June 24 2019

The BEST Vanilla Cupcakes Recipe

Name: The BEST Vanilla Cupcakes Recipe
Prep time: 10 min
Cook time: 20 min
Total time: 30 min
Yield: 24
Cuisine: Baking
Ingredients: 335g/12oz unsalted butter, softened; 335g/12oz caster sugar; 335g/12oz self-raising flour; 1½ tsp baking powder; 6 large eggs, room temperature; 1½ tsp vanilla extract

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If you are looking for the best vanilla cupcake recipe your search is over because you have found it!

These vanilla cupcakes are easy to make, thanks to the all-in-one method that is whipped up in just 3 minutes and baked in 20!

The best vanilla cupcakes recipe - a picture of a freshly baked vanilla cupcake

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Best Vanilla Cupcake Recipe

The full ingredients list and instructions are in the printable recipe card at the end of this post. I highly recommend reading the blog post all the way through so that you don’t miss any tips or substitution suggestions, to ensure that you have all the ingredients and equipment required and understand the steps and timings involved.

I have been baking these vanilla cupcakes for about a decade now, and they are my tried and trusted go-to recipe when I need to make a batch of simple cupcakes to decorate for a party, event, or celebration.

They have been the base of many of the cupcakes for parties that I have made and shared on The Purple Pumpkin Blog, and unless another awesome from-scratch vanilla cupcake recipe comes along… which I doubt… I will continue to use this recipe!

This is a British/UK vanilla cupcake recipe, and as such, measured in grams and not cups.

It also uses ingredients that are typically not used in American baking, such as self-raising flour, and caster sugar. But don’t worry, I explain it all in the ingredients section.

Ingredients & Equipment Used In This Recipe

While most ingredients can be bought in grocery stores, for your convenience, any specialized or notable ingredients and equipment needed for this recipe have been linked to Amazon or other stores if available online.

The complete list of ALL ingredients with measurements is found on the recipe card at the end of this post.

Recipes on The Purple Pumpkin Blog use both cup measurements and/or weighted measurements. American cups and kitchen food scales are handy pieces of equipment to have in your kitchen as it means you’ll be able to make all of the different recipes on my blog.

I try to give American, imperial, and metric measurements in my recipes. Please note, that you can (sometimes) mix cup measurements with weighted measurements, but never mix imperial (pounds, ounces, pints, etc.,) with metric (kilograms, grams, liters, etc.,).

Ingredients Needed For Vanilla Cupcakes

Unsalted Butter – this needs to be softened before making the cupcake batter.

I leave the block of butter out overnight, but in a push, you can weigh the butter and microwave it for a few seconds. You want to soften it, not melt it, so be careful not to microwave it for too long.

This recipe does not contain salt. I do not advise using salted butter because I’ve done this by accident and it was NOT good!

Caster Sugar – this is the most common type of sugar used in baking in the UK. It is just regular granulated white sugar that has been milled into smaller crystals.

This makes it dissolve more easily and is perfect for the best vanilla cupcake recipe.

In the US it is known as superfine sugar which may be found in the grocery store, but can be bought online or at a specialist baking store.

Do not confuse caster sugar with powdered sugar (which in the UK is called icing sugar) as they are NOT the same thing.

You can make caster sugar at home by pulsing granulated sugar in a food processor for a few seconds. Two or three quick pulses should do the trick. You want finely ground sugar, not a powdery consistency.

In most recipes, caster sugar and granulated sugar can be used interchangeably. However, it is best to measure by weight as a cup of caster sugar weighs more than a cup of granulated sugar.

Self-Raising Flour – this is simply a low-protein white (or wholemeal) flour with a little salt and raising agent mixed in – usually baking powder, but sometimes bicarbonate of soda (baking soda) or other raising agents.

You can make your own self-raising flour using 100g plain (all-purpose) flour with 1 teaspoon baking powder and 1/8th (pinch) teaspoon of salt. If using cup measurements use 1 cup of plain flour, 1½ teaspoons of baking powder, and ¼ teaspoon of salt. Whisk to combine well.

When baking, use the type of flour as directed as you would have to compensate for leavening ingredients. Baking is a science, which is why weighing ingredients is preferable to using cups or just guessing.

