These vanilla cupcakes are a moist, fluffy, and tasty dessert that can easily be enjoyed for any occasion! They are so delicious and simple to make that this is going to become the only vanilla cupcake recipe you'll ever need! Top them with your favorite flavor of frosting and then watch them disappear!
Easy Homemade Vanilla Cupcake Recipe
These vanilla cupcakes are ridiculously easy to make and create a perfectly moist and fluffy cupcake every time! Using cake flour as opposed to all-purpose flour creates a wonderfully tender and soft crumb that is to die for!
They are such an all-purpose dessert that is fantastic for any event or occasion (or just because)! Bring them to a baby shower, birthday party, graduation, bridal shower, or any other festivities you may have coming up!
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🥘 Ingredients For Vanilla Cupcakes
These simple and delicious cupcakes only use a few common baking staples! It is based on my homemade white cake mix that can be easily made in advance and used whenever you like!
- Cake Flour - 2¾ cups of cake flour. This specialty flour can be purchased in the baking aisle of any grocery store, or you can make some from scratch!
- Sugar - 1½ cups of sugar.
- Baking Powder - 4 teaspoons of baking powder.
- Salt - ½ teaspoon of salt.
- Egg Whites - 5 large egg whites.
- Milk - 1⅓ cups of milk. Choose whole milk for the best flavor!
- Butter - ½ cup of butter (melted). You can also use shortening instead of butter for an extra bright white color!
- Vanilla - 2 teaspoons of vanilla extract. Use pure vanilla for the best results.
*Be sure to see the free printable recipe card below for ingredients, exact amounts & instructions with tips!*
🔪 How To Make Vanilla Cupcakes
These fool-proof cupcakes are as easy as it gets! Simply combine the dry ingredients, mix in the wet, and bake! You'll need a large mixing bowl, your measuring utensils, a muffin pan, and a wire cooling rack.
This recipe will yield 18 tasty cupcakes!
- Whisk dry ingredients. In a large mixing bowl or the bowl of your stand mixer, add all of the measured dry ingredients (2¾ cups of cake flour, 1½ cups of sugar, 4 teaspoons of baking powder, and ½ teaspoon of salt) then whisk until well combined. Then, make a well in the middle of the combined dry ingredients.
- Add in the wet ingredients. Add all of the wet ingredients (5 large egg whites, 1⅓ cups of milk, ½ cup of melted butter, and 2 teaspoons of vanilla extract) and combine.
- Bake. Fill each cupcake cavity ¾ full then bake at 350°F (175°C) for 12-15 minutes. Insert a toothpick into the center of the cupcakes to check if they're done. You'll know they are ready when the toothpick comes out clean, with just a few crumbs and no batter sticking to it. They should also feel slightly springy when you press on the tops.
- Cool and frost. Allow the baked vanilla cupcakes to cool slightly in the muffin tin before moving them to a wire cooling rack to finish cooling. Make sure the cupcakes are fully cooled before frosting them.
Top these cupcakes with some vanilla buttercream for a true classic! Of course, you could also use chocolate buttercream or peanut butter buttercream frosting to mix it up! Enjoy!
💭 Angela's Pro Tips & Recipe Notes
- You can use all-purpose flour if you need to! Simply reduce the amount of flour to 2½ cups.
- Caster sugar, or any other ultra-fine sugar, works best for this cake recipe. You can always run your granulated sugar through a food processor as well!
- 5 large egg whites are equivalent to ¼ cup + 2 tablespoons of liquid egg whites.
- If you want your cake to be incredibly white, make sure to use shortening instead of butter.
🥡 Storing
Your plain vanilla cupcakes that haven't been frosted yet can be stored at room temperature for up to one week in an airtight container. However, if your cupcakes are iced or have a filling they will only be good for 2-4 days.
Any cupcakes that are frosted with buttercream frosting (or any other dairy ingredient) need to be stored in a sealed container in the refrigerator for 3-5 days.
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❓ Recipe FAQs
Vanilla cake is such a versatile flavor that you can easily pair it with almost any of your preferred flavors of frosting! Try some cream cheese frosting or vanilla bean buttercream for some classic options. Of course, you can use any of your favorite flavors!
Make sure you are using room-temperature ingredients, such as butter, milk, and eggs. Not only does this help all of the ingredients mix together, but it also ensures even baking. Additionally, avoid overmixing your cake batter as this will cause them to deflate in the oven and become dense.
Yep! Go ahead and bake the cupcakes, allow them to cool completely, and then place them into a storage bag or sealed container. Keep them at room temperature for a few days. Hold off on frosting them until the day you're going to serve them.
🍰 More Sweet Cake Recipes
- Strawberry Dump Cake - This cake only uses a handful of ingredients and takes just a few minutes of prep work!
- Flourless Chocolate Raspberry Cake - If you can't have flour (or simply don't have any) you can still enjoy this decadent cake!
- Dutch Butter Cake - This ultra-tender and delicious cake is like a cross between a cake and a cookie!
- Peanut Butter Filled Cupcakes - Rich chocolate cupcakes are loaded up with peanut butter buttercream for an irresistible treat!
- Chocolate Chip Mug Cake - A single-serving dessert that is whipped up in a mug!
- Mary Berry Chocolate Cupcakes - Sweet, rich, chocolate cupcakes that are great for any occasion!
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📖 Recipe Card
Vanilla Cupcakes
Ingredients
Homemade White Cake Mix
- 2 ¾ cups cake flour
- 1 ½ cups sugar
- 4 teaspoon baking powder
- ½ teaspoon salt
- 5 large egg whites
- 1 ⅓ cups milk
- ½ cup butter (melted, or use shortening)
- 2 teaspoon vanilla extract
(Note: 2x or 3x only changes the ingredient list)
Instructions
- In a large mixing bowl or the bowl of your stand mixer, add all of the measured ingredients then whisk to combine. Make a well in the center of your combined dry ingredients.
- Add all of the wet ingredients (egg whites, milk, melted butter, and vanilla extract) and combine.
- Fill each cupcake cavity ¾ full then bake at 350°F (175°C) for 12-15 minutes. Insert a toothpick into the center of the cupcakes to check if they're done. You'll know they are ready when the toothpick comes out clean, with just a few crumbs and no batter sticking to it. They should also feel slightly springy when you press on the tops.
- Allow the baked vanilla cupcakes to cool slightly in the muffin tin before transferring them to a wire cooling rack to cool completely. Make sure the cupcakes are fully cooled before frosting them.
Notes
- You can use all-purpose flour if you need to! Simply reduce the amount of flour to 2½ cups.
- Caster sugar, or any other ultra-fine sugar, works best for this cake recipe. You can always run your granulated sugar through a food processor as well!
- 5 large egg whites are equivalent to ¼ cup + 2 tablespoons of liquid egg whites.
- If you want your cake to be incredibly white, make sure to use shortening instead of butter.
- To store: Your plain vanilla cupcakes that haven't been frosted yet can be stored at room temperature for up to one week in an airtight container. However, if your cupcakes are iced or have a filling they will only be good for 2-4 days. Any cupcakes that are frosted with buttercream frosting (or any other dairy ingredient) need to be stored in a sealed container in the refrigerator for 3-5 days.
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