Name: Easy Vanilla Cupcakes
Prep time: 15 min
Cook time: 20 min
Total time: 35 min
Ingredients: ½ cup unsalted butter (melted and slightly cooled 113g); 1 ½ cups all-purpose flour (188g); ½ teaspoon baking powder; ¼ teaspoon baking soda; ¼ teaspoon kosher salt; 1 cup granulated sugar (200g); 2 large eggs (room temperature); 2 teaspoons pure vanilla extract; ¼ cup sour cream (room temperature 60g); ½ cup milk (room temperature 120mL)

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Easy vanilla cupcakes are a classic homemade recipe. They are soft and tender, made with simple ingredients and require no mixer. Fluffy, moist and quick to make, you'll be calling them the BEST vanilla cupcakes!

Easy vanilla cupcakes with vanilla buttercream and sprinkles

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These incredible vanilla cupcakes are a classic dessert! I enjoy cupcakes for their individual size, portability and the endless options to decorate and customize them.

I've been making this simple vanilla cupcakes recipe for years and it's always a winner. A blog reader also shared that she did a taste test with four different blogger's vanilla cupcake recipes and this recipe was the winner.☺️

If you are craving other flavors of cupcakes; try my almond joy cupcakes, homemade lemon cupcakes or white chocolate cupcakes.

This post was originally posted in December of 2018 and has been updated with new photos and helpful information. The recipe remains the same.

why you'll love these classic vanilla cupcakes

Quick and easy to make ~ the from scratch batter comes together quickly with melted butter and two bowls. No mixer needed. Easy for kids to make too!
Simple ingredients ~ made without cake flour, no oil and no buttermilk. I bet you've got all the ingredients in your kitchen right now.
Make them your own ~ go classic with a chocolate or vanilla buttercream. Or maybe you want to go with raspberry filling or lemon frosting. The options are endless!
Yields 12 cupcakes ~ no need for an extra muffin pan!
Perfect for birthday parties, baby showers, weddings or holidays like Mother's Day, Easter, Valentine's Day or Christmas.

easy vanilla cupcakes swirled with buttercream and topped with colored sprinkles

simple ingredients needed

Please scroll to the printable recipe card at the end of this post for the full list of ingredients and baking directions.

All-purpose flour ~ adds structure. If not using a kitchen scale, be sure to use the spoon and level method. {Fluff the flour in the container, then spoon it into your measuring cup and level it off with the back of a knife}.
Baking powder and baking soda ~ add some height to the cupcakes.
Kosher salt ~ helps to balance the flavors.
Granulated sugar ~ brings the sweetness.
Eggs ~ 2 large eggs needed. Having the eggs at room temperature will provide the best results.
Sour cream ~ making cupcakes with sour cream brings extra moisture by working to shorten the gluten strands in the flour, which results in a tender and soft cupcake. For the best cupcakes, use full fat sour cream and bring it to room temperature.
Vanilla ~ adds a nice burst of flavor to the cupcakes. For the best vanilla cupcakes, use pure vanilla extract. You can also use vanilla bean paste or vanilla powder {substitute for the same amount of vanilla}.
Milk ~ brings moisture to the baked cupcakes; I use 1%, but 2% or whole milk also work. Having the milk at room temperature will give you the best cupcakes.
Unsalted butter ~ brings richness to the cupcakes. The butter gets melted and slightly cooled before adding to the cupcake ingredients. If you only have salted butter, leave out the kosher salt.

To quickly bring the sour cream and milk to room temperature you can do quick {10-15 second} bursts in the microwave. Stir in between each burst and be careful NOT to heat them up, as this can change their structure.

cupcakes with milk and bowls of sprinkles in the background

how to make cupcakes without a mixer

Melt the butter and set aside to cool slightly. Preheat the oven to 350°F and prepare a 12 count muffin pan with cupcake liners. Set aside.

In a medium bowl, whisk together the all-purpose flour, baking powder, baking soda and kosher salt. Set aside.

In a large bowl, whisk the granulated sugar, eggs, vanilla and sour cream until well combined. Then whisk in the milk and once combined whisk in the melted and cooled butter.

eggs, sugar, sour cream and vanilla in a mixing bowl — Whisk together the sugar, room temperature eggs and sour cream and vanilla.

wet ingredients mixed in a bowl — The wet ingredients after the melted butter has been added in.

All the wet ingredients mixed in a bowl for easy vanilla cupcakes — Add the milk after all the other ingredients are combined.

Add the flour mixture to the wet ingredients and mix until just fully combined. The batter is on the thick side.

