These vanilla cupcakes are, by far, one of the most-loved recipes on this website. Using creamed butter, plus cake flour, sour cream, and egg whites (no yolks!), guarantees a soft, fluffy, and cake-like crumb. Pure vanilla extract plus the optional addition of vanilla beans seals in a classic vanilla flavor. Use a piping tip or knife to garnish each with vanilla buttercream.
I originally published this recipe in 2016 and have since added new photos, a video tutorial, and more helpful success tips. This recipe is such a fan favorite, that it deserved a spot in print! You’ll also find this recipe in my cookbook, Sally’s Baking 101.
As soon as I developed it many years ago, this vanilla cupcakes recipe has soared to the top of my Essential Baking Recipes list. This list includes recipes that are in regular rotation in my kitchen including banana bread, chocolate chip cookies, and sugar cookies. (So many favorites!) Like my classic chocolate cupcakes with vanilla frosting, these vanilla cupcakes hold a sacred spot in my baking repertoire. In fact, today’s cupcakes have been so popular around here that I’ve used the base recipe to create several other varieties.
Here’s Exactly Why This Vanilla Cupcakes Recipe Works:
Baking is a science and that’s proved over and over again in base dessert recipes like this. Like when making white cake and vanilla cake, it’s not only the measurements you use, but the specific type of ingredient. Using cake flour instead of all-purpose produces a fluffy, soft crumb. Skipping the egg yolks keeps the cupcakes light. Sour cream helps supply a tight, yet moist crumb. My team and I have done the testing and we are confident in the results. These homemade vanilla cupcakes are simply perfect.
One reader, Kristin, commented: “This recipe was delicious and will definitely be a go to! I frosted with your Homemade Rainbow Chip Frosting and had rave reviews… several asked for the recipes! ★★★★★“
Another reader, Jennifer, commented: “Holy smokes! Best vanilla cupcakes I’ve ever had. First time using a real vanilla bean—amazing and so fluffy! ★★★★★“
Use These Carefully Selected Ingredients
This cupcake batter calls for 11 ingredients, including the handful mentioned below, as well as basics like baking powder, baking soda, salt, and sugar. Let me explain why the following ingredients are “power ingredients” in this recipe:
- Cake flour: Cake flour is much lighter than all-purpose flour and helps to produce the softest, lightest cakes and cupcakes you’ll ever eat. It’s sold next to the regular flour in the baking aisle and I promise that you’ll use up the entire box in no time after you taste these! Note that you do not need cake flour for chocolate cupcakes because cocoa powder is already very light.
- Softened butter: A base of creamed butter and sugar (instead of using melted butter or oil) often helps achieve a soft, cake-like structure. Make sure it’s proper room temperature butter and if you need a refresher, I have a helpful tutorial on how to cream butter and sugar.
- Egg whites: While egg yolks are rich in fat and moisture, they can weigh down your baked goods. Skip the egg yolks and use the whites purely for giving structure to the cupcakes. Since we are losing a little fat from the missing egg yolks, we add it back in with sour cream and whole milk.
- Sour cream: This is a power ingredient because it lightens and moistens the crumb. Though plain yogurt could be used in its place, I find that cupcakes made with sour cream are lighter.
- Vanilla Extract & Vanilla Bean: For the most well-rounded vanilla flavor, use both vanilla bean and vanilla extract in the cupcakes, just like we do in strawberry shortcake cupcakes. You can usually find vanilla beans in the baking aisle, but if you’re looking to purchase them online, I recommend these vanilla beans. See recipe Note if you’re skipping the vanilla bean or if you want to use vanilla bean paste.
- Whole Milk: Milk with fat such as whole milk or 2% milk is your best choice here. Nondairy milk is great in a pinch. I use buttermilk in this vanilla cake recipe, which is typically a fine substitution for both sour cream and regular milk in baked goods. For these cupcakes, however, the crumb stays a little tighter when using sour cream + whole milk.
Tip: Make sure ALL cold ingredients are room temperature before beginning, otherwise your batter could split and the results aren’t pleasant. Read more about why room temperature ingredients are important in baking.
Want to kick the vanilla flavor up a notch? Replace store-bought vanilla extract with homemade vanilla extract and regular granulated sugar with vanilla sugar.
Success Tip: Filling Your Cupcake Pan
The batter comes together with a mixer. Give it a quick whisk by hand to make sure there are no more lumps at the bottom of the bowl.
When filling your lined cupcake pan, fill the liners only 2/3 full, which is about 3 heaping Tablespoons of batter each. Filling them only 2/3 full gives you about 14 cupcakes from this batch. Using more batter per cupcake leads to overflowing or even sinking.
