Perfect Vanilla Cupcakes – Scrumptiously moist and fluffy cupcakes infused with vanilla, and topped with creamy vanilla buttercream frosting!

Perfect Vanilla Cupcakes served on a white cake stand and on marble background.

Today, I bring you my most favourite Perfect Vanilla Cupcakes recipe. I love sharing my favourite recipes with you, because I love knowing that you’re all enjoying them, too!

These vanilla cupcakes rise perfectly, and have beautiful flat tops when cooled completely – a perfect blank canvas for frosting. I love eating these cupcakes without frosting, they’re not at all plain or boring! They’re absolutely delicious, and full of flavour.

But frost these cupcakes with scrumptiously creamy vanilla buttercream, and you’ll take them to the next level. Moist, fluffy, creamy vanilla heaven.

Overhead shot of Perfect Vanilla Cupcakes topped with butterfly sprinkles on marble background.
Perfect Vanilla Cupcakes topped with butterfly sprinkles on marble background.

How to make Perfect Vanilla Cupcakes

Ingredients you’ll need:

  • Cake flour
  • Baking powder
  • Baking soda
  • Salt
  • Large eggs
  • Caster/granulated sugar
  • Vanilla extract
  • Unsalted butter
  • Greek-style yogurt

For the frosting:

  • Icing/powdered sugar
  • Unsalted butter
  • Milk
  • Vanilla extract

To make these cupcakes, simply whisk together the flour, baking powder, baking soda, and salt. Set aside.

Whisk together the eggs. Add the sugar, and whisk until combined. Add the vanilla extract, butter, and yogurt, and whisk until combined. Mix in the dry ingredients.

Divide the batter evenly between a muffin pan lined with muffin cases, filling only 2/3 full.

Bake for 14 – 16 minutes, or until a toothpick inserted into the centre comes out clean. Allow them to cool for 5 – 10 minutes in the pan, before transferring them to a wire rack to cool completely.

For the frosting, beat together the butter and icing sugar until light and fluffy, then beat in the milk and vanilla extract until smooth, and spreadable. Transfer the frosting to a piping bag, and frost the cooled cupcakes.

The printable recipe card with the full list of ingredients, their measurements, and instructions can be found at the bottom of this post.

NOTE: For best results, I highly recommend using the gram measurements (with a digital scale), rather than the cup measurements. Cup measurements are simply not accurate enough, and I cannot guarantee the best results if you use them.

Perfect Vanilla Cupcake topped with butterfly sprinkles with wrapper peeled off.

These Perfect Vanilla Cupcakes are:

  • quick and easy to make
  • deliciously moist and fluffy
  • perfectly infused with vanilla flavour
  • topped with a creamy buttercream frosting

How long will these vanilla cupcakes last? These cupcakes can be stored, covered tightly, in the fridge for up to 3 days.

Can I freeze these cupcakes? Yup, these cupcakes can be frozen for up to 3 months. Thaw overnight in the fridge.

Did You Make This Recipe?

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Perfect Vanilla Cupcake laid on its wrapper with a bite taken out of it.

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Simply Bake

Perfect Vanilla Cupcakes

Scrumptiously moist and fluffy cupcakes infused with vanilla, and topped with creamy vanilla buttercream frosting!
Author: Marsha
Prep Time: 25 minutes
Cook Time: 15 minutes
Total Time: 40 minutes
Yields: 12 – 14 cupcakes

Ingredients

For the Cupcakes

  • 1 ½ cups (190g) cake flour*
  • 1 teaspoon baking powder
  • ¼ teaspoon baking soda
  • ¼ teaspoon salt
  • 2 large eggs, room temperature
  • ¾ cup (150g) caster/granulated sugar
  • 2 teaspoons vanilla extract
  • ½ cup (115g) unsalted butter, melted
  • ½ cup (120g) Greek style yogurt

