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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!
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Read transcript
You might also enjoy:
Moist Vanilla Cake
Moist and Fluffy Vanilla Cake
Perfect Moist and Fluffy Vanilla Cupcakes
Easy Moist Chocolate Cake
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.
PrintMoist 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
These Moist Vanilla Cupcakes are super easy to make and so moist – for days! They are my new favorite vanilla cupcake!
Ingredients
VANILLA CUPCAKES
- 2 1/2 cups (325g) all purpose flour
- 2 cups (414g) sugar
- 3 tsp baking powder
- 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
1. Preheat oven to 350°F (176°C) and prepare a cupcake pan with liners.
2. Add the flour, sugar, baking powder and salt to a large mixer bowl and combine. Set aside.
3. Add the milk, vegetable oil, vanilla extract and eggs to a medium sized bowl and combine.
4. Add the wet ingredients to the dry ingredients and beat until well combined.
5. 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.
6. Fill the cupcake liners about half way and bake for 15-17 minutes, or until a toothpick comes out with a few moist crumbs.
7. Remove the cupcakes from oven and allow to cool for 2 minutes, then remove to a cooling rack to finish cooling.
8. To make the frosting, beat the butter in a large mixer bowl until smooth.
9. Add 2 cups of powdered sugar and mix until smooth.
10. Add the vanilla extract and 1 tablespoon of water or milk and mix until smooth.
11. Add remaining powdered sugar and mix until smooth.
12. Add remaining water or milk, as needed, and salt and mix until smooth.
13. 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
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Enjoy!
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I made these cupcakes for a bake sale that my sisters and I are doing. I desided that i would try these cupcakes, and they turned out so good… really light and fluffy.. to beautiful. Thanks Lindsay!!!
I’m so glad you enjoyed them!
Could I use this recipe for a layer cake?
Yes, you can.
Great and easy recipe, just made it with my 3 year old! I halved it, also substituted oat milk for regular milk, skipped the water, and added an extra egg. Extra egg not on purpose just my daughter likes cracking eggs 😅 anyway it came out great! Definitely recommend. (Used a different recipe for vegan vanilla frosting)
I’m glad you enjoyed them!
I wanted to like these but they really did taste very much like pancakes. I thought I may have messed something up, but then I read the reviews and saw a number of other reviewers say the same thing. The texture was also very thick and heavy, not very crumbly.
Yes, that’s why there’s a note right above the recipe card that mentions that a number of people have trouble with them for some reason that I can’t figure out. I have never had that problem, but it seems to consistently happen for some people. The vast majority of people don’t have trouble though. I have not been able to re-create the issue to be able to fix it, but I do recommend above the recipe card that you can try it without the added water.
Leave everything as it is!! ( keep the water) These cupcakes are ah-mazingly moist and just perfect! Thank u! Will be my go-to vanilla cupcake recipe!
I’m so glad you enjoyed them!
Could I make a vanilla sheet cake out of this recipe? I really love the taste of this recipe.
Yes, it works well as a 9×13. It should bake for about 25-20 minutes at 350 degrees.
Hi my cupcake sank completely like really completely wats the causes
I wish I knew, but I don’t. I’m sorry. You could try reducing the amount of baking powder a bit.
I’ve been looking for a super moist cupcake recipe and this is the one!! They are so perfect they don’t even need icing, they’re sweet enough. Enjoy!!!
Glad you enjoyed them!
I’m going to use this recipe to make cupcakes for my nieces birthday party! Can I use buttermilk instead of milk?
I don’t think I’ve tried buttermilk. I would think it’d be ok.
I am planning on using this recipe for a cake for my son but he has an egg allergy. What could I use as a substitute?
I’m not really familiar with egg substitutions, so I’m not sure. I’m sorry.
Awesome recipe! Can you use baking soda instead of powder? You use soda instead of power in your delicious moist chocolate ones and they are nice and flat for piping… wondering if the same can be done with these vanilla ones
No, it doesn’t turn out the same. Baking soda requires something acidic to react with, like cocoa powder, which is absent in these vanilla cupcakes.
I made these cupcakes today and it came out absolutely amazing. My new favorite recipe. Thank you for sharing
So glad you enjoyed them!
I love this thanks
These were SO easy and turned out AMAZING! I quartered the recipe to make just six, I’m glad I did because these were irresistible!!!
So glad you enjoyed them!
Can you add a small teaspoon of jam in the middle?
You could. I’d recommend doing that after they bake.
I love the recipe soo much
My niece has made these a few times and I finally made them today myself – they are so easy to make and so delicious! Would this recipe also work for a cake? If so, what size? If not, do you have a cake recipe that tastes similar to these?
Glad you enjoy them! Yes, you can use it for a cake. I made it as an 8-inch in this cake recipe.
Thank you – that looks delicious! Do you think that amount of batter would work in a 9×13″ cake pan?
Yes, it would work in a 9×13.