This Is a Multipurpose Batter
Since the results are so crowd-pleasing, this vanilla cupcake batter has become a go-to standard for many other cupcake recipes on this website. Using this recipe as the starting point, I’ve created all of the following cupcake flavors:
- Mimosa Cupcakes
- Chai Latte Cupcakes
- White Chocolate Strawberry Cupcakes
- Sprinkle Cupcakes
- Pistachio Cupcakes
- Caramel Coconut Cupcakes
- Peanut Butter & Jelly Cupcakes
- Wedding Cupcakes with Champagne Frosting
- Strawberry Cupcakes with Strawberry Buttercream
- Cookies & Cream Oreo Cupcakes
They’re also wonderful for filling with a variety of jams/jellies, frostings, and dessert sauces. I especially love them with this raspberry cake filling in the middle. See my How to Fill Cupcakes post and video tutorial for directions on how to do so.
Can I Turn These Cupcakes Into a Cake?
Yes, instead of cupcakes, you can use this exact batter for making a vanilla 6-inch cake. For a 1-layer vanilla cake, I recommend my similar recipe for 1-layer sprinkle cake. You can skip the sprinkles. See recipe Notes for larger layer cake options.
Frosting for Vanilla Cupcakes
This vanilla buttercream is a top choice for garnishing your vanilla cupcakes. But your frosting options are pretty much endless, including Swiss meringue buttercream, white chocolate buttercream frosting, strawberry buttercream frosting, chocolate buttercream, lemon buttercream, or cream cheese frosting. The raspberry frosting from my lemon raspberry jam cupcakes or the cinnamon-swirl frosting from my snickerdoodle cupcakes would also be fantastic. For a lighter, less sweet option, I love pairing these cupcakes with whipped frosting.
You can swipe the frosting on with an icing knife (pictured below) or with a piping bag + tip such as Wilton 1M (images in the post above). If you’re just learning how to use piping tips, my piping tips guide is a helpful resource.
And finally, here’s just one photo of our multiple test variations. The left cupcake had way too much liquid and produced a wet, squat cupcake. The right cupcake was from our final batch, simply perfect!
Printable recipe & video tutorial below.
Recommended Tools
- 12-count muffin pan. I use and love this muffin pan.
- Cupcake liners
- Handheld mixer or stand mixer
- Vanilla beans
- Icing knife or Wilton 1M piping tip + piping bag
Simply Perfect Vanilla Cupcakes
- Prep Time: 45 minutes
- Cook Time: 20 minutes
- Total Time: 3 hours
- Yield: 14 cupcakes
- Category: Dessert
- Method: Baking
- Cuisine: American
Description
This is my favorite recipe for homemade vanilla cupcakes. Using creamed butter, cake flour, sour cream, and egg whites, these cupcakes are soft, sweet, fluffy, and infinitely buttery. This recipe is also in my cookbook, Sally’s Baking 101.
Ingredients
- 1 and 3/4 cups (207g) cake flour (spooned & leveled)
- 3/4 teaspoon baking powder
- 1/4 teaspoon baking soda
- 1/4 teaspoon salt
- 1/2 cup (8 Tbsp; 113g) unsalted butter, softened to room temperature
- 1 cup (200g) granulated sugar
- 3 large egg whites, at room temperature
- 1/2 cup (120g) full-fat sour cream at room temperature
- 2 teaspoons pure vanilla extract
- seeds scraped from 1/2 of a vanilla bean (optional)
- 1/2 cup (120g/ml) whole milk at room temperature
- vanilla buttercream
- sprinkles, for garnish (optional)
Instructions
- Preheat the oven to 350°F (177°C). Line a 12-cup muffin pan with cupcake liners. Line a second pan with 2 liners—this recipe makes about 14 cupcakes. Set aside.
- In a medium bowl, whisk the cake flour, baking powder, baking soda, and salt together. Set aside.
- In a large bowl using a handheld or stand mixer fitted with a paddle attachment, beat the butter and sugar on high speed until light and creamy, about 3 minutes. Scrape down the sides of the bowl as needed. Add the egg whites, vanilla extract, and vanilla bean seeds (if using) and beat on high speed until smooth and well combined, about 2 minutes. Add the sour cream and beat on medium-high speed until combined, about 1 minute. With the mixer running on low speed, add the dry ingredients, and then slowly pour in the milk and beat just until combined. Do not over-mix. You may need to whisk it by hand a few times to make sure there are no lumps at the bottom of the bowl. The batter will be slightly thick. Pour/spoon the batter into the liners—fill only 2/3 full to avoid spilling over the sides.
