. My bf ate them warm in a bowl (with a blob of icing on them like custard) using a spoon. They were gone before Monday – a first! Thanks!
Did you have luck with the frosting? Mine didn’t taste good at all however my fiancé loved the cupcakes by themselves, as do I. Did you refrigerate yours?
I was so excited to make these cupcakes but was very disappointed with the outcome. When mixing the batter felt like something was left out. The batter was too thick and after baking them the cupcake deflated a bit and it was not soft at all. Overall It was terrible. I really hope you double check your quantities because it didn’t turn out right. Sorry.
I’m nervous because I just put a pan in the oven, and my batter was thick as well.. I’m hoping hoping they come out better, because they tasted great going in.
I made these for my third graders and they raved about them. They said they tasted like vanilla milkshakes! Usually third graders will just lick the frosting off the typical grocery store cupcake, but they devoured these. I did mix them more like a traditional cake, with creaming the butter and sugar and then adding the eggs and the dry ingredients. I just couldn’t do the dump!
Omg I loved this recipe it has so much flavor for a vanilla cupcake and is so delish without frosting! Been looking for a cupcake like this thank you for the recipe!!!
Tried the buttercream frosting on the chocolate version of this recipe. Turned out delicious!! I rushed ahead of myself & prior to reading the directions I added all the frosting ingredients combining and whisking together at the same time. Fluffiness & taste was that perfect melt in your mouth – there is a heaven result! But to be fair, I will do it according to the directions next time…but I really don’t think it matters a heck of a lot. Thanks for the awesome post and sharing this recipe it’s a keeper :)
Hi I just made these cupcakes in mini and they are delicious. Would a cream cheese buttercream frosting work on cupcakes with a Wilton 1M tip? Would the frosting hold up well? I love cream cheese frosting.
Hello, I have searched the site looking for what type of powered sugar you use for frostings. If I have missed it, I apologize. Would you mind sharing your favorite brands? I will check the ingredients page one more time but I don’t think it is listed there. Thank you :)
Julie, I just made these, yesterday, with a substitution of buttermilk (and about 3T extra butter). As so often happens with me, I discovered that I was out an ingredient with no time to spare for a run to the store. I had not made these previously, so don’t have a basis for comparison to Michelle’s unadulterated recipe but can describe the cupcake made using buttermilk and butter: very delicious buttery flavor, lovely crunchy top (almost muffin-like), large crumb, dense, oddly a bit dry the flowing day. It was o.k. but not great – almost like a cross between a cupcake and a very short-greasy scone. Have heard that some people use yoghurt as a substitute for sour cream which may achieve a more traditional texture. You were looking for a good substitute for sour cream, so my post may not be helpful in providing that. Just wanted to share the results of replacing sour cream with buttermilk plus butter. Soon, will be making Michelle’s recipe and will follow it “to a letter” for purposes of comparison. Good luck.
Mistyped the word “short bread-y”. Instead, accidentally wrote short-greasy (which sounds oh-so-unappealing)! Hadn’t read through other replies on texture until just a moment ago (Julie’s was the last one I saw), but seems that the buttermilk did not change the texture from the “cornbread” style product that other bakers experienced.
These cupcakes sound amazing! I’m planning to try out this recipe, and I have one quick question. How long/at what temperature would you bake these cupcakes if they were made in a large 6 cup muffin tin? Thank you!
Hii! what is the amount of butter in grams? I ask because I’m in Australia and I use blocks of butter but I think they are generally larger than those in the US
Made these cupcakes and followed the recipe exactly – very disappointing outcome. Just like many of the other reviewers, the texture was very much like cornbread.
I made these over the weekend, along with the salted caramel, and they are the best cupcakes I’ve ever had. So moist! They completely outshined the chocolate ones. Thanks so much for the recipe!
These cupcakes are in the oven, so we’ll see how they turn out, but I also experienced really thick batter. I looked up the Cook’s Illustrated recipe and the reviews for that are the same – great flavor but texture is dense, almost muffin or cornbread like. Maybe it’s because this recipe calls for sour cream as opposed to milk? I hope they turn out! PS – I love your blog, especially your cho chip cookies!
Hi. I can’t wait to try this recipe! I live at an altitude of 5,300 ft. I have to make adjustments to every cake/cupcake recipe. I am assuming you live at sea level? Thanks!
I used this as a base recipe for a recipe that called for a yellow cake mix. The recipe I made involved making oreo truffles out of crushed oreos and cream cheese and dropping tablespoon-sized balls into the muffin tin, then covering with yellow cake mix. Unfortunately, the cupcakes did not turn out at all like I hoped. Like other commenters, they were dense, dry, crumbling, and had a cornbread-like texture. I do not think I overbeat the batter (I used a stand mixer but used a spatula to fold the last few streaks of flour in) and I do not think I overbaked (I checked them at 20 minutes and a bamboo skewer came out gooey so I baked them 3 minutes more and the skewer came out clean; I have a hard time believing they overbaked in 3 minutes.) The batter was very thick like a sugar cookie dough and I thought for sure I had missed an ingredient, but I triple-checked the recipe and don’t seem to have missed anything. I barely had enough batter for 12 cupcakes, despite the oreo filling; I figured I’d get at least a few more with the oreo truffle taking up 1/3 of each tin. They also stuck to my pan like crazy. I don’t like using muffin liners so I use a greased, non-stick pan (never had problems making other muffins or cupcakes like this.) All of the cupcakes stuck and started to crumbled apart when I tried to remove them. The taste was good and my guests still liked them but did comment that the texture was like a dry poundcake. The frosting was also good but I made a half batch and still ended up with twice as much as I needed for 12 cupcakes; I did not pipe it on, just spread it with a knife, and I guess I just don’t like a lot of frosting on my cupcakes. Not sure what I did wrong with the cupcakes; I am not trying to complain, just offer feedback as to the problems I encountered. Regardless, thanks for all the great recipes.
Hi Beverly, If you have regular granulated sugar, I would suggest using that. Otherwise, I think you could substitute the superfine, but know that you may need to use a little less and because is dissolves at a faster rate than regular sugar, the texture may be compromised.
I made these. I measured very carefully. Delicious frosting. The cupcakes were crumbly. Weird texture. I was thinking I over mixed. But it came together slowly. I’m not brand new to baking but I’m new to taking it seriously. Should all batter look the same? This seemed thick, Again tasted fine. Please help.
All batters will definitely NOT look the same. Some batters for chocolate cake are almost the consistency of liquid, while come cupcakes will look like muffin batter; it just all depends.
OMG! Those cupcakes are so amazing. They smell wonderful while baking and taste delicious. Mine came out like a denser type cake, is that the way they are supposed to be? Is there a way to make them more light and fluffy? Either way, this is my go to vanilla recipe! Thanks so much for sharing.
These cupcakes are truly amazing! Like I said previously, I’m trying to get away from boxed cake mixes. So, I have been searching high and low for a strawberry cake recipe that does not include Jello and was about to use the recipe you had on your site but knew these were so easy and amazingly delicious that I decided to add my spin. I cooked down ripe strawberries for a long time, strained out the juices, and then reduced the juices about half by boiling more. I then replaced the vanilla in the recipe for 6 teaspoons of my strawberry liquid plus a 1/4 teaspoon of Joann’s strawberry flavoring (very strong flavoring I bought at Walmart in the cake section) and 4 medium diced strawberries. Cooked for 21 minutes. They are sooo delicious and my very helpful taster husband who ALWAYS has a comment or two devoured 2 of them immediately with nothing but positive reviews. This vanilla recipe creates beautifully domed cupcakes and is FAST and EASY and delicious. UPDATE: 3 cupcakes. Thank soooo much!
Hey! I have used so many of your recipes and have all been successful. I just made these cupcakes and they ended up being a little on the dry side. I am trying to figure out why this happened. I did use light sour cream and let it come to room temp. Do you know what might have caused this?
Hi Christine, I never use low-fat ingredients in baking, since they can dramatically change the texture and outcome by having a higher water content. I’d give them a try with full-fat sour cream.
Hi! Made the cupcakes and followed the recipe, but they are really dense and keep denting themselves in the center, is there any reason you can think of for them to do that?
Have you ever added food coloring to your butter cream frosting recipe? I’d like to try your recipe but have been asked to make blue and also pink icing. Not sure if it will work. Any suggestions?
THANK YOU SO MUCH! I have been using boxed cakes mixes for so many years while in the search for a great from-scratch recipe. I keep going back to the cake mixes because I trust them. However, not anymore! This cake is moist, tender, and has such an amazing, wonderful taste. I am supposed to be making 300 cupcakes for a wedding coming up and you saved my life! I will no longer have cake-mix guilt! I cannot thank you enough.
You stated that they were mini cupcakes did you have to adjust the cooking time? I plan on making mini cupcakes for my daughter birthday party and the buttercream I’ve read recipes that call for 1-2 tbsp or milk or heavy cream??? Buttercream confuses me I can never get mine to look like yours any tips pleeeeeeaaaaassssse
Hi Veronica, Yes, you’ll want to start checking them for doneness around 8 minutes or so. The key to the buttercream is to make sure your butter is at room temperature and whip it according to the directions. You can add a tablespoon or 2 of heavy cream if you want a thinner consistency, but I like the texture as written.
I recently made these cupcakes for a Bridal Shower. I have been searching for a good fluffy cupcake recipe for a very long time. This one is very good and tastes delish!! Frosting is also YUMMY! Thanks for sharing :)
I was just wondering if I have to use sour cream, or if we can replace it. I dont really have sour cream in my house and I’ll feel bad if my mom has to it for me. I’m a new baker and I’ve been trying to find a good vanilla cupcake recipe before Saturday. Thanks have a great day!!
I live a half hour from DC, I worked about ten minutes from Georgetown cupcake. It wasn’t until this past weekend that I tried a cupcake from Georgetown Cupcake. I am 39 weeks pregnant, I waited in line with my best friend and my two year old for 30 minutes. When I finally got inside, I thought it was super cute, but we were rushed and the service wasn’t great. I got a dozen of assorted (kinda pricey, but I’ll pay good money for good food) and I was not impressed. Not my cup of tea at all.
I made these cupcakes last week and I couldn’t believe how moist they were! Very good. A couple of questions though: 1) can the recipe be doubled to make more cupcakes without hurting the recipe and 2) is there a way to a chocolate version of this recipe? Thank you.
Hi Andy, While I haven’t doubled the recipe, others here have left comments that they have without any problems. There really isn’t a way to easily convert this to a chocolate cupcake, but I do have a number of chocolate cupcake recipes: https://www.browneyedbaker.com/category/recipes/cupcake-recipes/
Lovely easy cupcake, I made 24 mini cupcakes with this recipe and they turned out lovely fluffy and moist! My kids love them without the frosting because none of them like frosting here!
Hi.. I am so inspired by u.. But i am quite a beginner and i want t to know whats the use of sour cream.. The reason i asked is bcuz my near by supermarlet doesnt sell sour cream.
Hello! These are by far, the best cupcakes ever and so stinking easy to make! I too, am not a huge cake fan, but I love these! My daughter loved the flavor but thought they could be a little more moist. I wonder if I did something wrong or if you have a tip to make them moister. I loved them anyway, thank you!!
I have made these three times now, and they are fantastic!! When I read the recipe the first time and noticed that the sugar is NOT whipped into the butter but blended with the flour first… That went against everything I thought I knew about baking! I have actually took down recipes from family/friends without step by step instructions because I always cream the butter, add the sugar and beat, then eggs… You get the idea. But I followed the directions and absolutely does something magical! Lastly, the frosting is wonderful but a 1/2 batch was enough for all the cupcakes, with a little to spare. Thank you, this will be a staple for all the special occasions in our family.
Hi Michelle, I just used your recipe to make rainbow cupcakes for Valentines day. They turned out amazing. I am in love with the results. They are super moist and fluffy. I am always checking your blog for new recipes :) you are doing an awesome work. Sincerely, a young Panamanian Chef. yepp you have fans in central america. xoxo.
Hi michelle, I just used this recipe to make rainbow cupcakes for valentine’s. They turned out AWESOME, extremely moist and fluffy. I love your blog, and I’m always using your recipes. sincerely, a Young Panamanian Chef.
HI I made your cupcakes last night as a trial run for my sons birthday and they were AMAZING! Thank you for this great recipe. Will definitely keep this in the recipe book.
These are the BEST vanilla cupcakes I’ve ever made/had. I’ve tried a lot of vanilla cupcake recipes in search of one with a true vanilla flavor versus a “yellow cake” with “sugary frosting”. This one delivers true vanilla flavor and a super moist cake. This will become my go-to vanilla cupcake recipe – thanks Brown Eyed Baker!
Thank you for this amazing recipe! This is my go-to for vanilla cake & butter-cream. I have used it for cupcakes, regular & mini as well as various cake sizes and it always turns out fantastic. A few tips for those with prior comments / questions… 1. this can easily be doubled, tripled, quadrupled… just measure and adjust baking temp & time accordingly depending on what you’re doing… for a 2 layer 12″ round cake I quadrupled the recipe and baked at 335 for 35 minutes. 2. DO NOT OVER MIX… use the paddle attachment as instructed, if you use a wire whisk you will undoubtedly over mix and end up with a dense crumbly ‘cornbread like’ cake. Thanks again! I love your site and have had great success with every recipe I’ve tried!
Georgia: Thanks for responding. I whisked the dry ingredients by hand as instructed (do you suggest not using a wire wisk but the paddle here in this step) and then added each wet ingredient individually before I turned on the mixer with the paddle. I guess you are saying I should turn the mixer with the paddle on as I am adding each individual wet ingredient. I assume this doesn’t count towards the 30 seconds – because I don’t think I could work that fast. The cupcakes were very tasty. Not crumbly, but certainly dense and thus not light and fluffy. I will need to try these again, because even still I received a lot of compliments from the adult guests at the party. I think the icing made them so yummy.
Hi Susan, Yes. Use the paddle attachment for all mixing. In step 2 it says to ‘whisk’ dry ingredients but follows that up with ‘ in a stand mixer fitted with a paddle attachment’. Just keep the paddle going while adding all the ingredients, once everything is in there turn it up and mix for the 30 seconds. This will ensure even mixing leaving no lumps.
I was interested to try these cupcakes again to see how the mixing “corrected” my lump issue. OMG, I am amazed. It did it. Thank you, Georgia. Not only were there no lumps, the consistency of the batter was completely different (much thicker). I am soooo excited. I might have overfilled them a bit as they really puffed up more than previously. The recipe probably makes 13-14 cupcakes. I fit them all into 12. I had to cook 22 minutes (last time I only needed 20). Not sure if this is because of the difference in batter consistency or filling them. My “Chief Culinary Consultant” wanted chocolate, but I wanted to try these again. So, my compromise is to make half of these with the chocolate buttercream icing. Thanks, Michelle, for such great recipes.
I’m making these for my Daughter’s Valentine’s Day party along with your red velvet cupcakes. But, how in the world do you remove all the flour lumps in the cake batter, particularly when using the mixer for only 30 seconds and the rest by HAND. Do you use a fork, a whisk or what???? I ended up using my handheld mixer for a bit but still couldn’t get all the lumps out. Is this because I doubled the recipe? What does over mixing do or, for that matter, what does having lumps in the batter do to the finished product? Good thing they are only 3 year olds. I just hope the adults aren’t too discerning.
Susan, are you dumping the ingredients and then mixing for 30 seconds? I always (at least) double the recipe and haven’t had any issues with flour lumps… I keep the mixer on med-low as I add the wet ingredients and then kick it up to med-high to mix for the 30 seconds instructed. I do suggest when doubling to mix for 15 seconds then using a rubber spatula fold the batter by hand a few times to grab the dry stuff off the bottom that the mixer isn’t getting, then mix for the remaining 15 seconds. Good luck!
HI Michelle, I made these cupcakes for my sons class. As I finished adding all the ingredients, I noticed the batter was so stiff. There was no way I could possibly bake these, so I added some applesauce to give it a little consistency. they turned out, okay. Is there a reason why there is no liquid in these? Thanks.
I’m definitely trying this recipe tomorrow. Maybe a silly question, but if I want to bake 24 cupcakes can I just double the recipe? I know when it comes to baking sometimes the recipe is sensitive and it doesn’t always work to just double it. Have you ever tried? Thanks!
Hi Dee, I have not tried doubling the recipe, but it sounds like the commenter above had some trouble with it. I would probably make two separate batches to be safe.
Funny – I searched the comments to see if anyone mentioned doubling the recipe and couldn’t find any — then one turns up right before mine! I ended up making two batches just because I know baking is tricky with measurements. These are fantastic — I love the flavor and texture. Everyone who ate one loved it. Thanks! So far every recipe I’ve tried of yours has been a hit!
I don’t know what happened, I followed the recipe perfectly, although I doubled it. The texture was very doughy, I thought these are never going to rise! I had had to add water (weird) than I baked them for 20 mins and they were completely raw…. I had to cook them for a total of 40 mins and still slightly raw, the cupcakes were so dense! That being said the frosting was fine… I dunno what happened??!!!!
Hi Deanna, I have not tried doubling this recipe, but not all recipes can be easily doubled, as sometimes the chemical reactions of the leaveners don’t react the same way when simply doubled. However, I’m not quite sure why you added water? This would certainly leave the batter “raw” and needing to be baked for much longer than the recipe states.
Just wanted to say Thanks for this awesome recipe!! My little girl and I made them yesterday. You helped us make it easy and tons of fun for both of us. Can’t wait to try more!!
im having alot of trouble at the moment with my buttercream! Its to do with the icing sugar or confectioners sugar i think you call it over there. When ever i am mixing it it seems to still stay all grainy like and you can feel the grittyness when you eat the icing.dont know wht to do about it .
Hi Layal, Powdered sugar here is very, very fine and not gritty at all, so even if it’s not completely mixed into a frosting, you won’t taste any grittiness. It sounds like you used a sugar that is closer to granulated sugar, which unfortunately will not dissolve in a frosting recipe such as this.
Hi Michelle. I tried this recipe today, unfortunately, my cupcakes came out cracked and slightly tough on top :( any advice? i followed your recipe as closely as possible. the only change i made was whip the butter before i added the rest of the ingredients. could that be the culprit? my oven temp was 350 and i baked them for 21 minutes. they were still a bit wet at 20 minutes. thanks!
Hi Christine, That definitely could be the issue. Adding the butter to the dry ingredients help to create a light crumb and almost flaky texture. Mixing it in a different way can certainly affect the texture.
Is this actually your cupcake picture or did you get it from the Internet? Sometimes bakers put the fake picture so the food looks more attractive so I wanted to make sure. (:
I love these cupcakes, but they often fall on me too. I wonder if I’m doing something wrong. I can easily get 15-16 cakes as well, but I forget that and evidently overfill them and they flatten out and make a mess of the pan.
I made these cupcakes and the batter was very thick- I thought I had left something out. They were still delicious, but they were thick and heavy. Is that the way they are supposed to be? They were almost like a soft cookie? Very yummy though!
These cupcakes are ABSOLUTELY DELICIOUS. I have tried countless recipes and this is the PERFECT one. I am never going to use any more recipes for vanilla cupcakes except for this!
Although I wonder…what brand of butter do you use for the frosting? My frosting’s always yellowish in color. I think it’s because of the butter I use?
These were so awful when I made them! I’m not sure what I did wrong- do you have any ideas? They were very heavy and the batter looked like bread dough :( I was so bummed and this recipe looked great. Help please! All of my cupcakes have turned out except these….. It had to have been me because everyone else had great reviews on them! Thanks!
Oh and I subbed plain greek yogurt for the sour cream since it’s what I had on hand. A wee bit healthier and still so good! At least I tell myself it’s healthier. :)
My 4 year old wanted to bake vanilla cupcakes and so I googled recipes and decided on yours. Let me tell you, we were not disappointed!! We all loved them and my husband says it’s some of the best frosting ever. YUM! Pinning now and thanks for sharing!!
So glad you and your husband enjoy the cupcakes! I have not used this recipe for a cake, but if you were to do so, you would need to double the recipe for an 8 or 9″ layer cake, or 9×13″ cake, and increase the baking time a little bit (I haven’t done it so I couldn’t say exactly how much).
Hi Michelle! I made your vanilla cupcakes today for a taste testing and I loved them! No dense or cornbread-like cupcake for me, thank goodness! I must admit that I was surprised that there was no milk in your recipe but decided to follow the recipe to the T, and I am glad I did! I would like to make them for a birthday, so I need to double or triple the recipe, but I am no expert baker and I don’t know how to calculate the quantities of ingredients needed for 24 or 36 cupcakes. Could you please help me with that? Thanks!
Hi Lexi, No, sour cream and milk have two completely different sets of properties when it comes to baking. If you need to substitute the sour cream, I would recommend plain yogurt.
I have made these twice so far… Once I needed an unfrosted cupcake for my daughters Halloween party. The kids decorated and ate, all of the kids were quiet and ate every last crumb. My daughter begged me to make them again for us so I did, along with the frosting recipe and they are FANTASTIC! I have tried making cake recipes and converted to cupcakes, but they always come out flat on top and too moist. This recipe has a wonderful density and a perfect dome when baked. Also, I have been looking for a good frosting recipe and this is it. I cringed when I saw 2 sticks of butter, so I halved the frosting and it was plenty for 12 cupcakes. Thank you, this will be made in our house for a long time!!
I’ve been searching for an amazing vanilla cupcake recipe and after a few unsuccessful recipes, I tried your recipe and it was AWESOME!! I was skeptical when you mentioned the batter would be watery but wow.. Delicious! Fluffy! Moist! The perfect cupcake! I can’t wait to try your other recipes! Thank you for sharing!