I used to love this recipe, but unfortunately it’s not working out for me anymore. I use the same ingredients & same measurements. I’ve noticed a change in texture because my cakes are coming out chewy & dense/seem to be undercooked when they’re not. I’m not sure what I’m doing wrong
This has happened to me recently it worked perfectly for me the last 6 months but then I’ve got a stand mixer and they keep coming it like this 🙁 it’s
I’m hoping to give it another go with my hand mixer
Terrible! Do not make
What? That’s not very insightful.
This is my favourite recipe for cupcakes! I’d love to stick with this, I’ve been pondering how to make it strawberry flavoured. Do you think the strawberry jello trick would work with this? Or how would you recommend flavouring?
I’m glad you enjoyed them! You could try the strawberry Jell-O. You could also create a strawberry reduction and replace some of the water with that.
Would using melted butter be the same as oil or would you recommend sticking to the vegetable oil?
I would recommend sticking with the oil.
this recipe is always a hot or miss for me, the first time i made them they came out delicious fluffy and rose a lot, i just made 3 times in a row and they came out a lil dense, chewy once you eat them and a little heavy, i’m so confused as i measured everything exactly. Sucks because these really were some delicious cupcakes 🙁
Made this today and came out soo good! By far one of the best recipe
So glad you enjoyed them!
Can I add cocoa powder to make chocolate cupcakes with this recipe? Some of my grandkids like chocolate while some like vanilla. Thank you!
Not really, but here’s an equally easy chocolate cupcake recipe.
I do! I replace had a cup of flour with cocoa powder and they are delish
I’ve tried out this recipe and it’s very delicious. The only problem with it was that it was too sweet. If I reduce the sugar to about just 1 cup, would it still taste good? Or what is the recommended reduction for sugar to make it fairly sweet?
I haven’t tried reducing the sugar. Cutting in half is quite a bit. I don’t have a recommendation, since I make them as they are. But if you’d like to reduce the sugar, here’s what I’d say to consider. The sugar not only adds sweetness, but also moisture and that affects the texture of the cupcakes. They may be a little more dry and less tender, particularly if you reduce it too much. Also, these are vanilla cupcakes, so the flavor is more subtle. If you reduce the sugar too much, they may start to taste very flour-y.
I loved the recipe.What made my cupcakes have a hole in the middle
What kind of hole?
I made the cupcakes today and turned out great and my mom and sisters love them.
So glad you enjoyed them!
hello! excited to try this recipe over the weekend. Am I able to use caster sugar instead of regular sugar? I also saw a lot of comments regarding the water amount being too much, would you recommend as I gradually add the water to see how the consistency is and then stopping? Will it impact the cupcakes massively?
Thanks!
I don’t think caster sugar is available here, so I’m not sure I can say. But to my knowledge, caster sugar is the same kind of sugar, but is more fine. So if that’s the case, then yes, it’d be fine. As for the water, it’s a very thin batter even more the water is added. Eyeballing it won’t necessarily be helpful. It seems to have more to do with someone’s oven, I’m guessing. I truly can’t re-create it, so I’m not sure.
Do NOT substitute almond milk, it doesn’t work. 🙂 Not your fault though!
Hi its second time i made this, the first time my cupcakes all came 1 size an i got 30 cupcakes but the second time i got 27 cupcakes an also i got different sizes , none was flat both times but yes the 1st time it all one size an the second time i made it was all different sizes, do you know reason
Based on your description, it just sounds like each cupcake may have had a slightly different amount of batter in it, so it baked either taller or shorter. if you got fewer cupcakes the second time, then you may have used more batter per cupcake.
I made these for my partners birthday and I have never gotten so many compliments on my baking. I substituted oat milk egg nog for milk and added a tsp of cinnamon
And nutmeg for a vanille chai type flavor. I also used coconut oil instead of vegetable oil. They turned out beautifully!
I’m so glad they were a hit!
Its great, mine came out perfect, I used only half a cup of water and i got 24 big cupcakes. Very yummy and easy!
So glad you enjoyed them!
This is my new favorite recipe. I’ve used it for minis for the past but today I was doing regular sized. I was nervous…over NOTHING! They came out SO GORGEOUS!!! **I use 3/4 cup water and not the full cup. In my oven I bake for 19 min and tahdah!!! Perfection 🙂 it’s true the tops are on the odd side (like a sticky/gummy) but we cover that in buttercream so all is well. Rave reviews from this happy Canadian!
So glad you enjoy them!
These turned out great and stood up to buttercream frosting. I only added enough water to make the batter similar to box cake consistency. I can see where the full amount would have been too much. I’m glad I read the tips first. I fixed 1.5x the recipe at once in my 5 qrt Kithenaid to make 36 cupcakes with no problem. I’ll use this recipe again.
I followed the instructions being careful to measure the flour properly and not just scooping it. I added an extra egg and replaced the water with milk adding it very slowly. I used large muffin tins and baked 21 minutes. Perfectly moist and delicious I didn’t even need frosting 🥰
Instead of vegetable oil can I use mashed bananas?
I would not recommend that. It would probably make your cupcakes taste like banana. I’m not really sure that there’s a good substitute.
