Super-Easy Vanilla Cupcakes

Super-easy vanilla cupcakes are tender, moist and full of vanilla and butter flavours. Great for any occasion like this simple Easter version with mini chocolate eggs. And they can be made ahead of time.

This recipe offers endless possibilities for creativity, allowing you to personalize it with different frostings, fillings, and toppings to celebrate any special occasion. It’s also a great opportunity to make the most of leftover egg whites. Say farewell to boxed cake mixes and welcome this fool proof recipe that comes together in no time! Check out my variations section for suggestions and ideas.

If you decide to give this recipe a try, let me know! Leave a comment below and rate it – it’s really helpful to me and other readers knowing what you think! And don’t forget to take a picture and tag me @thegourmetlarder or hashtag it #thegourmetlarder on Instagram or Facebook. I love seeing what you’ve been baking! 🙂

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INGREDIENTS

For this vanilla cupcake recipe all you need are these ingredients:

• Plain (all-purpose) flour – builds structure. Make sure to measure it correctly using a digital scale.

• Caster sugar – adds structure, moisture and sweetness to the sponge. I use caster sugar as it helps to keep the sponge light and airy. I promise that I have kept the sugar to a minimum, so it is not overly sweet.

• Baking powder and baking soda (bicarbonate of soda) – are chemical leavening agents which increase the volume of the ingredients, creating a nice light fluffy texture. The natural acidity of the yoghurt in this recipe activates the baking soda.

• Unsalted butter – adds a delicious buttery taste to the cupcakes. I recommend using unsalted butter so you can control the amount of salt in the final bake. If you would like a lighter cupcake you can use a neutral oil, such as vegetable or sunflower oil.

• Milk – I prefer to use whole milk as it has a higher fat content and gives a nicer crumb, but you can also substitute it for non-dairy milk.

• Natural yoghurt or sour cream – the acid in the yoghurt or sour cream is neutralised by the baking soda, creating a lighter, tender crumb.

• Egg whites – are used as they create a lighter sponge than whole eggs. It is important that they are at room temperature. I always use large eggs, which are 50-55g (2 oz) per egg (industry standard across the world).

• Pure vanilla extract or paste – adds flavour and enhances the other ingredient flavours in the recipe.

– Vanilla recommendations: pure vanilla extract or vanilla paste or vanilla pods.

• Chocolate fudge buttercream – or your favourite frosting.

• Salt – I highly recommend adding a good pinch of salt to your cakes. It might seem a bit weird, but it actually has the incredible ability to enhance sweetness, suppress bitterness, and elevate the flavour of all the ingredients, making your cake taste even better. It’s pretty crazy, the sodium in the salt sends signals to move glucose into your tongue’s sweet taste receptors, making the sweetness really pop. So, don’t be afraid to sprinkle a little salt – it’ll take your cakes to the next level!
  I recommend Maldon Sea salt flakes or Cornish sea salt, but any good quality salt is fine.

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SUBSTITUTIONS

While I am making recommendations for alternative ingredients, I haven’t necessarily tried them. If you try making any adaptions, I would love to know how you get on and share it with the other readers.

• It is the butter that gives these cupcakes an enriched, velvety buttery taste, which I love. But if you want an even lighter, softer cupcake, where you don’t mind loosing the buttery taste then replacing the butter with a neutral oil (such as vegetable or sunflower oil) will do this. The oil also means that the cupcakes stay soft even when chilled in the fridge.

GLUTEN-FREE OPTION

• Flour: replace the gluten flour with a 1:1 alternative gluten free flour, such as Doves Farm Free plain gluten free flour. If possible, choose a flour which contains xanthan gum or alternatively, add 1 tsp to your batter for stability. You can also try Doves Farm gluten free self-raising flour.

SUGAR-FREE AND LOW-CALORIE OPTIONS

• Sugar-free or calorie reduced options: try alternatives such as coconut sugar, honey, natural erythritol, xylitol, stevia or fructooligosaccharide powder instead. There are also sweetener mixes available, that are 70% calorie reduced and low in carb.

• Brown sugar suggestions: Pure Via Baker’s soft brown sugar or Sukrin Gold’s natural brown sugar alternative.

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WHAT VARIATIONS CAN I MAKE?

Whatever the occasion or theme, these cupcakes can be personalised to your taste.

• Sprinkles: these small pieces of candy add texture and colour, making a decorative element.

• Fresh or frozen fruits: pretty much any soft fruit or berry can be used to flavour these cupcakes. Just make sure they are small bite size pieces and that you dust them in a little flour before adding them to the batter at the end. Fold them in gently so they don’t get bashed and colour the batter.