I made the cupcakes and buttercream frosing last night and the frosting is amazing! The cupcakes had a wonderful flavor, but for some reason mine came out very dense, like a muffin. I beat them with a and mixer ( I don’t have a stand mixer) for 30 seconds. Do you think I should have mixed the batter a bit longer? Or maybe added a bit of water? Thank you so much for both recipes. I will definitley be trying some of your other ones :)
Hi Eden, I’m thrilled that you enjoyed the frosting, but sorry the texture of these cupcakes didn’t work out for you. There are a couple of reasons that the cupcakes could turn out dense – overmixing the batter is definitely one, and although you listed a time, your mixer could have been powerful. Did you use the visual clues (smooth and satiny)? Sometimes it will take more or less of the specified time to reach the correct result, which is why using any visual clues in a recipe is useful. I hope that helps!
hi, I need to asked someone who is more experience. I try doing frosting alot of times and it is not firm enough to make the frosting “stand up”. any idea why? thanks :)
Hi Melinda, Without seeing the recipe(s) you’ve been using, it would be impossible for me to speculate as to why, and air temperature/humidity can also be a factor. In general, though, the more sugar, the stiffer the frosting will be.
the ingredients was 3/4cup sugars (but i use caster sugar), 3 large egg whites, 1&1/2 stick butter and a pinch of salt.
I don’t like my cupcakes too sweet. I did realize that most of the sugar stated in the recipe will be 2-3 cup of sugar. what do u advice if i don’t want my frosting to be too sweet and yet get a firm frosting? thanks :))
it looks great michelle! i always thought that vanilla cupcakes with vanilla buttercream would be boring… you’re making me rethink that! thanks for the good recipe.. and do you have brown eyes???? okay, just kidding!!!!
I was very excited to try this recipe because I was looking for a less complex recipe that I could easily triple. I was very disappointed in the way this batter turned out. It was thick and had an awful after taste. It resembled a bread dough, instead of a cake batter. I hate to say that I was very disappointed.
Hi Tammy, That’s so hard to gauge since there are so many variables in baking. Did you make any ingredient substitutions, did you do any techniques differently, do you have an oven thermometer to ensure that the temperature is indeed correct? Overmixing can also lead to a dense batter as well.
These cupcakes were FANTABULOUS! my sister and i put chocolate chips from morsels into them! this recipe is great for chocolate and vanilla lovers alike!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!<333333333333333333333
hi! i don’t particularly like the hint of sour cream in the cupcakes, can i substitute milk or all purpose cream instead and still get the same product?
thanks! I was also wondering, can I substitute sourcream or yogurt for the buttermilk in your red velvet cupcakes? We don’t have buttermilk here in our area..btw, the vanilla cupcakes were awesome. =)
I’m glad you enjoyed the cupcakes! I would not substitute for the buttermilk in the red velvet, as it has a specific reaction with the vinegar and cocoa powder.
hi! i substituted the sour cream because i really couldn’t find any buttermilk and they tasted great!=) not much in the color department though but that was okay;) i have a question though, you recommend storing them at room temperature, but i find that the next day, my cupcake tops turn sticky.is that normal?the same thing happened with my vanilla cupcakes.
These cupcakes are really good and I freqently make them! I had just recently bought a 24 count mini-cupcake tin and I was wondering how long to bake them in that tin? I’d greatly appreciate your responce. Thanks!
Thank you so much for sharing this recipe! It was simple, easy and delicious. I used it to make darling “Thing 1 and Thing 2” cupcakes for a baby shower and they were fantastic. Check out my website for the full post! I hope you don’t mind that I linked back to your website. I received so many compliments and requests for the recipe at the shower that I wanted to share.
Hi, I am new to you website, but very interested. I am in need of a pink champagne cupcake (Daughter in laws fav) using a boxed cake mix perhaps?!? Suggestions… also on a frosting that would go with… Thank you!
i made these cupcakes for my little sister’s halloween party at her pre-k class last weekend and they were a big hit with the kids & teachers! because i know kids loveee to put chocolate in everything (who wouldnt?!) i added semi bittersweet chocolate chips in 1 batch (i made 2 batches of mini cupcakes) and the ones with the chocolate chips inside were their favorites! i also put in some orange & red colorings for the frosting. may i say that they were simply delicious?! thanks for sharing!!!
Hi Jaimie, Yes, cake flour would give the cupcakes a finer texture, perhaps make them a bit more prone to crumble. I haven’t tested the recipe with cake flour, so I couldn’t say for sure exactly how they would turn out.
PEARSE October 30, 2011 at 10:36 pm it came dense and heavy for me too. and the dough was very thick. I saw so many people having the same (dense) problem. . I s this recipe from Cook’s illustrated. please let us know why we are all getting dense cakes. the flavour is good though.are we missing a wet ingredient thanks
These cupcakes are delicious!!!! Made these more than a few times! the only thing I do different is add some tablespoons of vanilla pudding in the batter!
Your cupcakes look wonderful! Do they dome nicely when baked? I am also wondering where you buy your cupcake papers. The ones in the photo look larger than the minis you can buy at Michaels. Do they peel away from the cake after baking? Thanks.
Hi Kristin, Yes they do have nice domes. The mini liners in the picture came from a baking supply store; my mom bought them years ago and found a sleeve of extras and gave them to me. They do not peel away.
Hi. I made these cupcakes at school for a bakesale. The cake didnt taste good and the texture was dense, but i really loved the icing. Could you give me any tips on what I did wrong?
any idea if this would be suitable for making rainbow cupcakes? I have a basic vanilla recipe that I love, but when i mix the gel colours in, i think too much stirring thins down the batter too much. Would love to try this recipe if it can withstand the stirring, what are your opinions? (:
I made these cupcakes last week, I wasn’t impressed! The batter seemed like it was missing liquid, milk or something. Cupcakes turned out heavy and dry, missed the mark on this recipe :-(
Mine too!!!!! Very disappointed I made cupcakes before and I love love trying revipes!!!!! I should have read these comments before making them! They turned out horrible and I need to make new ones!!! Ahhhhhh
I just wanted to say these cupcakes are absolutely DELICIOUS! i made them once before for my family, and now i am making them once again for a friends birthday. As soon as i found out she wanted cupcakes i went directly to these! You can’t go wrong! There just so good :)
I made these cupcakes with th efrosting an dthey were amazing! I love the recipe, and will use this website for everything elese! I made them for a party, and they were a huge hit! I even mixed everything by hand with a whisk! Extra workout! Thank You!
Ashley, You can frost the cupcakes and store them at room temperature in an airtight container overnight. However, if you make the frosting ahead of time I would recommend refrigerating it. You will need to re-whip it before frosting the cupcakes. I find it easiest to make the frosting when you plan on frosting the cupcakes.
Wow! This website is the coolest! I ADORE cupcakes so finding this site was awesome. I’m actually starting up my own cupcake business with a friend which I’m so excited about!!! Keep posting! :)
Okay, so BEST VANILLA CUP CAKES I EVER TASTED!!! And these are the only vanilla cupcakes that come out absolutely perfect each time, even if my oven is messed up! HAHA I LOVE YOU FOR PUTTING THIS UP!!
I dont bake a lot. I am new to all these baking things so i may ask a stupid question but i am really confuse and hopefully you can help me. What is the difference bewteen icing and frosting and where i can use frosting or icing. Thank you so much.
Hi Mar, Not a stupid question! A lot of people use the terms icing and frosting interchangeably, but for me icing is usually much thinner, like a glaze, while frosting is the thick butter/powdered sugar concoction you find on top of cupcakes.
Hi, Michelle I doing a birthday party for my girl who is 1 yr old. I am doing the cupcakes for the party so I interesting in doing your vanilla cupcakes w/ vanilla buttercream. I am so nervous because i dont bake a lot so hopefully my cupcakes can taste really good. However, i would like to know if i can add food coloring to the buttercream frosting so it can taste vanilla but be pink and green. THanks
These cupcakes are delicious. They are super moist, sweet enough, but not too sweet and very easy to make. I made 50 of them for a party and they were a big hit. Thanks for a great recipe.
Hi. I’m a novice baker, I’ve made a couple different recipes for cupcakes & most of the time they have turned out too “heavy”. I was wondering what the significance of the sour cream, in this recipe is? I’m planning on using this recipe this weekend for a friends daughters birthday party, where I am making about 50 cupcakes in a Purple and Green Tinkerbell theme! Any advice would be great! Thanks, Rebecca Hymel
These cupcakes are delicious!! I have a question though. Whenever I’ve made homemade icing, it has always come out slightly runny. I use pastry bags, and the shape of the frosting never holds, it always drips. Do you have any advice? Also, I use light butter – I’m not sure if that makes a difference. Thanks!
Hi Liz, The light butter could definitely be the culprit. It may not whip up the same way regular butter does. I’ve never had a problem with runny icing, and the one here is my absolute favorite. I hope you’ll give it a try!
Hi there! I have so many issues I hope you can help! I made this recipe and my cupcakes came out like cornbread… kind of heavy in the center and they had a bad flavor. It wasn’t horrible but it wasn’t that good. With the icing it was too runny.. theres no way I could have used it for icing.
PLEASE HELP!
Whenever I buy cake mixes my cupcakes are always perfect but I really wanna learn to make them from scratch… please help!
Hi Lisa, I really have no idea why the cupcakes would taste like cornbread?! Did you make any alterations to the recipe at all – ingredients, technique, bake time, etc.? They are a really moist cupcake that actually has a pretty distinct buttery flavor.
You may have either softened your butter to the point of it melting, or not have let your cupcakes cool enough before using them. Sorry and I hope that helped!
I found this recipe on another site, I don’t remember where, ugh. They probably got it from here, which is most likely why I tried it. But it turns out the ingredients and measurements are half the recipe I already had. They turned out excellent! Although, I did add a lil more sour cream and half a package of vanilla instant pudding. They were so good that I didn’t want to share, but.. I did. A little bit. It hurt. But I got through. You, oh, and your blog too, are amazing! Keep it up!
Hi Erin, Yes you could use them to frost cakes. If you find them a little too stiff to spread nicely, just lighten them up with a little milk or cream, adding a teaspoon at a time until you get the consistency you want.
Hi! This buttercream looks and sounds delicious. Just wanted to have you clarify that the recipe does in fact call for a full tablespoon of vanilla extract. I noticed some of your other buttercream recipes called for1-2 teaspoons of vanilla extract so was just double checking about this one. Also, what piping tip # do you use in this photo? I love the floral look the frosting has on top of the cupcake. Thanks for sharing!
I made these today and they were delicious! The only thing is that the bottom & middle is super moist & fluffy & yummy but the tops were a little hard, did I do something wrong or is that normal?
I sometimes find if the muffin pan is a dark/nonstick and the batter flows over the muffin liners and touches the pan (like a little dome), then this can happen.
As a fellow Pittsburgher who is studying at Georgetown University, it is so great to see someone reviewing Baked & Wired! I’m a huge fan of this tiny, relaxing establishment in Georgetown! It’s about time that they get some recognition. They’re cupcakes, along with all of their other baked goods are amazing. I’m tired of all the acclaim going to Georgetown Cupcake when I could make better cupcakes at home myself! THANK YOU!
This recipe looks amazing…can’t wait to try it! Any chance it could be halved? I know I could just freeze the cupcakes I don’t eat or give them to neighbors, but ideally I’d like to bake a small batch.
Is it okay if I add some milk to the batter instead of sour cream? The sour cream is added to make the cupcake moist, isn’t it? Anw thanks for the recipe, your cupcakes look simply awesome!
can i freeze these? if so how long in advance? How do i unfreeze? do i switch from freezer to fridge to room temp.? How long would it take to unfreeze? i made these n they were delicious so thats why i was wondering. Oh and in the buttercream i messed up and used 1 1/2 tsp of vanilla instead of 1 tbs and it came out delicous and then when i did it again but followed the recipe it wasnt as good. So i just wanted to say its better and fluffier with 1 1/2 tsp vanills
Hi Marina, I have never frozen them, but imagine you could. I would say maybe up to three months or so. I would thaw them at room temperature, should take a couple of hours. Enjoy!
Hi Mardiana, You can omit the sour cream – it is a key ingredient in the cupcakes and makes them moist. You can substitute plain yogurt, but cannot omit.
The flavor of these cupcakes are amazing. When mixing the batter, I found it to be a little dry and the cupcakes came out very dense. It this the way they are supposed to be or did I miss something?
Hi Catherine, They are definitely not supposed to be dry and dense. They are a really moist, buttery cupcake. This could have happened due to over-mixing or maybe over-baking.
it came dense and heavy for me too. and the dough was very thick. I saw so many people having the same (dense problem. are we all missing any part of the recipe. I s this recipe from Cook’s illustrated. I googled and could not find such recipe ,instead there is a fluffy yellow recipe. please let us know why we are all getting dense cakes. the flavour is good though. thanks
I had the same issue with the texture, not sure why that is. I did follow the recipe to the T. The taste was good but the texture was most certainly not cake-like. It was more of a muffin/cornbread texture. It’s all good. The kids renamed them cupfins and polished them off.
Hi Pearse, Unfortunately because I am not in the kitchen with folks when they make the recipe, it’s hard for me to be able to pinpoint exactly what caused a recipe to turn out differently. Typically dense cupcakes can be caused by overbeating or overmixing the batter.
ok so these are now my go-to recipe for vanilla cupcakes. I made them in mini version twice. I baked them for 12 minutes each batch. I cant wait to make them in the regular size. This made me think twice about your recipe (good way) after doing the blueberry muffins that turned out awful.
Delicious!! I added chocolate mousse to the center of these and it turned out delicious! My husband saw them in the fridge took one out and began to eat it and was like this is AMAZING! And my 21 month old devoured the frosting and gave me the rest as always! She loves frosting! Thank you so much for this recipe, the frosting was WONDERFUL!!
Is this the best vanilla cupcake recipe (not including the frosting) you have ever had? We are still on the search for the best vanilla cupcake recipe ever. Would love your suggestions! XOXO
hi, my names tamsyn and i was wondering…..as you don’t now im in a place called lae in Papua New Guniea its a lovely place its always green and the roads are terrible and i’m like your numer 1 fan and just wanted to ask are you guys still doing tdche show “DC CUPCAKES” and if you are your both my role model!!!!
this vanilla cupcake recipe with vanilla frosting was not good:(…it was very dense and heavy not light and fluffy as a cupcake should be….i was disappointed, but, alas, where my cupcakes are concerned i will not be deterred and will try another recipe. i think it may have been the two egg yolks, that went against my better cupcake judgement….happy baking1 :)
Thanks for the great frosting recipe. I had some vanilla and chocolate cupcakes in my freezer and just had to try the frosting! First off, the frosting was probably the best buttercream that I have ever tried and I love that it even got that little crust on it. While the vanilla/vanilla was great, the chocolate/vanilla combo was out of this world! The frosting even held up well at an outdoor concert that I brought them to and it was probably 85 in the shade. Thanks for sharing the recipe.
Hi, Just wanted to start with – I absolutely adore your website! It truly has inspired me to start baking once again! And now that Summer is here I have plenty of time!
I wanted to ask about the frosting on these cupcakes, how did you manage to shape them that way and do you have a tutorial on your website instructing me how I could do the frosting this way?
Hi Mariam, I don’t have any tutorials on my website for frosting the cupcakes; I use a Wilton 1M decorating tip and just use a little swirling motion. Have fun!
Michelle, I just wanted to tell you I am making these cupcakes for my daughter McKenna’s 1st birthday party. I was practicing today and they are AMAZING!!! Thank you so much for sharing! I cannot wait till the big day!
Hello! need some help here. I tried baking the vanilla cupcakes today and its taste pretty good, but is there anyone here can tell me why my vanilla cupcakes always don’t stick on the paper liners? :(
Hi Caitlin, So sorry some of these caved in on you! Sometimes caving is caused because the cake is still a little underdone when they come out of the oven so the center is completely baked and stabilized yet so when they start to cool they fall in. Did you test the centers, or just take them out when the baking time was up?
I tested them and everything but the tops where browning really fast. I may be because i have such a small oven. But I tried them again and they turned out great:) I woke up the next morning and they where all gone! lol Thanks!
I loved these!! I made a couple tweaks of my own, (added milk, an extra egg yolk, a teaspoon lemon extract,1tablspoon oil, and an extra half teaspoon vanilla) and WOW were they good! Theres a hair on one of them in the picture, (oopsie we women shed=] ) and I think you forgot to list milk, because the batter was more like dough untill I added the milk. Brilliant recipe though! And the frosting was perfect!
So I made these cupcakes and they were simply amazing! I recently went to baked and wired and tried the Smurfette (Fresh blueberries baked into vanilla cake, topped with lemon buttercream). I thought your recipe would be perfect for attempting a replication of the smurf and wondered if you had any advice (measurements of blueberries, lemon?) …I hear if a dense cake recipe isn’t used, the blueberries will sink to the bottom? As for the buttercream, would adding some lemon zest be enough to give it that flavor? Thanks for your rockin advice!!
Hi Clarissa, Oooh I will have to get my butt over to Baked & Wired and give this a try, it sounds fabulous! As for the amount of blueberries, the recent blueberry muffin recipe I made (which yields 12 muffins) called for 1.5 cups (https://www.browneyedbaker.com/2011/05/31/blueberry-muffins-recipe/) – you can see if you think you think that is good, or if you’d like less. I would toss the blueberries with a teaspoon or two of flour and fold them in at the end.
Hi, I made these today. Your buttercream frosting is great. Loved it. Made vanilla, divided it and made the other half chocolate. Both really good. Now, the vanilla cupcakes…they are moist and taste really good, but you cannot turn them over and swirl them in the frosting for they fall apart or the top comes off. Sooo…still searching for perfect vanilla/yellow cake for my cupcakes. But still think you do a great job and make everything look good.
Hi Angie, There are a couple of reasons that the cupcakes could turn out dry – overmixing the batter, overbaking them, or having the heat accidentally too high (i.e. a temperamental oven). I find that if my edges are a little overdone or dry, putting them in an airtight container for about 6 hours helps to moisten them up.
I made these the other day and nearly forgot to add the whole eggs. The batter was super thick! I felt really silly when I realized my mistake. Thankfully, I caught it before I put the batter in the tins. PS – the cupcakes were delicious. I tripled the recipe and it worked fine!
Thanks for this tip! I’ve been using this recipe for quite some time and I LOVE the flavor, but I always felt they were a little on the dry side. Perhaps I am over-baking. I do feel that went I test the centers after about 22 minutes, it still comes out with batter on it and it always seemed to need a little more time. Have you ever tired lowering the temp on the oven after you put them in and then baking them a little longer? I always wondered if that worked.
well I just pulled these out of the oven. they are so yummy. I did use the creaming methought.but they still came out very good. I made a chocolate butter cream and that made them even better. thank you.
hi, i just done baking this cupcake and its very yummy :) it just came out of the oven this moment and smells soooo good that i cant wait for the icing to put on before i start eating it, thank you so much for posting this..and i just love your recipes specially frosting coz thats what i cant make perfect before i see your site.
Hi there! This recipe sounds amazing and I am hoping to use it for my son’s 2nd birthday party. I would have to make them the day before though. Is there a way to store them so that they still taste fresh the next day? Could I frost them ahead of time as well or would I have to do that the morning of the party? Thanks!
Hi Lynda, Yes! I often bake them the day before, just store in an airtight container and room temperature and they stay perfectly soft and moist. The icing is the freshest if you do it the same day, but I have also done it the night before. Again, store in an airtight container.
I just made these cupcakes, they’re cooking in the oven now, but are they supposed to be butteryish? Because I had tasted the batter and it tasted really buttery and it was a bit thick so I added some milk.
Made these tonight, they are simply amazing. This frosting is so easy, and sooooo good. I had to stop eating it by itself to have enough left to frost the cupcakes. Thanks for proving such wonderful recipes!
I made these cupcakes last week, and thought they were wonderful! I didn’t use this frosting last time, but was wanting to try it out on a chocolate cupcake. Just wondering if this frosting stays soft or if it get a “crust” after it sits for awhie?
Hi! These cupcakes look and sound delicious! I plan to make them this weekend. I was wondering if there was a certain reason as to why you didn’t cream the butter and sugar, add the eggs, then the flour alternating with milk and vanilla, as with usual cake recipes? Does it make the cake fluffier or more moist? Thanks so much for sharing this recipe and for answering my question! :)
Hi Eric, Well, first off I think that I have encountered different mixing methods for nearly every different cake or cupcake recipe I have ever tried. They all seem to be a bit different, sometimes depending on the ingredients used. This recipe in particular comes from America’s Test Kitchens (where they use trial and error with multiple ingredients combinations and mixing techniques) and the headnote of the recipe states that they found using this “dump” method to mix the batter gave them the best result when it came came to the taste and texture of the cupcakes. I hope that helps!
Hi there… I just made the vanilla cup cakes. My whole family loved them. . I liked them myself but I was expecting a more dense cake, instead I got more of a fluffy cake. Is there a way I can make them more dense? maybe a little more like a pound cake?
Hi Maianthe, Hmm, I’ve never made cupcakes the consistency of pound cake, mostly because my preference is fluffy and moist. I imagine you’d probably need more eggs to make it denser, but I’m unsure of the proportions to other ingredients. I’d try Googling “pound cake cupcakes” or something like that.
Hey Michelle! I love your site and these cupcakes look great! I do have a question about the icing…If I frost my cupcakes and then refrigerate, do they then come out tasting like butter and have the consistency of butter? I made a Martha Stewart Swiss Meringue Buttercream recipe and after being refrigerated, it was not nearly as good as fresh. I actually had to throw it away because it ‘melted’ and wasn’t usable. Thank you for any thoughts on this!!
Hi Courtney, I actually don’t refrigerate this frosting because it will harden with all of the butter in it. I just store leftovers in an airtight container at room temperature.
Hi Michelle, do you think this frosting will hold up well to being drizzled with melted chocolate, or do you think it would melt and/or lose its’ shape? Thanks!
Hi Rashmi, I think if you were to refrigerate the cupcakes after you frost them, then drizzle with chocolate and refrigerate again to set the chocolate and store them in a cool place you would be okay.
I totally made these cupcakes in Yellow and Pink for my best friend’s birthday last weekend. They turned out AMAZING! We were at a bar, so I bribed the staff with cupcakes, and now they love me forever! Thanks for another amazing recipe!