What else should I use instead of that? applesauce ? I looked up the other things I can use instead of oil and that came up.
Honestly, I wouldn’t recommend this recipe if you want to use something else. Substituting oil can work in some cakes/cupcakes, but I don’t think it’d be ideal in these. If you’d like a different vanilla cupcake that doesn’t use much oil and could be substituted, I’d recommend these vanilla cupcakes. They are primarily butter-based, with a touch of oil, that you could swap for more butter. I always recommend the oil, because it adds more moisture, but they’d be fine with all butter. I hope that helps.
Hi can we use buttercream instead of milk? If so how much buttercream do I use?
I assume you mean, buttermilk, and not buttercream. I have not tried these with buttermilk before. They may be fine, but I’m not sure.
Normally your recipes always end up spot on when I use them, but this one was a miss, I’m really disappointed it didn’t turn out how expected. It was overly sweet and not crumbly at all, baked to specifications and the top was browned and the bottom was almost underdone and the cuppies themselves were kinda gummy. I tried them twice and kinda disappointed both times. I’m not sure what went wrong, I didn’t use all the liquid like you suggested and no avail. I was one of the unfortunate ones but will continue to follow you for more recipes that will hopefully be as good as the others. Much love to you.
I’m really sorry to hear that. I wish I could re-create the problem myself so that I could test it and figure out what the issue is. I’m so glad you enjoy the other recipes though!
what type of sugar do I use?
Regular granulated sugar in the cupcakes and powdered sugar in the buttercream.
ive tried this recipe 3 times carefully following the instructions just to make sure that the cupcakes miserably failing isn’t due to me messing up, every single time i’ve made these cupcakes they have been beyond a disappointment. waste of time and materials. 1/10.
I’m very sorry to hear that. There’s a note above the recipe mentioning that for some reason, some people have this issue. I can’t recreate it so I don’t really understand why. I’m sorry.
i love this recipe but it would be perfect as a cake…could I do this as a cake?
Glad you enjoyed them! And yes, it works well as a cake.
Hi! Did you use buttercream instead of butter? I had a hard time seeing my frosting yellow because of the butter
I’m sorry, I’m confused by your question. I’m not sure what you’re asking.
I love the taste of these! I think perhaps the issues people are having is because in a lot of countries a cup is 250 ml etc, so perhaps it does not add up if your cup size differs … I always use ml and gram values to bae to ensure it works.
Hi Lindsay,
Sending a message all the way from Australia. Absolutely luv these cupcakes. They disappear so quickly wen u make them.
Quick question, if I was to put the batter in 3 8 inch cake pans how long would they need in the oven
I’m so glad you enjoy them! For three 8 inch cakes, I’d say 24-28 minutes.
Is the frosting freezablr if I made more than needed?
Definitely! It can be frozen for up to 3 months.
Raw after 20 minutes. Had put back in oven. Top was brown but maybe type of muffin pan makes a difference??
It’s possible that the pan makes a difference. I use a Wilton muffin/cupcake pan. There are some people that this recipe just doesn’t work for but I have not been able to re-create the issue to be able to fix it.
Hi! I will be making this today. Curious if the water should be warm/boiling? Or just room temp? I assume the batter will be quite thin, correct? Thank you!!
Room temperature water is just fine. It does not need to be hot. And yes, the batter will be very thin.
I Really love this recipe….so much easier than than the creaming method and such a lovely texture,comes out perfectly everytime.
I’m so glad to hear that!
BETTER THAN STORE BOUGHT!
This recipe is incredibly moist, super light and very delicious.
I’m so glad you enjoyed them!
I baked these today, I was a little skeptical about the runniness of the batter but the cupcakes turned out perfectly!
Awesome! So glad to hear that!
A reliable recipe for sure
I’m glad you enjoyed them!
They came out okay but so salty and I only used the 1 teaspoon of salt like I was told
These cupcakes were a hit for my daughter’s birthday party. Any suggestions on how long they keep. Whether in the refrigerator or the freezer.
So glad they were a hit! They should keep for about 4 days. You could leave them at room temperature for about 24 hours, then they should be refrigerated because of the buttercream.
This is an extremely good cupcake recipe. I have been searching for one like it for years, the cake comes out springy and not too dense. I halved the recipe to make 12 cupcakes and had no issues at all. Thank you!
I’m so glad you enjoy them!
I am not a good baker but these were so easy and turned out perfect!👍
I’m so glad you enjoyed them!
Hi! What happens if my batter is watery? We’re hoping to do this for our school project, and have made formal proposals about it. However, upon seeing some comments, I felt a bit scared, thinking we might fail. And can we use salted butter instead of unsalted one? Thank you!
The batter is supposed to be very thin. And I wouldn’t recommend all salted butter in the frosting. It’d be quite salty. You could do half salted and half unsalted, if you wanted.
Thank you for the recipe! I’ve tried a few recipes but this one is super/quick & delicious! I used canola oil instead of vegetable as I ran out and baked abit longer due to my oven being very old. Definitely my go-to cupcake recipe going forward! Thanks Lindsay
Awesome! I’m so glad you enjoyed them!