• Freeze dried fruits: try adding 15-20g of powder with the flour.

– Freeze dried fruit recommendations include: strawberry, passion fruit, raspberry, wild blueberry, blackcurrant, mango, pineapple or kiwi.

• Dried fruits: try different fruits, such as currants, sultanas, medjool dates, dried cranberries or pineapple. I almost always plump up my dried fruit, this way they don’t remove moisture from the cake when it’s baking. Before starting, pour boiling water over the dried fruit, when everything else has been added to the recipe, simply drain the fruit, dust them in some flour and gently mix them into your batter.

• Citrus: try the grated zest of an orange or lemon.

• Flavouring extracts: try 1 teaspoon coconut extract or almond extract.

• Chocolates: if you fancy a little chocolate, add 100g chopped chocolate or chips to the batter.

• Coffee flavour: whisk in a teaspoon of instant coffee to the warm butter and milk mixture.

• Nuts: try adding 80g of toasted chopped pecans, walnuts, almonds or hazelnuts.

• Spices: use different spices, like cinnamon, cloves, cardamom or allspice. You can even add some stem ginger.

• Pumpkin spice or Chai spice go really well, add 1 teaspoon with the vanilla.

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NUTRITION

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STORAGE AND FREEZING

As with most sponge recipes that contain butter, they are best served at room temperature. Store leftovers in an airtight container in the fridge for 3-4 days, but they should come to room temperature before serving.

Freezing: If unfrosted you can wrap and freeze the cupcakes for up to two months or I recommend placing them in an airtight container or place in a ziplock bag. If you want to wrap the unfrosted cupcakes in clingfilm/plastic wrap, firstly cover the tops with baking paper/parchment paper. This will stop them sweating and sticking to the plastic. Freeze up to 3 months. Defrost overnight in the fridge, then bring to room temperature before serving.

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TOOLS YOU’LL NEED

Here is some kitchen equipment that I use and recommend for this recipe.

• Earthenware Mixing Bowl Mason Cash, Cream 29 cm Chip Resistant.

I like the sturdiness of this bowl and its 4 litre capacity means I can use it for mixing just about everything in the kitchen. It is also microwave, freezer and dishwasher safe.

• Mixing Bowls Set of 5, Stainless Steel Nesting Bowls with Airtight Lids, 3 Grater Attachments, Size 5, 3, 2, 1.5, 0.63 QT

These different size mixing bowls are really useful depending on the amount of food you are preparing. They also have airtight lids that fit snugly to seal and keep food fresh, great for using as dry storage bowls with lids. The plastic lid of the largest bowl has a removable centre, where one of 3 graters can be used for grating cheese or vegetables.

• 3 Plastic Mixing Bowls, Non-Slip Base, Soft Grip Handle, Microwave and Dishwasher Safe, Compact, Stackable, Ideal for baking and cooking, off-white, 1.5 Litre, 2 Litre, 2.5 Litre.

I do own a plastic mixing bowl but I am personally not a big fan of them. These 3 bowls are on the smaller size but good for the odd cake making.

• Paper Cases 5cm base x 4cm tall – Pack of 50
• Paper Cases, 5cm base x 3.5cm tall (1.97 inches x 1.38 inches) – Pack 100

These cases are perfect for all your cupcakes, muffins and fairy cakes. They come in two different base sizes and are available in a rainbow of colours.

Please check out my Shop for a curated collection of some of my favourite baking equipment. The Gourmet Larder is an Amazon Associate, I earn from qualifying purchases.

TIP: I highly recommend using metric measurements and a digital kitchen scale, rather than cup measurements. If you have ever ended up with dry, dense or crumbly baked goods, it might be because of inaccurate volume measurements, not all measuring cups are made equally. All my recipes on this blog are carefully developed so that you can easily recreate them in your own kitchen with success, using metric measurements. It is also a lot easier, less messy and you will get far better, consistent results. 🙂
If you are interested in understanding conversions, here you will find the best conversion chart.

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RECIPE TIPS

Room temperature ingredients – the butter, milk, yoghurt and egg whites should be at room temperature to ensure that the batter emulsifies properly. Even though the butter is going to be warmed, it heats more evenly, avoiding burning.

Overmixing – dense or sunken cupcake centres can be the result of overmixing the batter when adding the wet and dry ingredients.

Filling the cupcake cases – only fill the cupcake cases 2/3 of the way up for a perfect shaped cupcake. Overfilling them can result in an unsightly overflow.

Frosting – allow the cupcakes to cool completely before frosting them. This is important because it will prevent the frosting from melting when applied to a warm cake.