I found this recipe and immediately went to the store for sour cream. Other than sour cream (which I usually have in the frig.) I have everything in the kitchen. It was easy and delicious. My husband who is a chocoholic said, “they are very good for vanilla”. Put it this way, I made a Chocolate cake and these great cup cakes for his birthday and he has had more cup cakes then cake! Very nice cup cake. I plan to use these for my daughter’s baby shower and mount them in flower pots as center pieces. We are having a Tea Party Shower.
I also felt like the cupcakes had a cornbread texture and thought that I must have left out a wet ingredient, but I didn’t. Was this a crumbly cupcake or did I do something wrong? What do you think happened? I’d like to try again, so any advice would be appreeciated. Thanks for your help!
Hi Abby, I’m sorry these didn’t quite turn out for you. It definitely isn’t a crumbly cupcake – it’s a soft, moist buttery cupcake. Hard to say what happened if you didn’t make any substitutions and you have an oven thermometer and are sure the baking temp wasn’t off. Sometimes baked goods can be crumbly or not as moist if they are overmixed though.
I just made these and while they are good if you just use them as a regular cupcake, they are not good for filling at all as they become far too crumbly when trying to eat them. If you cut out a hole to fill with something, the walls of the hole don’t hold up very well once you have taken a couple of bites. They were nice and strong in vanilla flavour though, and if I was to make mini cupcakes I would probably use them again :)
I have been on a quest for the “ultimate cupcake” recipe – think simple, delicious, able to devour easily in two bites! This one, while simple, did not quite hit on all cylinders. The batter did not have the “smooth and satiny” texture described in the recipe (?) so I added a little milk and orange juice, and while the cupcakes WERE good, they still were too borderline “cornbread muffin” for me to greedily devour one in two bites – one of my criteria for a perfect cupcake. I felt compelled to finish out of guilt because I had started it, not because I absolutely wanted to. Perhaps I overbeat the batter, but it was so thick to start, I figured maybe there was a liquid ingredient missing. I frosted them with a swiss buttercream, and some I filled with the same buttercream or a strawberry jam. I will continue on my quest for the “ultimate” cupcake, but this was a great stop along the way!
I had the same issue. I didnt even use a beater so there is no way mine could have been over beaten. But the final texture was so thick, almost like cookie dough, that I really thought the recipe was missing a wet ingredient. I added some milk which helped with the consistency a bit, but I mostly could taste the flour and sour cream, which was odd for a cupcake. I definitely didn’t feel compelled to even finish the one I tasted, let alone the whole batch. I’m sure with a bit of tweaking though, this recipe could be amazing! It was very simple and easy to throw together, and they came out extremely moist.
I had the same issue as well. It definitely seemed like a wet ingredient was missing. The batter was just very thick, more like for butter cookies, only stickier. I was so confused. Ended up adding quite a lot of milk until it looked like cupcake batter that can be poured into baking cups (well, i did not make it liquid enough to pour, more like plop into the baking cups). The taste was ok.. not your usual can’t-get-enough perfect cupcake though.
You are wonderful. Just made this tonight and it was the best homemade cake recipe I have ever made. Yum! The frosting turned out great too! THANK YOU!
I made these cupcakes last night, and my first comment is on the buttercream frosting…DANGEROUS! Seriously, I ate about a cup of it, strictly for sampling purposes…I swear! ;) It was so delicious that I could not stop. It was smooth and easy to make and the flavor was perhaps my favorite frosting ever! My cupcakes turned out kind of dry. I’m not sure why? The flavor was there, the texture was good, but I definitely needed some milk! I took these to my book club meeting, they weren’t as big of a hit as the Lemon-Limoncello, but they did get good reviews! Another benefit to these: they were so quick and easy to make! In fact, after making the Lemon cupcakes I thought “hmm, I might need more than 12 cupcakes…I’ll try Vanilla!” and I whipped these up in about 10 or 15 minutes!
I live in Italy and have limited access to some ingredients used for American recipes. For example, I want to make sugar cookies with royal icing; however, they don’t sell meringue powder, and I’m skeptical about using raw egg whites. Could I use your vanilla buttercream frosting for sugar cookies? Something tells me that it wouldn’t work…what do you think?
Hi Rosanna, you could definitely use the vanilla buttercream to frost sugar cookies, but you wouldn’t be able to flood it and get that smooth finish, since it has much different properties than the royal icing. That said, I’ve never turned down a sugar cookie slathered with buttercream ;-)
funny, funny because i adore everything baked and wired but gtown’s salted caramel might be my favorite cupcake in the world. glad you got to try a little bit of everything!
Just made these cupcakes and they came out AMAZING!! I’m diabetic so i used splenda in the batter and it still came out great!! They were so moist and buttery! for the icing it was great too but i added a little lemon juice for a little kick and that hit the spot =) thanks for the post it is now my go to cupcake recipe.
I didn’t try the cupcake recipe but I did make icing. It turned out GREAT! I hate making icing from scratch, it is a very long process and normally it never turns out right for me. But your step by step instructions were so helpful! Thx :)
I made these for a party last night along with your dark chocolate cupcakes with chocolate buttercream, both were delicious! So yummy and moist – I will definitely be making these again.
What tip do you use for your icing swirl? I attempted with what I have but I think I need a basic lesson on icing, so instead I just used an icing spatula. Not as pretty but just as a good.
So happy to hear both cupcakes were a hit! I used a Wilton 1M decorating tip for the swirl. I will have to do a post on decorating cupcakes one of these days!
I made these last night for a Halloween work party. Delicious! Especially the icing. It holds it’s shape very well. I decorated with Halloween sprinkles and a candy corn pumpkin.
These look amazing!! Absolutely loved the CHOCOLATE buttercream recipe you posted a little bit ago, SO i know the vanilla one will not disappoint!! Thanks!!!
OMG I’m gonna make these this weekend. I am going to double the recipe, and I hope it will still come out the same. Please oh Please share how you get that lovely dolop on top of the the little cake. Thank you, and I’m looking forward to the red velvet one coming soon. Hopefully it will have cream cheese frosting…
My husband and I were just talking about our favorite cupcakes the other day, and when I said mine were vanilla flavored with vanilla frosting, he looked at me like I had a third eye! These will always be the best cupcake to me – classic, simple and super delicious! Thanks for sharing, Michelle.
Can’t wait to try some of your recipes! I don’t bake often due to me eating all of the product but still need to try your chocolate with peanut butter frosting. I almost never make vanilla anything due to my love of chocolate but this is good to have on hand. As for red velvet, I’m not from the South and still don’t understand the fascination with it. It’s not chocolate, it’s not vanilla…what the heck is it? Can’t wait to see what the explanation is in next post. I’ve tried to make it, I’ve tried buying it…still don’t get it. It’s like the red-headed stepchild of cakes to me. Anyway, the holidays are now upon us and it’s time to bake! Thanks for your fabulous site!
Those look so gorgeous. I love cupcakes. They are so elegant and you can just taste the light cakey sweetness when looking at beautiful pics such as yours. Great job.
I’m with Raven… I’m not certain how much of the frosting would actually make it to the cupcakes! An excellent recipe to have on hand for those “I need a good cupcake” occasions!
What gorgeous cupcakes! The buttercream frosting just sounds like it is to die for! That would be so dangerous if I ever put those on cupcakes or if the icing ever actually made it TO the cupcakes haha, yum
when i was in dc last month, i tried going to georgetown cupcakes but the line was so long that we just headed over to baked and wired. i loved it! the cupcakes were amazing! i had a peach cupcake with almond frosting and it was TO DIE FOR.
The owner of Baked and Wired is my husband’s cousin, Theresa. I’m glad you enjoyed it. She’s a Midwest girl at heart (and by birth) and many of the recipes she uses are modified from her family. Your cupcakes look very yummy.
Hi Barbara, So neat to hear your connection to Baked & Wired and the background of the recipes! Small world! Maybe you can snag me a “behind the scenes” pass sometime :)
I’ve not been “behind the scenes” myself, as I’m in Ohio and she’s in, well, Georgetown, but Theresa is as nice as she can be — she has her hands in everything there. I’m sure if you just ask, she would be happy to show you around. She’d love to read your post. I’ll pass it on to her mom, who, I’m sure, will pass it on to her.
Aw thanks Barbara, I will have to try to touch base with her the next time I’m in the area. And thank you for passing along the post, I hope she appreciates it! :)
Hi Michelle, I’m so happy that you posted a really good looking vanilla cupcake with vanilla frosting, it’s one of my favorite cupcakes! I’ve never done a vanilla frosting without milk or cream, what’s the difference with just vanilla on it?
I completely agree, I thought Georgetown Cupcakes were so over rated and I was completely disappointed! And at 2.75 a cupcake I was expecting something that would knock my socks off! The cake was so dry with very little taste. I can’t wait to try this recipe!
If you ever find yourself back at Georgetown Cupcake, call ahead to make an order. It allows you to skip the line! But I’m so glad to hear you preferred Baked & Wired – it’s my favorite pick in the area!
Vanilla/vanilla is always one of my favorite cupcakes. But, I’m so excited to see your red velvet recipe! I have a long history of shouting at Yankees that Red Velvet is NOT A CHOCOLATE CAKE, dernit! This makes me disproportionately interested in any appearance of red velvet. More of my thoughts on the matter here: http://darbyoshea.wordpress.com/2010/03/28/march-cake-dans-birthday/
YAY! I’m so glad you liked Baked&Wired – I’ve lived in DC for ages, and I always tell people to go there instead of G’town Cupcake :) Their cupcakes are bigger and they have more frosting (which is my favorite part of any cake)
I followed your recipe fr the frosting to make an almond frosting and it worked perfectly! just take away the vanilla and add almond extract! Thank you is wonderful!
these are gorgeous… I really need a frosting lesson… this frosting looks like you have a REALLY BIG tip that made one big plop instead of swirling around… how DID you do it?? :D
Hi! I am going to bake your cupcakes but I was wondering if the recipe made 12 miniature cupcakes or 12 regular size. You confused me with your proir comment! Please help me!
I was wondering how long you baked the mini cupcakes (I usually make everything mini since I feel less guilty eating them!) :) I’m assuming 20-24 min is for the regular cupcakes? Thanks so much! I love your blog and have tried a few of the recipes that you have posted, with great success!
I was wondering if it was possible to do the recipe without the sour cream?? or maybe replace it with something else?? thanks p.s i love your website :)
I’ve been maxing these for last 5-6 years and they are my favorite!!!!! I don’t understand all the not so great reviews. These were one of the first homemade cupcake recipes I used and they came out and still come out perfect every single time! The only thing I do differently is I make cream cheese frosting because that’s my preference to buttercream. But, my oh my, these cupcakes are divine! 🥰🧁🥰
I wish I would have read the comments before picking this recipe for my daughter’s birthday party. Is the ingredients list missing some kind of liquid? Milk? Buttermilk? Something? The mixture was more like dough than cake batter.
I made these yesterday and they came out great. I’m also glad I didn’t read the comments beforehand but I’m a fairly new-ish baker and baking IS tricky but like most skills in life, the more you do it, the better you get. I made homemade red velvet last week and the cake sunk in the middle and I did everything right like not over-mixing and bringing all cold stuff to room temperature. I think you gotta have patience with baking and be willing to fail along the way. When you nail it, you feel great! This recipe is a winner and I’ll be making them again. I also like that it makes smaller batches. Sure I can halve recipes but it’s nice not to have to either.
When you state to add the butter, sour cream, etc…do I just dump them all in at once then mix or do I add one ingredient at a time and mix after each one?
I always come here for baking recipes. Unfortunately, these cupcakes missed the mark for me. They did end up very dense, even though I made sure to follow the recipe exactly. One friend commented that they had the consistency of cornbread muffins. But the taste is wonderful and the butter flavor comes through well. The crumb just wasn’t what I like in a cupcake.
Always get a lot of compliments on these cupcakes!!
Love BEB but this recipe wasn’t my favorite. The crumb in the cupcake was too dense for me. I loved the frosting and will keep that for other recipes in the future.
I think I was looking for something lighter -I should’ve known with all those yolks that it wasn’t going to be light enough.
I made these today & was pleasantly surprised. The cupcakes came out light & moist. They didn’t deflate or were grainy. Will most definitely use this recipe again.
I did the exact same recipe but I put in a cake pan and it took about 60 minutes. Was it the cake pan that made it longer to bake?
Hi Adriana, Yes it will take longer in 9×13 than in round layers.
Hi! Can you freeze the frosting? Making a batch for tomorrow then next Thursday:..:
Hi Laura, I think that frosting is always best fresh, but you CAN freeze it; let it thaw in the refrigerator overnight, then take it out and let it come to room temperature, give it a whip with the mixer (stand or hand, either is fine) or a strong whisk, and it’ll be ready to use.
This recipe came out on the dry side for me— excellent buttery vanilla flavor, but really not the plush, moist yellow cake I was after. I wouldn’t go so far as to compare it to “cornbread” but I was disappointed. I followed all the instructions (using the weights), mixed it up by hand, and my resulting batter was quite thick— not smooth or satiny. They baked quickly— 20 minutes exactly (rotated the pan halfway through). The frosting recipe was easy and smooth. Overall, while I don’t think the cupcakes are unservable at a casual event, I’m still looking for a vanilla cake I can use for birthday parties.
Excellent recipe cupcake are delicious
So, um, do we have to do it for three days? Cuz we just wanted and number party snack X D
I made this recipe as both cupcakes and as cake. I have struggled with white/vanilla recipes for various reasons, but I overthink everything! Today I asked my family to taste this recipe (as cake) compared to another site’s white cake recipe. This recipe won!! For taste and texture, this recipe won. Both recipes made a beautiful cake, but this one is more flavorful, a bit more colorful, and slightly moister. My son tasted this as cake and cupcakes (I didn’t tell him both were the same recipe), and he chose this recipe for both cake/cupcake. I will use this recipe as a base for marble and chocolate chip cakes, as well as vanilla/white cake with lemon curd and raspberry puree fillings. Of course, this cake will be great with vanilla and chocolate buttercream, and even citrus flavored buttercreams. Thank you!
Made the cupcakes exactly as described. Still came out dense and “cornbread”-like. Not impressed at all. The flavor seems great, but texture is absolutely lacking. dry and crumbly.
The icing was divine! Will definitely make it again. However, the cupcake itself was less flavorful and more dense than a standard vanilla cupcake. The texture was more like a corn cake even though I mixed all the wet ingredients first before adding in the flour at the end and mixing gently on low.
Can you make this into a vanilla cake? Or do you have another recipe for a cake? Thank you! Love you recipes!!
Hi Amanda, You could just double the recipe! I do also have this vanilla cake recipe: https://www.browneyedbaker.com/yellow-cake-chocolate-frosting/
Will have to try these on my 9 year old grandson who prefers a vanilla or over chocolate cupcake. These look YUMMY!! I love it when a good recipe is brought to my attention.
I’m usually a chocolate all day every day kind of girl, but every once in awhile, I get a hankering for a good vanilla treat…when I make my cakes or cupcakes strictly vanilla, I LOVE to use a variety of vanillas to get the best, most vanilla-y flavor. I use a true Mexican vanilla, a Tahitian Vanilla, and Madagascar Vanilla Bean Paste (for the flecks!). Each imparts it’s own flavor…Mexican is a little smoky, Tahitian is a bit flowery, and paste is SO intense and I love the flecks. It doesn’t become medicinal (like if you add too much almond or coconut extracts). I stick to the same amt. as per recipe, but just break it up into thirds and add each one. Give it a try. I’d love to know your thoughts.
Could I ask what size eggs you use in grams? Sometime it’s a little tricky converting american recipies here in Australia!
Thank you :)
Hi Laura, I use large size eggs, when I Googled, it says that large eggs are about 2.125 ounces per egg, which translates to 60 grams. I hope that helps!
These cupcakes are so beautiful! Vanilla cupcakes are such a delicious classic! I have to try your recipe soon ♥
I usually love all of the cupcake recipes on here. This is the exception. The cupcakes came out hard as a rock. I should have known better and just put in the flour last.
Hi Michelle,
thank you so much for this recipe! I have a quick question though… I used to make it at least once a month a few years ago because family, friends and colleagues loved these cupcakes so much. After having two kids over the past three years (ergo too little time or energy to bake), I finally came back to this recipe today. For some reason the ingredients aren’t ringing bells in my mind… the egg yolks and the 1/2 cup sour cream, for instance. Has this recipe been altered over the past three years?
Don’t get me wrong though… it’s still awesome!!! Just wondering if a) I’m losing my mind, b) I’m suffering from breastfeeding dementia or c) it really has changed? ;)
Hi Ute, HA I totally understand! I’m about to have my 3rd in 3 years 2 months 😂🙈 But, to answer your question, I haven’t changed this recipe at all, but there is another vanilla cupcake recipe on the site you may have been using? https://www.browneyedbaker.com/classic-yellow-cupcakes-with-chocolate-frosting/
I hope that helps!
Hi i really hope you can answer me please i need this recipe for 24 cupcakes i really will lobe to try it thank you and have a bless day.
Hi Miguelina, Just double the ingredients to get 24 cupcakes. Enjoy!
Made these today for my daughter’s birthday. I don’t bake or even eat cupcakes but they are divine. Thanks for the recipe. My first from scratch batch :)
Whenever I make homemade cup cakes they always turn out tasting like corn bread or overly sweet sugar cookies or they end up tasting like a mix of both. I don’t know how to fix this, I have tried many recipes but they all turn out like this. Please help!!
Hi Heather, This is a pretty common problem and is usually a result of overmixing, or too much flour. Use the measurement of 7.5 ounces for the flour and see if those two things help!
We used to have the “cornbread” texture problem at the bakery where I worked and it was because the owner would leave the mixer on too long (doing other things). I have found that if I stop mixing 30 sec. before the recipe says, and mix the last bit by hand, just to make sure everything is incorporated, no more cornbread texture!
I only have a regular hand mixer, so I do not have the paddle attachment. Does that matter? if I just use the whisk attachment?
Hi Erika, That’s totally fine, you can just use the regular beaters with your hand mixer!
hi if i dont include the sour cream will it still be okay? bec i want to make now before i actually make for my friend who ordered from me. hope you could reply soon. thank you.
Hi Jennifer, No they will be much too dry without the sour cream. You can substitute buttermilk or plain yogurt.
Is this better supposed to be thick ? I mixed it and it was very thick a little tough to put inside cupcake molds
Hi Amy, Yes, it’s a thick batter.
Does the sour cream give it weird taste?
Hi Samantha, Not at all, it keeps them nice and moist!
Made the cupcakes as written and it was delicious. Not too sweet and very moist. I went a step further and filled them with rum-scented pineapple filling. Heavenly!
This was tots gross
This recipe was very salty and sour at the same time and I did not enjoy it. Also I had some of my friends try the cake for my grandma’s funeral and they spit it out. I am so embarrassed.
These cupcakes are 1 word AMAZING!!
Best recipe !! Moist , buttery, crunchy on top.. Today I made 3 different recipes, so far this is the winner
Thank you for blogging about it. Very nice collection many recipe at one place CakenGifts.in , I loved it.
can I double this recipe
Yes, definitely!
can you substitute plain yogurt for the sour cream?
Hi Sue, Yes, that should be fine!
I made these this evening and they are fabulous! I was hunting for a Baked and Wired-eque cupcake recipe, which I still dream about from my DC days (now based in London) and came across this one. Couldn’t be happier with how the batch turned out. Although I over filled the cases and they spilled over a little, the tops have an almost vanilla cookie crunch while the texture when you bite in is rich and fluffy, just perfect. I turned these into funfetti cupcakes by adding half a cup of sprinkles, and iced with a vanilla cream cheese frosting. Thanks for posting this recipe! 110% recommend.
Love the frosting recipe. However, when you redirected people to the updated yellow cupcake recipe you didn’t note the difference in yield between the two recipes. I made a double batch of the updated yellow cupcake recipe, and double the frosting recipe here. I frosted half my cupcakes and am now waiting for butter to soften to make ANOTHER batch of frosting.
Could you maybe flag the difference better so others don’t experience the same frustration?
I made this frosting for a birthday cake; it was absolutely perfect! Definitely a recipe I will refer to again and again!
these are divine. the interplay of the tang of the sour cream in the cake with the beautifully simple frosting is perfect. you are a baking genius! love your recipes, thanks for sharing.
This was great! It was light and fluffy but had a crunchy top. I will definitively be making these again!
These cupcakes are sooooooo delicious that I literally baked 5 dozens of them.YUM!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!
Very good! I added one stick of butter to the buttercream and it came out the perfect consistency for decorating.
i added milk to the buttercream icing and ran out of powdered sugar after about 1 1/3 cups and used granulated sugar for the rest. It made the frosting have a slightly crunchy texture instead of a creamy one and it is actually really really good, i mixed it ALOT more too. But anyway, thanks for the recipe the minis came out amazing and made sooo many!
Hi Michelle, I made these, the ultimate chocolate and red velvet cupcakes and while the last two turned out beautifully, both batches of the vanilla ones never puffed up but had a flat slightly hard top. I followed the recipe to a T. Is there a tip to get these fluffier?
Hi Julia, I would recommend this newer recipe, as I’ve found it produces a better cupcake: https://www.browneyedbaker.com/classic-yellow-cupcakes-with-chocolate-frosting/. I will put a note at the top of this page!
what if i dont have sour cream?is there any substitute?
Hi Juvy, You can use plain yogurt.
Sorry, we did not care for these at all. The kids each ate one, and I ended up pitching the rest a week later. That’s a first in our house. We do prefer a sweet buttercream, but this is sugar overload. Even my sugarholic 10-year-old thought so. I’ll stick with my tried and true Best Ever Vanilla Bean Cupcakes
Hi! I’m making these for a friends engagement shower, the batter is very thick. I was just wondering if that was normal? Is it supposed the a denser cake?
Hi Arie, Yes, the batter should be thick. Enjoy the cupcakes!
Hi,
This is my totally first time baking and is the dough supposed to look like bread dough. Like I said this is my very first time baking but i mixed all the wet ingredients first then sifted in the dry slowly while I mixed and its pretty thick. Any help would be greatly appreciated.
