Easy Vanilla Cupcakes | Basic Recipe

Our famous vanilla cupcakes are light, fluffy and so easy to make... top them with creamy buttercream for the perfect birthday party cupcakes, lunch box treat or bake sale favourites.

A foolproof and easy vanilla cupcake recipe is an absolute essential for any home baker... and this recipe is exactly that! Moist, light and fluffy - and ready in just a few minutes! Just like our classic butter cake, chocolate brownies and chocolate chip cookies, these vanilla cupcakes are sure to become a favourite in no time. 

Basic Ingredient Vanilla Cupcakes

Our vanilla cupcake recipe is: 

• budget-friendly
• made from staple ingredients (butter, sugar, eggs, vanilla extract, salt and self-raising flour)
• easy to make 

How To Make Vanilla Cupcakes

*scroll to the recipe card below for detailed instructions, recipe hints and tips!

Beat the butter, caster sugar, salt and vanilla extract in a bowl.

Slowly add beaten eggs to the mixture and continue to beat.

Gently stir through sifted self raising flour.

Fill the cupcake cases to ⅔ full.

Bake until lightly golden.

Decorate with buttercream, sprinkles or 100s and 1000s.

Basic Buttercream Recipe

Our smooth and creamy buttercream recipe is made from butter, icing sugar and milk... that's it!

A simple buttercream is made by beating the butter until smooth, pale and creamy. Then slowly adding the icing sugar and milk and continuing to beat. 

If you'd like coloured buttercream, simply add 1-2 drops of food colouring and beat through.

Tips For Making Light & Fluffy Vanilla Cupcakes

• for a stronger vanilla flavour, use vanilla bean paste rather than vanilla extract
• caster sugar is a type of superfine sugar (not granulated). Superfine sugar is best for cupcakes as the sugar dissolves as it's beaten with the butter
• use room temperature ingredients
• beat the eggs together before slowly beating them through the butter
• sift the self-raising flour for lump-free cupcakes
• after adding the self-raising flour, gently stir though (but do not over-mix)
• add rice to the bottom of the muffin tin holes (this stops the cupcake cases from getting greasy)
• to stop the cupcakes from cracking when cooked, cook in a medium/low oven of 170 degrees celsius (fan-forced)
• bake until lightly golden and the cupcakes spring back when lightly touched
• allow the cupcakes to cool before frosting with buttercream
• store cupcakes at room temperature (do not place in the refrigerator as they'll dry out)
• this cupcake recipe can also be used to make one large cake using this recipe

Storing Cupcakes

Cupcakes should be stored at room temperature and are best consumed within 2 days of baking.

You can freeze un-frosted cupcakes in an airtight container for up to 3 months. Allow frozen cupcakes to defrost at room temperature and then decorate with frosting.

More Classic Cakes & Cupcake Recipes

If you love our vanilla cupcakes, then you're going to fall head over heels in love with some of our other favourite cake recipes:

• Butter Cake with buttercream frosting (the exact same recipe as our famous vanilla cupcakes... but in one large cake!)
• Chocolate Cupcakes
• White Chocolate Mud Cake
• Caramel Mud Cake
• Classic Chocolate Cake (just like the one your grandma used to make!)
• Chocolate Mud Cake
• Lemon Cupcakes with Raspberry Frosting

WANT EVEN MORE DELICIOUS RECIPES? Subscribe to my newsletter or follow along on Facebook or Instagram. And if you love baking, then please come and join my Facebook cooking club group or subscribe to my YouTube channel. 

Vanilla Cupcakes

Our famous vanilla cupcakes are light, fluffy and so easy to make... top them with creamy buttercream for the perfect birthday party cupcakes, lunch box treat or bake sale favourites.

