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These simple Vanilla Cupcakes are everyone’s favorite! Not too sweet. Not too dense or too airy. Buttermilk and brown sugar add depth of flavor. A fluffy cloud of Vanilla Buttercream perfectly compliments the rich cake. Top with sweetened, shredded coconut for an added treat.
UPDATE: These Vanilla Cupcakes are AWARD WINNING! Check out the recipe and see how I won!
Ingredients for Cupcakes:
1/2 cup butter
1/2 cup white granulated sugar
1/2 cup light brown sugar
1 tsp baking powder
1/2 tsp baking soda
1/2 tsp salt
2 large eggs
1 1/2 cups flour
2 tsp vanilla
3/4 cup buttermilk
Ingredients for Vanilla Frosting:
2 1/2 cups confectioners’ sugar
1/2 cup butter
1 teaspoon vanilla extract
6 tablespoons whipping cream
NOTE: Makes enough batter and frosting for 12 cupcakes, 24 mini-cupcakes. Bake 350(F) for 20 minutes.
DIRECTIONS:
Preheat oven to 350(F). In an electric mixer, cream butter thoroughly. Add white and brown sugars and cream again. Mix in baking powder, baking soda and salt. Add eggs and cream thoroughly. Add flour and combine thoroughly. Scrape down sides of mixing bowl if necessary.
With mixer running on low speed, stream buttermilk into mixing bowl. When all of the buttermilk has been added, crank the speed to whip air into the batter.
Add vanilla. Notice how fluffy and soft the batter looks? Fluffy is good.
Spoon batter into paper lined pan.
This recipe makes 12 – 16 cupcakes depending on how much batter is filled into each cup. Bake at 350(F) for 20 minutes, checking every two minutes thereafter. For mini-cupcakes, reduce baking time to 10 minutes, checking every two minutes thereafter.
Cupcakes will be golden and puffed. Allow cupcakes to cool in the pan for about ten minutes; until they can be handled without crumbling or dimpling.
Allow cupcakes to rest on rack until completely cooled before frosting.
FROSTING!!!
Chill mixing bowl and wire whisk attachment for best results. Sift powdered sugar for best results. Just sayin’. Cream butter thoroughly and add powdered sugar one half cup at a time.
Mixture will be creamy but stiff.
Begin adding cold whipping cream by the tablespoonful with mixer running on low speed.
When all whipping cream has been added, crank the speed of the mixer to high to beat air into the mixture and whip the cream.
Frosting will be thick, silky and delicious.
FROSTING TIPS?
When I show up with a plate of cupcakes, people always comment on how “perfect” my frosting looks. I’ll let you in on my secret: I use the most highly praised kitchen gadget of all… a butter knife. The key is to pile the frosting in the center of the cupcake and rotate the cupcake, keeping the knife mostly stationary.
As you can see, my knife has not really changed position, but the cupcake frosting is piling up nicely on top and tapering at the bottom. For best adhesion, add sprinkles or coconut immediately. Tune in next week when I do basic home improvement with my kitchen butter knife. OK. Just kidding.
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Looking for Chocolate Pudding Filled Cupcakes? Click on the photo…
Link to the Tastes like Spring Spirit! blog post.
You frosted these so perfectly! They’re adorable!
I just love these cupcakes! I like the simplicity of Vanilla cupcakes they are so yummy!
These are so yummy and moist! i only had to bake mine for about 15 minutes – that is when they turned a beautiful golden brown color. thanks for this delicious recipe! the brown sugar and buttermilk make all the difference.
Hey Betty, I want to make these cupcakes tomorrow. I live in NY and was wondering do I buy whipping cream or heavy cream to make the frosting?
Hi Stephanie! Can’t wait to hear how the cupcakes turn out! Whipping cream and heavy cream will both work – they are essentially the same thing; heavy cream has more fat. Heavy cream will whip to a more stiff consistency, so if you are making ahead of time and need the frosting to stand up at room temp awhile, heavy cream may be a better choice. Hope this helps!
I haven’t made these yet but how do you store these cupcakes for an event since they have a whipping cream frosting. I would hate to refrigerate and dry the cake part out.
Please advise. Thanks!
Hi CJ,
You didn’t mention how far in advance you will be making ahead, but you can leave these cupcakes, frosted and all, covered (or preferably sealed in an air tight container), at a reasonable room temperature for about 48 hours. I’ve never had anyone get sick from a two day old cupcake… but fresh is best :D
It is better to *not* refrigerate either the frosting or the cupcakes. That said, I had a nervous friend of mine put my cupcakes in her fridge before a party and they were still delicious. I think having them in an airtight container is key.
Hope this helps!
