The perfect base recipe for vanilla cupcakes. With this easy cupcake recipe you have the perfect starting point for all your cupcakes. Add a vanilla frosting or any other kind of topping to your liking.
Cupcakes are simply small (one-person) cakes baked in cupcake liners or in a cupcake tin. In the past, cupcakes were served at high tea and baked in teacups, which is probably where the name ‘cupcake’ comes from.
Instead of a scale most people also used a measuring cup, which is another reason for the name. While a lot of people still use cups for measuring dry and wet ingredients, for the most accurate result I would always suggest using a weighing scale instead.
Cupcakes are the perfect little treat to bake for many different occasions. From baby showers to birthday parties and whenever you feel like having a small treat. Decorating them in a variety of different ways is also great and a fun activity with kids (or adults!) as well.
Making a basic vanilla cupcakes recipe is a good start if you want to learn how to make the perfect cupcake. This cupcake recipe makes exactly 12 cupcakes in a regular cupcake tin. I used my vanilla loaf cake recipe as the base of this recipe but I have adjust the quantities to match the tin and changed some of the proportions.
Another change is the fact that these vanilla cupcakes use less sugar. While you will eat your regular loaf cake usually without frosting, most cupcakes will contain a frosting like a vanilla buttercream frosting or a chocolate frosting. Since those are also quite sweet, it makes sense to make the cupcake batter less sweet.
The recipe calls for simple ingredients which you will be able to find in most grocery stores. I list them below for easy reference:
Other than that you need a large mixing bowl or use a stand mixer to mix the batter. An electric mixer will work as well.
You start by adding the butter, sugar and vanilla together in the bowl of the stand mixer or whatever other large bowl you’re using. Mix this together until the color starts to get light and the texture creamy.
Now add the eggs one by one and make sure to mix the batter in between until the egg is fully absorbed into the batter. Now add the self-raising flour and the salt bit by bit until fully mixed. And that’s it. Batter is ready!
Now all you have to do is to add the vanilla cupcake batter into the cupcake liners. You can scoop the batter into the liners with a spoon but an ice cream scoop is a handy accessory to use for equal measured cupcakes.
Pop them into the preheated oven (350˚F or 175˚C. Top and bottom heat/conventional oven) for around 20 minutes and they are ready! Keep the oven door closed until they are baked.
Make sure to place them on a cooling rack before adding buttercream or another frosting.
As far as cupcake recipes go, this is the perfect base recipe with which you can create endless flavors. Think about adding some chocolate chips to the batter or a tablespoon of cocoa powder for a chocolate batter.
Or vary the flavor by adding a different kind of sugar, like brown sugar or coconut sugar. The fluffy texture of these cupcakes is perfect for many different variations. I will soon be sharing lots of different flavors.
Baking the vanilla cupcakes is step 1 of the process. Step 2 – and the most fun – is to decorate them. You don’t need to decorate them if you don’t want to. They are delicious just as they are but any cupcake will look better with a pretty frosting on top. How the frosting looks is also greatly depending on which frosting tip you use. So you can definitely vary that as well.
And who doesn’t love a pretty decorated cupcake? You can decorate with buttercream, vegan buttercream or with fondant or marzipan. You can fill them with jam or fruit or decorate them in another way.
The most basic frosting is simply a glaze of icing sugar combined with a little bit of lemon juice (or water). Takes no time at all and is always tasty. Just drizzle it over the cooled cupcakes Or try and make these strawberry cupcakes. Adding some fresh fruit on top of the frosting is delicious and looks good too!
This recipe makes exactly 12 cupcakes, so it is handy to use a muffin & cupcake tin that holds 12 cupcakes at a time. Of course if you have other cake pans you can use those as well. Keep in mind that different shapes of cake pans or cupcake pans might mean that the total baking time can vary.
The rule I always follow is to fill the moulds two-thirds with batter, this way I always get a good height. However, I usually have a little dome on top of my cupcakes. If you don’t want this, you can put a cutting board on top of the cupcakes after baking. This only works if you have baked them in a cupcake tin.
The oven temperature was too high. Due to the temperature being to high, the batter will rise too fast causing it to crack. I will explain more about this in a future article.
You can buy cupcake liners just about anywhere. From the grocery stores to specialty baking stores. Both online and offline. I have an enormous amount of colorful cupcake liners in stock. I like my paper liners to be a bit firmer than the really cheap ones. I do always place them in a muffin tin to make sure they don’t fall apart when baking in the oven.
Baked cupcakes are supposed to sag (or shrink) a little as they cool. But if they collapse too much, it could be because you over-mixed the batter, the batter was too moist, or the cupcakes just weren’t ready. Make sure to always test if they are done before taking them out of the oven.
When your cupcakes are done (always check that a skewer or cake tester comes out clean), you can remove them from the oven. Leave them to cool in the tin for a few minutes, then take them out and place them on a wire rack to cool completely. This also works for cakes and biscuits.
If you want to add a buttercream to the vanilla cupcake it is essential that the cupcakes are completely cooled. Imagine adding butter(cream) to a warm cupcake. You can probably see what would happen.
The environment in the fridge is not ideal for cupcakes. It is best to keep them outside of the fridge in an airtight container for up to a week. If you have ‘wrapped’ your cupcake in fondant you can keep them even longer, as the wrapping ensures the cupcakes stay moist and delicious for longer.
As per above you can keep cupcake for about a week. But you can also add 3 to 4 cupcakes together in a freezer bag and freeze them. That way you can keep them for three months. Check this article on how to store cupcakes.
If you want to make dairy-free vanilla cupcakes you can simply replace the unsalted butter for a plant-based alternative. Since these are already vanilla cupcakes without milk that is an easy fix. The flavor of the final cupcakes will be slightly different but no less delicious.
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Welcome to Laura’s Bakery! You’ve come to the right place for the most delicious baked goods and appetizers. With my easy recipes for home bakers I will show you that baking is fun and delicious.
Have fun baking!
