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 to know 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! 🙂
RECIPE HIGHLIGHTS
- EASE: very easy.
- TASTE & TEXTURE: a light, fluffy and moist sponge bursting with vanilla. Perfect topped with my velvety chocolate fudge buttercream.
- SERVING: great as they are or frosted with your favourite frosting. I used my chocolate fudge buttercream.
- QUANTITY: 10 cupcakes. (5cm wide base x 4cm high cases)
- TIME: 25 minutes.
© THE GOURMET LARDER. All images and content are copyright protected. If you want to share this recipe, please do so using the share buttons provided. Please do not republish the recipe or its content in full instead, include a link to this post for the recipe. Further information can be found in my FAQ’s.
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. Please make sure it has not expired.
- Unsalted butter – adds a delicious buttery taste to the cupcakes. If you would like a lighter cupcake you can use a neutral oil, such as vegetable or sunflower oil.
- Milk – I 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 – natural acid in the yoghurt is neutralised by the baking soda, creating a lighter, tender crumb.
- Egg whites – I prefer to use them as they create a lighter sponge than when using 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).
- Vanilla – I use Taylor & Colledge vanilla products, they add a delicious taste to your recipes and enhance the other ingredient flavours.: pure vanilla extract, vanilla paste or vanilla pods.
- Chocolate fudge buttercream – or your favourite frosting.
TIP:
- 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!
WHAT VARIATIONS CAN I MAKE?
Whatever the occasion or theme, these cupcakes can be personalized 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 of 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.
ALTERNATIVE FROSTING RECIPES TO TRY
There are a number of different frostings to choose from. It often comes down to personal taste and the type that suits your occasion. Other factors such as storage, shelf life and transportation often need to be considered. Here are a few ideas:
- Classic vanilla buttercream – the classic and easiest of all butter based frostings. Which can be coloured and flavoured.
- Chocolate fudge buttercream – similar to classic buttercream with the addition of melted chocolate and cocoa.
- Swiss meringue buttercream – considered to be the superior buttercream, made using cooked egg whites whisked into a meringue. This recipe is lighter and silkier. It can be flavoured, coloured and holds its shape for longer. However, it is slightly more complicated to make.
- Cream cheese frosting – one of my favourites and super easy to make. It can be made into a chocolate version or flavoured and coloured as you wish. It needs to be kept refrigerated when stored and does not hold its shape as well as other frostings.
If you experiment, please leave a comment at the bottom of the post – it’s really helpful to me and other readers to know how you got on. I regularly update these posts and the feedback I receive helps to make the recipes even more useful and interesting.
NUTRITION
Serving: one cupcake without frosting.
Nutrition information can vary for a recipe based on factors such as precision of measurements, brands, ingredient freshness, or the source of nutrition data.
I strive to keep the information as accurate as possible but make no warranties regarding its accuracy.
I encourage you to make your own calculations based on the actual ingredients used in your recipe, using your preferred nutrition calculator.
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.
© THE GOURMET LARDER. All images and content are copyright protected. If you want to share this recipe, please do so using the share buttons provided. Please do not republish the recipe or its content in full instead, include a link to this post for the recipe. Further information can be found in my FAQ’s.
TOOLS YOU’LL NEED
Here is some kitchen equipment that I use and recommend for this recipe.
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.
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.
- 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.
I like this model of electric hand mixer because it comes with a large stand, meaning you don’t have to always hold it.
Digital kitchen scales: I highly recommend using metric measurements 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 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, and 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.
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.
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.
Super-Easy Vanilla Cupcakes
INGREDIENTS LIST
Dry ingredients
- 135 g plain flour (all-purpose)
- 100 g caster sugar
- ¼ tsp bicarbonate of soda / baking soda
- 1 tsp baking powder
- 1 pinch of fine sea salt
Wet ingredients
- 100 g butter (melted)
- 80 g milk
- 80 g natural yoghurt
- 1 tsp pure vanilla extract or 1/4 tsp of vanilla paste
- 2 medium egg whites (at room temperature, 60g total )
Decoration
- 1 recipe of chocolate fudge buttercream (see notes blog post or notes for recipe)
- 1 bag mini chocolate Easter eggs (optional)
Preparation
- Preheat oven to 180°C / 160°C fan / 350°F / gas 4. Line a muffin tray with cupcake cases.
Cupcakes
- In a large mixing bowl, sift the flour, sugar, salt, baking soda and powder.
- Melt the butter over a low heat or in a microwave, then add it to another mixing bowl with the milk, yoghurt, vanilla and egg whites. (Make sure the wet ingredients are warm but not hot when adding the egg whites.) Whisk together the wet ingredients until combined.
- Add the wet ingredients to the dry ingredients and mix until combined, but be careful to not over mix the batter.
- Distribute the batter evenly into the cupcake cases, filling each case until about 2/3 full. I use a large cookie scoop. (It’s about 3 tablespoons of batter per cupcake.)
- Baking: Place the cupcakes in the middle of the oven and bake for about 18-20 minutes or until the centers are springy to the touch and a toothpick comes out clean.
- Rest the cupcakes for just 2 minutes in the muffin tray to allow them to cool slightly, then remove them and place them on a wire rack to cool completely.
- Cool completely before icing with the frosting of your choice (see blog post for ideas), fresh berries or jam and cream.
Decorating cupcakes
- Using a pastry bag: Starting on the outside edge of the cupcake, pipe the frosting in a swirl drawing towards the centre as you pipe around. Lift the tip up slightly as you finish the centre.
- Using a knife or offset spatula: Place 2 tablespoons of frosting on top of the cupcake. Use the back of a spoon, a non-serrated butter knife, or a small offset spatula to spread it to the edge. Use your spoon or knife to create a swoop by making a spiral pattern from the outside edge to the centre of the cupcake.
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