- Bake for 19–22 minutes, or until a toothpick inserted in the center comes out clean. Cool the cupcakes in the pan set on a cooling rack for 20 minutes, then remove them from the pan and return to the rack to cool completely before frosting.
- Frost cooled cupcakes with vanilla buttercream. You can swipe the frosting on with an icing knife or use a piping tip such as Wilton 1M. Store covered in the refrigerator for up to 3 days.
Notes
- Make Ahead & Freezing Instructions: Cupcakes can be made ahead 1 day in advance, covered, and stored at room temperature. For best results, make the frosting the day you plan to serve the cupcakes. Frosted or unfrosted cupcakes can be frozen up to 2–3 months. Thaw overnight in the refrigerator.
- Special Tools (affiliate links): 12-count Muffin Pan | Cupcake Liners | Glass Mixing Bowl | Whisk | Electric Mixer (Handheld or Stand) | Icing Knife | Piping Bag (Reusable or Disposable) | Wilton 1M Piping Tip | Cupcake Carrier
- Amount of Batter: This recipe yields between 3–4 cups of batter, which is helpful if you’re reviewing the Cake Pan Sizes & Conversions page.
- Cake Flour: Cake flour is the only ideal flour for this recipe. In a pinch, you can make your own homemade cake flour but the cupcakes won’t taste as light. You can find cake flour in the baking aisle near the all-purpose flour.
- Leftover Egg Yolks? I have some recipe ideas for you!
- Vanilla: For best flavor, pure vanilla extract is strongly recommended. If using imitation, increase to 1 Tablespoon (3 teaspoons). If you can’t get your hands on a vanilla bean, simply leave it out or replace with an extra 1/2 teaspoon of pure vanilla extract. If you want to use vanilla bean paste instead of vanilla extract and vanilla bean, use 2 teaspoons vanilla bean paste.
- Whole Milk & Sour Cream: Whole milk and sour cream are strongly recommended for the best taste and texture. A full-fat plain yogurt would work instead, though the cupcakes may not be as light. Same goes with a lower-fat milk. Nondairy milk works in a pinch. You can replace both the whole milk and sour cream with buttermilk (1 cup; 240g/ml) if needed.
- Room-Temperature Ingredients: All refrigerated items should be at room temperature so the batter mixes together easily and evenly. Read here for more information.
- Mini Cupcakes: For about 30–36 mini cupcakes, bake for about 11–13 minutes, same oven temperature.
- Vanilla Cake: I suggest following my white cake recipe as the base, which is almost double this cupcake recipe. I also have a taller 3-layer vanilla cake recipe as well. For a 1-layer cake, I recommend this 1-layer sprinkle cake (you can skip the sprinkles in the batter).
- Be sure to check out my 10 tips for baking the BEST cupcakes before you begin.
Reader Comments and Reviews
Hi! I tried these today- they taste really good and rose beautifully and are very soft. I used a standard ice cream scoop and got 15 slightly domed cupcakes. What I did not like was the slight rubbery texture. All my ingredients were at room temp and measured by weight. Only thing I did differently was use 1tsp vanilla extract and 1tsp vanilla paste. I used a hand mixer.
Any ideas what I could be doing wrong? Thank you!
Hi Sam! A rubbery texture can come from over-mixing the cupcake batter. Make sure to *just* mix until combined.
Hi Sally!!! I’m gonna try your recipes but I have one doubt….can I make de vanilla cake recipe as cupcakes or what’s the difference between the two recipes: vanilla cake and vanilla cupcakes?
I already made the “Easter Cookies” and they are DELICIOUS!!!
Hi Mariana! The recipes are very similar, these cupcakes just make a smaller batch and are a little fluffier.
I am planning to make several different filled cupcakes and would like to use the same cupcake batter for all of them. One of the cupcakes will be your Strawberry Shortcake cupcake. I noticed the cake recipe for the Strawberry Shortcake cupcake is slightly different from your Simply Perfect Vanilla cupcake recipe. Which cupcake recipe would you use? the other cupcake fillings I’m considering are Key Lime Pie, Cannolli or Oreo stuffed / Cookies and Cream.
Hi Andrea! These simply perfect vanilla cupcakes would be a perfect base for all those fillings. Happy baking!
Hello Sally,
I doubled the recipe but my batter came out extremely thin. I added an extra 100 gr of cake flour but it stayed thin. Instead of 6 egg whites, I used 200 ml pasteurized egg whites from a carton (it said 500ml = 15 egg whites, so 6 eggs makes 200 ml). The cupcakes sunk in and looked like a crème brulee on top.
