This is everyone’s first cupcake love – the uncomplicated but always delightful vanilla cupcake. This no-fail classic vanilla cupcake recipe is simple and easy to follow using the ingredients you already have in your pantry.
The cupcake industry grew exponentially in recent years and is now a multi-billion dollar industry in the U.S. alone. Cupcakeries (yes, that’s a word) started opening shop everywhere and people bought these little cakes for as much as $7 a piece. They started experimenting with all kinds of flavour combinations too and cupcakes started getting more complicated bizarre fascinating.
I love cupcakes – all kinds – but sometimes, all I want is good old-fashioned vanilla. The kind I had when I was a kid. No complications. No exotic flavors. Just plain and simple vanilla cupcake.
Good old-fashioned classic vanilla cupcake recipe
The great news is this simple vanilla cupcake recipe is just that – simple. You use basic ingredients, just your usual pantry staples – flour, eggs, sugar, vanilla. It’s straightforward to do – mix, pour, bake. But the result is guaranteed to bring you back to uncomplicated times, when cupcakes meant mom is home or you were celebrating someone’s special day.
The Great Cupcake Experiment
Not feeling as sentimental as I am about them? You still gotta give vanilla cupcakes some love because they’re a great base for a whole lot of flavours you want to experiment with – I’ve filled them with Nutella and peanut butter, I’ve frosted them with cookie butter and coconut, I’ve used them as base for salted caramel. They’re so versatile and work with almost everything that they’re the perfect cupcake to get creative with.
To frost or not to frost
You can have this cupcake plain or top it with your favourite frosting. In this case, I made vanilla Swiss meringue buttercream and the burst of vanilla flavour is just wonderful.
So if you ever need to just step back and have something simple – take this classic vanilla cupcake recipe and reminisce about the good old days. Or if you have this fantastic new cupcake idea – you can use this same recipe as jumping point and onwards and upwards you go.
This is everyone’s first cupcake love - the uncomplicated but always delightful vanilla cupcake. This no-fail vanilla cupcake recipe is simple and easy to follow using the ingredients you already have in your pantry.
Ingredients
- 1 1/4 cups all-purpose flour
- 1 1/2 teaspoons baking powder
- 1/4 teaspoon salt
- 6 tablespoons unsalted butter, room temperature
- 3/4 cup granulated sugar
- 1 egg, room temperature
- 1 egg white, room temperature
- 1 teaspoon vanilla extract
- 1/2 cup milk
Instructions
- Preheat your oven to 350F. Prepare your pan by lining with cupcake liners (this recipe yields 12 cupcakes).
- In a medium-sized bowl, sift 1 1/4 cups flour, 1 1/2 teaspoons baking powder and 1/4 teaspoon salt. Set aside.
- Using a handheld electric mixer or a stand mixer fitted with the paddle attachment, beat the 6 tablespoons butter and 3/4 cup sugar on medium-high speed until light and fluffy.
- Switch to low speed and add the egg. Once incorporated well, add the egg white. Then add the 1 teaspoon vanilla.
- Still on low speed, add a third of your flour mixture then half of your milk. Add another third of your flour, the rest of your milk and finally the rest of your flour. Do not overbeat; just mix until each addition is incorporated and no significant traces of flour can be seen. Remember to scrape the bottom and sides of your bowl.
- Scoop the batter into your cupcake liners (about 3/4 full) and bake for 18-20 minutes or until a toothpick inserted in the centre comes out clean.
- Take out of the oven and let cool in the pan on a wire rack for about 5 minutes. Then take out of the pan and cool the cupcakes on the wire rack completely.
- Frost and decorate as desired.
(This recipe adapted from Williams-Sonoma).
Happy baking!
Did you make this vanilla cupcake? Tell me about it in the comments section below. I’d love to hear all about it. Love cupcakes? Check out this Limoncello Cupcake for a truly unique treat.
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Your piping is so perfect! Nothing is more appealing to the eye than a perfectly piped cupcake 😉
Thanks Dylan! Appreciate it 🙂 (If you can only see the mess that is my kitchen while frosting these cupcakes though haha)
I agree, a good vanilla cupcake recipe is really versatile and a great basis for further experimentation in the kitchen 🙂 They look adorable!