Every recipe I do that’s from her turns out AMAZING!!!! I love her!!
These vanilla cupcakes are the best!
That’s so awesome to hear! Glad you’ve enjoyed everything!
Can this be used as a cake and not cupcakes
Yes, you can find it as a the cake layers in this cake recipe.
The recipe was easy enough to follow, and it came out slightly burnt but okay. The thing is, it was way too salty for me. I followed the recipe and only added one tablespoon of salt, but it still overpowered everything else.
I just made these for the first time and they’re delicious!
I’d encourage you to try them again. The recipe calls for one teaspoon of salt. They’re just right! 👌
I’m so glad you enjoyed them!
It’s supposed to be one *teaspoon (tsp) of salt not tablespoon (tbsp). I can definitely see why it’d be salty if you added 1 tbsp.
I dont know what i did wrong! This sounded like a great recipe but turned out gross. The cupcakes were thick after baking and tasted gross.
I have made these a handful of times and never had a issue. My current batch I had to use buttermilk and self raising flour, and they still turned out fine. Slightly different texture to the top, but still delicious
Hi! It’s going to be a problem if i reduce the sugar at least to be 300g instead of 414g, thank you.
It all depends on what you are trying to achieve by reducing it. It would make the cupcakes less sweet. But sugar also adds moisture and affects the texture. Reducing it by that much can affect the outcome.
I love this recipe! Its an easy and delicious recipe. My 3 boys always ask me to bake these. The only thing I was unsure about is how long do you beat the frosting for?
I’m so glad you enjoy them. You only need to beat the frosting until it’s smooth and creamy. You can beat it for longer if you’d like a whipped buttercream.
Can the buttercream be left in the fridge overnight until needing to be pipped?
Absolutely! Just keep in mind that it’ll get very firm in the fridge while cold. You just want to bring it back to room temperature and give it a good stir before using it.
If I avoid adding the water for this recipe does it still make the same amount of cupcakes? Also would the cook time still be the same?
I’m not sure about the amount of cupcakes. It would likely make a few less. And the cook time was the same, I believe. You’ll still fill the cupcake liners the same.
My friend raved over these cupcakes. I was looking for a recipe that used baking powder because I need to make these as low sodium as possible and I have no sodium baking powder but not baking soda. She loved them and loved being able to eat more than 1/3 of a cupcake. She equally loved the frosting.
I’m so glad they were a hit!
Sooo fluffy and taste is just perfect!
I had a little mixture left over so added it to some of the cupcake cups just to test if filling the cups 3/4 full instead of 1/2 full would be an issue. It is, the 3/4 filled cups spilled over. Love that this whole recipe is true to word! Thank you
Awesome! I’m so glad you enjoyed them!
Can I use this recipe to make a cake? If so, what size?
Yes, you can. I usually use it as an 8 inch, like in this Berry Mascarpone Cake.
TOO sweet and really dense. Followed recipe to the letter!
I’ve never had a bad cupcake until I followed this recipe. What I got were small sticky cupcakes. I do not like this recipe
I’m sorry it didn’t work well for you. There’s a note above the recipe card about the fact that this recipe gives people trouble sometimes. It’s not a problem that I can re-create so it’s not some thing I can try to fix. That said, I have multiple vanilla cupcakes on my site. One of them is linked above, and it’s an excellent recipe that is very consistent, if you’d like to give it a try.
Is there a way to cut Dow the amount of sugar?
Reducing the sugar can affect the texture of the cupcakes, but reducing it just a bit would probably be fine.
An i also wanted to know if just u make sweets or u do others , salads , pies , roast chicken etc
I do have some recipes that are not sweets. You can find them in the menu at the top of the site.
An not only that, for a while i was looking for vinalla cake without creaming method an with a moist light fluffy texture , finally i got
Hi i got 30 cupcakes in total other than that i wanted to know if the topping is required, as we enjoyed without the topping, the cake is pretty sweet enough for me or is it more yummy just with topping, other than that im glad i found vinalla cupcakes which is light and moist an fluffy
I’m glad you enjoyed the cupcakes! Cupcakes typically have frosting in my experience, but feel free to leave it off. My husband isn’t a big frosting person either.
I love this recipe and have made cupcakes mini cupcakes and large cakes with no problem.
Quick question I’ve just made a four layer cake using this recipe but now can’t deliver to next week – can I freeze it? I’ve put store bought buttercream in between the layers. Otherwise how long will it last in the fridge? Thank you 😊
I’m so glad you’ve enjoyed the recipe! It should do fine in the freezer. Just wrap it well and thaw it in the fridge.
It’ll last in the fridge for about 4 days.
Hi how much cupcakes do i get from one lot ?
About 24 cupcakes
Can I use almond milk instead of regular milk?
I’ve never tried it, but I think they would be fine.
These cupcakes are beautiful, can you share where you buy are your sprinkles for you desserts?
