The Best Homemade Vanilla Cupcake Recipe Ever

There's nothing better than a good batch of vanilla cupcakes. This recipe features a rich, golden vanilla cake with a sweet vanilla buttercream frosting. It also calls for a little more vanilla than most. Use Bourbon vanilla, Madagascar vanilla, or paste for the best flavor.

Get ready: People will ask you for this recipe.

Cupcake Ingredients

• 3/4 cup butter
• 3 eggs
• 2 1/2 cups all purpose flour
• 1/2 teaspoon salt
• 1 3/4 cups sugar
• 3 teaspoons vanilla (add more for a super-vanilla taste)
• 1 1/4 cups milk
• 2 1/2 teaspoons baking powder

Cupcake Instructions

1. Prior to starting, preheat your oven to 350 degrees F. Bring the eggs and butter to room temperature. Grease and flour two cupcake/muffin pans or insert cupcake cups.
2. Stir together the salt, baking powder, and flour.
3. Beat the butter with an electric mixer on high for 30 seconds. Add the sugar and beat until combined. Continue to beat and add the eggs and vanilla.
4. Add part of the flour mixture to the butter mixture. Then add some of the milk and beat on low. Continue alternating like this until all of the milk and flour mixture have been added. Mix well.
5. Pour the batter into the cupcake pans, filling them about halfway.
6. Bake for 15-18 minutes, or until the cupcakes are golden brown and a toothpick comes out clean from the center. Cool for at least 15 minutes before removing from pans.
7. See below for frosting ingredients and instructions.

Step 1: Stir the Dry Ingredients

Step 2: Beat the Wet Ingredients

Step 3: Combine and Fill Tins

Step 4: Bake

Vanilla Frosting Ingredients

• 3/4 cup butter, softened
• 2 pounds powdered sugar (around 8 cups)
• 1/3 cup milk
• 2 teaspoons vanilla*

*Note about choosing the what type of vanilla to use:

• Vanilla paste will give your frosting tiny vanilla specks
• Clear vanilla will make your frosting white
• Bourbon or Madagascar vanilla will make the frosting off-white

Vanilla Frosting Instructions

Vanilla frosting is simple and requires only a few ingredients. This version will work perfectly every time.

1. Make sure the butter is softened.
2. Beat butter together with some powdered sugar and the vanilla and some milk. Alternate between adding sugar and milk until you are happy with the consistency.
3. If the frosting is too thick, add a little more milk. If it is too thin, add a little more sugar.

What Do You Think About These Cupcakes?

milanforlife on December 05, 2019:

Hey,

I really like your contribution with such a great collective approach, I loved reading them, l would really appreciate it if you add me in your collection to lend me a thumbs up also and keep up the good work though.

besides, I'll be reading them whether it would be yes or no :)

https://milanforlife.com/

Thank you

Muaaz suhail on September 20, 2019:

This is easy recipe for me and i will try for it

Cylie on January 19, 2019:

I made them and they turned very good that tasted delicious

julie may from canada on December 31, 2018:

sound delicious, easy recipe to make even for beginner like me:), but not sure about the frosting.....8 cups of powdered sugar?

Georgie Harington on November 12, 2018:

These were amazing!!! They were super moist, and bursted with flavor. They tasted like a true vanilla cake. Me and my fiends made these and it only took around hour and a half. The recipe is super simple and the ingredients were easy to get. My parent don’t really like cupcakes, because they can be so sweet, but the loved it! Super fluffy and moist, I recommend this recipe to anyone who loves cupcakes. I would say this is the best vanilla cupcake ever!!!

kirtidv2006 on October 03, 2018:

Looks delicious. My son would love this recipe. He doesn't eat eggs so I would probably have to find an egg substitute. Also I heard from some people that you can add yogurt to cake and it make it fluffy?

Ella on July 17, 2018:

I made the cupcakes but I added so much more milk than I needed but the were very yummy

Anonymous on May 28, 2018:

The cupcakes tasted like butter and sugar. I would definitely add more vanilla and bake for longer. These were also dense. If I did it again I would add blueberries but I Danita think I will be doing it again.

Robyn on May 06, 2018:

These cupcakes tasted good, but they didn’t seem to rise enough and they stuck to the cupcake pan. I used liners and I tore a lot of them apart trying to get them out of the pan. The liners were wet and buttery on the bottom. Maybe I did something wrong? I won’t use this recipe again...

