Moist and softest Vanilla cupcakes Recipe with fluffy cake like crumb and that perfect vanilla flavor. Top with silky Vanilla Buttercream and it will completely redefine how you view this classic flavor.
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Find all recipes for Cupcakes at one place.
In the world of flavor mash ups, edible glitter and gold lead confections you still need a great vanilla cupcake recipe under your sleeves!
A truly great vanilla cupcake must be exceptional in every single category. it needs a fine, yet impossibly soft crumb. A rich, buttery flavor accented by the floral flavors of vanilla. A moist texture that stays fresh for days and a perfect top that serves as a canvass for your velvety buttercream.
Ingredients that you will need:
Flour: We are using all purpose flour for our cupcakes batter today. Flour is the structural backbone of these cupcakes. As gases expand while baking, flour traps it and our beautiful cupcakes rise.
Butter: Make sure your butter is at room temperature as we will cream it. The method of creaming traps air bubbles that expand during baking. So make sure you cream butter for good 2-3 minutes or till it gets very pale and fluffy.
Sour Cream: It is responsible for that moistest crumb of your cupcakes!
Granulated Sugar: Sugar does more than just providing sweetness to cupcakes. It of course sweetened them and it also delays gluten formation, which in-turn tenderizes that bake.
Eggs: Also room temperature please!
Vanilla: Vanilla is the star of todays show. Please refrain from using artificial vanilla here. Pure vanilla extract works well. You can even use a touch of Mexican vanilla or even vanilla bean if you are feeling fancy. 😉
Prep Work:
Every thing room temperature please!!
Butter. eggs and even dairy mix and emulsify well with each other if all of these are at room temperature. If you mix cold dairy with creamed butter and eggs the mixture can curdle.
This can even lead to greasy cupcakes as an outcome. So remember to take out all the ingredients out of refrigerator attest 2-3 hours prior to beginning.
In case you forget to take eggs out before time, dip them in hot water for about 5 minutes and use for the batter then.
Dairy can be microwaved in burst of 5-10 seconds till it gets to room temperature.
Making the Batter:
Creaming: In a stand mixer or using a hand mixer, beat the softened butter and sugar together on medium-high speed for 5 minutes. Or until the mix turns very fluffy and pale in color.
Introduce the eggs: Add in the eggs one at a time. But do not mix them too much. We don't need to trap a lot of air bubbles in this batter. As this trapped air can shrink the baked cupcakes.
Incorporate wet ingredients in: Add and mix sour cream and vanilla.
Time for the dry ingredients: You need to add dry ingredients in either three batches and then mix for a few seconds after each addition. Or you can mix dry ingredients using a spatula with hands. This will ensure you don't end up over mixing the batter.
Portion the Batter: Divide batter evenly among the liners. Fill each liner about ⅔ full. If you fill them too high, the batter will spill over the edges, creating flat, crispy edge. And muffin tops in the center instead of elegant domes. An ice cream/cookie scoop with a trigger release ensures perfectly equal portioning.
Baking the Cupcakes: Bake on the center rack of your oven keeping the pan away from heat elements. Do not open the oven door during the first 12 minutes at least. As the sudden drop in temperature can pop the expanding air bubbles. This can cause the center of cupcakes to collapse.
Cooling Process: Leave the cupcakes in pan for 5-6 minutes. If you leave them in the pan for any longer, the residual heat will continue to cook them. This can dry out their edges and steam their bottoms causing the liners to peel away So Transfer them to a wire rack to cool completely before frosting.
Key points to remember:
Don't use melted Butter: If your butter has melted too much because of hot temperature or has turned greasy. Keep it in refrigerator again for a few minutes before beating.
Use Full Fat Sour Cream: Low fat sour cream will not produce a rich textured cupcake that we all love.
Don't over whisk the eggs: We don't need a lot of air to get build up in the batter. These air bubbles can collapse and shrink the cupcakes as they bake.
Refrain from opening the oven door while Baking: Opening oven door frequently can also sink cupcakes in the center. Avoid opening the door before 12-15 minutes at least.
Use Quality Vanilla: Vanilla is the show stopper of todays cupcakes. You want to use the best tasting vanilla for best tasting cupcakes. So reach out for pure vanilla extract or vanilla bean paste here.
Do not cool cupcakes in the pan: Take the cupcakes out of the pan after 5-6 minutes and allow them to cool further down on a wire rack. This step will ensure that the moisture from hot cupcakes will not peel the liners off. Plus your cupcakes won't turn soggy.