Thank you! Where I buy, my sprinkles really varies. These gold stars, and some of my fancier. Sprinkle mixes come from sweetapolita. But I also get sprinkles from Walmart and HomeGoods when I see ones that I like.
Hello!! I always use your cupcake recipes and they’re a hit. I’d like to make a smash cake for my son. I have three 4 inch round cake pans. What temp and for how long should I bake in those pans? I know it’ll make more than I need so I’ll just make cupcakes with the rest of the batter.
I’m so glad you enjoyed the cupcakes! I would bake the cakes at the same temperature. I’m not sure of the time though. I don’t ever make any 4 inch cakes.
Can you use egg white only to keep them super white? I have made these several times and they are fantastic as is. I am making them for a wedding shower and the bride requested white cupcakes. I am switching vanilla out for clear. I could also add a little bright white food coloring gel?
Usually when swapping around eggs and egg whites, you need to make other adjustments because it’s not a one to one swap, but could try playing with them. I would also recommend my white cupcake recipe. They are excellent.
I made these twice and both times it was a fail. It was really dense and… Not good.
So I have a note above the recipe card about the fact that this recipe doesn’t work well for some and suggest trying them without the water. Did you try that, by any chance? Just curious if it helped. Either way, I have 4 different vanilla cupcake recipes on my site. This one seems to be the least reliable, but the most popular for those it works for. If you’d like to try one of my other 3 (they use various mixing methods and have a few ingredient differences), feel free to check them out here:
Easy Homemade Vanilla Cupcakes
Moist and Fluffy Vanilla Cupcakes
White Cupcakes
I found I needed to bake them for 25 minutes and they turned out great with all the added water.
I’m so glad you enjoyed them!
How much or how little should the batter be mixed? Electric mixer, or just until it’s smoothly combined by hand? The cupcakes were delicious but looks like it shrunk/tightened after cooling
Just mix until things are combined. Once well combined, don’t keep mixing or you can over-mix, which can cause shrinkage or make things more dense.
I made this with my two 7year olds for a school project. Was quick, cheap and easy and very delicious!! Thanks!
I’m so glad you enjoyed them!
Can I divide this recipe in half if I only want to make 12 cupcakes?
Yes
Just made this recipe (the cupcakes are still warm on my counter) after my six-year-old wanted to make cupcakes with mommy. I’m a cook, not a baker. I had never made cupcakes in my life (I do own a muffin tin, and it practically looks like new, LOL). I was looking for something easy, and was hoping this would be it. I didn’t want to mess with creaming butter. In fact, I didn’t even break out my mixer as the recipe was an easy enough consistency to mix by hand when I added the water. Maybe that’s where I went wrong? The cupcakes turned out very moist, as promised. The flavor is great, but they’re like little coffee cakes. They’re dense, not fluffy. They didn’t rise above the liners. Was my mistake not using my mixer, or an issue with leavening? Can baking powder expire?
I’m really sorry they didn’t turn out as expected. There is a note above the recipe card that for some reason there’s some people that these just don’t turn out well for it seems. In that case, I recommend trying them without the water. But since I cannot re-create the issue myself, I cannot really test for it and try to fix it for those that are having an issue. It’s also possible that it could be the leavening. Baking powder does expire.
I live at 10,000 feet altitude and need to adjust the recipes. What state are you baking in or what is your altitude?
I’m in Georgia. Our altitude in our area is 968.
Hi,
Just wanted to know if the cupcake taste great without the frosting or should I try your other cupcake recipe. Hoping to get a quick reply. Been wanting to try a plain cupcake for long and tours looks perfect..soft & moost.
I would say these are going to be better plain than the other ones.
how long are the cupcakes good for refrigerated without frosting
With or without frosting, they should be good for 4 to 5 days.
Best cupcake I ever had in my life
Definitely try! 🙂
I’m so glad you enjoyed them!
Do these need to stay refrigerated?
No, they would be fine at room temperature for up to two days and then should be refrigerated. I would still serve them at room temperature though.
My niece makes this recipe and the cupcakes are delicious and moist! I want to make a 9×13 vanilla cake that tastes similar. I’ll be pairing it with a fluffy whipped cream cheese frosting. Which of your cake recipes do you recommend?
I’m so glad you enjoyed them! You can use this recipe for 9 x 13 cake. You can see the baking instructions for that here.
These cupcakes are incredible!! I was so worried about how watery the batter seemed after adding the water, but we baked them anyway because I didn’t want to waste the ingredients and I’m so glad we did! They turned out amazing! I think those having “trouble” with the water may have not completed baking them. Who knows. What I do know, is these are amazing!!!!
I’m so glad you enjoyed them!
This is my go to vanilla cupcake recipe! Can these be made a couple days ahead of time and then frosted and served?
Thanks!
I’m so glad you enjoy them! I usually make them the day before a serve them. Two days should be ok, but I probably wouldn’t stretch it longer than that.
Delicious!!
Glad you enjoyed them!
Could I just put cocoa powder in these and make chocolate cupcakes?
No, I recommend these chocolate cupcakes.