Let me know how they turn out :)
Cheers,
Betty
Hey Betty,
heres a photo of the cupcakes
http://sphotos.ak.fbcdn.net/hphotos-ak-snc4/hs042.snc4/34464_1394951198391_1370520076_31162647_4650338_n.jpg
they were delicious! thanks for the recipe!
OMG! They look beautiful and delicious!! Thanks for sharing them with me :)
I tried this recipe .. and it was so delicious..
thanks for sharing :)
For you Vanilla cupcakes, when you say 2 tsp of vanilla in the cupcake, you mean vanilla extract correct? I am making them for xmas with green and red sprinkles! Thank you!
Hi Erica! You got it – I will change the recipe… It is 2 tsp of vanilla extract :) So happy you are trying my cupcakes – Awesome with the green and red sprinkles!! Merry Christmas!
Hello Betty))Could you please tell me if Baking Soda is the same as Bicarbonate of Soda?Thank you for your wonderful cupcakes)
Hi Svetlana, yes baking soda is sodium bicarbonate. Happy baking :)
I will try to make this soon! Wish me luck!haha
Awesome! Good luck, Lucy :)
I think I’ll give these a go and add a little lime zest into the mix w/ coconut on the icing as you’ve done in some of them. Give it a tropical flavor!
I just baked this recipe last night. I absolutely love the softness and it was indeed very moist. the flavor was so delicious. thanks averagebetty! I have yet to try the vanilla frosting.
by the way Betty, aside from the vanilla frosting, what other frosting can i pair with these vanilla cupcakes? i’m thinking of chocolate cream cheese frosting and swiss meringue frosting. need your suggestion please. thank you.
Hi Kelly, I’m so happy to hear you love these cupcakes as much as I do :) Chocolate cream cheese or swiss meringue sound terrific – I do love the vanilla. The only other recipes I have on the site right now are Peanut Butter http://www.averagebetty.com/recipes/chocolate-peanut-butter-cupcakes-recipe/ and a super basic Chocolate: http://www.averagebetty.com/recipes/classic-brownies-recipe/ Hope this helps…
I have some new cupcakes and frosting in the works :)
Thank you so much Betty! I am confident that my husband’s officemates will love this. I can’t wait to come home from work (i’m from Manila) as i am so excited to bake these delicious cupcakes. more power to you Betty.
oh my, the vanilla frosting is a winner! i added mint flavor to it. I frosted my chocolate cupcake with vanilla mint buttercream and it tasted like After Eight chocolates. Thanks Betty for the trustworthy recipes. Hope you have recipe for boiled icing too..is that the same as marshmallow icing?
i will certainly try these what type of flour do u use all purpose or self raising. luv your website
thx
Hi annoymous,
Thank you! I use all-purpose flour, not self rising. Hope you give these cupcakes a try — they are my favorite :)
hi betty im annoymous i wanted to make a suggestion. do u think you could come up with a chocolate cupcake with a white chocolate filling.
luv ur website again!
thx
Hi marissa :) lol
I definitely think I could come up with a chocolate cupcake with a white chocolate center — that sounds fantastic! Thanks for the inspiration…
can u make a vanilla cupcake with a white and milk chocolate cupcake plz?
thx for ur help
from brandon p.s i LOV UR WEBSITE
hi betty its me again sorry i write alot but can u use dark brown sugar insted of light
thx
Thank you for visiting, brandon! I’ll give it my best shot :)
Hi marissa,
You can, the cupcakes will be darker but the flavor should be about the same.
Hi again can i use light sugar :)?
thx for ur help. p.s hope you’ve tryed the recipe.
Just made the cc. They were delish…am wondering if you could put the estimated time needed for every steps.
the first badge i made went wrong, no idea why, but i whipped it again second time and it went well. I just need to play around with how much i need to put the batter into the cupcake to make it the right height.
the temp in my oven is weird so , i have to cook for ten mins for small cc. at 160 deg, is that right?
anyways, qtns, any ways to make the frosting less sweet?. my daughter, 3 yrs old, gets sugar rush as soon as she ate half the cc.
xx
Hi LD, I think the most important thing with these cupcakes is the order you add the ingredients. Having the ingredients at room temperature can help sometimes too — but it’s baking, so things turn out differently from kitchen to kitchen and oven to oven. For mini cupcakes, I think your oven temp of 160(C) is about right. 160(C) = 320(F). I recommend 350(F) for regular-sized cupcakes. As far as the frosting… I don’t know of any way to reduce the sugar… do they make artificial powdered sugar? Ironically adults tell me they like this frosting because they don’t find it too sweet – many similar buttercreams call for twice as much sugar, but us silly Americans like the sweet. Hope this helps!
AWESOME RECIPE! I just baked cupcakes using your recipe and they taste delicious. I don’t like Safeway-type cupcakes.
The sweetness is just right.
Thank you!