Vanilla Cupcakes Variations:
Brown Butter Cupcakes: Melt the butter for the cupcakes in a saucepan over medium heat until the milk solids turn golden brown and smell intensely nutty. Chill the brown butter back down into a solid, room-temperature state, then proceed with the recipe as normal. This adds a rich caramel undertone to the cupcake base.
Very Berry Cupcakes: Before frosting, use a small apple corer/a teaspoon to remove a small cylinder from the center of the cooled cupcake. Fill the cavity with a vibrant homemade mix berry compote. Then pipe your vanilla buttercream over the top to conceal the surprise.
Lemon Curd Cupcakes: Similarly like berry cupcakes, instead of berry compote use lemon curd. You can also add lemon zest to cupcakes batter. Frost with lemon buttercream.
If you liked this recipe give it a star review. Also, tell me in the comments below, how did this turn out for you! And don’t forget to share your creations with me on Instagram at #greedyeatsblog Also follow me on Pinterest and Facebook!
Recipe
Vanilla Cupcakes
Equipment
- 1 Hand/stand Mixer
- 2 Mixing Bowls
- 1 Cupcake Pan
Ingredients
- 1 (½ cup) stick Butter (unsalted, at room temperature)
- 1 Cup Granulated sugar
- 2 large Eggs (at room temperature)
- ¼ teaspoon Salt
- 1 and ¼ teaspoons Baking Powder
- ¾ Cup Sour Cream (at room temperature)
- 1 and ⅓ Cup All purpose flour
- 2 teaspoons Pure vanilla extract
Vanilla Buttercream:
- 2 (8 oz) sticks Butter
- 2 and ½ Cups Confectioners' sugar
- 2 teaspoons Pure vanilla extract
- 2-3 Tablespoons Heavy whipping cream
- ⅛ teaspoon Salt
- ⅓ cup Sprinkles (For decoration on top)
Instructions
- Preheat your oven to 350℉. Line a standard 12-count cupcake pan with high-quality paper liners. Set it aside.
- In a medium bowl, whisk together flour, baking powder and salt. Sift this mixture twice. Sifting guarantees no clumps of baking powder and flour remain.1 and ¼ teaspoons Baking Powder, 1 and ⅓ Cup All purpose flour, ¼ teaspoon Salt
- In a stand mixer fitted with paddle attachment (or using a hand mixer), beat the softened butter and granulated sugar together on medium-high speed for 5-7 minutes or until it turns very pale and fluffy.1 Cup Granulated sugar, 1 (½ cup) stick Butter
- Add in both the eggs together and mix only till they get combined in the mixture. No need to whisk them for too long. Trapped air bubbles can sink the cupcakes here as they bake.2 large Eggs
- Turn the mixer on low, add in sour cream and vanilla. Allow to combine well.¾ Cup Sour Cream, 2 teaspoons Pure vanilla extract
- Now, with mixer on low add dry ingredients in 3 batches. You can also mix or fold by hand after each addition. Scrape the bottom and sides of bowl as needed. And make sure not to overmix the batter.
- Divide the batter among 12 liners, filling them ⅔-¾ full. If you fill them too high, batter will spill over the edges while baking. Bake for 22-25 minutes or till cupcakes pass toothpick test. Cupcakes will be springy to touch in the center at this point.
- Remove cupcake pan from oven and allow cupcakes to sit for about 5-6 minutes to cool down slightly in the pan. Then carefully remove the cupcakes from pan and place them on a wire rack and allow to cool down.
- Once the cupcakes have cooled down completely, top with vanilla buttercream and sprinkles of choice.
Vanilla Buttercream:
- Place room temperature butter in the bowl of a stand mixer fitted with a whisk attachment. Beat butter about 8-10 minutes on high speed. Butter will turn very fluffy, creamy and light at this point. Almost white in color at this stage.2 (8 oz) sticks Butter
- Lower the speed and add confectioners' sugar a little at a time and slowly incorporate all the sugar into butter mix. Make sure to scrape sides and bottom of the mixing bowl in between.2 and ½ Cups Confectioners' sugar
- Once all the sugar is incorporated into butter, increase the speed and whisk on high for a few minutes. Whisk for about 5 minutes again.
- Add in salt, 2 tablespoons of heavy cream and vanilla. Whisk again on med-high until the buttercream has mixed in very well and is fluffy. You should have a soft, fluffy and spreadable buttercream when you stop whisking.Add in about a tablespoon of cream more if you find the buttercream is stiff and whip again for a minute.2 teaspoons Pure vanilla extract, 2-3 Tablespoons Heavy whipping cream, ⅛ teaspoon Salt
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