Absolutely 🙂 They are great to experiment with. Thanks for stopping by!
LOVE a classic like this!! You can’t go wrong!
Absolutely! Thanks for stopping by 🙂
Sometimes the simplest recipes are the best…and these cupcakes look SO cute! 🙂
I totally agree 🙂 Thanks for stopping by!
love the perfect size of a cupcake, this looks delicious
Thank you!
These look delicious and so very pretty.
Thank you!
Yes! Sometimes the basics are exactly what you’re looking for! Love that you added some great flavors to these, though! Gorgeous! And I absolutely love your little cupcake stands!
I agree! Sometimes you want to experiment sometimes you just want to go easy and stick with the basics 🙂 And you want to know a secret about those “cupcake stands”? They’re actually toys from Ikea! Gotta get creative when you don’t have lots of budget for food styling 🙂
such beautiful little creations!
Thank you!
Yum ! These look amazing i always love having plain vanilla cause you can do simple or make them super cute !
Absolutely! It depends on your mood that day 🙂
These look so delicious and pretty! Love the colours! Perfect cupcake 🙂
Thank you! They were so much fun to make 🙂
I love all these flavor options – but I think these are perfect just like they are 🙂 Vanilla is the best flavor!
Me too! I even like vanilla ice cream (which I must say I get teased a lot for!) I just think vanilla is great 🙂
I agree that vanilla cupcakes are the foundation to any other flavor we want to try. They are classic and delicious and I bet yours is divine. 🙂
Thank you! And yes they are an awesome foundation…perfect cupcake to be creative 🙂
Sounds great, now I’m wanting cupcakes
These are pretty easy to make! Thanks for stopping by 🙂
I love cupcakes. It’s a classic for a reason. And right now, I want 9 or 10 of em!
Lol! If I could send you some virtually I will 🙂
These cupcakes look perfect!
Thank you!
Those colors are killing me – so beautiful! Vanilla is definitely not boring! BTW where did you find those adorable cupcake stands? I don’t see a link unless I’m just missing it!
That’s so funny! I thought they would look weird but it actually worked out. They’re…are you ready….toys from Ikea! 🙂
I’ll take one each of those beautifully-piped cupcakes, please! There’s nothing like a good, simple vanilla cupcake. So delicious.
If I can just send you one virtually I will lol 🙂 Thanks for stopping by!
Simple vanilla cupcakes are perfect for a nice little treat!! Sound delicious!!
Thanks! They are simple and quick to make when the craving hits 🙂
Everyone needs a good vanilla cupcake recipe. Thanks for sharing yours!
Absolutely! Thanks for stopping by!
Although I bake quite often and consume a lot of sweets ;-), I hardly make cupcakes. The word simple here sold me about them. I love the vanilla flavor and the frosting is just adorable!
Thanks! Hope I can make a cupcake convert out of you lol. Simple is sometimes (all the time?) the best way to go 🙂
These look very fun and delicious! Will try ☺️
Thank you! Hope you have fun making them as much as I did 🙂
Love the simplicity of vanilla cupcakes – the best! Great colours in your shoot – so fun 🙂
I think that’s the best thing I like about it too – it’s so simply but soo good. Thanks!
These cupcakes look divine! I’m a huge fan of cupcakes and bake them very often, but these are very colourful and cheerful!
Thank you! They are so versatile and fun to make
These are so Spring time and gorgeous! I love vanilla cupcakes. 🙂
Thank you! I had such a fun time frosting these 🙂
I rarely eat sweets, but I have to admit your photos kinda make me want one 😉 These are gorgeous!
Lol! Thanks! (I’m the exact opposite, seems like I’m constantly eating something sweet)
What colorful adorable little cupcakes! And having a staple vanilla is always good!
Someone told me a good baker has to have a go-to classic vanilla cupcake recipe. I guess this is mine 🙂 Thanks for stopping by!
I LOVE a classic, and this vanilla cupcake is absolutely that. Perfect. Beautiful photos, too!
Classic is a classic for a reason I guess 🙂 Thanks for passing by!
Beautiful Photos! I agree, there are a lot of fascinating cupcake flavors out now! Like the bacon one!
Thanks! And a +1 on the bacon one. Everything IS better with bacon. Mmmm bacon….