So I made the cupcakes anyway and they turned out more like a muffin then a cake. They had pretty good flavor and the frosting was awesome but I was wondering what I did wrong. Anytime I’ve made cakes in the past the batter was very smooth and this batter was just like bread dough.. Any help would be much appreciated.
Do you think I can substitute Greek yogurt for the sour cream? If so, the same amount?
Hi Christa, Yes, you can substitute Greek yogurt for the sour cream.
I love this recipe.I’ve been trying to find a good vanilla cupcake recipe for the longest and I finally found one I’m happy with.Thanks so much.I wasn’t a fan of the icing because of how sweet it was and I ended up just using a store bought buttercream.When you made yours we’re they super soft? Mine were very soft and I’m not sure that that was a good thing lol.Thanks again and I look forwRd to using this recipe again.
I just made these with my daughter and followed the recipe exactly. We both felt like the cakes tasted more “muffiny” if that makes sense. It did yield 12 well-portioned cakes but the flavor was pretty plain. Frosting was good, not out-of-this-world. I had almost added coconut milk to everything and toasted coconut on top…really wishing I had. Thank you for the recipe anyway.
Pls can i use milk instead of sour cream or is there something else i can use? PLS HELP!!!
Hi Christie, You can use plain yogurt in place of the sour cream.
My husband was licking the icing off the beaters when I wasn’t looking! He loved it! Thanks for such great recipes!
Hello Michelle,
I can`t help it but I am about to go to the kitchen and make them right after I finish typing.
Wonderful recipes I find on here.
Thank you
hi I am ten and love backing hope I mack it rite =)
Hi there! I have so many issues I hope you can help! I made this recipe and my cupcakes came out like cornbread…
Hello! These look SO delicious! I am thinking I am going to make them for my daughters 1st birthday party this weekend! I am wanting to do a little smash cake for her and wondered if you think this recipe would work? If so, how would you go about with cook time, etc..? Thanks xx
Hi Madison, Sure! It all depends on what size you make it, but you may need to increase the baking time.
Im making this recipe. I hope for success wish me luck. Im rooting for more of your cupcake recipes. :)
I was looking for a simple cupcake recipe for cupcake decorating. I did add some seeds from a vanilla bean since I have them and rarely use them. I’d say that was a good idea. They we’re effect for decorating and very yummy:)
Would this recipe be ok to use for a cake?
Hi Sylvia, I have never tried using this recipe for a cake, but others have reported it successful.
How many cups of butter? Not sure if you mean 8oz or 8 fluid ounces. I don’t want to mess these up. Help please!!!!
Hi Laura, For the frosting I presume? You need 8 ounces, which is 1 cup, or 2 sticks, however, you measure.
Hello, yes I googled it and figured that out. As far as the smart balance, mistake! I think I read in another comment and i had the same result, the icing wasn’t thick and so it had a melty look to it. I will make sure to buy and use actual butter next time. Other than the cupcakes were delicious! Thanks for the reply.
Hello there, I am new here, came across your site while searching easy recipes for my picky husband. :) for the frosting i ran out of sugar but i do have Domino confectioners sugar can i use that? also i dont really cook nor use butter so the closes thing i have to it is the Smart Balanc Buttery spread, will this work? Thanks and i will be coming back here on a weekly basis, i love this site and your recipes, and your FRIDAY section!
Hi Celeste, Yes, confectioners sugar is the same thing as powdered sugar. I am honestly not sure if the Smart Balance will work; I never use butter substitutes in my baking.
Just came across these cupcakes. The batter seems more like for cookie dough. Is there a chance I can add milk
Hi, I made thie recipe over the weekend; but the cupcake batter was so thick I added milk to it. Is there no liquid in the batter?
Hi! I’m so excited to come across this recipe! I have been desperately searching for a vanilla cake recipe and was starting to think there was no such thing and it was either yellow or white but I personally don’t think either of those are vanillaee enough (yes I know I made up a word with horrible spelling lol) I plan on using this to make a double or triple layer cake that I will then cover in frosting rosettes. I already had a frosting recipe picked out for it’s stiffness (uses shortening) but yours sounds so much more decadent, do you think I could use your frosting and still have it hold shape for the rosettes? I live in Florida and made a cake the other day that had half butter half shortening buttercream and it kept melting on me so I’m concerned about that. Btw I am new to your blog but am absolutely loving it!!
Hi Sara, If you’ll have the frosting in heat/humidity, I would recommend sticking with the stiffer frosting, as it will be more reliable.
I made these cupcakes with my boys (4 & 6 yrs.) and they are delicious! We made your chocolate butter cream frosting.
Hi tried the receipe came out really well, this ones a keeper! Only variation I did was I added 3 whole eggs and it still came out super awesome !
i really liked your recipes. i want to find out that what if i don’t have a hand mixer? can i use a wooden ladle ??
Hi Maame, I have not attempted this recipe by just mixing with a spoon. I’m not sure if you could aerate the mixture properly, but if that’s all you have, it’s certainly worth a try. Let me know how it goes!
These cupcakes are phenomenal! I used this recipe for a small baking competition at my high school last year (although I used yogurt as a substitute for sour cream, as we had to make a healthy substitution as a requirement), and I won first place and $50! I topped them off with homemade caramel, and my friend is still asking me to make her some. This is my go-to cupcake recipe when I’m in the mood to bake from scratch. Thanks for sharing! :)
Too much sugar in the icing in my opinion. I think 1 cup or so is enough. Otherwise, quite good! Thanks!
I don’t have sour cream. What can I substitute it for?
Hi Mar, You could use plain yogurt.
This is my son’s favorite recipe. Could I turn this into a sheet cake by doubling all the ingredients? If so what is the cook time? He is requesting this for his birthday. Thanks. Love all your recipes!
Hi Patricia, I have not tried converting this to a cake, but you would want to increase the baking time a bit. Let me know how it turns out!
Just made these cupcakes for the 4th of July! Absolutely perfect and great tasting! Thank you so much for the recipe!!
Hey, I have to say that these cupcakes looks delicous and I plan to do them tomorrow.. but I have to say it would be easier for many of us if you used metric system :/ sometimes I get really confused by all the cups which vary in dry and other ingredients…
Hey these cupcakes look amazing! im making them for my little sisters birthday party and was wondering if it would be crazy if i put sprinkles on them? :))
Not crazy at all! Do it!
I just made these to test them. I plan to make some more later tonight for a school party tomorrow. They are terrific!
I read through a lot of the comments, just to be sure I wasn’t missing any good tips. A lot people complained about crumbly, cornbread-like cakes. I did not have that experience, and I think I know why. The recipe says to mix for 30 seconds THE FIRST TIME you mix. That’s just to get things started. You need to mix again after you scrape down the sides. You can’t just mix the batter for 30 seconds. I mixed a few times with scraping in between before I got the silky consistency. It won’t be super thick anymore by then. It won’t be thin, but definitely not like cookie dough. Of course people will say that you shouldn’t overbeat, but you do have to beat enough.
For vanilla cupcakes, this is a GREAT recipe!
I am a terrible baker & these were the easiest and tastiest cupcakes I’ve ever made. My mother-in-law was shocked when I told her I made them from scratch!
Hi, I love your blog, I love your dogs and I love your recipes!!! I’ve made this before and they turn out fantastic, but this time I’d like to make mini cupcakes with this recipe. Do I need to ajust something in the recipe or can I just use it as it is? And as for time and temperature in the oven…do you have any suggestions for me? Thank you!!
Hi Carolina, You can use the recipe as-is, keep the temperature the same, but reduce the baking time. I would start checking for doneness around the 8-10 minute mark.
I need 36 cupcakes. If I just triple all the ingredients in the recipe will it turn out the same? Thanks!
Hi Adriane, I have not tried tripling this recipe, but I know others have scaled it successfully.
Hi!do i have to put sour cream?
Yes, it’s very important for ensuring a moist cupcake.
Best cupcakes!!!!
Try using normal butter not light. That will make the cupcakes feel normal, and not like muffins.
Light
Love these cupcakes!! They are wonderful!!! Just a question though, The cupcakes have a muffin texture. Is that normal?
What kind of butteR do you use?
Have you ever doubled this recipe? I have made many of your recipes and they are always perfect! However, this was a disaster. I have no idea where I went wrong!! They tasted great though :) I topped them with a Oreo whipped cream frosting. I will definitely try these again.
Hi Erin, I have not personally doubled this recipe, but some other readers have mentioned that they have without issue.
I’ve had an issue, if you haven’t doubled them before how do you know it is easy?
Hi Michelle,
I am planning to use your recipe to make cupcakes for my friends bridal shower. We will be making an engagement ring out of cupcakes. Do you have any suggestions for keeping the frosting white (besides clear vanilla extract) for the cupcakes that will make up the diamond? Also, any modifications for the icing I plan to tint silver for the ring? My guess was extra powdered sugar but wanted to double check! Thanks!
Hi Michelle, The trick most bakeries use to ensure completely white frosting is to use all shortening (no butter) and clear vanilla extract. You shouldn’t need to do anything different to the frosting that you plan to tint. It sounds like a super cute idea!!
I found your site searching for a vanilla cupcake recipe, and just finished baking and frosting these amazing cupcakes. They came out perfectly. My kids and I think these are the BEST vanilla cupcakes we have ever had! Thank you for the wonderful recipe.
Awesome. They came out lovely. Thank you so much. I love it. My husband rushed it. Lol.
Hi Michelle! these were fantastic, fluffy and soft on the inside and a lovely crisp on the out! Please girlies! try this recipe it is fantastic and of course tastes fantatsic as well! xx
These came out great even though I kind of screwed them up. I made 1/2 a recipe for mini cupcakes. I over-beat the mix at the end (I went well over the 30 seconds and there was no point for stirring) and used light sour cream (that’s what happens when you try to buy sour cream around Cinco de Mayo). The resulting cupcakes have a really fine texture with a nice vanilla/butter flavor. I don’t bake often and have one of those v. basic hand mixers. I mixed all of the wet ingredients together then added that mix to the dry ingredients. I wasn’t sure if it was ok to add the wet items separately to the dry mix. They were ready to come out of the over in about 12 minutes.
This is the best vanilla cupcake recipe ever!!!!!! and I have tried box mixes and made them from scratch as well. I don’t even need a frosting for this I just put in food coloring and swirl it. it looks so pretty. not one of my siblings refused a second cupcake and they are really picky being that they are ages 9,12,and 17
what’s the difference between powdered sugar and confectioner’s sugar?
how many oz. ia a miniature cup?
Hi Andrea, They are the same thing, just different nomenclature. I don’t know how many ounces a miniature cupcake weighs.
Why is the sourcream for???
what it’s benefit to the mixture??
It adds moisture.
Hi I’m nine years old and I’m hoping to make these cupcakes today! But I’m wondering if I can substitute the sour cream for something else, I’m not sure what though. Please respond soon!
Hi Zoe, I’m sorry it took me a few days to get back to you, I’m on vacation this week. You could substitute whole milk for the sour cream. I hope you enjoy them!
I made these the other day and they were the best I have ever had, hands down. I did substitute 1 c white flour for 1 c whole wheat to make myself feel like they were healthy. Haha! While normally this seems to make baked goods drier, these were still amazingly moist. This is going to be my go to recipe from now on. Amazing!!!
great recipe – definitely made more than 12 cupcakes though. I doubled the recipe for fearing of only ending up with 12 and got closer to 40. They are delicious.
I have made these cupcakes so many times, and every time super super good! I am baking them again for my twins’ 5th bday party two weeks from today, but I need like…60! Do these freeze good? What would you suggest? And thank you for sharing this great recipe.
Hi Gaby, You can freeze them, but do not frost them until ready to serve.
Really great recipe! I made these and added colorful sprinkles, to make confetti cupcakes for Easter. Came out perfect, fluffy and creamy, didn’t know that was possible from a cupcake! Thank you for posting this, I will continue to refer to this recipe for vanilla cupcakes! 10 out of 10.
Love these cupcakes !!!!! This is my go to vanilla cupcake and vanilla buttercream frosting recipe !!!!! Amazing every time :) Thank you
Well, I’m sad to say that I re-made these today WITH the butter and they were basically the same! A little more moist for sure but still a bit crumbly and “cornbread”ish… they don’t look like the one you have picture at ALL! Yours looks almost translucent… golden and moist and shiny looking! MINE looks wrinkled at the top with craters… looks like a muffin, tastes like cornbread. I mixed it on medium for 30 seconds, and the rest I did by hand. The batter was sticky and dense and felt like the liquids were missing! :( The cake was tasty, but the texture was definitely crumbly and a little on the dry side. HELP! could you re-make this and post some pictures??? seems strange that so many of us are having the same problem…
I also thought these tasted like cornbread… and they didn’t look as nice as the ones in the photo… and so I was about to write the comment on this page when I went back and poked around the kitchen and realized (are you ready for this?): I FORGOT THE BUTTER!! They were still DELICIOUS but more on the crumbly slightly cornbreadish side. but tasty a great! SO, I’m going to remake them tomorrow because that was the easiest batch of cupcakes I’ve ever made… although I should have realized when it was that easy that something was missing… ;)
These turned out absolutely delicious! I ended up using a hand mixer instead of the stand mixer with the paddle attachment, and though the cupcakes were a little denser, they still tasted delicious. Yum!
Kia Ora! I just baked these the other day and they turned out amazing :)
I was wondering though If I could add oreos to this recipe just to turn it into a cookies and cream cupcake without the cupcake being dry?
Thanks!
Hi Lil, I have not tried this, but if you do, please let me know how they turn out!
I just stumpled upon your page when looking for a vanilla buttercream receipe. I just made it, and oh my gosh-delish. I caught myself licking the bowl out. So simple, but so good. I have created a list of your cupcakes that I will be trying in the future. Really looking forward to the Red Velvet. Thanks again!
This is my go to blog/site for most baking recipes. Never made anything from here that didn’t turn out amazing!
Just made these today for my daughter’s birthday. I goofed and only added half of the butter. :/ They’re still cooling so not frosted yet.
But they look good and smell amazing!
The frosting is soooooooo good! I’ll be saving some to take to work for to smear on crackers…anything to assist in the appearance that I *don’t* have a problem.
:)
GREAT RECIPE!!! THANK YOU!!! MY KIDS LOVE IT!!! I wish I could eat too, gluten and dairy problems are not fun!!! ;-)
Just made these and they are delicious!! Love! Super moist and perfect for what i needed for my son’s bday party :)
I would like to try this recipe but I only have a hand blender….the kind with two whisk attachments. Will it still turn out ok? Should I mix the wet ingredients together first and then add to the dry ingredients? I really want nice fluffy cupcakes for my daughters birthday party : )
Hi Mariko, I think it would be just fine to use your hand mixer, I wouldn’t change the method at all.
Hi! I used my hand mixer, followed as directed and they came out perfect :)
just made these. they were delicious!!!!
I just made 2 batches of these, one last night and one today, and they also came out with a texture reminiscent of corn bread. The flavor tastes like a yummy vanilla cupcake, but the texture is much more of a muffin. They look nothing like the moist, soft ones in the photo above! I followed the recipe to a “t”, even counting the seconds of mixing together to a smooth & satiny finish on medium speed of my mixer. Very strange. I too feel like they need some moisture to get that “cupcake” texture we all are looking for. Compared to the chocolate ones I also made from your website, they look COMPLETELY different – even teh batter!!!!
So…these looked great. I got a wild hair and added a can of pineapple chunks about 1/2 cup fresh orange juice and about a cup of coconut flakes. Butter cream frosting with a hint of orange dipped in coconut. Just sounded good…lol
They. were. awesome!
Thank you for the recipe!
just made these yesterday turned out SOOOOO good! they’re are delicious!
I even added a few chocolate chips to some of the cupcakes.
and added vanilla bean to the frosting and now there is yummy specs of vanilla bean! I will definitely make these again!
My batter is super, super thick. When the cupcakes baked up the tops cracked like a muffin. What did I do wrong?
Hi Tracy, This is a thicker batter, so I doubt that you did anything wrong. As for the cracking, they may have been over baked.
The batter is delicious, however for me the baking time is too long. At 350, it’s more like 10-12 minutes. I took my first batch out at 14 minutes and they were slightly burned on the edges and a dark golden brown. Perhaps reduce to 325 for 14-16 min? Yummy cupcake, I wlil definitely use batter again!
Thank you for sharing your recipes made your red velvet and vanilla cup cakes both delicious
Your buttercream recipe saved me and my fiancé lives. Elliseh( my soon to be wife) has already commented saying how great it was buti just wanted to expand on it. And also , hello michelle , you are invited to our wedding tomorrow as you saved our lives . We will email the details to you
Thank you soooooo much for your buttercream recipe . It saved my life as nothing else describes it in cups . I am also getting married tommorow and these are the perfect recipe for my after party. My husband , calum and i, are very happy about this website and will visit the site again.
i loved the cupcakes, but i was wondering if you can use this for a cake?
Hi Juanita, I have not personally tried this, but others have commented that they’d have success. You would want to double the recipe to make a two-layer 8-inch or 9-inch cake, or a 9×13-inch cake.
Sorry i asked so early in the morning just that i am from singapore and i think our times are 12 hours apart.
Hi! This is my first time making cupcakes and i was wondering if the dark chocolate cupcakes would go nice with the vanilla buttercream cause my friends don’t really like peanut butter when i ask them if they wanted dark chocolate cupcakes with peanut butter .
Hi Kitty, Yes, the chocolate would definitely go well with the vanilla buttercream.
Hi, can i add some color with buttercream frosting?
Absolutely!
mine came out tasting like cornbread too! and the tops came off… :(
they looked NOTHING like the cupcakes in the photos…
I am in europe and the flour here is almost exclusively CAKE FLOUR… so that’s what I used… could it be that? We most certainly didn’t overbeat! The dough was think like for cookies, I too thought there was a liquid ingredient missing…
I added a tsp of karo syrup to this frosting…. Yum!
I followed your directions exactly and the cupcakes and icing were perfect! They aren’t as light as commercial cupcakes but they aren’t supposed to be. Cakey, moist, buttery goodness. And the buttercream is amazing! I’m trying salted butter this time for a little extra zip.
I’m making these today for my son’s friends 18th birthday party on Sunday!
I am going to try this recipe this week but I was thinking of trying vanilla paste. What are your thoughts on vanilla paste versus extra? Thanks in advance, Jane
Hi Jane, You can substitute vanilla bean paste; use the same amount.
So, I made these last year, in November, but they did not come out right… BUT, because I knew exactly what I had done wrong, I did not post a review. Today, I made them again, did everything right… AND, they are the best vanilla cupcakes EVER!!! Lol!! Thank you! I have tried a gazillion cupcake recipes and this is the recipe I have said “I do” to!
From the Netherlands…
This is a hit. They are so light and fluffy and amazing flavor.
um…is there a liquid component to this recipe because my batter looks more like moist cookie dough, will the sour cream balance this out while the cupcakes are cooking?
The cupcakes tasted very dense and the batter was sticky. I do not recommend this recipe.
My cupcakes turned out horrible. They were dry and hard as a rock on the top. This was a to much work for bad cupcakes.
Just baked these for my daughter. They turned out perfect! Thank you so much. I gave never baked before and so your instructions were right on and easy to follow.
Hi,
Do you think this recipe could also be made into 9 inch rounds? I really love this recipe and would love to turn it into cakes.
Thanks!
Hi Annie, I personally have not made these as rounds, but some other folks have. Just be sure to double the recipe, and they may need some extra time in the oven.
Can I make the frosting with a hand mixer instead?
Yes!
This was AWFUL. They were dry, crumbly, and unevenly baked. I baked them for twenty six minutes. The outside was brown and the inside was goop. I did it right, and my oven is working. Shame on you for posting such a repulsive recipie. >:-(
But the icing was ok…
You obviously didn’t do it right then..
Amazing cupcakes!! I had to add half and half to the buttercream recipe that I doubled because it was to thick. Still tasted great! But im not sure why it origionally came out too thick.
Can I just say that this is the first time in ever that I made homemade frosting–and it was good. Spoon-outta-the-container-and-straight-into-the-mouth good. Can I know for how long this can stay refrigerated?:) I still have some left over from all that holiday baking, heh!
I would say about a week. You’ll need to let it come to room temperature and re-whip it before using again.
How long can you leave the buttercream out? Do you have to refrigerate the buttercream when frosted on the cupcake?
Hi Grace, You do not need to refrigerate the cupcakes once they are frosted. If you make the frosting and aren’t planning to use it the same day, you should refrigerate it.
hey they look delicious…. im gonna try it frst thing tomorrow…. but I dont have sour cream. can I substitute sour yogurt for this? would that make too much difference?
Hi Sarah, I think that plain yogurt would be an okay substitute for the sour cream. Enjoy!
Hi I need to make 60 regular size cupcakes and I’m not sure how to measure the ingredients. Can you help?
Thanks,
Nicole
Hi Nicole, Since this recipes makes 12 cupcakes, you would need to make 5 batches of this recipe.
I made these last week, but because I have a serious addiction to your salted caramel, I added some caramel filling and a couple big spoonfuls of caramel to the buttercream. They were incredible, thank you. :)
Hi Michelle!!!. I made this cupcakes and LOVE them, specially the cake itself, it was so moisty and good!!!, i want to do some cinnamon-vanilla cake pops and i was wondering if you think this recipe could work in cake form :D xoxo
Hi Anaisa, I have never used this recipe to make cake, so I couldn’t say definitively. If you try it, please let me know how it turns out!
Can this be done with a hand mixer?
Yes!
hello:)
i was just wondering if salted butter is okay to use instead of unsalted butter please help! thank you:)
anna
Hi Anna, Yes, just omit the salt in the recipe.
I want to try this recipe but I have to make 60 cupcakes. Can you tell me how to adjust the recipe?
Thanks!
Hi Nicole, Since you need 60 cupcakes, it looks like you’ll need to make 5 batches of this particular recipe. I have not tried to scale it up on a large scale, so I’m not sure if you could make all of the batter at once without issue.
