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These Moist Vanilla Cupcakes are super easy to make and so moist – for days! They are my new favorite vanilla cupcake!
Moist Vanilla Cupcakes Recipe
I mentioned a couple weeks ago that I’d be bringing you some new basic favorites and I started with my easy moist chocolate cake. Today, we are talking about these moist vanilla cupcakes and I’m pumped! One of the things that I’m always messing with is vanilla cake/cupcakes. It’s the never ending quest for all the best versions. I’m a believer that if you don’t have a good vanilla cake, you have NOTHING! 🙂 Ok, dramatic, but it’s like the “tell”. If you don’t have a good vanilla, can anything else really be that good? There are so many ways to vary a vanilla cake and I want the best of all of them! I’m greedy like that. Plus, I know not every has the same idea of the perfect cupcake, so I like to have options.
You may or may not have tried my original vanilla cupcakes. They are loved by many and were my favorite for some time. I still remember the batches upon batches of cupcakes I made while testing those and the fabulous friends that lined them up and tasted tested them all to help me find the best one. If you haven’t tried them, they are worth checking out. But while I still love them, these are my new fave. Sorry “OG cupcake”, there’s a new star in town. 😉
So let’s talk a bit about these cupcake. There’s no need for creaming to get involved, which is kind of a plus. Creaming butter and sugar together makes quite a fabulous cupcake, but sometimes you just want quick and easy and to barely even need to use a mixer. I mean, basically like a box mix but not, you know? These are those cupcakes. The “OG cupcake” was that way too, but used butter and were a little denser. These cupcakes use oil and are lighter.
We’ve got the usual suspects in this cupcake, starting with the dry ingredients: all-purpose flour, sugar, baking powder and salt. Easy, common ingredients that you should totally have in your pantry already. Mix ’em all together and set ’em aside.
Next are the wet ingredients: milk, vegetable oil, vanilla extract and eggs. The oil is the fat component instead of butter and in my opinion, tends to make a more moist cake that stays moist for longer. Totally true for these cupcakes. The milk (I typically use 2%) adds to the structure of the cake, in addition to adding moisture. Milk adds fluff and I love some fluff. 🙂 I used a full tablespoon of vanilla extract to make sure there’s plenty of delicious vanilla flavor. Then the eggs add more moisture, structure and flavor. I switched it up in these and went with whole eggs instead of egg whites. No more egg yolks getting wasted here!
Once the wet and dry ingredients are combined, the water is added.
There’s so much moisture in these cupcakes! I love them! I’m a big, big fan of their ease of making, their flavor and moisture. They use such simple ingredients that you likely already have in your pantry too – score! When topped with my favorite vanilla buttercream, these vanilla cupcakes really are a dream! They were a big hit in our house and I hope you love them as much as we did!
More Recipes You’ll Love
- Moist Vanilla Cake
- Moist and Fluffy Vanilla Cake
- Perfect Moist and Fluffy Vanilla Cupcakes
- Easy Moist Chocolate Cake
- Homemade Moist Chocolate Cupcakes
Watch How To Make These
NOTE: Some people have reported having trouble with this recipe, while others love it. I have no idea why some people have trouble. There could be any number of factors – improper measuring of ingredients, oven type, altitude, etc. I have never had an issue with these and cannot troubleshoot a problem that I cannot recreate. If you’d prefer a more traditional vanilla cupcake that uses butter and a little bit of oil, as well as the creaming method, and seems to be less finicky for people, try out these Easy Homemade Vanilla Cupcakes. They are currently my favorite vanilla cupcake.
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Moist Vanilla Cupcakes
- Prep Time: 15 minutes
- Cook Time: 15 minutes
- Total Time: 30 minutes
- Yield: 24-26 Cupcakes
- Category: Dessert
- Method: Oven
- Cuisine: American
Description
Made with oil instead of butter, this Moist Vanilla Cupcake Recipe makes cupcakes with a light, tender crumb that’s super moist without being dense or heavy. The batter comes together in just a few minutes, making these an easy dessert to whip up anytime.
Ingredients
VANILLA CUPCAKES
- 2 1/2 cups (325g) all purpose flour
- 2 cups (414g) sugar
- 3 tsp baking powder (NOT baking soda)
- 1 tsp salt
- 1 cup (240ml) milk
- 1/2 cup (120ml) vegetable oil
- 1 tbsp vanilla extract
- 2 large eggs
- 1 cup (240ml) water*
VANILLA FROSTING
- 1 cup (224g) unsalted butter, room temperature
- 4 cups (460g) powdered sugar
- 1 1/2 tsp vanilla extract
- 2–3 tbsp (30-45ml) water or milk
- pinch of salt
Instructions
- Preheat oven to 350°F (176°C) and prepare a cupcake pan with liners.
- Add the flour, sugar, baking powder and salt to a large mixer bowl and combine. Set aside.
- Add the milk, vegetable oil, vanilla extract and eggs to a medium sized bowl and combine.
- Add the wet ingredients to the dry ingredients and beat until well combined.
