Very Vanilla Cupcakes
My favorite homemade vanilla cupcake recipe. Ditch that boxed mix-- these taste way better!
- Prep time
- 20 min
- Cook time
- 20 min
- Yield
- 12 servings
- Difficulty
- HARD
Ingredients
Quantities are shown as originally provided.
- 1 and 2/3 cup (209g) all-purpose flour (spooned & leveled)
- 1/2 teaspoon baking powder
- 1/4 teaspoon baking soda
- 1/2 teaspoon salt
- 1 cup (200g) granulated sugar
- 1/2 cup (8 Tbsp; 113g) unsalted butter, melted and slightly cooled
- 2 large egg whites
- 1/4 cup (60g) vanilla Greek yogurt*
- 3/4 cup (180ml) vanilla almond milk*
- 2 teaspoons pure vanilla extract
- seeds scraped from 1/2 split vanilla bean*
- 1 cup (16 Tbsp; 226g) unsalted butter, softened to room temperature
- 4-5 cups (480-600g) confectioners’ sugar
- 1/4 cup (60ml) heavy cream*
- 1 teaspoon pure vanilla extract
- seeds scraped from 1/2 split vanilla bean*
- salt, to taste
Instructions
- 1
Preheat oven to 350°F (177°C). Line 12-count muffin pan with cupcake liners. Set aside.
- 2
In a medium bowl, mix together flour, baking powder, baking soda, and salt. Set aside. In a large microwave-safe bowl, melt butter in the microwave. Whisk in sugar—mixture will be gritty. Whisk in egg whites, yogurt, milk, and vanilla extract until combined. Split 1 vanilla bean down the middle lengthwise. Scrape seeds from half of the vanilla bean into batter. Reserve other half.
- 3
Slowly mix dry ingredients into the wet ingredients until no lumps remain. Batter will be thick.
- 4
Divide batter among 12 cupcake liners and bake for 20 minutes or until a toothpick inserted in the center comes out clean. Allow to cool.
- 5
To make the frosting, beat softened butter on medium speed with an electric or stand mixer. Beat for about 3 minutes until smooth and creamy. Add confectioners’ sugar, cream, vanilla extract, and vanilla bean seeds with the mixer running. Increase to high speed and beat for 3 minutes. Add more powdered sugar if frosting is too thin or more cream if mixture is too thick. Add salt if frosting is too sweet (1/4 teaspoon). Frost cooled cupcakes (I used Wilton 1M piping tip). There may be leftover frosting depending how much you use on each cupcake.
- 6
Store cupcakes in an airtight container at room temperature for up to 3 days and in the refrigerator up to 7 days. I recommend a cupcake carrier for storing and transporting decorated cupcakes.