This recipe is delicious! It is always my go to vanilla cupcake recipe! It is so moist and cakey! SO GOOOOOOOD! I LOVE this recipe!
I absolutely love this recipe! It tastes so delicious and moist! Stays good for a while!
SO GOOOOOOOOD!
So glad you enjoyed them!
Looking forward to making these cupcakes. Does milk have to be room temperature??
It will be fine either way. I hope you enjoy them!
Has anyone doubled this recipe and have enough buttercream to cover 48 cupcakes?
It really depends on how much buttercream and use on each cupcake. If you like it high like in the pictures, you may need a little more.
Can I use this recipe to make a cake as well?
Yes, you can. I used it as the layers of this cake, if you’d like to refer to that.
I keep this recipe on hand at all times!! They always come out so moist and everyone LOVES them!! ❤️ Thank you Lindsay
So glad to hear that!
Lindsay,
If I wanted to make some chocolate cupcakes with this recipe, what would i add? Cocoa power? or do you have a separate recipe for these?
You can find the chocolate cupcakes recipe here.
This recipe is seriously the best, I’ve been using it for years! And when I make cupcakes for an event, it never fails that someone asks me for the recipe! So good and thank you for this!
My question is in regard to freezing- what is a safe amount of time in advance to make these and freeze them in order for them to still be “fresh”? Thanks so much!
I’m so glad you enjoy the cupcakes! As for freezing, the general rule of thumb is about 3 months, if they are wrapped/stored well. I haven’t specifically tested them, but they should be fine. Of course, the less time, the more “fresh” they will probably be.
I have used your vanilla cupcake recipe many times with great success. I want to make mini cupcakes. How many do you think this recipe will yield?
You should get about twice the number of minis, so about 48 or so, I think.
Hello! I only have self raising flour on hand at the moment, how would I use this instead of AP flour? Would I need to add anything or leave anything out?
Thank you!
I don’t know. I don’t really bake with self rising flour.
I love this recipe so much. It was so easy even for me and im only 14🤭will definitely use it again
I’m glad you enjoyed them!
Thank you for this recipe for vanilla cupcakes. This is my go to recipe for whenever there’s a birthday or just as a special treat for my grandchildren as they love cupcakes.
I’m so glad you enjoy them!
I love this recipe it is my go to for vanilla cupcakes. I substitute regular flour for gluten free flour and people love them
I made this recipe today so good. I had to adjust the time 2-3 minutes. I didn’t even need to tweak it. I did use Cream Cheese Frosting instead 😋. I didn’t have any issues with adding water at all. I have a chocolate cake recipe also that’s thin. I don’t use boxed cake mixes. Thank you for sharing 😊
So glad you enjoyed them!
I make these for all birthday party’s for the kids. You will want to do another half of iceing I’m always short for 3 to 4 cup cakes. The recipe makes 24. Also I found mixing water into the wet ingredients and added it all at once, my cupcakes had more hight.
I love the recipe so much. This helped me to make last-minute cupcakes for my little brother’s birthday!
So glad you enjoyed them!
Takes okay. More of a pancake flavor
Are they supposed to be sticky to the touch after baked?
The tops can get a little sticky after a day or so from the moisture in the cupcakes.
How long can you keep the batter if you have some leftover
I’ve never testing holding onto cake batter. You could give it a try and see if it’s ok for a day or so.
I got to say. I was seriously concerned with how thin it was. And a little sad since it wasn’t conducive to licking the bowl. But both the cupcakes and the icing were so dang tasty!
So glad you enjoyed them!
These are the best cupcakes I have ever baked on the fly! I left out the water. My coworkers called them “heavenly.” Such a beautiful recipe. Thank you.
So glad they were a hit!
I love this recipe and have been using it for a while now. Recently I have noticed that when I am mixing my dry and wet ingredients I am getting an extremely lumpy batter. I have tried sifting my dry ingredients, but it did not seem to help. I would love to hear your thoughts
Are you adding the water after mixing in the rest of the wet ingredients? Or adding it with them? It should help to add the water after and keep it from being lumpy.
Thank you so much for this recipe!! Actually ALL your recipes!
I made mini cupcakes for my daughter’s bday with your strawberry buttercream icing.
I baked mini pan(24) at 350° for 10-11 min. (mine were done at 11 min).
You and your recipes are the BEST!!🤗❤️
Turned out perfect
Thank you so much! It’s great to hear you enjoy everything!
These are a big hit! Just wondering if I could make them chocolate by just adding unsweetened cocoa powder?
No, but you can find the chocolate cupcake version here.
This worked great thanks. Easy to follow for my 9 year old daughter and her friend. We tweaked it a bit by adding melting butter instead of oil. We also did one for one with our homemade gluten free flour and subbed in soy milk instead of regular milk. These were perfect.
Glad you enjoyed them!
My grandsons and I have made these for many family get together. Best cupcake recipe I have tried!
So glad you enjoyed them!
I halved the recipe and followed it perfectly…not sure why it came out tasting like play dough!
it tastes really good and my kids did by themselves 9 and 10 so you can imagine how easy it is🤗
Glad you enjoyed them!
