These vanilla cupcakes are light and fluffy and wonderfully moist. They are also SO easy to make and will soon be your new favorite cupcake!
My favorite thing about these vanilla cupcakes is that they are SO easy to make. I mean they’re also amazingly delicious, but you will absolutely love how easy they are.
The batter for these cupcakes is all done in one bowl and you don’t need a mixer for them either. Of course a mixer is handy for the frosting, but the cupcakes themselves are a one-bowl no-mixer-needed kind of deal.
And they make a perfect twelve cupcakes which is also super convenient in my view. Also check out our other super convenient and delightful chocolate cupcakes, red velvet cupcakes and chocolate orange cupcakes.
How To Make Vanilla Cupcakes
Full instructions and measurements can always be found in the recipe card at the bottom of the post. This is a summary of the process to go along with the process photos.
- Sift all purpose flour into a mixing bowl and add sugar, baking soda and salt and mix together.
- Make some homemade buttermilk by adding lemon juice to a measuring jug and then adding room temperature milk and letting it curdle into buttermilk.
- Add buttermilk, oil, an egg and vanilla extract and mix into a batter.
- Line a cupcake tray with cupcake liners and divide the batter evenly between the liners.
- Bake for 20 minutes at 350°F or until a toothpick inserted into the center of one of the cupcakes comes out clean.
- Transfer to a wire cooling rack to cool completely before frosting.
- When completely cool, frost with vanilla buttercream frosting.
The Frosting
We topped these cupcakes with a smooth and velvety vanilla buttercream frosting that pipes on perfectly.
Of course if you’d like to mix and match a little then feel free to frost them with our chocolate buttercream frosting that also pipes perfectly.
Ingredient Notes
Buttermilk: A homemade buttermilk substitute made from lemon juice and milk works perfectly in this recipe. Of course if you happen to have real buttermilk on hand, feel free to use that instead.
Canola Oil: We used canola oil in this recipe but feel free to use any vegetable oil.
Make It Dairy-Free
You can make this recipe dairy-free by using a homemade buttermilk made with soy or almond milk instead of dairy milk. This works perfectly and the result is identical.
Make It Egg-Free
If you’d like this recipe to be egg-free then you can increase the homemade buttermilk by ¼ cup and omit the egg. No other substitutes are needed.
Storing and Freezing
Keep your cupcakes in an airtight container at room temperature where they will stay good for around 3 days. Alternatively store them in the fridge where they will last for up to 7 days.
You can also freeze these cupcakes for up to 3 months. Thaw overnight in the fridge and then bring them back to room temperature.
More Cakes and Cupcakes
- The Most Divine Chocolate Cake
- Crazy Cake
- Red Velvet Cake
- The Best Vanilla Cake
- Carrot Cake Cupcakes
- Cinnamon Cupcakes
Did you make this recipe? Be sure to leave a comment and rating below.
Vanilla Cupcakes
Ingredients
- 1 and ¾ cups All Purpose Flour Measured Correctly
- 1 cup White Granulated Sugar
- 1 tsp Baking Soda
- ½ tsp Salt
- ¾ cup Homemade Buttermilk
- ⅓ cup Canola Oil
- 1 Large Egg
- 2 tsp Vanilla Extract
For The Frosting:
- 1 Recipe Vanilla Buttercream Frosting
Instructions
- Preheat the oven to 350°F (180°C). Line a cupcake tray with cupcake liners and set aside.
- Sift the all purpose flour into a mixing bowl and add the sugar, baking soda and salt. Mix together.
- Prepare the homemade buttermilk by adding 1 tablespoon of lemon juice to a measuring jug and then adding milk (room temperature) up to the ¾ cup (180ml) line. Let it sit for a minute or two to curdle.
- Add the buttermilk, oil, egg and vanilla extract and mix into a batter.
- Divide the batter evenly between the cupcake liners.
- Bake for 20 minutes or until a toothpick inserted into one of the cupcakes comes out clean.
- Transfer to a wire cooling rack to cool completely before frosting and when completely cool, frost with vanilla buttercream frosting.
Video
Notes
- Measure the flour correctly using the spoon and level method (spoon the flour into a measuring cup and then level it off with a knife. Don’t scoop it or pack it into the cup) or by weighing it on a food scale.
- You can use homemade buttermilk OR if you happen to have buttermilk on hand then you can use real buttermilk.
- You can use any vegetable oil that you like.
- Nutritional information is for the cupcakes only and does not include the frosting. Nutritional information for the vanilla buttercream frosting can be found on that separate recipe.
I made these today with Oreo buttercream on top and it was a hit. My family loved them and that says a lot they are huge picky eaters. The cupcakes wasn’t overly sweet either it was the perfect amount sweetness. I will be using this recipe from now on and can’t wait to try more of your other recipes ❤️ Thanks
Happy to hear you and your family enjoyed the recipe Clariii!
Made this cupcake today and test tasted the first one. omg..soo good, just like the other vanilla cupcakes with the creaming method. but this is so easy! and that’s the best part ☺️ I guess I’m gonna use this forever. thanks for the recipe! I’m giving this a five star rating 🙂
Thanks so much for your awesome review and rating! 🙂
Okay so this is probably the easiest vanilla cupcake recipe I’ve ever tried and it was fantastic! Everyone LOVED them, so thank you. Who knew it could be so easy.
That is totally what I love most about it too! Thanks Maggie!