I made this cupcakes, and everything was perfect, they puffed up nicely, but then at the middle of the cooking time their center collapsed. Help !!! I love the flavor.
Any advice will be appreciated .
Thanks
Hi Mary, I’m sorry you had some trouble. Did you happen to open the door to rotate the pan and maybe tapped it against the rack? That could cause them to fall. However, if they weren’t touched, I’m not sure why they would fall halfway through; sometimes cakes and cupcakes will sink in the middle while cooling if they have not cooked the whole way through.
I made these cupcakes today the batter was thick and I was scared it would be dense but that was so not the case. they were light and fluffy and moist so great.
HI, I tried these cupcakes but they came out very dense and not very flavourful. I’m not sure what I did wrong :( also the buttercream was very melty and not the greatest. what vanilla did you use? could it be because I don’t have a stand mixer?
Hi Sarah, I use Nielsen Massey Madagascar Bourbon Vanilla Extract. The probably could be if you did it completely by hand and the ingredients didn’t incorporate well enough.
thank you so much for responding! is there anyway I can avoid that using a hand mixer? unfortunately a stand mixer isn’t in the budget right now….someday!
Hi Sarah, I had mixer would definitely be a huge improvement over hand mixing!
I made these and they exploded in my oven not sure what I did wrong I followed the recipe to the exact measurements any advise would be help full
Amaizing.i like it.
I finally decided on these for my first attempt at baking cupcakes. They seemed the least complicated for a newbie like me. I got everything ready and started, only to realize I had forgotten the sour cream! All I had in my fridge that was comparable were three Stony-Field Farm yogurts. I picked the raspberry, because it was blended and there were no seeds or fruit chunks like the other yogurts. I also had to use an electric mixer instead of a stand mixer. I was scared of over-mixing, based on some other comments, so I made sure to beat no more than 30 seconds and then by hand until I got all the flour pockets. I also followed your instructions on the eggs and butter being at room temperature. (I am learning quickly to pay attention to those notations!) The cake turned out super moist and really just delicious, nicely golden brown on top and great cake texture. I actually like the cake better than the frosting! Thanks Michelle for a great recipe and also for answering any questions I’ve had! :) Next on my list is that heavenly looking Apple-Pecan Spice Cake with the cream cheese filling and praline frosting!
I am trying these cupcakes and frosting tonight…. I LOVE vanilla cupcakes and am inspired but watching DC cupcakes……. I hope they turn out delicious and adorable!
OH , I’ve been looking through your recopies, and you made me in then mood for writting a food novel, :)) Haha
Gorgeous cupcakes,,, Looking through your recipes makes me hungry!
Hello, I tried these vanilla cupcakes and replace the sour cream by some vanilla yogourt that was expired and they were fabulous, the kids ate them all, within a 24 hours all the 12 cupcakes had disappeared into lunch and desserts. I can’t wait to try the tiramisu cupcakes…thank you for sharing these great receipes.
I am making the cupcakes right now and I was wondering if you have to use sour cream and if it will make a difference without it?
never mind I will use it :) it was just cause I did not have any sour cream
Hi!!
These sound amazing…making them as we speak. But the batter is really thick and not liquidy at all….is that the way it’s supposed to be? It almost reminds me of cookie dough…
thats how mine was it didn’t work out at all. did you figure out why?
Mine were the same way; like cookie dough!!! Help please!
I want to make these but use cake flour for a lighter texture. Do you think that would work? Can I sub it 1-1? Thanks!
Hi Kim, I tried that substitution, so I’m not sure if any other alterations would need to be made. You could always play around with it, though!
Hey,
I tried this recipe, but I lowered the sugar content in the dough to 3/4 cup and in the buttercream to 1 3/4 cup. For me it was still to sweet, but since it was my first time doing a buttercream I wasn’t sure how important is sugar. It’s possible to make a less sweet buttercream without changing the consistency?
Thanks!
Btw, I just love your site, it’s really helpful. :) Keep up with the good job.
Hi Tea, Unfortunately, it’s really not possible to eliminate ingredients (i.e. the sugar here) and not alter the consistency of the frosting.
These were delicious!! I’ve been searching and searching for a good vanilla cupcake recipe and this one nailed it! It’s light, fluffy, and melts in your mouth. Thanks for the keeper!
Oh and so moist!!
hi
Hi,
can we use yogurt instead of sour cream..??
I have not tried that substitution, so I can’t guarantee the result, but you could surely give it a shot. Let us know how it goes!
I used homemade plain yogurt and it worked wonderfully!
Hi Michelle!!
Do you think it would be bad if i substitute the sourcream for buttermilk? i’m not from US so i’m not quite sure of what is sourcream here!! Can’t wait to try this <3
Hi Anaisa, Yes, I think buttermilk would be a suitable substitution.
Hi Michelle!!. I love how you’re so kind and reply everything, by far my favorite blogger <3. Besides, we share the same taste so i just know that if i make one of your recipes it would like me!.
Made the cupcakes today, found a way online to substitute sour cream and they were perfect!!!! So moist <3, the next time i make them i will try with just buttercream.
Thank u so much!
hi .
can we use yogurt instead of sour cream….???
Very simple looking cupcake.
I have been looking for a great Vanilla Cupcake recipe for years, and this one rocks! Thank you!! I’ve made your recipe in cupcakes and cakes many times and every time it turns out great. That frosting is delicious too! :)
Hi Michelle!
I have a cupcake blog called My Year of Cupcakes. I featured you Vanilla Cupcakes with Vanilla Buttercream on Day 49. Here’s the link if you wanna take a look:
http://myyearofcupcakes.com/2013/09/18/day-49-vanilla-cupcakes-with-vanilla-buttercream/
Thanks for the recipe!
I made a small batch of these to test them out before my son’t 1st birthday party and I didn’t have sour cream. What I did have was whole plain yogurt. They turned out great and I’m making 36 tonight with the yogurt. The kind I use has the cream on top so, I used up all that from a fresh container first. I’m not a baker so, I don’t know what the difference in substituting these ingredients makes but, these sure are delicious.
Thanks for the recipe.
These are the best vanilla cupcaks I’ve ever tried making! I did not have any sour cream on hand, so I subbed for plain Greek Yogurt. And oh, my goodness! It was like eating vanilla ice cream in cake form, if that makes any sense! Delicious!
Hi,
Any tips for high altitude? I’m in Utah. I’m a pretty seasoned baker, and was tempted to make my own adjustments, but wanted to follow the recipe as written, first.
The flavor was good, but the cupcakes had an almost greasy, coarse crumb, rather than soft and velvety. Also, the tops pulled right off and tasted more like a sugar cookie than a cake. I’m sure it’s the altitude, as it messes with a whole lot of my baking. Any advice for this recipe?
Thanks!
Hi Jennifer, Here are some tips that I have compiled for baking at high altitude. I hope they might be of some help! https://www.browneyedbaker.com/high-altitude-baking/
Thanks, Michelle!
I made these this afternoon. I made the batter exactly as written, but it was way too thick. I ended up adding probably at least 1/2 cup milk to get it to the right consistency. After baking, the cupcakes were spongy and heavy. I have no idea what went wrong; I’ve made cupcakes dozens of times and this has never happened. Any ideas??? Thanks!
I’m not a frosting person, but this frosting was amazing! Really the best vanilla frosting ever! The cake however seemed spongy and the tops were crisp. I will be trying a different cake recipe to use with the frosting.
I dont have any powder sugar.So, can i use white sugar
Hi Marlene, Unfortunately not – your frosting would be very gritty and not at all the right consistency.
I have had a request for just a cupcake but are these light and fluffy? I’m making them for a friend’s birthday and she wanted that kind of light and fluffy spongey cake texture. I looked at your Perfect Party Cake recipe and wondered if I should make that into cupcakes instead of these vanilla cupcakes. What do you recommend?
Hi Anna, These are a little heftier than a light, fluffy sponge-cake like cupcake. I would recommend a different recipe if that’s the specific texture you’re after.
Hi Michelle! I’ve made this recipe 4 times and I LOVE LOVE LOVE the flavour of the cupcake and frosting! My new go-to :)
Mine came out crumbly too, even though I copied the recipe so very carefully. Almost a cornbread crumble. I kept reading message boards that said cutting out a bit of the baking powder can help with crumbliness in cakes/cupcakes. Do you think it’s worth trying? I’m making them for a work event Friday and I’m hoping there’s something that will make sure they stay together better as it’s a standing event and people might not want crumbs down their dress ;)
Thanks so much! I love you and all your recipes!
I’m sorry you had some trouble with the crumbs! I haven’t attempted adjusting the baking powder, so I can’t say for certain if that would work or not. If you have success, definitely let me know!
It did work! Was still hefty, but not crumbly at all. I did 1 tsp of baking powder and it made the difference. I wouldn’t go any more because it would probably be too dense.
I did three batches and then a fourth in a pan for cake pops and it was great. I had to travel a few hours with the cupcakes decorated and I couldn’t believe how well they stood up to the bumpy road. I was terrified I’d get there and the icing would have flattened out, but they were beautifully stiff!
This question is a little off topic, but, I was wondering what kind of vanilla extract you use. I have bought a few different kinds and I don’t really like the flavor because I can taste the alcohol more than I can taste the vanilla. Any suggestions? …other than quit being a cheapskate and quit buying your vanilla at Costco? ;) OH! and on that topic, where can you find dutch process cocoa powder? All my local grocery stores don’t carry it.
I’m so glad to hear you say that! I’ve had the same problem all along. I think my baked stuff tastes way too strong, but no one else does. And I’ve tried good pure vanilla extract all the way to cheap artificial. Maybe we’re just super vanilla tasters :)
Hi Cass, I use Madagascar Bourbon Pure Vanilla Extract. I actually buy the big 32 oz. bottle from King Arthur Flour because I go through it so quickly: http://www.kingarthurflour.com/shop/items/madagascar-bourbon-vanilla-extract.
As for Dutch-process cocoa powder, I buy mine from Penzeys (http://www.penzeys.com/cgi-bin/penzeys/p-penzeyscocoapowder.html). There is an actual store here in Pittsburgh, but you can order from them as well.
If you’re curious about any other ingredients or tools that I use, you can check out this page: https://www.browneyedbaker.com/about/tools-of-the-trade/
My cupcakes were Pefect although it only took around 10minuts to bake! Not sure why but still they were yummy! Thankyou so much for the recipe…can’t wait to make some more!
would cake flour make a difference?
Hi Court, I would not recommend using cake flour.
Hi There,
I am wondering if you would be able to advise if the ingredient list for the cupcake is missing any fluid/wet component. The reason I ask is that like another commenter, I notice that the batter is doughy rather than “smooth and satiny”. Also reviewing the wet components, the ratio of sourcream with the dry ingredients don’t seem to be expected to come to a consistency as smooth and satiny. Any advice is appreciated.
Thanks!
KC
The ingredient list isn’t missing anything; it only uses the sour cream.
Julie, I did the recipe without sour cream but they still tasted perfect! The sour cream just makes it less dry but if you put on lots of frosting then it wil taste fine. Hope that helped!
Hey!
I’m really looking forward to making the Vanilla Cupcakes with my friend but I was wondering if I could use somthing insead of Sour Cream?
Also Will it work if I use normal flour?
Sorry i’m not an very experiance baker! :D
Anyway please anwer ( making them today ) love you webbsite…
Hi Amelia, You can substitute plain yogurt or buttermilk for the sour cream. I’m not sure what you mean by “normal” flour – all-purpose flour is what most know as “regular” or “plain” flour. Enjoy the cupcakes!
These cupcakes rose up perfectly! My sour cream turned out to be spoiled so I didn’t have any sour cream. Is it ok that I didn’t add any? And if not should I combine Milk, lemon juice and butter for a substitute for sour cream? Btw love your website!!!!!
Hi Maddie, If you’ve already baked them, then it’s too late to add any other ingredients. The sour cream is important, though, it helps provide moistness. In the future, you can use buttermilk or plain yogurt as a substitute.
I was able to fix it with putting on lots of frosting and I added a glass of milk.
Hi Michelle, I made these a few days ago. The flavor was rich and wonderful, and the interior of the cupcake had a great moist crumb. The top of the cake turned out rather crunchy, though. Any idea what I could have done wrong?
Hi Nichole, If you’re using a dark/non-stick pan make sure you reduce the oven temperature by 25 degrees. It could have cooked the sugar on the top layer too much.
Is the batter for this cupcake ment to be so think?? Should there be liquid in the recipe??
Yes, the batter should be fairly thick.
Thanks Brown Eyed Baker! These cupcakes were delicious! They are my new go-to vanilla cupcake recipe. You are da bomb!
I’ve tried loads of your recipes and they’re always a success. Where I’m living I can’t get sour cream. Do you suggest Creme Fraiche, yogurt or cream treated with lemons as the best substitute? And would the quantity be the same? I also can only get poor quality vanilla essence but would like to use vanilla beans instead. Would 1 vanilla bean blended into the sugar in the cake recipe be appropriate instead of the extract?
Hi Clare, I would use plain yogurt (full fat) as the substitute, same amount. Enjoy!
I believe you left out the whipping cream in the buttercream frosting…
the frosting is waaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaay to sweat i did every thing it said they turned out pretty but noone could eat the frosting
Looks so yummy!! i really want to do this recipe but i don’t understand what “one cup” represents. Is it a yoghurt cup ? i’m sorry, i’m french and i don’t see an equivalent of this! thanks!
Hi Anne, That is 1 cup of volume. You can calculate the equivalent in ounces (and then on to grams, if needed) by using this chart: http://www.kingarthurflour.com/recipe/master-weight-chart.html
Hi MIchelle,
I just took to baking recently and I wanted to find out why you decided not to cream the sugar and butter in this particular recipe? Better texture or it doesn’t really make a difference?
Hi Jade, I just followed the recipe as written; I have made quite a few cake recipes that use this method for combining ingredients.
I was wondering if you could adjust this recipe to make chocolate cupcakes as well?
Hi Megan, I wouldn’t recommend it. This is a great chocolate cupcake recipe (decorate as you’d like): https://www.browneyedbaker.com/2013/01/17/homemade-hostess-cupcakes/
Where is the liquid in this recipe? Is it missing?
The moisture in the recipe comes from the sour cream and eggs.
OMG! What was I thinking. They were amazing
Hello! I just wanted to say I love your blog. I did have a question, for the buttercream it says 1 tablespoon of vanilla extract. To me that seemed like too much and I couldn’t find any other comments about the measurement. So I just wanted to double check, it’s obviously delish from the feedback, I’m just extra thorough when it comes to new recipes. Thanks! Keep up the amazing work :)
The 1 tablespoon is correct. If you don’t like vanilla flavoring, you could always reduce the amount.
Hey, I was wondering, is it ok to freeze these cupcakes?
Sorry, I meant, is it ok to freeze the batter for these cupcakes?
No, I would not freeze the batter. You could freeze the baked (cooled, unfrosted) cupcakes, though.
Not a typical cupcake at all — good if you’d like to make something resembling a sweet cornbread or a pound cake. While moist, the cake itself is crumbly. I’m not at all new to baking, and I am sorry to say that this recipe is a complete disappointment for what I was trying to accomplish.
Michelle,
I am delighted to tell you that your recipe is the very first “from scratch” recipe I’ve used for cupcakes! My kids and I were inspired by Cupcake Wars and my 9 yo daughter stumbled upon your blog. Tonight we made a batch and enjoyed our creation while watching another episode of Cupcake Wars. It was so much fun! Though the batter turned out a bit dense, the flavor of it and of the frosting was amazing! These were by far the BEST cupcakes we’ve ever had! I wonder if we should have added 1 cup of sour cream instead of 1/2 cup to the batter? We don’t have a standing mixer, only a handheld so we had to improvise a bit. That, and all three children wanted to take turns mixing. Okay, Mommy wanted a turn too! We chose to do half vanilla and half almond flavor for both the batter and the frosting and we added a TB or two of sour cream into the frosting that really made it yummalicious! Thanks for being a part of the fun! Happy Baking!
Hi Mandy, Overmixing can definitely cause the cupcakes to turn out a bit dense. If you had multiple kiddos taking turns, I’m sure that could have been the culprit. I’m glad you enjoyed them!
hi, i made these cupcakes and they were so deliscious. the batter was quite thick and cupcakes a little heavy. am i doing something wrong.
Love your website!!!
Did you add sour cream to the batter? The sour cream makes it moist.
Worst cupcakes ever!!!!!!! Retire from cooking!!!
Hai as for the vanilla cupcake recipe, it says sour cream. I can’t really find sour cream. instead of that can i just butter milk or any other options..
thank you so much.
Hi Vanessa, You could use buttermilk or plain yogurt.
I am going to try these tonight. I have never made vanilla with the sour cream in it before.
I have a random question. What patty pans do you use? I can never find the right size. They are either to deep and wide, or too shallow and wide. I have been on an endless search for the longest time.
Do you use a special tin perhaps?
Hi Deanne, I use these muffin pans: http://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B000F5K3J8/ref=as_li_ss_tl?ie=UTF8&camp=1789&creative=390957&creativeASIN=B000F5K3J8&linkCode=as2&tag=broeyebak-20
I have to say I was worried at first. Not your typically soupy cake batter from the box, this was more like cookie dough, even thicker than brownie batter. I’ve only had my own kitchen for a year and have always been a descent cook;) but just recently started to flirt with baking, not out of the Betty Crocker box baking, real baking. After looking through some cupcake recipes for a simple vanilla cake I found this and it is a KEEPER;) my husband even loved it! So this is now my go to cupcake recipes.
I made these cupcakes and they turned out great the first time :) But when i made them a second time they were puffy and then they fell inward. Also the inside wasnt baked :( i dont understand i followed the recipe and did everything correctly :( I also made sure of my baking temperature. Can you please tell me what happened?
yummyyyy!!! i really love cupcakes!!
Well, I just popped a pan of these tasty babies in the oven, BUT, is this mix supposed to be as thicky-sticky as it is? I twas not at all a runny mix.. I followed directions to a tee, so fingers crossed.
Update:
While it IS a very heavy cupcake, its a good cake. It would be way too heavy (imo) for a frosted cake. It is heavy like a cornbread-pound cake, but not as dense airy as a pound cake, at the same time. Its strange, but its NOT LIGHT AND FLUFFY. Moist, absolutely. Flavorful, absolutely (but I added a little extra vanilla too). Icing I made a lot of mods to, and turned it into strawberry limeade icing, lol. Ill use it again because I did like the thickness of the cupcake, it didnt crumble or break, but I might add a touch of something to make it a teeny bit fluffier..may sift everything, not sure. Thanks for the recipe!
made these cupcakes without the icing- they were really amazing very easy to make and so scrumptious, couldn’t stop eating them, i am planning to make some more tonight:) …
The cupcakes themselves are delicious. I am not impressed by the icing however. It just tastes like sweetened butter, not like any buttercream frosting I have tasted. I did use great value butter and great value powdered sugar but I have never had this problem before. The icing to me tasted awful by itself and acceptable on the cupcake. Suggestions?
All in all I will be making the cupcake recipe again but will be substituting the icing with something else.
I made these cupcakes for my boyfriend one lazy weekend. We both love vanilla, but I was not prepared for how much he LOVED these cupcakes!! At first I was afraid that they were under-baked, but soon realized that they were just gooey and moist thanks to the sour cream. My bf ate them warm in a bowl (with a blob of icing on them like custard) using a spoon. They were gone before Monday – a first! Thanks!
Did you have luck with the frosting? Mine didn’t taste good at all however my fiancé loved the cupcakes by themselves, as do I. Did you refrigerate yours?
I was so excited to make these cupcakes but was very disappointed with the outcome. When mixing the batter felt like something was left out. The batter was too thick and after baking them the cupcake deflated a bit and it was not soft at all. Overall It was terrible. I really hope you double check your quantities because it didn’t turn out right. Sorry.
I’m nervous because I just put a pan in the oven, and my batter was pretty thick too.. I’m hoping hoping they come out!
I’m nervous because I just put a pan in the oven, and my batter was thick as well.. I’m hoping hoping they come out better, because they tasted great going in.
I made these for my third graders and they raved about them. They said they tasted like vanilla milkshakes! Usually third graders will just lick the frosting off the typical grocery store cupcake, but they devoured these. I did mix them more like a traditional cake, with creaming the butter and sugar and then adding the eggs and the dry ingredients. I just couldn’t do the dump!
I did have a question this recipe tends to form a crust after it bakes is there something I am doing wrong ???
Omg I loved this recipe it has so much flavor for a vanilla cupcake and is so delish without frosting! Been looking for a cupcake like this thank you for the recipe!!!
Absolutely perfect! The best I’ve baked till yet :)
Tried the buttercream frosting on the chocolate version of this recipe. Turned out delicious!! I rushed ahead of myself & prior to reading the directions I added all the frosting ingredients combining and whisking together at the same time. Fluffiness & taste was that perfect melt in your mouth – there is a heaven result! But to be fair, I will do it according to the directions next time…but I really don’t think it matters a heck of a lot. Thanks for the awesome post and sharing this recipe it’s a keeper :)
Hi I just made these cupcakes in mini and they are delicious. Would a cream cheese buttercream frosting work on cupcakes with a Wilton 1M tip? Would the frosting hold up well? I love cream cheese frosting.
Thank you
Hi Debbie, Definitely. I pipe cream cheese buttercream all the time (with that same tip).
Hello, I have searched the site looking for what type of powered sugar you use for frostings. If I have missed it, I apologize. Would you mind sharing your favorite brands? I will check the ingredients page one more time but I don’t think it is listed there. Thank you :)
Hi Sarah, I just use Domino powdered sugar, or sometimes a generic brand.
