Vanilla Cupcakes with Vanilla Buttercream Frosting
These vanilla cupcakes made from scratch are easy and fun to make for a birthday or any celebration. You can make it unique by changing up the frosting color, cupcake liners, and sprinkles. These ones I made specially for my own birthday, so I used my favorite Sprinkle Pop Vintage Rose Gold sprinkles.
Usually my own birthday is close to or on Thanksgiving so we don’t always get to have a special treat for my own birthday. But I’m trying to make a better effort at making it special, so these cupcakes are going to help!
I also love these cupcakes for a class or office treat as they make 28-30 cupcakes, depending on how you fill your liners. You can definitely bake it into a cake as well, but would need to adjust your baking time to be longer.
Below I’ll share some tips for the perfect vanilla cupcakes!
Table of Contents
- Table of Contents
- What makes a cupcake light and fluffy?
- Why do I need to bake with room temperature butter?
- Why do I need to use Room Temperature Eggs while Baking?
- How much batter makes one cupcake?
- How do I make my frosting fluffier?
- FAQs on Vanilla Cupcakes with Buttercream
- Other Recipes to Try
- Love this Recipe?
What makes a cupcake light and fluffy?
Blending together your butter and sugar.Whipping (whether by hand or a paddle in a stand mixer) is so important to many baked goods, especially cakes. This will add necessary air to your baked goods. They also emulsify your sugars and blend them into the cupcakes to make sure it’s not grainy. However, you can also over whip, be sure you don’t let it whip too long. Anything too long will make there be too much air and when it bakes, it can fall and create a dense cake.
Why do I need to bake with room temperature butter?
So many recipes (and others) call for room temperature butter. This is due to a few things. 1) An emulsion is formed when all the wet ingredients are room temperature and mixing. You are whipping in air into the batter. Which will later help in baking when you get that light and fluffy texture. 2) Room temp butter is also able to blend smoother and create a cohesive batter. If you don’t have it room temp it can become very dense.
How to get butter room temperature
I usually leave mine on a plate on the counter for a couple hours. Or maybe on the oven if it’s being used for something else. If you are in a hurry you can zap in the microwave in very short increments. Just don’t melt it.
Why do I need to use Room Temperature Eggs while Baking?
A lot of baking recipes (mine included) ask for room temperature eggs. This is because a room temp egg is easier to break down than a cold egg. So therefore, it mixes into the batter better. ALSO, room temp eggs get a better volume making for a fluffier baked good.
How to get eggs room temperature
I would suggest leaving them on the counter for 1-2 hours to get room temp. However, if you forget or run out of time, another option is to place the eggs into a bowl of warm water (not hot) for about 10-15 minutes.
How much batter makes one cupcake?
This batter makes about 28-30 cupcakes. This is based on how much batter you put into each well of your cupcake tin. I try to do about 3.5-4 tablespoon of batter per well. This is about ⅔ filled. You don’t want to overfill or they will mushroom over the top and stick. If you have any empty wells, be sure to fill with a few tablespoons of water.
How do I make my frosting fluffier?
Whipping your butter! This is why I whip my buttercream frosting for 8 whole minutes. I also think you need enough powdered sugar to make it stiff enough to take shape. It may sound like a lot of powdered sugar, but it’s not all going on one cupcake.
FAQs on Vanilla Cupcakes with Buttercream
Sure! An easy change here would be swapping out the vanilla extract for butter extract, adding sprinkles, and making them funfetti! Or you could do a lemon, floral, or almond.
Piping frosting can be tricky and takes experience. I like to practice on one or two "testers" or parchment paper first. Take a piping bag with a tip, fill it up with frosting, close off the end with a pastry/bag clip, hold the bag with two hands (one at the base near the tip and one at the back near the end of the frosting. Gently squeeze from the back hand and guide with the hand closest to the tip. Move in a circular motion going from outside the cupcake to the middle.
Other Recipes to Try
- Egg Yolk Only Chocolate Chip Cookies
- Pumpkin Spice Cake with Cream Cheese Frosting and a Gingersnap Crumble
- Black Velvet Cupcakes
Love this Recipe?
Did you make this recipe and just love it? Awesome! If you have a quick minute and could leave a star rating and comment below, I would appreciate the support and knowing your feedback! And if you’re over on Instagram, be sure to tag me in your photos!
Equipment
- Stand Mixer
Ingredients
Cupcake Ingredients
Wet Ingredients
- 1 cup unsalted butter room temperature
- 2 cups granulated sugar
- 2 eggs large
- 4 egg whites large eggs and room temperature
- 1 tablespoon vanilla extract can be clear for a whiter cake
Dry Ingredients
- 2 ½ cup all-purpose flour
- 1 tablespoon baking powder
- ½ teaspoon baking soda
- ½ teaspoon salt
Milk
- 1 cup milk room temperature
Vanilla Buttercream Frosting Ingredients
- 1 ½ cup unsalted butter room temperature
- 4 cups powdered sugar sifted 1-2 times
- 2 teaspoon vanilla extract
Optional Toppings
- Sprinkles
- Edible flowers
Instructions
Cupcake Instructions
- Preheat your oven to 350°F and prepare 2 muffin/cupcake pans with oil or cupcake liners.
- In a stand mixer beat your butter and sugar for about 3-4 minutes on a medium speed, until fluffy.
- Add in your eggs one at a time, then add your vanilla.
- In a large mixing bowl mix your dry ingredients for the cake and mix.
- In 3 batches add in your dry mixture into the wet mixture on a lower speed, alternating with 2 batches of your milk. ⅓ dry ingredients, ½ of the milk, ⅓ dry ingredients, ½ milk, and finish with ⅓ dry ingredients. Don’t over mix.
- Scoop batter evenly into 24 cupcake liners/wells. Lightly slam the cake pans on the counter to try to get rid of any major air bubbles.
- Bake each for about 15-18 minutes. Check with a toothpick until clean. Pull cakes out with completely bakes and let cool in the pan for about 10-15 minutes. Then remove to a cooling rack.
Frosting Instructions
- Using your mixer and the paddle attachment again, whip the butter for 8 minutes on medium/low speed. The butter will become very creamy!
- Add the powdered sugar in 3 batches. The frosting should become very light and fluffy.
- Lastly add in the vanilla extract and mix until combined.
Assembling
- Place frosting into a piping bag and use your favorite tip. Take a cooled cupcake and pipe frosting on top of cupcake.
- Sprinkle with sprinkles or edible glitter, and/or powdered sugar. Decorate how you wish!
Notes
– How to get butter room temperature: I usually leave mine on a plate on the counter for a couple hours. Or maybe on the oven if it’s being used for something else. If you are in a hurry you can zap in the microwave in very short increments. Just don’t melt it.
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