5 from 31 votes

Print Pin Rate

Course: sweet

Cuisine: cakes and cupcakes

Prep Time: 15 minutes

Cook Time: 12 minutes

Total Time: 27 minutes

Servings: 24 small cupcakes

Calories: 202kcal

Author: Lucy - Bake Play Smile

Ingredients

• ▢ 200 g unsalted butter softened
• ▢ 200 g caster sugar
• ▢ pinch of salt
• ▢ 1 tsp vanilla extract see notes
• ▢ 4 eggs
• ▢ 200 g (1 ⅓ cups) self raising flour

For the buttercream

• ▢ 185 g butter softened
• ▢ 340 g (2 ¼ cups) icing sugar sifted
• ▢ 2 tbs milk
• ▢ 2 tsp vanilla extract
• ▢ spinkles or 100s & 1000s to decorate

Instructions

Conventional Method

• Preheat oven to 170 degrees celsius (fan-forced).
• Place cupcake cases into the holes of two 12-hole muffin trays.
• Place the butter, caster sugar, salt and vanilla extract into a bowl.
• Beat together with a stand-mixer or hand-held beaters until pale and fluffy.
• Add the eggs to a separate bowl and beat together lightly.
• Slowly add the egg mixture to the butter mixture while continuing to beat.
• When all of the egg mixture has been completely combined with the butter mixture, sift in the self raising flour and stir with a spoon until just combined (don't over combine).
• Place the cupcake mixture into the cupcake cases - filling them to ⅔ full.
• Bake in the oven for 12-15 minutes or until golden and when they spring back when touched in the centre.
• Leave cupcakes in the baking trays for 5 minutes before moving to a wire rack to cool completely.
• To make the buttercream, beat the butter in a bowl until pale and fluffy (approximately 5 minutes).
• Slowly add the icing sugar, milk and vanilla extract and continue to beat until smooth and creamy.
• Ice cupcakes when they have completely cooled and decorate with sprinkles or 100s and 1000s.

Thermomix Method

• Preheat oven to 170 degrees celsius (fan-forced).
• Place sugar and butter into the TM bowl and and mix for 15 seconds, Speed 5.
• Add the eggs, salt, vanilla extract and self-raising flour and mix for 15 seconds, Speed 5. Scrape down sides of mixing bowl with spatula, then mix for a further 10 seconds, Speed 5.
• Place the cupcake mixture into the cupcake cases - filling them to ⅔ full.
• Bake in the oven for 12-15 minutes or until golden and when they spring back when touched in the centre.
• Leave cupcakes in the baking trays for 5 minutes before moving to a wire rack to cool completely.
• To make the icing, place the icing sugar into the TM bowl and mix for 10 seconds on Speed 9.
• Add the butter, milk and vanilla extracy to the bowl and Mix for 30 seconds on Speed 6. Scrape down the sides and mix again until smooth and creamy.
• Spread buttercream over cooled cupcakes and decorate with sprinkles or 100s and 1000s.

Notes

RECIPE NOTES & TIPS

For a stronger vanilla flavour, use vanilla bean paste rather than vanilla extract.

Caster sugar is a type of superfine sugar (not granulated). Superfine sugar is best for cupcakes as the sugar dissolves as it's beaten with the butter.

Use room temperature ingredients.

Beat the eggs together before slowly beating them through the butter.

Sift the self-raising flour for lump-free cupcakes.

After adding the self-raising flour, gently stir though (but do not over-mix).

Add rice to the bottom of the muffin tin holes (this stops the cupcake cases from getting greasy).

To stop the cupcakes from cracking when cooked, cook in a medium/low oven of 170 degrees celsius (fan-forced).

Bake until lightly golden and the cupcakes spring back when lightly touched.

Allow the cupcakes to cool before frosting with buttercream.

Store cupcakes at room temperature (do not place in the refrigerator as they’ll dry out).

This cupcake recipe can also be used to make one large cake using this recipe.

Cupcakes should be stored at room temperature and are best consumed within 2 days of baking.

You can freeze un-frosted cupcakes in an airtight container for up to 3 months. Allow frozen cupcakes to defrost at room temperature and then decorate with frosting.

Nutrition

Calories: 202kcal | Carbohydrates: 23g | Protein: 2g | Fat: 12g | Saturated Fat: 7g | Cholesterol: 56mg | Sodium: 49mg | Potassium: 20mg | Fiber: 1g | Sugar: 16g | Vitamin A: 380IU | Vitamin C: 0.1mg | Calcium: 9mg | Iron: 0.2mg

Did you try this recipe?Mention @BakePlaySmileBlog or tag #BakePlaySmile!