Gillian on March 11, 2018:

Made these cupcakes with my grandaughter this weekend and they turned out delicious.

Thank you for a great recipe

juliette (kid) on February 17, 2018:

yum i think they are delicious you should make them too the only problem is that if you make a mistake they turn out horrible you need to make them exactly perfect so if you can't bake don't try these you won't be able to make them just get a lot of simpler recipes but over all this is a keeper :3

Gilliam Richards on January 25, 2018:

A great recipe, I made these for my grandaughters 8th birthday, they were delicious.

Very tasty and light.

Thank you for a great recipe

Terri Zimmerman-Frank on November 04, 2017:

Thank you for sharing, but the cupcakes were heavy and dense.

Bryce Philips on July 02, 2017:

I like cupcakes

Berthe on March 08, 2017:

wow verry nice recipe thankyou :)

Valerie on March 04, 2017:

Question, it really givea a large window of baking time. What amount of time did each of you bake them until they were fully cooked and not overdone?? Thanks!

vietahardiansyah on September 08, 2016:

These cupcakes sound delicious. Thank you for sharing the recipe!

Lynette on June 18, 2016:

I just made 72 cup cakes from this recipe. The best. One thing I want to tell everyone is when you measure the flour take a tbsp and put the flour in the cup. Do not scoup with the measuring cup. Also, do not bang on the cup, that is when your cake becomes very heavy. Doing this with any flour makes your cake the best. This is a keeper. Thanks for this recipe.

Katie on April 27, 2016:

Hi, I just made these today for my grand kids after school snack. They are moist and delicious!!!!! I can't imagine what MrsSipos might of done because the texture of the ones I made were perfect! That's to bad. Thank you for a wonderful recipe that will be my new go to.

MrsSipos0906 on April 14, 2016:

I honestly thought the texture was awful. It came out like cornbread. They're very bland in my opinion and they taste like eggs. Not a fan.

Tori on November 04, 2015:

i just finished baking me and they look great. Haven't taken a bite or frosted them yet but with the batter it was easy to make just had a lot left over after filling 30 cupcakes. I think the batter recipie is ment for jumbo cupcakes instead of regular size. Still fun and easy to make tho

Krystal on September 25, 2015:

Hi, just a quick question - are the eggs large eggs or regular-sized eggs?

Shannon on June 06, 2015:

These were the best cupcakes I've ever had... And I never leave good reviews but I had to... I ran out of vanilla after the cupcakes so substituted for chocolate frosting but they were delicious.. Cupcake recipe is a keeper

jazmine on May 12, 2015:

These were so horribly dense! Flavor just taste like a fluffy breaded sugar cookie, didn't even bother with the frosting :(

Ashlee on May 10, 2015:

Horrible.....jk I luv em

uio on March 24, 2015:

I am curious, it sounds like a lot of people thought they came out great, I cannot afford to have them turn out crappy. Any for sure thoughts... ive made homemade before but they always came out dry.... so if these turn out bad.. what a waste

Sweets on March 19, 2015:

These was the worst cupcake evrer do not try the recipe its horrible

julie on March 18, 2015:

I made this and followed the recipe, the turned out chewy I would not make them again.

Rachel L Alba from Every Day Cooking and Baking on February 22, 2015:

I just came across your hub for vanilla cup cakes. I thought it was so good because vanilla cup cakes aren't that interesting, normally. But you made this cup cake look so yummy. I have a granddaughter who loves vanilla, so I will be trying your recipe. Thanks for sharing.

Akash on February 20, 2015:

Loved the guest towel cupcake; I am going to make them for all oanscsiocs and for my bathrooms. I have seen so many other videos, but you are the best. Thank you so much.

peachy from Home Sweet Home on February 06, 2015:

The frosting idea is cool, do i need to use the cake mixer?

Daphne D. Lewis from Saint Albans, West Virginia on February 06, 2015:

These sound great! I'm not only wanting to try these, but will now probably be adding extra vanilla to any cupcakes or cakes I make in the future.

Suzie from Carson City on February 06, 2015:

Is it just me, or have there been an awful lot of extremely delicious-looking desserts on HP lately? These cupcakes have me drooling. Either I'm reading while hungry, my sweet tooth is out of control or I simply cannot resist desserts!