Divide the batter evenly between the 12 cupcake liners. They will be about ⅔ full. Bake for 16-20 minutes or until a toothpick inserted in the center comes out with a few moist crumbs.

cupcake batter in liners — Fill the cupcake liners about ⅔ of the way full.

baked cupcakes in a muffin tin — The cupcakes right after they come out of the oven. The tops will fall slightly as they cool.

what frosting goes with vanilla cupcakes?

Vanilla Swiss Meringue Buttercream {from Pink Velvet Cake}
Lemon Buttercream Frosting
Vanilla American Buttercream
Not Too Sweet American Buttercream {from Vanil l a Snack Cake}
Chocolate Swiss Meringue Buttercream
Easy Cookie Butter Buttercream Frosting

decorating ideas

Let the cupcakes cool completely before frosting them! If you want a trick for how to cool cupcakes quickly, see this cupcake recipe post.

Sprinkles, fruit, crushed freeze dried fruit and candy can all work to decorate your cupcakes. If you want to fill them with fresh strawberries, try these strawberry filled cupcakes.

A Wilton 1M, Wilton 2D or Wilton 8B are my favorite tips for decorating cupcakes.

When piping swirls of buttercream frosting, use even pressure the whole time. I start in the middle of the cupcake and create a circle around the cupcake. You can stop there and have a rosette or keep building with smaller circles on top of each other until you reach the height you want. Release the pressure when you reach the end and lift the bag away.

Remember to pin this recipe to Pinterest! Use the button on the recipe card or the share buttons on the side or bottom of this page.

pro tips for the best cupcakes

Use room temperature ingredients. Depending on the temperature of your kitchen you will want to pull out the milk, sour cream and eggs about 2 hours before baking. {My kitchen is on the cooler side, so I usually go 2-3 hours before baking}.

I've been making this vanilla cupcake recipe for years and have cheated and not brought my ingredients to room temperature. This will work, but for the BEST texture I highly recommend bringing the cold ingredients to room temperature.

Use the best ingredients you can afford. Vanilla cupcakes are a lot like sugar cookies in that they are created with simple ingredients. If you can splurge on a good butter and pure vanilla extract you will get the best vanilla flavor.

Don't over mix the batter. When cake and cupcake batter is over mixed, it creates a more dense cake crumb. We are going for fluffy and moist!

Use good liners. These Paper Chef liners are my very favorite and the only brand I use in my kitchen. {not sponsored, just a fan!}

Use a cookie or ice cream scoop to get even amounts of batter into each liner. This helps the cupcakes to bake uniformly.

For the best, moist and tender cupcakes, don't over bake them. Remove them from the oven when a toothpick or cake tester comes out with just a few moist crumbs.

vanilla buttercream swirls atop cupcakes

frequently asked questions

Can you make cupcakes ahead?

Yes! The freezer is your best friend when wanting to bake easy vanilla cupcakes ahead of time. Allow the cupcakes to cool completely, then store in an airtight container in the freezer for up to 3 months. Let the cupcakes defrost, then decorate them.

I often will bake cupcakes the day before I need them. Then I freeze them overnight to lock the moistness in and decorate them the day I am serving.

what is the secret to moist cupcakes?

I think the biggest secret is not over baking them. It is better to err on the side of under baking them; look for a few moist crumbs on your toothpick instead of a clean toothpick when checking for doneness.

The best vanilla cupcakes are also made with sour cream, which helps them stay moist.

how do you make fluffy cupcakes?

Start with room temperature ingredients! This allows the batter to come together better. Then be careful to not over mix the batter; leaving air bubbles in the batter will allow them to expand better in the oven resulting in a soft and tender, moist and fluffy cupcake.

why are my cupcakes dry?

Dry cupcakes are often a result of too much flour or over baking. A kitchen scale will ensure that you have the correct amount of flour; this is the scale I use.

See the note above on moist cupcakes for how to check for when your easy vanilla cupcakes are done baking.

how to store

Vanilla cupcakes can be stored at room temperature in an airtight container for 2-3 days. They can also be stored in an airtight container in the refrigerator, but they will be more prone to drying out.

The cupcakes can be frozen in an airtight container for 2-3 months. Allow them to defrost at room temperature before serving. I freeze mine with buttercream all the time!

Easy vanilla cupcakes with a glass of milk and sprinkles

Remember to snap a picture and tag me on Instagram if you make these Easy Vanilla Cupcakes. It warms my heart to see you bring these recipes to life! Thank you for being here and happy baking!

more vanilla desserts to enjoy

If you make this recipe {or any recipe!} from two sugar bugs please come back and leave a review and a ⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️ star rating. I read every comment, and I LOVE hearing from you!

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