This lazy girl’s easy vanilla cupcake recipe is one you need to have in your recipe box. It’s the best basic cupcake recipe to build on, making it perfect for birthday parties, movie nights, or just a fun recipe for kids to make on their own.
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A Lazy Girl’s Easy Vanilla Cupcake Recipe
Here at Ruffles and Rain Boots, I like easy. A vanilla cupcake recipe should be in everyone’s kitchen but it’s not going to get made if it’s not easy. Because I think the cupcake is the world’s most versatile dessert, I went into the kitchen and came up with just the thing.
This cupcake recipe uses basic supplies – no weird or expensive ingredients like truffle oil or even dried vanilla beans – and this vanilla cupcake recipe is made without using any oil. This is a simple, easy vanilla cupcake recipe for kids – seriously, my 9 year old daughter can make this on her own!
RELATED READING: Flamingo Cupcakes – An Easy Cupcake Recipe That Looks Amazing!
Get Cupcake Recipes, Freebies, and More!
What You Need to Know: Basic Vanilla Cupcakes Ingredients
You don’t need a lot of supplies, ingredients, or culinary experience for a basic vanilla cupcake recipe. There is no oil in this cupcake recipe because you do not need it; do not substitute anything for it.
Flour and Other Dry Ingredients
Cake Flour – If you want a high-rise cupcake, use cake flour. If you don’t have any on hand, however, you can make your own cake flour with a little cornstarch. Or…
All-Purpose Flour – If you’re too lazy (like me) to actually go and get cake flour, use all-purpose flour. To get the high-rise look, fill each cupcake liner with 1/4 cup of batter.
Baking Powder – Note that this is NOT baking soda – you cannot use these two dry ingredients interchangeably. If you only have baking SODA, use three times what the recipe calls for.
Butter, Eggs, and Other Wet Ingredients
Butter – The best butter for cupcakes is unsalted butter. The basic vanilla cupcake recipe allows us to determine our desired amount of salt.
Eggs – Large eggs are often found in supermarkets, so that is what is recommended. If you’re using extra large eggs, you will need to measure 6.5 tablespoons of egg mixture (large are about 55-57 grams and extra large are between 62 and 65 grams).
Mistakes
Ugly Cupcakes – You can fix any cupcake’s unbalanced top or sunken centers with buttercream. Buttercream is your best friend, so be sure to use a tried-and-true recipe.
Browned Edges or Tops – See remedy above (buttercream) unless you’ve burned them. Toss cupcakes if they are burned, dry, or hard. Oven temperatures vary, so turn yours down or buyan oven thermometer.
Frosting and Decorating Tips
Frosting – Get yourself a great buttercream recipe (it needs to be stiff) and learn how to frost in your favorite style. Not all buttercream frostings are created equally and the one above is nearly perfect.
Have you ever been to a party and the cupcakes looked like they slid off the front seat while in transit even though they didn’t? Soft buttercream isn’t the best for cupcakes because the top needs to hold its shape. I promise it will still taste amazing!
For a wow-worthy effect, start watching this cupcake decorating video at 4:30 – it shows you how to pipe really impressive swirls. If you have a lot of cupcakes to make, need to pack them up in boxes, or want to extend your buttercream the farthest it can go, watch this basic cupcake frosting techniques video.
See More Cupcake Ideas
We’ve shared many easy cupcake recipes here on Ruffles and Rain Boots. Here are a few of our favorites :
- My cake mix cupcakes recipe is even easier…
- There are so many cute Valentine’s Day cupcake recipes here.
- Fun spider web cupcakes are sure to please!
- Swirled batter and fun additions make these summer fun flamingo cupcakes a hit.
Yield: 12 cupcakes
A Lazy Girl's Easy Vanilla Cupcake Recipe
This easy vanilla cupcake recipe should be a staple in your kitchen. It's the basic building block for tasty flavors and fun cupcake designs.
Prep Time7 minutes
Cook Time18 minutes
Additional Time5 minutes
Total Time30 minutes
Ingredients
- 2 large eggs (room temperature)
- 1 cup granulated sugar
- 1 stick butter (1/2 cup), room temperature
- 1 teaspoon vanilla extract
- 1 1/2 cups all-purpose flour
- 1 1/2 teaspoons baking powder
- pinch of salt
- 1/2 cup milk
Instructions
- Line a muffin pan with cupcake liners and preheat oven to 350 degrees F. If you are using paper liners, be sure to double them up.
- Using an electric mixer, beat together eggs and granulated sugar. Once combined, add softened butter and vanilla. Mix until creamy.
- In a small bowl, sift together flour, baking powder, and salt.
- Alternating with the milk, add dry ingredients to egg and sugar mixture in three equal increments. Mix well, but only until incorporated. Do not over-mix.
- Scoop cupcake batter into the lined muffin pan, filling each cavity about 2/3rds of the way. Bake for 17-20 minutes or until a toothpick comes out clean when poked through the center. Note: moist vanilla cupcakes are different from soft-center ones - the center should be baked through.
- Remove your tasty, easy vanilla cupcakes from the oven and let sit for about 2 minutes. Remove each cake from the pan and cool completely on a wire rack.
- NOTE: if making mini cupcakes, please reduce the baking time to 12-15 minutes.
Notes
- This recipe can be doubled.
- If you are baking miniature cupcakes, please reduce the baking time to between 12 (check) and 15 minutes.
- Use a regular oven, not convection.
- Do not over-mix; your cake can become dense.
- Use white, granulated sugar (fine grain) to ensure the best incorporation. If substituting alternative sugars, the mixture might become grainy.
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Nutrition Information:
Yield:
12Serving Size:
1
Amount Per Serving:Calories: 207Total Fat: 9gSaturated Fat: 5gTrans Fat: 0gUnsaturated Fat: 3gCholesterol: 52mgSodium: 150mgCarbohydrates: 29gFiber: 0gSugar: 17gProtein: 3g
All nutrition information is estimated. For accuracy, please calculate your exact brands and ingredients if accuracy is desired.
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