For the Frosting

  • 4 cups (500g) icing/powdered sugar
  • 1 cup (226g) unsalted butter, softened
  • 2 – 3 tablespoons milk
  • 1 teaspoon vanilla extract

Instructions

For the Cupcakes

  • Preheat the oven to 180C/350F/Gas 4. Line a 12-cup muffin tin with muffin cases, and set aside.
  • Whisk together the flour, baking powder, baking soda, and salt. Set aside.
  • Whisk together the eggs. Add the sugar, and whisk until combined. Add the vanilla extract, butter, and yogurt, and whisk until combined. Fold in the dry ingredients.
  • Divide the batter evenly between the muffin cases, filling only 2/3 full.
  • Bake for 14 – 16 minutes, or until a toothpick inserted into the center comes out clean. Allow to cool for 5 minutes in the pan, before transferring them to a wire rack to cool completely before frosting.

For the Frosting

  • Using a handheld or stand mixer, beat together the butter and icing sugar until light and fluffy, then beat in the milk and vanilla extract until smooth, and spreadable.
  • Transfer the frosting to a piping bag, and frost the cooled cupcakes.

Recipe Notes

*Make your own cake flour! Measure out 1 and 1/2 cups (190g) of plain/all-purpose flour, remove 3 tablespoons, and replace with 3 tablespoons of cornflour/cornstarch. Sift well.
Leftover cupcakes can be stored, covered tightly, in the fridge for up to 3 days. Frosted or unfrosted cupcakes can be frozen for up to 3 months. Thaw overnight in the fridge.
Cupcakes can be made 1 day in advance, covered, and stored at room temperature. Cover the frosting, and store in the fridge until ready to use.

Nutrition Information:

Serving: 1cupcakeCalories: 480kcalCarbohydrates: 73gProtein: 2gFat: 21gSaturated Fat: 13gPolyunsaturated Fat: 7gCholesterol: 80mgSodium: 122mgSugar: 69g

Nutrition information is automatically calculated, so should only be used as an approximation.

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42 Comments

  3. This recipe made nice cakes but there was more than twice the amount of icing necessary. A single cake was too much for anyone in the family. I recommend halving the amount of icing.

    Reply

    1. Depending on how much icing you put on the cupcakes, you may have some left over. If frosted just like the pictures, you shouldn’t have that much left, if any at all. If you like a lot less on your cupcakes, you definitely can halve the recipe to make less. 🙂

      Reply

    1. Hi Ariel! Did you use a handheld or stand mixer to make the frosting? Usually when made by hand, it won’t be as thick as it should be. The frosting should be very thick but spreadable for piping.

      Reply

      1. Thanks. i used a handheld mixer because i don’t have a standing one. Maybe i’ll try something different next time.

        Reply

  6. Can these be frozen? I made a batch of mini cupcakes using this recipe and it was amazing the same day but a little dry the next day. Freezing adds moisture so I was considering trying that because I have a very large quantity to make this week and will need to bake in advance.

    Reply

  8. I made these the other day for my friends baby shower and they were amazing! I loved that they used melted butter as it was so much quicker than other recipes with the same result. I did blue icing on mine so maybe not quite as elegant 😉

    Reply

  13. I love that you achieved the beautiful, flat tops with these, Marsha. It can definitely be annoying when you have that domed top on the cupcake and you’re trying to win at frosting. Lol. These look absolutely gorgeous! Also, the sprinkles are just perfect. 🙂 Hope you have an awesome weekend, friend! Pinning, of course. 🙂

    Reply

  14. Classic vanilla cupcakes are my favorite… partly because I’m allergic to cocoa, but mostly because they are just so dang delicious! LOVE these, Marsha! Those little butterfly sprinkles (<– are they called sprinkles?) are so cute! Cheers, girlfriend!

    Reply

  19. Marsha Everything you make looks sooo out of this world!! and thank you for sharing how to make cake flour in the recipe 🙂

    Reply