I bake so seldom because I live alone and nothing is ever as good after it's been frozen for a while. Could I eat a dozen cookies or cupcakes by myself in a matter of 3 days? I sure could and I have. That's a good reason for me to just buy a few of something from the bakery!! LOL

UP+++

anonymous on July 28, 2013:

Too much flour for sure. I made a 2nd batch with 1/2 cup less flour, 1/2 cup more sugar and 1 tsp more of vanilla and I liked them much better.

Kiwisoutback (author) from Massachusetts on May 10, 2013:

@anonymous: I'm sure it will come out different, but baking crisco might work. It will have a different taste.

anonymous on May 04, 2013:

@Kiwisoutback: It's not the extract's problem, it's the ratio of butter to sugar. I use 1/2 cup of butter with 1 1/2 cup of powdered sugar, 1 tablespoon of milk and vanilla extract and it makes a great frosting

Kiwisoutback (author) from Massachusetts on April 10, 2013:

@anonymous: Frosting is tough. Maybe vanilla bean paste would taste better than extract?

Krisenvorsorge on April 01, 2013:

yummy I love cupcakes!

anonymous on March 31, 2013:

@Kathryn002: Cupcakes themselves were good. Not a fan of the frosting though. I need to work on that. Hope this helps. :)

anonymous on March 17, 2013:

I made them and i put the right amount of flour but they turned out thick and tasted like flour.... I would change that amount of flour to 1 1/2 cups instead of 2 1/2 cups. Didn't realize while i was making them. But good besides that.

anonymous on March 10, 2013:

LOVED these cupcakes! The texture was spot-on. Used a simple peanut butter frosting and the combination was inspired. I liked the 4 tsps of vanilla, too.

anonymous on February 12, 2013:

@Kiwisoutback: Can I substitute crisco for the butter?

anonymous on February 12, 2013:

This cupcake recipe was awesome. I didn't let the eggs and butter get to room temp, but it came out yummy and buttery anyway. It reminded me of wedding cake! Delicious!!!! Only annoying thing about the recipe is letting the eggs and butter get to room temp who has time for that!?

anonymous on February 09, 2013:

Just tried this recipe. I got confused when to add the flour...but delicious ... I added 4 tsps of vanilla....but my daughter loved them an she's very particular about her cupcakes.

Great , easy and all ingredients are on hand....

ChroniclesofaWa on February 04, 2013:

I agree with you on the imitation vanilla extract. Great recipe. :)

aliciamaggie54 on January 30, 2013:

This sounds so good. Thank you for sharing:)

anonymous on January 27, 2013:

the frosting recipe is confusing. It says add the milk and sugar and beat, then add the 1/3 cup milk and rest of the sugar and beat????

anonymous on January 26, 2013:

i think you should use 4 tablespoons of vanilla because it tastes better like that p.s. great cupcakes

anonymous on January 16, 2013:

Great cupcakes! Very easy. The recipe makes a lot more than it says. I got 2 dozen out of it.

anonymous on January 04, 2013:

THESE CUPCAKES ARE RIDONCULES I

Kiwisoutback (author) from Massachusetts on December 20, 2012:

@anonymous: I'll take a look at the directions and revise. Thanks!

anonymous on November 27, 2012:

I tried baking these and added toasted coconut and pecans to recipe, fabulous!

anonymous on November 04, 2012:

I love the cupcakes but the direction were a bit unclear. I added all the ingredents together by accident. But as my first time baking cupcakes, they were delicious!

anonymous on November 03, 2012:

These were really good. I added two tablespoons to the milk before adding to the egg and flour mixture. I didn't make the frosting because frostings are hard!

anonymous on October 30, 2012:

i just tried this receipe and i got a lot more than 16.. i got almost 3 dozen cupcakes.... medium size!

anonymous on October 26, 2012:

really good recipe

!!!!!

anonymous on October 12, 2012:

This is awesome i am definitely getting an A on a project.

anonymous on September 13, 2012:

Im going to try these, they look really easy

anonymous on September 08, 2012:

I used this vanilla recipe and added some cinnamon and it tasted great..