Julie, I just made these, yesterday, with a substitution of buttermilk (and about 3T extra butter). As so often happens with me, I discovered that I was out an ingredient with no time to spare for a run to the store. I had not made these previously, so don’t have a basis for comparison to Michelle’s unadulterated recipe but can describe the cupcake made using buttermilk and butter: very delicious buttery flavor, lovely crunchy top (almost muffin-like), large crumb, dense, oddly a bit dry the flowing day. It was o.k. but not great – almost like a cross between a cupcake and a very short-greasy scone. Have heard that some people use yoghurt as a substitute for sour cream which may achieve a more traditional texture. You were looking for a good substitute for sour cream, so my post may not be helpful in providing that. Just wanted to share the results of replacing sour cream with buttermilk plus butter. Soon, will be making Michelle’s recipe and will follow it “to a letter” for purposes of comparison. Good luck.
Mistyped the word “short bread-y”. Instead, accidentally wrote short-greasy (which sounds oh-so-unappealing)! Hadn’t read through other replies on texture until just a moment ago (Julie’s was the last one I saw), but seems that the buttermilk did not change the texture from the “cornbread” style product that other bakers experienced.
why u dont used milk??..
These cupcakes sound amazing! I’m planning to try out this recipe, and I have one quick question. How long/at what temperature would you bake these cupcakes if they were made in a large 6 cup muffin tin?
Thank you!
I have not scaled this for jumbo size pans, but you would keep the temperature the same, increase the baking time.
Hii!
what is the amount of butter in grams? I ask because I’m in Australia and I use blocks of butter but I think they are generally larger than those in the US
Hi Max, For the cupcakes, the amount of butter would be 113 grams, for the frosting, 226 grams.
Can I make this icing using a hand mixer
Yep!
Made these cupcakes and followed the recipe exactly – very disappointing outcome. Just like many of the other reviewers, the texture was very much like cornbread.
I made these over the weekend, along with the salted caramel, and they are the best cupcakes I’ve ever had. So moist! They completely outshined the chocolate ones. Thanks so much for the recipe!
These cupcakes are in the oven, so we’ll see how they turn out, but I also experienced really thick batter. I looked up the Cook’s Illustrated recipe and the reviews for that are the same – great flavor but texture is dense, almost muffin or cornbread like. Maybe it’s because this recipe calls for sour cream as opposed to milk? I hope they turn out! PS – I love your blog, especially your cho chip cookies!
I would recommend checking the cupcakes at 17 minutes. I cooked mine for 20 minutes and the cupcakes were overdone. Tasted great but just a bit dry.
Hi. I can’t wait to try this recipe! I live at an altitude of 5,300 ft. I have to make adjustments to every cake/cupcake recipe. I am assuming you live at sea level? Thanks!
Hi Lynne, Yes, I live very close to sea level.
This frosting is just delightful! Thank you so much for sharing.
I used this as a base recipe for a recipe that called for a yellow cake mix. The recipe I made involved making oreo truffles out of crushed oreos and cream cheese and dropping tablespoon-sized balls into the muffin tin, then covering with yellow cake mix. Unfortunately, the cupcakes did not turn out at all like I hoped. Like other commenters, they were dense, dry, crumbling, and had a cornbread-like texture. I do not think I overbeat the batter (I used a stand mixer but used a spatula to fold the last few streaks of flour in) and I do not think I overbaked (I checked them at 20 minutes and a bamboo skewer came out gooey so I baked them 3 minutes more and the skewer came out clean; I have a hard time believing they overbaked in 3 minutes.) The batter was very thick like a sugar cookie dough and I thought for sure I had missed an ingredient, but I triple-checked the recipe and don’t seem to have missed anything. I barely had enough batter for 12 cupcakes, despite the oreo filling; I figured I’d get at least a few more with the oreo truffle taking up 1/3 of each tin. They also stuck to my pan like crazy. I don’t like using muffin liners so I use a greased, non-stick pan (never had problems making other muffins or cupcakes like this.) All of the cupcakes stuck and started to crumbled apart when I tried to remove them. The taste was good and my guests still liked them but did comment that the texture was like a dry poundcake. The frosting was also good but I made a half batch and still ended up with twice as much as I needed for 12 cupcakes; I did not pipe it on, just spread it with a knife, and I guess I just don’t like a lot of frosting on my cupcakes. Not sure what I did wrong with the cupcakes; I am not trying to complain, just offer feedback as to the problems I encountered. Regardless, thanks for all the great recipes.
I have extra-fine granulated sugar. Can I use that instead? If so, how would the amount of sugar change? Thanks.
Hi Beverly, If you have regular granulated sugar, I would suggest using that. Otherwise, I think you could substitute the superfine, but know that you may need to use a little less and because is dissolves at a faster rate than regular sugar, the texture may be compromised.
I made these. I measured very carefully. Delicious frosting. The cupcakes were crumbly. Weird texture. I was thinking I over mixed. But it came together slowly. I’m not brand new to baking but I’m new to taking it seriously. Should all batter look the same? This seemed thick, Again tasted fine. Please help.
All batters will definitely NOT look the same. Some batters for chocolate cake are almost the consistency of liquid, while come cupcakes will look like muffin batter; it just all depends.
I just tried this recipe… Everything was perfect.. I’m so glad I took a chance on this after trying out so many others that failed me before.
As for the frosting
… One word: Perfection!!!
this cupcake recipe is the worst ever. The texture is jus soo terrible. Its nothing like a cupcake should be. I highly do not recomment this recipe.
OMG! Those cupcakes are so amazing. They smell wonderful while baking and taste delicious. Mine came out like a denser type cake, is that the way they are supposed to be? Is there a way to make them more light and fluffy? Either way, this is my go to vanilla recipe! Thanks so much for sharing.
These cupcakes are truly amazing! Like I said previously, I’m trying to get away from boxed cake mixes. So, I have been searching high and low for a strawberry cake recipe that does not include Jello and was about to use the recipe you had on your site but knew these were so easy and amazingly delicious that I decided to add my spin. I cooked down ripe strawberries for a long time, strained out the juices, and then reduced the juices about half by boiling more. I then replaced the vanilla in the recipe for 6 teaspoons of my strawberry liquid plus a 1/4 teaspoon of Joann’s strawberry flavoring (very strong flavoring I bought at Walmart in the cake section) and 4 medium diced strawberries. Cooked for 21 minutes. They are sooo delicious and my very helpful taster husband who ALWAYS has a comment or two devoured 2 of them immediately with nothing but positive reviews. This vanilla recipe creates beautifully domed cupcakes and is FAST and EASY and delicious. UPDATE: 3 cupcakes. Thank soooo much!
Hey! I have used so many of your recipes and have all been successful. I just made these cupcakes and they ended up being a little on the dry side. I am trying to figure out why this happened. I did use light sour cream and let it come to room temp. Do you know what might have caused this?
Hi Christine, I never use low-fat ingredients in baking, since they can dramatically change the texture and outcome by having a higher water content. I’d give them a try with full-fat sour cream.
Hi! Made the cupcakes and followed the recipe, but they are really dense and keep denting themselves in the center, is there any reason you can think of for them to do that?
Have you ever added food coloring to your butter cream frosting recipe? I’d like to try your recipe but have been asked to make blue and also pink icing. Not sure if it will work. Any suggestions?
Hi Anna, Yes, I have! I use Wilton gel colors and just add as much as I need to get the desired color.
THANK YOU SO MUCH! I have been using boxed cakes mixes for so many years while in the search for a great from-scratch recipe. I keep going back to the cake mixes because I trust them. However, not anymore! This cake is moist, tender, and has such an amazing, wonderful taste. I am supposed to be making 300 cupcakes for a wedding coming up and you saved my life! I will no longer have cake-mix guilt! I cannot thank you enough.
You stated that they were mini cupcakes did you have to adjust the cooking time? I plan on making mini cupcakes for my daughter birthday party and the buttercream I’ve read recipes that call for 1-2 tbsp or milk or heavy cream??? Buttercream confuses me I can never get mine to look like yours any tips pleeeeeeaaaaassssse
Hi Veronica, Yes, you’ll want to start checking them for doneness around 8 minutes or so. The key to the buttercream is to make sure your butter is at room temperature and whip it according to the directions. You can add a tablespoon or 2 of heavy cream if you want a thinner consistency, but I like the texture as written.
I recently made these cupcakes for a Bridal Shower. I have been searching for a good fluffy cupcake recipe for a very long time. This one is very good and tastes delish!! Frosting is also YUMMY! Thanks for sharing :)
Could I double the recipe to make 24 regular cupcakes?
Hi Danny, Yes, many readers have commented that they’ve doubled the recipe without issue.
Good to know,Thanks Michelle!!
was wondering if there would be a difference if the sour cream wasnt added ?
Hi Steph, Yes, a big difference, the sour cream is an important ingredient.
I was just wondering if I have to use sour cream, or if we can replace it. I dont really have sour cream in my house and I’ll feel bad if my mom has to it for me. I’m a new baker and I’ve been trying to find a good vanilla cupcake recipe before Saturday. Thanks have a great day!!
Hi Nicole, Yes, the sour cream is a very important ingredient. If you’re in a bind, you could substitute plain yogurt.
Hi there! I am getting ready to put these in the oven! The batter is very very thick..is that right? Just want to make sure! Thanks!
Rhonda
I live a half hour from DC, I worked about ten minutes from Georgetown cupcake. It wasn’t until this past weekend that I tried a cupcake from Georgetown Cupcake. I am 39 weeks pregnant, I waited in line with my best friend and my two year old for 30 minutes. When I finally got inside, I thought it was super cute, but we were rushed and the service wasn’t great. I got a dozen of assorted (kinda pricey, but I’ll pay good money for good food) and I was not impressed. Not my cup of tea at all.
they were really good thanks!
I can’t wait till I bake these for my sisters birthday!
I can’t wait till I bake these for my sisters birthday!
Made these cupcakes today and we can’t stop eating them. Thanks.
Hi, just wondering if I can substitute sour cream with anything else??
You can use plain yogurt.
Theres no liquid? My batter is uber thick…am i missing something?
Slap me now for doubting you! These little cupcakes are amazing! :)
I made these cupcakes last week and I couldn’t believe how moist they were! Very good. A couple of questions though: 1) can the recipe be doubled to make more cupcakes without hurting the recipe and 2) is there a way to a chocolate version of this recipe? Thank you.
Hi Andy, While I haven’t doubled the recipe, others here have left comments that they have without any problems. There really isn’t a way to easily convert this to a chocolate cupcake, but I do have a number of chocolate cupcake recipes: https://www.browneyedbaker.com/category/recipes/cupcake-recipes/
Lovely easy cupcake, I made 24 mini cupcakes with this recipe and they turned out lovely fluffy and moist! My kids love them without the frosting because none of them like frosting here!
Hi.. I am so inspired by u.. But i am quite a beginner and i want t
to know whats the use of sour cream.. The reason i asked is bcuz
my near by supermarlet doesnt sell sour cream.
The sour cream help keep the cupcakes very moist. If you can’t find it, you can substitute plain yogurt.
Hello! These are by far, the best cupcakes ever and so stinking easy to make! I too, am not a huge cake fan, but I love these! My daughter loved the flavor but thought they could be a little more moist. I wonder if I did something wrong or if you have a tip to make them moister. I loved them anyway, thank you!!
I have made these three times now, and they are fantastic!! When I read the recipe the first time and noticed that the sugar is NOT whipped into the butter but blended with the flour first… That went against everything I thought I knew about baking! I have actually took down recipes from family/friends without step by step instructions because I always cream the butter, add the sugar and beat, then eggs… You get the idea. But I followed the directions and absolutely does something magical! Lastly, the frosting is wonderful but a 1/2 batch was enough for all the cupcakes, with a little to spare.
Thank you, this will be a staple for all the special occasions in our family.
Hi Michelle, I just used your recipe to make rainbow cupcakes for Valentines day. They turned out amazing. I am in love with the results. They are super moist and fluffy.
I am always checking your blog for new recipes :) you are doing an awesome work.
Sincerely, a young Panamanian Chef.
yepp you have fans in central america.
xoxo.
Hi michelle, I just used this recipe to make rainbow cupcakes for valentine’s. They turned out AWESOME, extremely moist and fluffy.
I love your blog, and I’m always using your recipes.
sincerely, a Young Panamanian Chef.
HI I made your cupcakes last night as a trial run for my sons birthday and they were AMAZING! Thank you for this great recipe. Will definitely keep this in the recipe book.
Do you think I could use plain Greek Yogurt instead of Sour Cream in these cupcakes? What a cute Valentines Day treat!!
Yes, you could definitely make that substitution.
These are the BEST vanilla cupcakes I’ve ever made/had. I’ve tried a lot of vanilla cupcake recipes in search of one with a true vanilla flavor versus a “yellow cake” with “sugary frosting”. This one delivers true vanilla flavor and a super moist cake. This will become my go-to vanilla cupcake recipe – thanks Brown Eyed Baker!
Thank you for this amazing recipe! This is my go-to for vanilla cake & butter-cream. I have used it for cupcakes, regular & mini as well as various cake sizes and it always turns out fantastic. A few tips for those with prior comments / questions… 1. this can easily be doubled, tripled, quadrupled… just measure and adjust baking temp & time accordingly depending on what you’re doing… for a 2 layer 12″ round cake I quadrupled the recipe and baked at 335 for 35 minutes. 2. DO NOT OVER MIX… use the paddle attachment as instructed, if you use a wire whisk you will undoubtedly over mix and end up with a dense crumbly ‘cornbread like’ cake.
Thanks again! I love your site and have had great success with every recipe I’ve tried!
Georgia: Thanks for responding. I whisked the dry ingredients by hand as instructed (do you suggest not using a wire wisk but the paddle here in this step) and then added each wet ingredient individually before I turned on the mixer with the paddle. I guess you are saying I should turn the mixer with the paddle on as I am adding each individual wet ingredient. I assume this doesn’t count towards the 30 seconds – because I don’t think I could work that fast. The cupcakes were very tasty. Not crumbly, but certainly dense and thus not light and fluffy. I will need to try these again, because even still I received a lot of compliments from the adult guests at the party. I think the icing made them so yummy.
Hi Susan, Yes. Use the paddle attachment for all mixing. In step 2 it says to ‘whisk’ dry ingredients but follows that up with ‘ in a stand mixer fitted with a paddle attachment’. Just keep the paddle going while adding all the ingredients, once everything is in there turn it up and mix for the 30 seconds. This will ensure even mixing leaving no lumps.
I was interested to try these cupcakes again to see how the mixing “corrected” my lump issue. OMG, I am amazed. It did it. Thank you, Georgia. Not only were there no lumps, the consistency of the batter was completely different (much thicker). I am soooo excited. I might have overfilled them a bit as they really puffed up more than previously. The recipe probably makes 13-14 cupcakes. I fit them all into 12. I had to cook 22 minutes (last time I only needed 20). Not sure if this is because of the difference in batter consistency or filling them. My “Chief Culinary Consultant” wanted chocolate, but I wanted to try these again. So, my compromise is to make half of these with the chocolate buttercream icing. Thanks, Michelle, for such great recipes.
I’m making these for my Daughter’s Valentine’s Day party along with your red velvet cupcakes. But, how in the world do you remove all the flour lumps in the cake batter, particularly when using the mixer for only 30 seconds and the rest by HAND. Do you use a fork, a whisk or what???? I ended up using my handheld mixer for a bit but still couldn’t get all the lumps out. Is this because I doubled the recipe? What does over mixing do or, for that matter, what does having lumps in the batter do to the finished product? Good thing they are only 3 year olds. I just hope the adults aren’t too discerning.
Susan, are you dumping the ingredients and then mixing for 30 seconds? I always (at least) double the recipe and haven’t had any issues with flour lumps… I keep the mixer on med-low as I add the wet ingredients and then kick it up to med-high to mix for the 30 seconds instructed. I do suggest when doubling to mix for 15 seconds then using a rubber spatula fold the batter by hand a few times to grab the dry stuff off the bottom that the mixer isn’t getting, then mix for the remaining 15 seconds. Good luck!
HI Michelle, I made these cupcakes for my sons class. As I finished adding all the ingredients, I noticed the batter was so stiff. There was no way I could possibly bake these, so I added some applesauce to give it a little consistency. they turned out, okay. Is there a reason why there is no liquid in these? Thanks.
The sour cream in the recipe is used in lieu of a liquid (milk or buttermilk).
Why do my Cupcakes come out Flat?
Every time I try to make a vanilla cupcakes they always taste like cornbread. Is there a way to make them not?
I love this recipe and I am going to bake these gorgeous cupcakes very soon. thank you!
I’m definitely trying this recipe tomorrow. Maybe a silly question, but if I want to bake 24 cupcakes can I just double the recipe? I know when it comes to baking sometimes the recipe is sensitive and it doesn’t always work to just double it. Have you ever tried? Thanks!
Hi Dee, I have not tried doubling the recipe, but it sounds like the commenter above had some trouble with it. I would probably make two separate batches to be safe.
Funny – I searched the comments to see if anyone mentioned doubling the recipe and couldn’t find any — then one turns up right before mine! I ended up making two batches just because I know baking is tricky with measurements. These are fantastic — I love the flavor and texture. Everyone who ate one loved it. Thanks! So far every recipe I’ve tried of yours has been a hit!
I don’t know what happened, I followed the recipe perfectly, although I doubled it. The texture was very doughy, I thought these are never going to rise! I had had to add water (weird) than I baked them for 20 mins and they were completely raw…. I had to cook them for a total of 40 mins and still slightly raw, the cupcakes were so dense! That being said the frosting was fine… I dunno what happened??!!!!
Hi Deanna, I have not tried doubling this recipe, but not all recipes can be easily doubled, as sometimes the chemical reactions of the leaveners don’t react the same way when simply doubled. However, I’m not quite sure why you added water? This would certainly leave the batter “raw” and needing to be baked for much longer than the recipe states.
this recipe is terrible is what happened.
Just wanted to say Thanks for this awesome recipe!! My little girl and I made them yesterday. You helped us make it easy and tons of fun for both of us. Can’t wait to try more!!
http://countingdownfromzero.wordpress.com/2013/01/18/rainy-day-cupcakes/
im having alot of trouble at the moment with my buttercream! Its to do with the icing sugar or confectioners sugar i think you call it over there. When ever i am mixing it it seems to still stay all grainy like and you can feel the grittyness when you eat the icing.dont know wht to do about it .
Hi Layal, Powdered sugar here is very, very fine and not gritty at all, so even if it’s not completely mixed into a frosting, you won’t taste any grittiness. It sounds like you used a sugar that is closer to granulated sugar, which unfortunately will not dissolve in a frosting recipe such as this.
Hi Michelle.
I tried this recipe today, unfortunately, my cupcakes came out cracked and slightly tough on top :( any advice? i followed your recipe as closely as possible. the only change i made was whip the butter before i added the rest of the ingredients. could that be the culprit? my oven temp was 350 and i baked them for 21 minutes. they were still a bit wet at 20 minutes. thanks!
Hi Christine, That definitely could be the issue. Adding the butter to the dry ingredients help to create a light crumb and almost flaky texture. Mixing it in a different way can certainly affect the texture.
Woooooooow I think Im n LUV lol thanxs ths will definTELY BE A FAMILY FAVORITE
Is this actually your cupcake picture or did you get it from the Internet? Sometimes bakers put the fake picture so the food looks more attractive so I wanted to make sure. (:
This is indeed my own photo. Any pictures you see on this site that accompany recipes are photos that I took of the actual dish.
I love these cupcakes, but they often fall on me too. I wonder if I’m doing something wrong. I can easily get 15-16 cakes as well, but I forget that and evidently overfill them and they flatten out and make a mess of the pan.
I made these cupcakes and the batter was very thick- I thought I had left something out. They were still delicious, but they were thick and heavy. Is that the way they are supposed to be? They were almost like a soft cookie? Very yummy though!
These cupcakes although good were very dense?? not sure if I mixed the batter a little too much?
Hi
Ur cupcakes are beautiful n look marvelous, really feel like baking it right now.
May I know how 1 cup is equal to how many gram?
Hi Alicia, It all depends on what you are measuring, since ingredients have many different weights and volumes.
can i omit the sour cream w/o consequences?
meaning i don’t have yogurt in the house either
Hi Monique, You need to use the sour cream or an appropriate substitute for these to turn out well.
These cupcakes are ABSOLUTELY DELICIOUS. I have tried countless recipes and this is the PERFECT one. I am never going to use any more recipes for vanilla cupcakes except for this!
Although I wonder…what brand of butter do you use for the frosting? My frosting’s always yellowish in color. I think it’s because of the butter I use?
Hi Mia, I either use Land o’ Lakes or the butter in bulk from Sam’s Club.
Thanks Michelle. Your website’s amazing, by the way!
Hi, I want to try these but make it into a cake. About how long do you think I should bake it?
Thanks, Annie
Sorry about that! I just read the comments and found the one about the cake! Never mind, but thanks anyways.
These were so awful when I made them! I’m not sure what I did wrong- do you have any ideas? They were very heavy and the batter looked like bread dough :( I was so bummed and this recipe looked great. Help please! All of my cupcakes have turned out except these….. It had to have been me because everyone else had great reviews on them! Thanks!
Oh and I subbed plain greek yogurt for the sour cream since it’s what I had on hand. A wee bit healthier and still so good! At least I tell myself it’s healthier. :)
My 4 year old wanted to bake vanilla cupcakes and so I googled recipes and decided on yours. Let me tell you, we were not disappointed!! We all loved them and my husband says it’s some of the best frosting ever. YUM! Pinning now and thanks for sharing!!
Hi, Michelle
Can I frost the cupcakes two days before my party? Or not?
Hi Linda, I probably would only do the day before, if you need to do it ahead. Be sure to store them in an airtight container at room temperature.
Would the frosting work okay to dye? I am hosting a baby shower so wondered about dying blue :)
Hi Haley, Yes, I have dyed this frosting before, and it works great. Happy baking!
hi! love this recipe my husband asks for it all the time! my go to vanilla cupcake! just wondering if i can make it as a cake? Thanks!
So glad you and your husband enjoy the cupcakes! I have not used this recipe for a cake, but if you were to do so, you would need to double the recipe for an 8 or 9″ layer cake, or 9×13″ cake, and increase the baking time a little bit (I haven’t done it so I couldn’t say exactly how much).
helpp? How do i make the frosting ?
helpp. How do i make the frosting! Just add all together and mix????