Do you know what I dit wrong here?
It must have been something with doubling the recipe. I’ve doubled it before with no issue, but do have better results when I make individual batches. I wonder if there was a mistake when doubling the ingredients?
Hi Monika, see step 3—”Scrape down the sides and up the bottom of the bowl as needed and then beat in the sour cream.” Hope you enjoy the cupcakes!
Thank you so much for this recipe and tips! I have been doing cake baking and decorating for a while and tried so many recipes but for some reason always struggled with getting white/vanilla cake just right. This is exactly what I have been looking for! This cake is so light and fluffy and has great flavor! A keeper for sure!
I’ve made this recipe many times and it definitely is the perfect vanilla cupcake! Is it possible to make the batter and not bake the cupcakes until the next day? Or is it better to make AND bake the day before needed? I have a new baby and need to take advantage of naps when they come 🙂 Thank you!
Hi Amy, we don’t recommend it. The leaveners are activated once the wet and dry ingredients are mixed, so it’s best to bake the batter soon after. So glad these are a favorite for you!
Made these for a coworkers birthday, she loved them! Was just wondering if there are nutrition facts for this recipe? I’d like to know the calories in each cupcake roughly, thank you!
Hi Emerson, so glad these cupcakes were a hit! We don’t usually include nutrition information as it can vary between different brands of the same ingredients. Plus, many recipes have ingredient substitutions or optional ingredients listed. However, there are many handy online calculators where you can plug in and customize your exact ingredients/brands. Readers have found this one especially helpful: https://www.verywellfit.com/recipe-nutrition-analyzer-4157076
I’ve made this recipe so many times! I use buttermilk instead of whole milk and I add beet puree and cardamom. It has a great natural pink color for my daughter’s birthday cake.
Hello, I only have salted butter, can I use it, or does recipe require unsalted butter only?
Hi Maria, you can use salted butter and leave out the added salt. Unsalted butter really is best for baking because you know exactly how much salt you’re adding—you can read more on the difference between salted and unsalted butter here.
Easy to make – delicious to eat – so light and fluffy. Best vanilla cupcakes
Hi all!
Would it be possible to turn this recipe into an almond cupcake recipe by substituting all of the vanilla with an equal amount of almond emulsion? Or would you recommend using some vanilla extract and some almond emulsion? I have the Lorann almond baking emulsion, if that helps. Any advice would be greatly appreciated!
Thank you
Hi Khadija, you can swap some of the vanilla extract for almond emulsion, depending on how much almond flavoring you’d like. You could do anywhere from 1 teaspoon vanilla + 1 teaspoon almond, to 1 and 1/2 teaspoons almond + 1/2 teaspoon vanilla (for a much more pronounced almond flavor). Hope you enjoy these cupcakes!
I just can’t keep raving over these cupcakes and neither can everyone else I serve them too! Just AMAZING! So light and fluffy it’s crazy! Everyone thinks these came from a store until I tell them!
These are the fluffiest, springiest cupcakes ever! Ive made these several times, and they consistently come out perfectly delicious.
As a testament to screwing up more than one step, these still came out great. Sifted the sugar in with flour so whipped the butter and then tried to add the whites. Ugh. So I tried to scoop out some sugar but some flour came along. Looked better but still MANY bits of unincorporated butter. Forgot to have the sour cream at room temp. So who really knows unless I make them again today, but this batch gave us 17 tasty cupcakes.
I was wondering why this recipe required 3 egg whites and makes 14 cupcakes when the cookies and cream recipe requires 4 egg whites and makes 24+ cupcakes? Just trying to understand the reason behind it. Thank you
Hi Chey, are you referring to the cookies and cream cake? The recipes are different. I found more egg whites aren’t necessary in a large cake, especially when adding other wet ingredients like extra sour cream and milk. Also, you don’t want the cake quite as light, because it would fall apart when slicing. (And it works just fine for cupcakes too.)
I made this with the cake flour . I used the Pioneer Woman cupcake pan. They turned out ok. I overfilled the pan a bit . The cake was ok, but a bit sweet. I will make it again .
Yum. I love this site
I have tried most of your cake recipes which are fantastic, this one included. I have a question though, my husband would like a neapolitan cake for his 70th birthday. Making in 3 6 inch pans. Should I use this white recipe, and for the 2 other tins, add strawberry puree, and the other one cocoa? Is it as simple as that, or is the chocolate more involved as it should have more to it? Not sure how to adjust.