Some recipes use both self-raising flour and an additional raising agent – this will give a lighter texture, and is usually added when the batter is heavier than normal to give it additional lightness.

This leads me to the next ingredient…

Baking Powder – this is a raising agent used often in baking, and is made using an alkali (bicarbonate of soda – also known as baking soda) and an acid (cream of tartar) as well as a filler such as cornflour (cornstarch).

You can even make your own baking powder by combining ½ teaspoon of cream of tartar and ¼ teaspoon of bicarbonate of soda (baking soda). This provides the equivalent of one teaspoon of baking powder.

When a liquid is added to the baking powder, it produces carbon dioxide and forms bubbles that make the mixture expand. So get your cake mixture into the oven quickly once the wet ingredients have been added to the dry ingredients! (I told you baking was a science!)

Eggs – this recipe uses large eggs. They play an important role in cupcakes because they are an emulsifier and add stability, leavening, colour, and flavour. Make sure you use eggs that are at room temperature.

Vanilla Extract – this is made using vanilla beans, alcohol, and water. Vanilla essence is a synthetic product that often contains very little (or zero!) vanilla at all.

Always buy good vanilla as it really does make a flavor difference. If your budget can stretch to it, I highly recommend Nielsen-Massey Madagascar Bourbon Pure Vanilla Extract as it really is the best one around, and the one I always use.

Vanilla Sugar – this is an optional ingredient. To give you even more vanilla flavor you can swap half of the caster sugar in the recipe with vanilla sugar.

Vanilla sugar is really easy to make (although you can buy it ready-made) yourself at home.

Pour about 1kg/2lbs of sugar into an airtight container, and then simply split a vanilla bean pod in half lengthways and insert it into the sugar, pushing it right down in there. Put the lid on and leave it for a few weeks to infuse, shaking every couple of days to distribute the flavours. Keep the bean in there as you use the sugar in recipes.

Cupcake Making Equipment

You are likely to have many of these baking tools in your kitchen, but if you don’t, here are Amazon affiliate links to the cupcake-making equipment needed to make this vanilla cupcake recipe.

Kitchen Scales – baking is a science, as I have mentioned, and weighing the ingredients really is the best way to get perfect results.

That’s not to say I don’t use cup measurements too, but in the UK, weighing ingredients when baking cupcakes is the way we do it here!

Electric Standing Mixer – using an electric mixer makes light work of mixing up the vanilla cupcake batter – especially if you use a standing mixer.

You can use an electric handheld mixer if that is what you already have, but you may have to mix for a little longer to reach the desired consistency.

Or you can go really old-school and use a wooden spoon if you like, but you’ll be beating the mixture for a while!

Fine Mesh Sieve – or a Sifter. Always sift the flour to break up any clumps and to add even more lightness to the cupcakes. Sifted flour is easier to mix into other ingredients.

I personally use a fine mesh sieve which is more common to use in the UK than a sifter which is more common in the US.

Rubber Spatula – perfect for scraping ingredients down the side of the mixing bowl, as well as using it to make sure you get every last bit of cupcake batter out of the bowl!

Ice Cream Scoop – this makes dividing the cupcake mixture evenly a breeze. You will need a scoop with a trigger release.

You can also use two tablespoons to divide the mixture between the cupcake liners – use one to scoop the batter, and the other to push it into the liners.

Cupcake Pans – you will need two standard (12-cup) cupcake pans as this recipe makes 24 cupcakes.

But if you only have one pan, just bake one batch, and then the next when the first has finished. The cupcake batter will be just fine while it waits. Trust me, I’ve made 120 cupcakes using this recipe!

Cupcake Liners – also known as cupcake cases or cupcake cups. These paper cups slot inside the cupcake pan cavities and come in lots of different colours and patterns.

Go for the classic white or black liners or use a colour or design best suited to your theme.

I share free printable cupcake wrappers on my blog, these are not for baking in, but for wrapping around the cupcakes when baked and decorated.

Wire Cooling Rack – the best way to cool your cupcakes completely before decorating.

Placing the cooked cupcakes on a wire rack means that the air can circulate all around them and cool them more quickly.

If you don’t own an “official” cooling rack, you can use a cold rack from your oven placed on the counter.