The instructions for the frosting are listed in the recipe above, beginning with step #4.
Hi Michelle!
I made your vanilla cupcakes today for a taste testing and I loved them! No dense or cornbread-like cupcake for me, thank goodness! I must admit that I was surprised that there was no milk in your recipe but decided to follow the recipe to the T, and I am glad I did! I would like to make them for a birthday, so I need to double or triple the recipe, but I am no expert baker and I don’t know how to calculate the quantities of ingredients needed for 24 or 36 cupcakes. Could you please help me with that? Thanks!
Can i replace the sour cream with whole milk?
Hi Lexi, No, sour cream and milk have two completely different sets of properties when it comes to baking. If you need to substitute the sour cream, I would recommend plain yogurt.
I have made these twice so far… Once I needed an unfrosted cupcake for my daughters Halloween party. The kids decorated and ate, all of the kids were quiet and ate every last crumb. My daughter begged me to make them again for us so I did, along with the frosting recipe and they are FANTASTIC! I have tried making cake recipes and converted to cupcakes, but they always come out flat on top and too moist. This recipe has a wonderful density and a perfect dome when baked. Also, I have been looking for a good frosting recipe and this is it. I cringed when I saw 2 sticks of butter, so I halved the frosting and it was plenty for 12 cupcakes. Thank you, this will be made in our house for a long time!!
I’ve been searching for an amazing vanilla cupcake recipe and after a few unsuccessful recipes, I tried your recipe and it was AWESOME!! I was skeptical when you mentioned the batter would be watery but wow.. Delicious! Fluffy! Moist! The perfect cupcake! I can’t wait to try your other recipes! Thank you for sharing!
I made the cupcakes and buttercream frosing last night and the frosting is amazing! The cupcakes had a wonderful flavor, but for some reason mine came out very dense, like a muffin. I beat them with a and mixer ( I don’t have a stand mixer) for 30 seconds. Do you think I should have mixed the batter a bit longer? Or maybe added a bit of water? Thank you so much for both recipes. I will definitley be trying some of your other ones :)
Hi Eden, I’m thrilled that you enjoyed the frosting, but sorry the texture of these cupcakes didn’t work out for you. There are a couple of reasons that the cupcakes could turn out dense – overmixing the batter is definitely one, and although you listed a time, your mixer could have been powerful. Did you use the visual clues (smooth and satiny)? Sometimes it will take more or less of the specified time to reach the correct result, which is why using any visual clues in a recipe is useful. I hope that helps!
hi,
I need to asked someone who is more experience. I try doing frosting alot of times and it is not firm enough to make the frosting “stand up”. any idea why? thanks :)
Hi Melinda, Without seeing the recipe(s) you’ve been using, it would be impossible for me to speculate as to why, and air temperature/humidity can also be a factor. In general, though, the more sugar, the stiffer the frosting will be.
the ingredients was 3/4cup sugars (but i use caster sugar), 3 large egg whites, 1&1/2 stick butter and a pinch of salt.
I don’t like my cupcakes too sweet. I did realize that most of the sugar stated in the recipe will be 2-3 cup of sugar. what do u advice if i don’t want my frosting to be too sweet and yet get a firm frosting? thanks :))
There’s a hair in the first cupcake in the pic…but these look delicious, can’t wait to try them! Thank’s for the recipe!
Delicious cupcakes! They turned out perfectly and are now one of my Top 10 favorites. Thanks again …
What did I do wrong? Mine came out so dense they were almost not edible. I followed the recipe to the tee but not so good. Help.
Hi Kim, Cupcakes can sometimes turn out dense due to overmixing and/or overbaking.
I dont have a stand up mixer. can a hand held mixer be used and get the same result?
Hi Missy, Yes, definitely!
it looks great michelle! i always thought that vanilla cupcakes with vanilla buttercream would be boring… you’re making me rethink that! thanks for the good recipe.. and do you have brown eyes???? okay, just kidding!!!!
I was very excited to try this recipe because I was looking for a less complex recipe that I could easily triple. I was very disappointed in the way this batter turned out. It was thick and had an awful after taste. It resembled a bread dough, instead of a cake batter. I hate to say that I was very disappointed.
Hi I made the cupcakes yesterday and they are real dense. I thought they would be real moist. Did I do something wrong?
Hi Tammy, That’s so hard to gauge since there are so many variables in baking. Did you make any ingredient substitutions, did you do any techniques differently, do you have an oven thermometer to ensure that the temperature is indeed correct? Overmixing can also lead to a dense batter as well.
These cupcakes were FANTABULOUS! my sister and i put chocolate chips from morsels into them! this recipe is great for chocolate and vanilla lovers alike!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!<333333333333333333333
hi! i don’t particularly like the hint of sour cream in the cupcakes, can i substitute milk or all purpose cream instead and still get the same product?
Neither of those will result in the moist texture that the sour cream provides. If you must substitute, I would only recommend plain yogurt.
thanks! I was also wondering, can I substitute sourcream or yogurt for the buttermilk in your red velvet cupcakes? We don’t have buttermilk here in our area..btw, the vanilla cupcakes were awesome. =)
I’m glad you enjoyed the cupcakes! I would not substitute for the buttermilk in the red velvet, as it has a specific reaction with the vinegar and cocoa powder.
hi! i substituted the sour cream because i really couldn’t find any buttermilk and they tasted great!=) not much in the color department though but that was okay;) i have a question though, you recommend storing them at room temperature, but i find that the next day, my cupcake tops turn sticky.is that normal?the same thing happened with my vanilla cupcakes.
Usually that tends to happen if you store them before they are 100% cool.
These cupcakes are really good and I freqently make them! I had just recently bought a 24 count mini-cupcake tin and I was wondering how long to bake them in that tin? I’d greatly appreciate your responce. Thanks!
Hi Brittney, I would start checking them around 8 minutes to make sure they aren’t overdone. Enjoy!
Thank you so much for sharing this recipe! It was simple, easy and delicious. I used it to make darling “Thing 1 and Thing 2” cupcakes for a baby shower and they were fantastic. Check out my website for the full post! I hope you don’t mind that I linked back to your website. I received so many compliments and requests for the recipe at the shower that I wanted to share.
Hi Lindsey, Absolutely not! Thank you for sharing!
Hi, I am new to you website, but very interested. I am in need of a pink champagne cupcake (Daughter in laws fav) using a boxed cake mix perhaps?!? Suggestions… also on a frosting that would go with…
Thank you!
Hi Debbie, I’ve never made a pink champagne cupcake, but here is a recipe from Betty Crocker using a cake mix: http://www.bettycrocker.com/recipes/pink-champagne-cupcakes/26f6f790-0852-4bfc-8f73-8d4cfc8cf496
i made these cupcakes for my little sister’s halloween party at her pre-k class last weekend and they were a big hit with the kids & teachers! because i know kids loveee to put chocolate in everything (who wouldnt?!) i added semi bittersweet chocolate chips in 1 batch (i made 2 batches of mini cupcakes) and the ones with the chocolate chips inside were their favorites! i also put in some orange & red colorings for the frosting. may i say that they were simply delicious?! thanks for sharing!!!
Hi Michelle,
Would cake flour make the cupcakes a different texture?
Thanks!
Hi Jaimie, Yes, cake flour would give the cupcakes a finer texture, perhaps make them a bit more prone to crumble. I haven’t tested the recipe with cake flour, so I couldn’t say for sure exactly how they would turn out.
Made the cupcakes (different frosting) tonight and they are fantastic. Thanks for such a delicious, easy recipe!
PEARSE October 30, 2011 at 10:36 pm
it came dense and heavy for me too. and the dough was very thick. I saw so many people having the same (dense) problem. . I s this recipe from Cook’s illustrated.
please let us know why we are all getting dense cakes. the flavour is good though.are we missing a wet ingredient
thanks
On of my two favourite cupcake recipes thus far! Find the other one at
http://www.taste.com.au/recipes/19431/vanilla+cupcakes
These cupcakes are delicious!!!! Made these more than a few times! the only thing I do different is add some tablespoons of vanilla pudding in the batter!
im so happy the i cing worked perfectly
Your cupcakes look wonderful! Do they dome nicely when baked? I am also wondering where you buy your cupcake papers. The ones in the photo look larger than the minis you can buy at Michaels. Do they peel away from the cake after baking? Thanks.
Hi Kristin, Yes they do have nice domes. The mini liners in the picture came from a baking supply store; my mom bought them years ago and found a sleeve of extras and gave them to me. They do not peel away.
Hi. I made these cupcakes at school for a bakesale. The cake didnt taste good and the texture was dense, but i really loved the icing. Could you give me any tips on what I did wrong?
any idea if this would be suitable for making rainbow cupcakes?
I have a basic vanilla recipe that I love, but when i mix the gel colours in, i think too much stirring thins down the batter too much.
Would love to try this recipe if it can withstand the stirring, what are your opinions? (:
Hi Yvonne, Although I haven’t tried it, I think these would be fine for rainbow cupcakes. If you make them I’d love to know how they turned out!
I made these cupcakes last week, I wasn’t impressed! The batter seemed like it was missing liquid, milk or something. Cupcakes turned out heavy and dry, missed the mark on this recipe :-(
I had the same issue, but they were still very tasty. I am wondering what I did wrong or if they were supposed to be that way.
Can I substitute salted butter for unsalted butter in this recipe?
Yes, but omit the salt that is called for in the recipe.
I made these today, was very disappointed, I followed the recipe to the T. Cupcakes turned out heavy and dense :-(
Mine too!!!!! Very disappointed I made cupcakes before and I love love trying revipes!!!!! I should have read these comments before making them! They turned out horrible and I need to make new ones!!! Ahhhhhh
Hi, Can you please tell me a good substitute for Sour cream for this recipe? Want to make it for my father’s birthday tomorrow. Thanks.
Hi Rida, You could substitute plain yogurt for the sour cream in this recipe.
I just wanted to say these cupcakes are absolutely DELICIOUS! i made them once before for my family, and now i am making them once again for a friends birthday. As soon as i found out she wanted cupcakes i went directly to these! You can’t go wrong! There just so good :)
I made these cupcakes with th efrosting an dthey were amazing! I love the recipe, and will use this website for everything elese! I made them for a party, and they were a huge hit! I even mixed everything by hand with a whisk! Extra workout! Thank You!
Hi i was wondering if i make the butter cream to night can i leave it on the table for tomorrow or do i have to put it in the frig?
i have to make a cake for a party so i was wondering if i could frost it tonight and keep it out all night? thank you
Ashley, You can frost the cupcakes and store them at room temperature in an airtight container overnight. However, if you make the frosting ahead of time I would recommend refrigerating it. You will need to re-whip it before frosting the cupcakes. I find it easiest to make the frosting when you plan on frosting the cupcakes.
Wow! This website is the coolest! I ADORE cupcakes so finding this site was awesome. I’m actually starting up my own cupcake business with a friend which I’m so excited about!!! Keep posting! :)
Okay, so BEST VANILLA CUP CAKES I EVER TASTED!!! And these are the only vanilla cupcakes that come out absolutely perfect each time, even if my oven is messed up! HAHA I LOVE YOU FOR PUTTING THIS UP!!
What is the sour.cream for because in most vanilla Cupcake recipes don’t require sour cream?
Hi Chelsey, The sour cream helps to keep the cupcakes nice and moist.
Hi michelle,
I dont bake a lot. I am new to all these baking things so i may ask a stupid question but i am really confuse and hopefully you can help me. What is the difference bewteen icing and frosting and where i can use frosting or icing. Thank you so much.
Hi Mar, Not a stupid question! A lot of people use the terms icing and frosting interchangeably, but for me icing is usually much thinner, like a glaze, while frosting is the thick butter/powdered sugar concoction you find on top of cupcakes.
Hi, Michelle
I doing a birthday party for my girl who is 1 yr old. I am doing the cupcakes for the party so I interesting in doing your vanilla cupcakes w/ vanilla buttercream. I am so nervous because i dont bake a lot so hopefully my cupcakes can taste really good. However, i would like to know if i can add food coloring to the buttercream frosting so it can taste vanilla but be pink and green. THanks
Hi Mar, Definitely! Just add a little at a time until you get the shade of color you are going for.
These cupcakes are delicious. They are super moist, sweet enough, but not too sweet and very easy to make. I made 50 of them for a party and they were a big hit. Thanks for a great recipe.
Hi.
I’m a novice baker, I’ve made a couple different recipes for cupcakes & most of the time they have turned out too “heavy”. I was wondering what the significance of the sour cream, in this recipe is? I’m planning on using this recipe this weekend for a friends daughters birthday party, where I am making about 50 cupcakes in a Purple and Green Tinkerbell theme! Any advice would be great!
Thanks,
Rebecca Hymel
Hi Rebecca, The sour cream in this recipe keeps the cupcakes nice and moist.
These cupcakes are delicious!! I have a question though. Whenever I’ve made homemade icing, it has always come out slightly runny. I use pastry bags, and the shape of the frosting never holds, it always drips. Do you have any advice? Also, I use light butter – I’m not sure if that makes a difference. Thanks!
Hi Liz, The light butter could definitely be the culprit. It may not whip up the same way regular butter does. I’ve never had a problem with runny icing, and the one here is my absolute favorite. I hope you’ll give it a try!
What kind of tip do you use to frost the cupcakes like this?
Hi Amber, I use a Wilton 1M decorating tip.
Hi there! I have so many issues I hope you can help! I made this recipe and my cupcakes came out like cornbread… kind of heavy in the center and they had a bad flavor. It wasn’t horrible but it wasn’t that good. With the icing it was too runny.. theres no way I could have used it for icing.
PLEASE HELP!
Whenever I buy cake mixes my cupcakes are always perfect but I really wanna learn to make them from scratch… please help!
-Lisa
Hi Lisa, I really have no idea why the cupcakes would taste like cornbread?! Did you make any alterations to the recipe at all – ingredients, technique, bake time, etc.? They are a really moist cupcake that actually has a pretty distinct buttery flavor.
I did not do anything differently at all I followed it to a “t” Could it be my flour? or butter?? ‘
Also what did I do to the frosting to make it ‘runny’ and not fluffy :(
You may have either softened your butter to the point of it melting, or not have let your cupcakes cool enough before using them. Sorry and I hope that helped!
I found this recipe on another site, I don’t remember where, ugh. They probably got it from here, which is most likely why I tried it. But it turns out the ingredients and measurements are half the recipe I already had. They turned out excellent! Although, I did add a lil more sour cream and half a package of vanilla instant pudding. They were so good that I didn’t want to share, but.. I did. A little bit. It hurt. But I got through. You, oh, and your blog too, are amazing! Keep it up!
Hello again, also wanted to ask if this vanilla buttercream and the chocolate buttercream are good for frosting cakes as well? Thanks!
Hi Erin, Yes you could use them to frost cakes. If you find them a little too stiff to spread nicely, just lighten them up with a little milk or cream, adding a teaspoon at a time until you get the consistency you want.
Hi! This buttercream looks and sounds delicious. Just wanted to have you clarify that the recipe does in fact call for a full tablespoon of vanilla extract. I noticed some of your other buttercream recipes called for1-2 teaspoons of vanilla extract so was just double checking about this one. Also, what piping tip # do you use in this photo? I love the floral look the frosting has on top of the cupcake. Thanks for sharing!
Hi Erin, Yes, 1 tablespoon of vanilla is correct. And I used a Wilton 1M decorating tip.
Hi Michelle, what kind of flour do you bake with?
Hi Laila, I use King Arthur Flour brand of flour.
Hi Michelle, is it also alright if i do not add extra yolk or cut down on the number of yolks used? Thanks (:
Hi Nel, If you eliminate the yolk, the cupcakes could turn out a bit dry – the yolk helps with moisture and keeping them soft.
Hi for both of the prompt replies! I will keep that in mind!
Hi Michelle. Is it ok if i add 1 or 2 teaspoon/tablespoon of cinnamon ground to the vanilla batter to have a hint of cinnamon taste?
Thanks!
Hi Nel, Sure! I would start with only 1 teaspoon, if that, and then adjust from there.
I made these today and they were delicious! The only thing is that the bottom & middle is super moist & fluffy & yummy but the tops were a little hard, did I do something wrong or is that normal?
I sometimes find if the muffin pan is a dark/nonstick and the batter flows over the muffin liners and touches the pan (like a little dome), then this can happen.
As a fellow Pittsburgher who is studying at Georgetown University, it is so great to see someone reviewing Baked & Wired! I’m a huge fan of this tiny, relaxing establishment in Georgetown! It’s about time that they get some recognition. They’re cupcakes, along with all of their other baked goods are amazing. I’m tired of all the acclaim going to Georgetown Cupcake when I could make better cupcakes at home myself! THANK YOU!
These cupcakes are just fantastic. Thanks for sharing the recipe. Sure really hope that mine turn out as good as yours. Great recipe!!
This recipe looks amazing…can’t wait to try it! Any chance it could be halved? I know I could just freeze the cupcakes I don’t eat or give them to neighbors, but ideally I’d like to bake a small batch.
Hi TJ, Yes you could halve the recipe. For the 1 egg, just lightly whisk it with a fork, and then take half of the volume for the recipe.
Is it okay if I add some milk to the batter instead of sour cream? The sour cream is added to make the cupcake moist, isn’t it? Anw thanks for the recipe, your cupcakes look simply awesome!
oh sorry! I just found the same question as mine above :p gonna try this recipe very soon :)
can i freeze these? if so how long in advance? How do i unfreeze? do i switch from freezer to fridge to room temp.? How long would it take to unfreeze?
i made these n they were delicious so thats why i was wondering. Oh and in the buttercream i messed up and used 1 1/2 tsp of vanilla instead of 1 tbs and it came out delicous and then when i did it again but followed the recipe it wasnt as good. So i just wanted to say its better and fluffier with 1 1/2 tsp vanills
Hi Marina, I have never frozen them, but imagine you could. I would say maybe up to three months or so. I would thaw them at room temperature, should take a couple of hours. Enjoy!
These smelled and tasted amazing. While in the oven the kitchen smelled like a bakery. Thanks for sharing a great recipe!
hi, is it okay to omit the sour cream?
Hi Mardiana, You can omit the sour cream – it is a key ingredient in the cupcakes and makes them moist. You can substitute plain yogurt, but cannot omit.
The flavor of these cupcakes are amazing. When mixing the batter, I found it to be a little dry and the cupcakes came out very dense. It this the way they are supposed to be or did I miss something?
Hi Catherine, They are definitely not supposed to be dry and dense. They are a really moist, buttery cupcake. This could have happened due to over-mixing or maybe over-baking.
it came dense and heavy for me too. and the dough was very thick. I saw so many people having the same (dense problem. are we all missing any part of the recipe. I s this recipe from Cook’s illustrated. I googled and could not find such recipe ,instead there is a fluffy yellow recipe.
please let us know why we are all getting dense cakes. the flavour is good though.
thanks
I had the same issue with the texture, not sure why that is. I did follow the recipe to the T. The taste was good but the texture was most certainly not cake-like. It was more of a muffin/cornbread texture. It’s all good. The kids renamed them cupfins and polished them off.
Hi Pearse, Unfortunately because I am not in the kitchen with folks when they make the recipe, it’s hard for me to be able to pinpoint exactly what caused a recipe to turn out differently. Typically dense cupcakes can be caused by overbeating or overmixing the batter.
ok so these are now my go-to recipe for vanilla cupcakes. I made them in mini version twice. I baked them for 12 minutes each batch. I cant wait to make them in the regular size. This made me think twice about your recipe (good way) after doing the blueberry muffins that turned out awful.
You could just make a pound cake and put them in cupcake liners instead of a pan! Hope this helped! :)
Delicious!! I added chocolate mousse to the center of these and it turned out delicious! My husband saw them in the fridge took one out and began to eat it and was like this is AMAZING! And my 21 month old devoured the frosting and gave me the rest as always! She loves frosting! Thank you so much for this recipe, the frosting was WONDERFUL!!
Is this the best vanilla cupcake recipe (not including the frosting) you have ever had? We are still on the search for the best vanilla cupcake recipe ever. Would love your suggestions! XOXO
I just came to say THANK YOU! I tried this recipe yesterday, it was on point and my friends loved it so much! :D
hi,
my names tamsyn and i was wondering…..as you don’t now im in a place called lae in Papua New Guniea its a lovely place its always green and the roads are terrible and i’m like your numer 1 fan and just wanted to ask are you guys still doing tdche show “DC CUPCAKES” and if you are your both my role model!!!!
thanks kathren and sophie
this vanilla cupcake recipe with vanilla frosting was not good:(…it was very dense and heavy not light and fluffy as a cupcake should be….i was disappointed, but, alas, where my cupcakes are concerned i will not be deterred and will try another recipe. i think it may have been the two egg yolks, that went against my better cupcake judgement….happy baking1 :)
Wow! These cupcakes are fantastic. Thanks for sharing the recipe.
Thanks for the great frosting recipe. I had some vanilla and chocolate cupcakes in my freezer and just had to try the frosting! First off, the frosting was probably the best buttercream that I have ever tried and I love that it even got that little crust on it. While the vanilla/vanilla was great, the chocolate/vanilla combo was out of this world! The frosting even held up well at an outdoor concert that I brought them to and it was probably 85 in the shade. Thanks for sharing the recipe.
Hi,
Just wanted to start with – I absolutely adore your website! It truly has inspired me to start baking once again! And now that Summer is here I have plenty of time!
I wanted to ask about the frosting on these cupcakes, how did you manage to shape them that way and do you have a tutorial on your website instructing me how I could do the frosting this way?
Hi Mariam, I don’t have any tutorials on my website for frosting the cupcakes; I use a Wilton 1M decorating tip and just use a little swirling motion. Have fun!
Hello!
Michelle, I just wanted to tell you I am making these cupcakes for my daughter McKenna’s 1st birthday party. I was practicing today and they are AMAZING!!! Thank you so much for sharing! I cannot wait till the big day!