Hi Giggi, a Neapolitan cake would take some testing. We would try scaling down this recipe, our strawberry cupcakes recipe, and our chocolate cupcakes recipe to get one later of each, but it may be a little tricky. Let us know what you try!
These are fantastic!!! The first time I’ve made cupcakes that taste like bakery quality. Going to make these for my son’s birthday – another amazing recipe!
Are you able to make these with All-purpose Flower?
Hi Rachel, the homemade cake flour substitute will work for these cupcakes – see recipe notes for details!
Where is the substitute?
Under the recipe, you will see recipe notes. This is the recipe for homemade cake flour.
I live at a high altitude, and I was wondering if that would effect the recipe. And if so, what could I do to the measurements or oven time to ovoid any differences I’m the final outcome of the cupcakes?
Hi Savannah, I wish we could help, but have no experience baking at high altitude. Some readers have found this chart helpful: https://www.kingarthurflour.com/learn/high-altitude-baking.html
Will I get the same results using a one-to-one gluten free flour? I have great results with my other baking and must use it as we are a celiac household.
Hi Fiona, We haven’t tested this recipe with gluten free flour, but we’d love to know if you give it a try.
For the baking I do for farmers markets, when I use GF flour, the kind I found that works really good, is Bob’s Red Mill GF flour mix! Hope this helps, will have to try this recipe soon
I enjoyed making this recipe. It was my first time making cupcakes from scratch. The instructions were really easy to follow. Personally, these cupcakes were a little too dense for me. I was expecting light and fluffy. I made sure all ingredients were room temperature and followed steps to a tea. The butter cream though turned out amazing!
I made these today for the first time with Swan’s Down cake flour and I think they turned out beautiful! Soft and fluffy wit mh a delicate crumb. . I would maybe try again if you are really interested in this recipe because I was very happy with mine. I made no substitutions and my ingredients were all took temperature. I hope they turn out!!
I’m just curious on your opinion for these… would just plain vanilla buttercream or your cookie dough buttercream be best with this recipe?! Im nervous the cookie dough will be too sweet. Thanks!
Hi Erin, you could definitely use the Cookie Dough Buttercream on these!
Great recipe! Just made these for my granddaughters birthday. They turned out perfectly delicious!! I substituted Caputo gluten free flour and they are perfect! You are my go to baker, Sally! Thank you!
Hi CP, I usually use Swans Down or King Arthur brand cake flour. If you try the recipe (or any recipe calling for cake flour) again, you could try out King Arthur. I have a lot of luck with that one. I wonder if there’s simply not enough flour. Are you weighing the flour? You could try adding another few Tablespoons of flour to see if that helps, perhaps 3 Tbsp or around 25g total.
Hi Sally! Huge fan! Is it ok to double the recipe? A little short on time, but if it’s not recommended, I won’t. Thanks in advance!
Hi Bobbi, for best results (and to prevent over or under mixing) we recommend making two separate batches rather than doubling. Thank you for making and trusting our recipes!
Wow. Honestly I generally don’t like a vanilla cupcake. Especially without frosting. Well until today! I had never tasted these! Dang! They are delicious all on their own! I’m making them as a valentines treat for my older kids, but I think I’ll make them again on the weekend for my babies first birthday and just use a stabilized whipped cream frosting. I only had 2% milk so I used 1/4 cup 2% and 1/4 cup buttermilk.
These cupcakes had a great flavor, but they shrunk a TON within minutes of taking them out of the oven. They also had an odd fluffy texture like angel food cake, not at all a typical “crumb” like you’d expect. I followed the recipe to a T. Room temp ingredients, weighed everything, mixed and filled liners as instructed. I read other comments that had similar results. I did not whip egg whites separately. Cupcakes were not over baked, in fact they seemed too browned, but I only cooked them 17 minutes, which is the minimum time recommended. They even shrunk upwards from the liners, leaving pockets of air underneath the cupcakes. I’m wondering if the milk should have been added before the dry ingredients, perhaps the dry ingredients were over mixed because of then mixing in the milk afterwards? I’ve made many of your other recipes with great success, but this one was disappointing. Serving these for my son’s birthday today, and it’s a little embarrassing.
Hi Jennifer, did you follow the recipe exactly? Usually cupcakes will shrink after removing from the oven if there is too much liquid in the batter. That would also be the reason why they browned so quickly. Did you use enough flour or perhaps change any of the wet ingredients? I haven’t experienced this before and I make these cupcakes often. It’s best to add the milk after the dry ingredients, as it won’t incorporate very well into the thick butter/egg white/sour cream mixture.