Can this recipe be used to make a cake rather than cupcakes.
Yes, you can see it as a layer cake in this cake recipe.
Was wondering if this can be cooked and then stored in the freezer?
You could freeze them. Just wrap them well or put them in an air-tight container to freeze them, then thaw them in the fridge.
The middle had a rubbery texture
Cupcakes came out lovely and light, totally love this recipe. Wondering if using Cake Flour instead of All Purpose Flour would come out as nice
I’m glad you enjoyed them! I have not tried this recipe with cake flour but I imagine it would be fine.
Can I make this into a two layer cake instead of cupcakes? Can I use olive oil ?
Yes, you can use it for a two layer cake. I’ve never tested it with olive oil, so I’m not sure about that one.
how many cupcakes will this make? I’m baking for a baby shower and I want to have enough for everyone.
24 cupcakes
I want to try this vanilla recipe, I only want to bake one pan (12) of cupcakes, can I halve the recipe? Do you have a moist chocolate cupcake recipe?
Yes, you can definitely cut the recipe in half. And here are my moist chocolate cupcakes.
Moist and light, but these tasted very much like pancakes! Missing the “crumb” mouthfeel of cake
Fantastic recipe!! Just wondering if you have any tips on how to turn this recipe into coconut cupcakes? Would adding decimated coconut give it enough of a coconut flavour?
I’m glad you enjoyed them! For coconut cupcakes, I would recommend using coconut extract. If you add chunks of coconut in some form, it will likely sink to the bottom of the cupcake.
Hands down the best vanilla cupcake recipe. They always turn out so light and fluffy, definitely a crowd pleaser. I have also made in the past substituting the white sugar in the cupcake mixture for granulated Stevia, this was a fail and highly do not recommend doing so. Other than that, I’ve not had issues with the water. It’s worked out every time!
I’m so glad to hear you’ve enjoyed them!
One of the best recipes. Cake was light and fluffy with great flavor!!
I’m so glad you enjoyed them!
The cupcakes were good but they came out a little doughy even though they were completly cooked. What did I do wrong?
So there’s actually a note right above the recipe because some people tend to have issues with this particular recipe and I don’t really know why. You can try reducing the amount of water that is added and see if that helps.
Can you use this recipe for a layered cake?
Yes, you can see it used as a layer cake in this cake.
Loveee this recipe cupcakes came out so good! I wanted to know if you have a similar cake recipe to this? Or can I just double it and use it for cake layers? Thanks 😊
Glad you enjoyed them! You can double it for a cake. If you’d like to see bake time and such, I used it as the layers of this Berry Mascarpone Cake.
Best recipe ever! I have been using it for years now and every body still raves over them. The freeze sooo well!
I’m so glad you enjoyed them!
Hi I made these cup cakes and they were delicious! I was wondering if you have ever used cake flour for them instead of regular flour? Please let me know if you think the cake flour would work and any other adjustments I might need to make if i use cake flour. Thank you so much I look forward to hearing what you say.
I have not tried cake flour in these. I’m not really the biggest cake flour fan, in most cases. It may be ok. I think this is really a preference thing. If you like cake flour, give it a try. Generally speaking, the rule of thumb is to use 1 cup plus 2 tablespoons of cake flour for every cup of all purpose flour. But you could also try a one to one swap.
Good and easy recipe to follow
Can I put these in the fridge or freezer and save them for later
Sure, that should be fine.
This is the best recipie ever its very good
So glad you enjoyed them!
This is my go to recipe for vanilla cupcakes. I get so many compliments 😊 they really are always light and fluffy . I was wondering can I add lemon juice to do lemon flavoured as there are many recipes out there but I’d prefer to stick to this one ?
So glad you enjoy them! You could try adding some lemon juice, but the acidity would probably affect the outcome. I actually really recommend my Lemon Cupcakes. They are super tender and moist.
Hi, thanks for sharing. This came in very handy as we greatly wanted some cupcakes but found out we had no butter. It was perfect.
URGENT question please: Kindly advise the best way to preserve overnight or for two nights.
Glad you enjoyed them! You can store them in an airtight container at room temperature for up to 24 hours and then refrigerate them.
I made these for a birthday celebration. They were great. Simple to make – I did it by hand: 2 bowls, 1 whisk and one spatula – easy peasy. Thank you for a wonderful recipe.
Glad you enjoyed them!
I’m new to baking. This is the first cupcake I have made in years. I feel like the cake tastes floury(Does that make sense lol) but overall is good! These vanilla cupcakes are so moist and fluffy and the frosting is so airy and has just the right sweetness. Totally Recommend 🙂
I’m glad you enjoyed them overall. If you’d like to try some other options that may have better flavor, check out my vanilla cupcake comparison. I have several other recipes that are butter-based that may have a flavor you prefer.
Hi. Do the cupcakes have a flat surface when baked? Mine (I haven’t tried this recipe yet) always comes out pointy in the middle and I’m looking for a recipe with a flat surface for easier icing.