Hello! need some help here.
I tried baking the vanilla cupcakes today and its taste pretty good, but is there anyone here can tell me why my vanilla cupcakes always don’t stick on the paper liners? :(
I am making cupcakes for a wedding. How do they freeze, unfrosted? I need to make them a week or so ahead of time.
I have never frozen these, so I can’t say for sure how they taste once thawed, but most cakes do freeze well.
I made these for the second time this week. This time for Father’s Day with a Raspberry buttercream. DELICIOUS!!!
Hi! I made these and some of them caved in! I baked them for the the right time and the right temp. So I don’t know what happened! Please help:(
Hi Caitlin, So sorry some of these caved in on you! Sometimes caving is caused because the cake is still a little underdone when they come out of the oven so the center is completely baked and stabilized yet so when they start to cool they fall in. Did you test the centers, or just take them out when the baking time was up?
I tested them and everything but the tops where browning really fast. I may be because i have such a small oven. But I tried them again and they turned out great:) I woke up the next morning and they where all gone! lol Thanks!
I loved these!! I made a couple tweaks of my own, (added milk, an extra egg yolk, a teaspoon lemon extract,1tablspoon oil, and an extra half teaspoon vanilla) and WOW were they good! Theres a hair on one of them in the picture, (oopsie we women shed=] ) and I think you forgot to list milk, because the batter was more like dough untill I added the milk. Brilliant recipe though! And the frosting was perfect!
I baked these cupcakes today and I must say that they are just splendid. I love the icing, three ingredients and so smooth.
The cupcakes turned out great!! A friend asked me to make them for her son’s birthday (he only likes vanilla) and he loved them!
So I made these cupcakes and they were simply amazing! I recently went to baked and wired and tried the Smurfette (Fresh blueberries baked into vanilla cake, topped with lemon buttercream). I thought your recipe would be perfect for attempting a replication of the smurf and wondered if you had any advice (measurements of blueberries, lemon?) …I hear if a dense cake recipe isn’t used, the blueberries will sink to the bottom? As for the buttercream, would adding some lemon zest be enough to give it that flavor? Thanks for your rockin advice!!
Hi Clarissa, Oooh I will have to get my butt over to Baked & Wired and give this a try, it sounds fabulous! As for the amount of blueberries, the recent blueberry muffin recipe I made (which yields 12 muffins) called for 1.5 cups (https://www.browneyedbaker.com/2011/05/31/blueberry-muffins-recipe/) – you can see if you think you think that is good, or if you’d like less. I would toss the blueberries with a teaspoon or two of flour and fold them in at the end.
As for the frosting, lemon zest is great, and you could also use a splash of lemon extract. Or you could give the limoncello frosting a try from these cupcakes: https://www.browneyedbaker.com/2009/08/30/lemon-limoncello-cupcakes/.
Have fun experimenting!
Hi, I made these today. Your buttercream frosting is great. Loved it. Made vanilla, divided it and made the other half chocolate. Both really good. Now, the vanilla cupcakes…they are moist and taste really good, but you cannot turn them over and swirl them in the frosting for they fall apart or the top comes off. Sooo…still searching for perfect vanilla/yellow cake for my cupcakes. But still think you do a great job and make everything look good.
HELP!!!! I made these cupcakes and the flavor was amazing however they were dry…any tricks??? Thank you for all your yummy recipes =)
Hi Angie, There are a couple of reasons that the cupcakes could turn out dry – overmixing the batter, overbaking them, or having the heat accidentally too high (i.e. a temperamental oven). I find that if my edges are a little overdone or dry, putting them in an airtight container for about 6 hours helps to moisten them up.
I made these the other day and nearly forgot to add the whole eggs. The batter was super thick! I felt really silly when I realized my mistake. Thankfully, I caught it before I put the batter in the tins. PS – the cupcakes were delicious. I tripled the recipe and it worked fine!
Thanks for this tip! I’ve been using this recipe for quite some time and I LOVE the flavor, but I always felt they were a little on the dry side. Perhaps I am over-baking. I do feel that went I test the centers after about 22 minutes, it still comes out with batter on it and it always seemed to need a little more time. Have you ever tired lowering the temp on the oven after you put them in and then baking them a little longer? I always wondered if that worked.
well I just pulled these out of the oven. they are so yummy. I did use the creaming methought.but they still came out very good. I made a chocolate butter cream and that made them even better. thank you.
Can I make and color this frosting in advance?
hi, i just done baking this cupcake and its very yummy :) it just came out of the oven this moment and smells soooo good that i cant wait for the icing to put on before i start eating it, thank you so much for posting this..and i just love your recipes specially frosting coz thats what i cant make perfect before i see your site.
Hi there! This recipe sounds amazing and I am hoping to use it for my son’s 2nd birthday party. I would have to make them the day before though. Is there a way to store them so that they still taste fresh the next day? Could I frost them ahead of time as well or would I have to do that the morning of the party? Thanks!
Hi Lynda, Yes! I often bake them the day before, just store in an airtight container and room temperature and they stay perfectly soft and moist. The icing is the freshest if you do it the same day, but I have also done it the night before. Again, store in an airtight container.
I just made these cupcakes, they’re cooking in the oven now, but are they supposed to be butteryish? Because I had tasted the batter and it tasted really buttery and it was a bit thick so I added some milk.
Yes, they are definitely buttery, yum!
Made these tonight, they are simply amazing. This frosting is so easy, and sooooo good. I had to stop eating it by itself to have enough left to frost the cupcakes. Thanks for proving such wonderful recipes!
I made these cupcakes last week, and thought they were wonderful! I didn’t use this frosting last time, but was wanting to try it out on a chocolate cupcake. Just wondering if this frosting stays soft or if it get a “crust” after it sits for awhie?
Hi Abby, If they sit uncovered they will crust, but if you store them at room temperature in an airtight container, it will stay soft.
Hi! These cupcakes look and sound delicious! I plan to make them this weekend. I was wondering if there was a certain reason as to why you didn’t cream the butter and sugar, add the eggs, then the flour alternating with milk and vanilla, as with usual cake recipes? Does it make the cake fluffier or more moist? Thanks so much for sharing this recipe and for answering my question! :)
Hi Eric, Well, first off I think that I have encountered different mixing methods for nearly every different cake or cupcake recipe I have ever tried. They all seem to be a bit different, sometimes depending on the ingredients used. This recipe in particular comes from America’s Test Kitchens (where they use trial and error with multiple ingredients combinations and mixing techniques) and the headnote of the recipe states that they found using this “dump” method to mix the batter gave them the best result when it came came to the taste and texture of the cupcakes. I hope that helps!
Hi there… I just made the vanilla cup cakes. My whole family loved them. . I liked them myself but I was expecting a more dense cake, instead I got more of a fluffy cake. Is there a way I can make them more dense? maybe a little more like a pound cake?
Hi Maianthe, Hmm, I’ve never made cupcakes the consistency of pound cake, mostly because my preference is fluffy and moist. I imagine you’d probably need more eggs to make it denser, but I’m unsure of the proportions to other ingredients. I’d try Googling “pound cake cupcakes” or something like that.
Hey Michelle! I love your site and these cupcakes look great! I do have a question about the icing…If I frost my cupcakes and then refrigerate, do they then come out tasting like butter and have the consistency of butter? I made a Martha Stewart Swiss Meringue Buttercream recipe and after being refrigerated, it was not nearly as good as fresh. I actually had to throw it away because it ‘melted’ and wasn’t usable. Thank you for any thoughts on this!!
Hi Courtney, I actually don’t refrigerate this frosting because it will harden with all of the butter in it. I just store leftovers in an airtight container at room temperature.
Hi Michelle, do you think this frosting will hold up well to being drizzled with melted chocolate, or do you think it would melt and/or lose its’ shape? Thanks!
Hi Rashmi, I think if you were to refrigerate the cupcakes after you frost them, then drizzle with chocolate and refrigerate again to set the chocolate and store them in a cool place you would be okay.
I totally made these cupcakes in Yellow and Pink for my best friend’s birthday last weekend. They turned out AMAZING! We were at a bar, so I bribed the staff with cupcakes, and now they love me forever! Thanks for another amazing recipe!
I found this recipe and immediately went to the store for sour cream. Other than sour cream (which I usually have in the frig.) I have everything in the kitchen. It was easy and delicious. My husband who is a chocoholic said, “they are very good for vanilla”. Put it this way, I made a Chocolate cake and these great cup cakes for his birthday and he has had more cup cakes then cake! Very nice cup cake. I plan to use these for my daughter’s baby shower and mount them in flower pots as center pieces. We are having a Tea Party Shower.
I also felt like the cupcakes had a cornbread texture and thought that I must have left out a wet ingredient, but I didn’t. Was this a crumbly cupcake or did I do something wrong? What do you think happened? I’d like to try again, so any advice would be appreeciated. Thanks for your help!
Hi Abby, I’m sorry these didn’t quite turn out for you. It definitely isn’t a crumbly cupcake – it’s a soft, moist buttery cupcake. Hard to say what happened if you didn’t make any substitutions and you have an oven thermometer and are sure the baking temp wasn’t off. Sometimes baked goods can be crumbly or not as moist if they are overmixed though.
Wowowowoo , these cupcakes look amazing , I love your blog :D
I just made these and while they are good if you just use them as a regular cupcake, they are not good for filling at all as they become far too crumbly when trying to eat them. If you cut out a hole to fill with something, the walls of the hole don’t hold up very well once you have taken a couple of bites. They were nice and strong in vanilla flavour though, and if I was to make mini cupcakes I would probably use them again :)
I have been on a quest for the “ultimate cupcake” recipe – think simple, delicious, able to devour easily in two bites! This one, while simple, did not quite hit on all cylinders. The batter did not have the “smooth and satiny” texture described in the recipe (?) so I added a little milk and orange juice, and while the cupcakes WERE good, they still were too borderline “cornbread muffin” for me to greedily devour one in two bites – one of my criteria for a perfect cupcake. I felt compelled to finish out of guilt because I had started it, not because I absolutely wanted to. Perhaps I overbeat the batter, but it was so thick to start, I figured maybe there was a liquid ingredient missing. I frosted them with a swiss buttercream, and some I filled with the same buttercream or a strawberry jam. I will continue on my quest for the “ultimate” cupcake, but this was a great stop along the way!
I had the same problem with the texture/heaviness of my cupcakes. really disappointed bc the flavor was grreat
I had the same issue. I didnt even use a beater so there is no way mine could have been over beaten. But the final texture was so thick, almost like cookie dough, that I really thought the recipe was missing a wet ingredient. I added some milk which helped with the consistency a bit, but I mostly could taste the flour and sour cream, which was odd for a cupcake. I definitely didn’t feel compelled to even finish the one I tasted, let alone the whole batch. I’m sure with a bit of tweaking though, this recipe could be amazing! It was very simple and easy to throw together, and they came out extremely moist.
I had the same issue as well. It definitely seemed like a wet ingredient was missing. The batter was just very thick, more like for butter cookies, only stickier. I was so confused. Ended up adding quite a lot of milk until it looked like cupcake batter that can be poured into baking cups (well, i did not make it liquid enough to pour, more like plop into the baking cups). The taste was ok.. not your usual can’t-get-enough perfect cupcake though.
You are wonderful. Just made this tonight and it was the best homemade cake recipe I have ever made. Yum! The frosting turned out great too! THANK YOU!
I made these cupcakes last night, and my first comment is on the buttercream frosting…DANGEROUS! Seriously, I ate about a cup of it, strictly for sampling purposes…I swear! ;) It was so delicious that I could not stop. It was smooth and easy to make and the flavor was perhaps my favorite frosting ever! My cupcakes turned out kind of dry. I’m not sure why? The flavor was there, the texture was good, but I definitely needed some milk! I took these to my book club meeting, they weren’t as big of a hit as the Lemon-Limoncello, but they did get good reviews! Another benefit to these: they were so quick and easy to make! In fact, after making the Lemon cupcakes I thought “hmm, I might need more than 12 cupcakes…I’ll try Vanilla!” and I whipped these up in about 10 or 15 minutes!
Gorgeous cupcake. I love the butter cream frosting perfect for vanilla cupcakes just like this. This is a great recipe.
Hello.
I live in Italy and have limited access to some ingredients used for American recipes. For example, I want to make sugar cookies with royal icing; however, they don’t sell meringue powder, and I’m skeptical about using raw egg whites. Could I use your vanilla buttercream frosting for sugar cookies? Something tells me that it wouldn’t work…what do you think?
Hi Rosanna, you could definitely use the vanilla buttercream to frost sugar cookies, but you wouldn’t be able to flood it and get that smooth finish, since it has much different properties than the royal icing. That said, I’ve never turned down a sugar cookie slathered with buttercream ;-)
funny, funny because i adore everything baked and wired but gtown’s salted caramel might be my favorite cupcake in the world. glad you got to try a little bit of everything!
Just made these cupcakes and they came out AMAZING!! I’m diabetic so i used splenda in the batter and it still came out great!! They were so moist and buttery! for the icing it was great too but i added a little lemon juice for a little kick and that hit the spot =) thanks for the post it is now my go to cupcake recipe.
Awesome to know that these hold up well to a Splenda substitution, thank you so much for sharing!!
these look pretty near perfect! I love the rosette like frosting! I have to make cupcakes tomorrow, for 80….I may go this route!!! Just lovely!
Wow, 80 cupcakes! Did you use this recipe?
I made mocha cupcakes this past weekend and used this icing as the base for my espresso icing. Delightful!! :)
So glad you loved! I also used this as the base for the espresso frosting on my mocha cupcakes :)
https://www.browneyedbaker.com/2010/08/13/mocha-cupcakes-with-espresso-buttercream-frosting/
Everyone does need one in their binder, I’m still on the lookout for mine though! This looks amazing.
Hi Michelle,
Yes, please do a post on decorating cupcakes. Your’s always look amazing!
Sarah x
I have a soft spot for good buttercream icing… and your delicious photo has me drooling. Thanks for a great recipe!
I didn’t try the cupcake recipe but I did make icing. It turned out GREAT! I hate making icing from scratch, it is a very long process and normally it never turns out right for me. But your step by step instructions were so helpful! Thx :)
Yay so glad you’ve been converted to homemade icing! :)
Wow – those are gorgeous-looking cupcakes. I’m going to try to make them for my daughter’s b-day in Feb.
I made these for a party last night along with your dark chocolate cupcakes with chocolate buttercream, both were delicious! So yummy and moist – I will definitely be making these again.
What tip do you use for your icing swirl? I attempted with what I have but I think I need a basic lesson on icing, so instead I just used an icing spatula. Not as pretty but just as a good.
So happy to hear both cupcakes were a hit! I used a Wilton 1M decorating tip for the swirl. I will have to do a post on decorating cupcakes one of these days!
I made these last night for a Halloween work party. Delicious! Especially the icing. It holds it’s shape very well. I decorated with Halloween sprinkles and a candy corn pumpkin.
Yay, so glad you enjoyed these Danielle! Love how you decorated them!
I agree the best cupcakes are the simplest and everyone needs to have a basic vanilla recipe cupcake ! Looks delicious
These look amazing!! Absolutely loved the CHOCOLATE buttercream recipe you posted a little bit ago, SO i know the vanilla one will not disappoint!! Thanks!!!
So happy to hear you enjoyed the chocolate buttercream Anne!
Always love having vanilla cake/cupcake recipes and your buttercream looks so pretty. Both recipes will be tried out in my house! Thanks for posting.
I love vanilla; these look amazing! I can’t wait to try that frosting!
Awesome! I am printing out your cupcake recipe..I have yet to find the perfect one.
OMG I’m gonna make these this weekend. I am going to double the recipe, and I hope it will still come out the same. Please oh Please share how you get that lovely dolop on top of the the little cake. Thank you, and I’m looking forward to the red velvet one coming soon. Hopefully it will have cream cheese frosting…
Hi Beth, I use a Wilton 1M decorating tip and just swirl away!
Michelle, everything you touch turns to gold. I wish my simple vanilla cupcakes looked this good!
Aw you are too sweet. I’m sure your cupcakes look fabulous!
What a great classic- I love vanilla cupcakes! Yours turned out so pretty, too!
Vanilla on vanilla is my kind of cupcake! They’re cute looking too!
My husband and I were just talking about our favorite cupcakes the other day, and when I said mine were vanilla flavored with vanilla frosting, he looked at me like I had a third eye! These will always be the best cupcake to me – classic, simple and super delicious! Thanks for sharing, Michelle.
Can’t wait to try some of your recipes! I don’t bake often due to me eating all of the product but still need to try your chocolate with peanut butter frosting. I almost never make vanilla anything due to my love of chocolate but this is good to have on hand. As for red velvet, I’m not from the South and still don’t understand the fascination with it. It’s not chocolate, it’s not vanilla…what the heck is it? Can’t wait to see what the explanation is in next post. I’ve tried to make it, I’ve tried buying it…still don’t get it. It’s like the red-headed stepchild of cakes to me. Anyway, the holidays are now upon us and it’s time to bake! Thanks for your fabulous site!
A classic combo. Well done! I am going to DC next weekend and checking out DC cupcakes, too!
Liz, definitely check out Baked & Wired too!
Yay for Baked and Wired! They are a million times better than Georgetown Cupcake and there’s never a line!
Those look so gorgeous. I love cupcakes. They are so elegant and you can just taste the light cakey sweetness when looking at beautiful pics such as yours. Great job.
I’m with Raven… I’m not certain how much of the frosting would actually make it to the cupcakes! An excellent recipe to have on hand for those “I need a good cupcake” occasions!
What gorgeous cupcakes! The buttercream frosting just sounds like it is to die for! That would be so dangerous if I ever put those on cupcakes or if the icing ever actually made it TO the cupcakes haha, yum
Vanilla power!!!!! \m/ :D
I have been thinking about cupcakes non-stop recently! These are going on the list – beautiful :)
when i was in dc last month, i tried going to georgetown cupcakes but the line was so long that we just headed over to baked and wired. i loved it! the cupcakes were amazing! i had a peach cupcake with almond frosting and it was TO DIE FOR.
Oooh peach and almond sounds delicious! I don’t remember seeing that option when we were there!
The owner of Baked and Wired is my husband’s cousin, Theresa. I’m glad you enjoyed it. She’s a Midwest girl at heart (and by birth) and many of the recipes she uses are modified from her family. Your cupcakes look very yummy.
Hi Barbara, So neat to hear your connection to Baked & Wired and the background of the recipes! Small world! Maybe you can snag me a “behind the scenes” pass sometime :)
I’ve not been “behind the scenes” myself, as I’m in Ohio and she’s in, well, Georgetown, but Theresa is as nice as she can be — she has her hands in everything there. I’m sure if you just ask, she would be happy to show you around. She’d love to read your post. I’ll pass it on to her mom, who, I’m sure, will pass it on to her.
Aw thanks Barbara, I will have to try to touch base with her the next time I’m in the area. And thank you for passing along the post, I hope she appreciates it! :)
Hi Michelle, I’m so happy that you posted a really good looking vanilla cupcake with vanilla frosting, it’s one of my favorite cupcakes! I’ve never done a vanilla frosting without milk or cream, what’s the difference with just vanilla on it?
Hi Ram, Not much of a difference. I have made frostings with cream, but usually only a tablespoon or two, so I can’t tell much of a difference at all.
I completely agree, I thought Georgetown Cupcakes were so over rated and I was completely disappointed! And at 2.75 a cupcake I was expecting something that would knock my socks off! The cake was so dry with very little taste. I can’t wait to try this recipe!
If you ever find yourself back at Georgetown Cupcake, call ahead to make an order. It allows you to skip the line! But I’m so glad to hear you preferred Baked & Wired – it’s my favorite pick in the area!
Vanilla/vanilla is always one of my favorite cupcakes. But, I’m so excited to see your red velvet recipe! I have a long history of shouting at Yankees that Red Velvet is NOT A CHOCOLATE CAKE, dernit! This makes me disproportionately interested in any appearance of red velvet. More of my thoughts on the matter here: http://darbyoshea.wordpress.com/2010/03/28/march-cake-dans-birthday/
YAY! I’m so glad you liked Baked&Wired – I’ve lived in DC for ages, and I always tell people to go there instead of G’town Cupcake :) Their cupcakes are bigger and they have more frosting (which is my favorite part of any cake)
I followed your recipe fr the frosting to make an almond frosting and it worked perfectly! just take away the vanilla and add almond extract! Thank you is wonderful!
-Amalia
http://buttersweetmelody.wordpress.com
Oooh great idea Amalia, thanks for sharing!
Can you adapt this for a full cake? Looking for a good cake recipe for my daughter’s princess-themed birthday cake. This looks delicious!
Hi Holly, I haven’t, but I don’t see why you couldn’t. I think you would probably want to double the recipe and make two 8″ or 9″ cakes.
I used half of this recipe to make a 4 inch cake yesterday, it turned out great, however it took almost double the oven time, about 40 minutes!!
These cupcakes looks so yum…. well looking forward for the red velvet cupcakes.. thanks for taking into consideration the request..
these are gorgeous… I really need a frosting lesson… this frosting looks like you have a REALLY BIG tip that made one big plop instead of swirling around… how DID you do it?? :D
Hi Kristina, I use a Wilton 1M tip. And those are actually miniature cupcakes so they didn’t require a lot of swirling since I used a big tip :)
Hi! I am going to bake your cupcakes but I was wondering if the recipe made 12 miniature cupcakes or 12 regular size. You confused me with your proir comment! Please help me!
Hi Quinn, The recipe makes 12 regular size cupcakes, sorry for the confusion. I just used it to make 24 minis.
Hi~
I was wondering how long you baked the mini cupcakes (I usually make everything mini since I feel less guilty eating them!) :) I’m assuming 20-24 min is for the regular cupcakes? Thanks so much! I love your blog and have tried a few of the recipes that you have posted, with great success!
maybe 15 mins at the most
I start checking the mini size around 8 minutes. Enjoy!
I was wondering if it was possible to do the recipe without the sour cream?? or maybe replace it with something else?? thanks
p.s i love your website :)