You all should try it..! :)

anonymous on August 28, 2012:

Hi! I am making these and It says 12-16 cupcakesâ¦.I should have known it was not right with 2.5 cups flourâ¦( I only have one 12 muffin pan), and I had enough extra to make an entire other cake in addition to 12 cupcakes. FYI

anonymous on August 24, 2012:

Cute! really inspires me!!!!!!!!

Alana-r on August 23, 2012:

Thanks so much for a delicious recipe, will check out its evil twin too!

anonymous on August 22, 2012:

nice and perfect

anonymous on August 01, 2012:

Idk what I did wrong, but they tasted horrible when I made them. :( Maybe I will give it another shot.

anonymous on July 18, 2012:

I took your advice and added extra vanilla even as a kid this recipe is really easy!!!! My sister and I made for my littles sisters birthday party and she loved them

anonymous on July 17, 2012:

I tried this vanilla cupcake recipe and they were delicious. They werebest I ever baked. Thank you.

anonymous on July 10, 2012:

Just made these....they are absolutely delish! Don't over-bake!! Add extra vanilla!! Thanks!

anonymous on June 03, 2012:

BEST CUPCAKES EVER!!!!!

anonymous on June 02, 2012:

love these cupcakes - but think chocolate frosting tastes best on them. :-)

anonymous on May 16, 2012:

Just made these... The best cupcakes EVER!

KimGiancaterino on May 08, 2012:

These vanilla cupcakes look mighty yummy!

makemoneyonline5 on May 07, 2012:

Ok you win, baking these on the weekend, organic living just on hold for one weekend lol. I have to get my hands on that Madagascar Bourbon Pure Vanilla also :) Great lens.

anonymous on May 03, 2012:

My granddaughter is 6 yrs.old...She LOVES to bake cupcakes. Emma is very creative & talented in whatever she has a passion for!!! Emma is always doing a craft (she calls it a project) . Would you give Emma some cupcake ideas for her Mom for Mother's Day. Thank you.

gatornic15 on April 18, 2012:

Looks good! I always prefer vanilla over chocolate.

Elyn MacInnis from Shanghai, China on April 12, 2012:

I like vanilla cupcakes better than chocolate, although I am sure lots of people would disagree. Vanilla has its own lovely fragrance. Thanks for the recipe.

MartieG aka 'survivoryea' from Jersey Shore on April 11, 2012:

Look simple and wonderful! :>)

cupcakeideas2011 on April 10, 2012:

Simple yet very tasty looking vanilla cupcake.

kindoak on April 02, 2012:

That's a nice recipe. I will save it for some special occasion when I allow myself a good dose of sugar :)

cupcakeideas2011 on March 27, 2012:

All time favorite cupcake flavor! Banana cupcake.

savenlives on March 18, 2012:

looks oh so yummy!!

drozer on March 05, 2012:

yum yum yum ...i love it

anonymous on February 20, 2012:

I really like chocolate but now that i tasted these i kinda like vanallia now

anonymous on February 14, 2012:

Yum yum yum yum!!!! So good will make again, I doubled the recipe and instead of vanilla extract I used vanilla bean paste but only 1.5 teaspoons. Thanks for the great recipe.

anonymous on January 28, 2012:

delicious looking indeed!

Erin Hardison from Memphis, TN on January 25, 2012:

this looks awesome! love vanilla cupcakes!

julieannbrady on December 30, 2011:

Yumm indeed ... I think I'd like to add some lemon or orange zest to the icing and voila!

krakensquid on December 21, 2011:

Great lens, vanilla cupcakes are my favourite! Feel free to check out my lens about making Margarita Cupcakes, if you'd like :)

anonymous on October 28, 2011:

I made these today! OMGosh they are the best cupcakes I had ever made. They taste just like sugar cookies. I used almond milk in mine and sifted the flour. they turned out moist and soft. thank you for the recipe!

Mistalina on June 21, 2011:

These cupcakes sound delicious. Thank you for sharing the recipe!

blanckj on June 10, 2011:

These look totally delectable.

Robin S from USA on April 13, 2011:

This delicious cupcake lens is being featured at the Cupcake Club blog today!

gravityx9 on April 07, 2011:

cute poster and I can hardly wait to try your recipe!!!THUMBS UP and fave!

Kathryn002 on April 07, 2011:

Really good tips - I feel hungry now! I like that the lens is clear and easy to read without being too long.