- Slowly add the water to the batter and mix on low speed until well combined. Scrape down the sides of the bowl as needed to make sure everything is well combined. Please note that the batter will be very thin.
- Fill the cupcake liners about half way and bake for 15-17 minutes, or until a toothpick comes out with a few moist crumbs.
- Remove the cupcakes from oven and allow to cool for 2 minutes, then remove to a cooling rack to finish cooling.
- To make the frosting, beat the butter in a large mixer bowl until smooth.
- Add 2 cups of powdered sugar and mix until smooth.
- Add the vanilla extract and 1 tablespoon of water or milk and mix until smooth.
- Add remaining powdered sugar and mix until smooth.
- Add remaining water or milk, as needed, and salt and mix until smooth.
- Pipe the frosting onto the cupcakes. I used Ateco tip 844.
Notes
If you’d prefer a more traditional vanilla cupcake that uses butter instead of oil, and the creaming method, try out these Homemade Vanilla Cupcakes.
*Some people report having issues with these cupcakes. If that happens to you, could try leaving out the water entirely.
Nutrition
- Serving Size: 1 cupcake
- Calories: 285
- Sugar: 31 g
- Sodium: 129.2 mg
- Fat: 12.7 g
- Carbohydrates: 41 g
- Protein: 2.7 g
- Cholesterol: 25.1 mg
Enjoy!
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Can I freeze them once they finish baking and cooking
Yes, you can. You can either store them in an airtight container or wrap them individually. I like to thaw them in the fridge before frosting them.
Hi, this looks like a great recipe I am just wondering how many cupcakes it makes.
It should make about 24 cupcakes.
The cupcakes tasted very good but took 25 minutes to bake. I had bought new baking ingredients for this recipe. I checked them at 22 minutes and they were still runny in the middle, then 3 minutes later they were slightly overcooked. Other than that, the flavor is good! The frosting is a bit too sweet.
I’m glad you enjoyed them! Ovens can definitely vary, so I’m glad you were able to adjust the time.
Made these today in a pinch for my kids. They do not need 2 cups of sugar. I used 3/4 cup and they were plenty sweet especially after frosting. They baked up perfectly and so moist! Great recipe!
I’m so glad you enjoyed them!
Terrible recipe for cupcakes, just pancake batter, rubbery and dense
This recipe is the best! Do you think it would work as a cake batter? what temp and time would you suggest?
I’m so glad you enjoy it! It does work as a cake. You can find it as a three layer 8 inch cake in this recipe. For that size, I baked it at 350° for 24 to 28 minutes.
This is my favourite cake recipe!! Do you think I could add chocolate chips to the batter?
I’m so glad you enjoy them! It’s a very thin batter, so the chocolate chips would sink.
I made them and they are very good but I had made your chocolate ones and they are not as moist as the chocolates. …the vanilla ones are good and moist (don’t get me wrong) but those chocolate ones are FABULOUS!!! any suggestions to get vanilla ones to the moistness of the chocolate ones?
I’m glad you enjoy them both! The main difference between the two (aside from chocolate to vanilla adjustments) is that the chocolate ones have more vegetable oil. You could try adding more to the vanilla ones, but they could become a little oily. If you do try it, you could also consider reducing the water by a similar amount.
Maybe some of the reason people have troublewith this recipe is they aren’t using room temperature ingredients and maybe they are using cold water in the batter.Just a thought😊 I use your chocolate recipe and it is fantastic. Im getting ready to try this one out!
I’m so glad you enjoy them! I’m still trying to figure out the issue. I’ve actually tested them with hot and cold water (and cold ingredients) and it works both ways for me. I appreciate the suggestion though! 🙂 I wish I knew what it was.
i was so happy that this recipe actually made very moist cupcakes. they were also soft and delicious!
I’m so glad to hear that!
It didnt work, the batter was way too thin and runny. We cooked them for at least 30 minutes total but they were still transparent and raw
The same thing happened to me, I tried the red velvet cupcakes recipe and it was perfect. Super fluffy, not too sweet so I thought I’d give the vanilla ones a try but no matter how long I baked it for, it was rubbery in the middle. I tried changing temperatures, moved it to the top and bottom rack hoping it would come out better but no luck. It might be mistake cause I halved the recipe but i don’t know..
I love this recipe so much!!! It was a life saver when I was trying to find a cupcake recipe for a science fair project, and I also ended up using this recipe in an essay too!! It is a fun-to-make recipe, and they taste delicious!!!
I’m so glad you enjoyed them!
This recipe is amazing! I’m saving it forever. I’ve never used a cake/cupcake recipe that called for this amount of water in addition to milk so I was hesitant, but it came out great. I also like that the cupcake has just the right amount of sweetness, so I can still use a sweet frosting and it doesn’t feel like too much. Highly recommend!
Awesome! So glad you enjoyed them!
Sorry I meant to say a confetti cupcake.
Can I use this recipe and turn it into a confetti cake?
The sprinkles would sink. I’d recommend my funfetti cupcakes.
Unfortunately I tried this recipe and the texture turned out so strange. The middle was almost raw/rubbery despite being cooked through. Maybe it’s my ingredients. What shame