Vanilla Cupcake Variations

Chocolate Cupcakes – This recipe can easily be turned into the best chocolate cupcake recipe by adding cocoa powder, which I have done on so many occasions.

Marbled Cupcakes And that also means they are easy to turn into cute marbled cupcakes too, but splitting the cupcake batter before adding the cocoa.

Red Velvet Cupcakes – In turn, you can easily use this recipe to make simple red velvet cupcakes by adding cocoa powder and red food coloring.

I say “simple” because proper red velvet cake recipes seem to use distilled white vinegar (to enhance the red color) as well as other ingredients like buttermilk and oil.

To me, a red velvet cupcake is a vanilla-y, chocolatey flavored cupcake that happens to be red. And I like to keep my cupcake recipes as simple as I possibly can! (The decoration is a different story mind you!)

Chocolate Chip Cupcakes – Fold 75g/3oz of chocolate chips into the cake batter once it has been mixed.

Dried Fruit Cupcakes – Similarly, you can add the same quantity of dried fruit (sultanas, cherries, cranberries, etc.) as you did chocolate chips above. That’s 75g/3oz. Dust them in a little flour first so that they don’t sink when baking.

Almond Cupcakes – Add 3 tablespoons of ground almonds to the mixture and substitute almond extract for the vanilla extract.

Coloured Cupcakes – Similarly, you turn these vanilla cupcakes into any colour you like with food coloring.

I prefer to use the food coloring gel or paste as a little goes a long way, and the color is often more vibrant.

Rainbow Cupcakes – Why not divide the mixture up into 7 bowls, and dye each one red, orange, yellow, green, blue, indigo, and violet to make rainbow-colored cupcakes.

Unicorn Cupcakes – When you make your batch of rainbow cupcakes add a handful of sprinkles to the mix!

What Makes This The Best Vanilla Cupcake Recipe?

Why do I love this easy vanilla cupcake recipe so much? Let me give you the reasons!

They are swift and easy to make. They literally take 3 minutes in a food mixer. My trusty Kenwood mixer has made more cupcakes than I can count!
I say that this recipe takes 10 minutes in the official recipe card because those 7 extra minutes are gathering and measuring the ingredients into the bowl.
Since I’m from the UK, where we weigh everything in grams, this recipe is listed as such, but I have provided ounces too. This means you will need a food scale to weigh the ingredients because as we know, baking is a science!*
The recipe is simple to remember and simple to scale up and down in batches of a dozen! I made 120 of these bad boys for my sister’s wedding!
It’s an all-in-one cupcake mix – all the ingredients are mixed at the same time – no worrying about creaming butter and sugar, or hoping that curdled egg mixture comes back together!
Additionally, you only need to get one bowl dirty! I measure everything directly into my mixing bowl and place it onto my mixer stand. I call it the dump and whizz method!
The cupcake batter is thick and scoopable, so I use an ice-cream scoop to evenly distribute the mix into the cupcake liners.
They are light and fluffy, and taste amazing – as all good cupcakes should!
They’re the perfect base cupcake to add different flavours and colours.
They are also the perfect vanilla cupcake to decorate with this buttercream frosting recipe!
But other decorations work perfectly well too!

*Using Cup Measurements

I’ve looked up the cup measurements for the ingredients too, just in case you don’t have a scale (but you really should get one, they’re so handy in the kitchen!).

But I will state quite clearly I’ve not made them that way, so I can’t confirm if they will work as well as if they had been measured. I’m sure they’ll be fine, but have to get the caveat out there!

Storing Vanilla Cupcakes

You can store these (cooled and undecorated) cupcakes for up to three days in an airtight container, at room temperature.

These cupcakes freeze well too. Place in an airtight container as above with a piece of parchment or wax paper between the layers so that the cupcakes don’t stick together. Freeze for up to three months.

Alternatively, you can flash freeze them in a single layer on a baking sheet, then transfer them to a freezer-safe food bag, or individually wrap them in plastic wrap and foil.

To thaw the cupcakes, unwrap and leave at room temperature for a couple of hours – place a clean towel over the cupcakes until ready to enjoy.

How Do I Make The Best Vanilla Cupcakes?

The full recipe with ingredients and instructions is on the recipe card below. You can print the recipe off too, and stick it on your fridge door!