These should turn out flat on top. But I do have several vanilla cupcake recipes you could try.
Love this recipe! If I’m making mini cupcakes for my little ones, how long should I bake them for?
Glad you enjoy them! I would try 6-8 minutes.
Such a great recipe!! I was a bit worried about how thin the batter was but they turned out so good 10/10
So glad you enjoyed them!
This was so good but the buttercream was a bit too sweet! Amazing cupcakes
Glad you enjoyed them! You can certainly reduce the sugar, your frosting just won’t be quite a thick.
I love this recipe so much!
So glad to hear that!
These are LITERALLY the best cupcakes I’ve ever eaten in my life!! Dense, moist, freaking delicious. I’ve never left a review before but this recipe deserves 11 stars!!
I can’t say I followed the recipe instructions to the letter, but they came out the best cupcakes I’ve ever made! Thank you for sharing the recipe
Glad you enjoyed them!
What are the measurements in metric to make 12 ?
You’d want to cut the recipe in half.
Absolutely love these cupcakes, they are a big hit!! Can i half the batter and add cocoa powder and make marble cupcakes
So glad you enjoyed them! The only problem with marbling these is that the batter is so thin, the layers probably wouldn’t stay separate. I’d recommend my Marble Cupcakes recipe.
Was looking for a quick and easy cupcake recipe that didn’t need butter. The cake was very moist and spongy but I had to tweak the recipe as I think there might be a miscalculation in the grams, as 2.5 cups in grams 325g is less than 2 cups in grams 414g, which doesn’t seem right as technically it’d be half a cup more in grams? Anyway, I adjusted the sugar so it was the same weight as flour and it turned out ok. Also, baked for a few more minutes.
Different ingredients don’t weigh the same. Sugar is heavier than flour. The grams measurements are correct. If you’re happy with them with your changes, that’s great! Feel free to try them the way the recipe is written as well. 🙂
Just made these, I halved the recipe and didn’t use the water as I saw that it was pretty liquid-y already. Wow so soft and delicate. Literally the cakes felt so light in my hand. I didn’t have any vanilla so I used rose water instead and they tasted like home. Such a great simple recipe and easy to half which is also a plus! Cook time was 15 mins for me so right on the dot!
So glad you enjoyed them!
This turned out great. But had to bake about 5 minuts longer
I love this recipe
So glad you enjoyed it!
Loved them! They came out perfectly moist and delicious as is. I did add 5 minutes to cooking time.
Glad you enjoyed them!
I made these cupcakes and they were delicious!! Very moist and great flavour! Would I be able to use this same recipe for a round cake pan? If so, what size would you suggest?
Glad you enjoyed them! Yes, you can use it as a round cake recipe. I use it as an 8 inch cake in this recipe if you’d like to check that out
i can’t wait to use this recipe
Thank you
I made these for the first time and my husband and children just loved the cupcakes. Iam now making them daily 😂😂
LOL! Glad they were a hit!
i am in sixth grade we made these c upkakes for a con test in my home ec they won first place
Awesome! So glad they were a hit!
your a verry nice person
I tried this recipe because I just didn’t have enough butter to make a regular batch of cupcakes. And it worked wonderfully! I made a few changes though: I omitted the 2 cups of water because it just seemed like too much liquid and cut out 1 cup of sugar. It turned out to be the perfect amount of sweetness for me and was very moist. It almost reminded me of cake in a mug recipes. I also paired it with ermine frosting to not overpower the cupcake with sweetness. It was so easy to inhale at least 3 of these in one sitting. So GOOD!
I love this recipe! I even add some vanilla bean paste to the batter for vanilla. And then I add some cocoa powder for chocolate and they turn out perfect everytime.
So glad you enjoy them!
Phenomenal. Absolutely delicious! I filled them too full the first time I made these. They blew their tops and the middles had to be baked longer. But I realized what I did wrong and the second batch was perfect. I did save the first ones, but please learn from my mistakes. And the butter? It isn’t missed. Not even noticeable! Thanks so much for the only vanilla cupcakes recipe that I’ll ever make from this point forward!
So glad you enjoyed them!
Can you make this into a cake 13×9 inch pan instead of cupcakes? It is such a great cupcake recipe, but wanted to make a big cake instead.
Yes, you can find that recipe here.
The cupackes taste really really good but when i was baking instead of 15 minutes it took me 25-27 minutes
Would you be able to add berries to this ?
The berries would sink to the bottom of the cupcakes. It’s a very thin cupcake batter. I would recommend these fresh strawberry cupcakes. You could use a mix of berries.
i love the cupcakes
To be honest, I was nervous to keep adding water to the batter. I actually only added maybe 1/2 a cup. It is a very thin batter but they came out great! A very sweet cupcake. Only issue I had was it was a little grainy from all the sugar. Other than that it is a great recipe for a vanilla cupcake!
I tried out this recipe and it did not work out at all. The cupcakes were rubbery and sunken. All in all i was very sad and will not be using this recipe again.
This is quite literally the best vanilla cupcake recipe I’ve ever used. Made them for my room mates birthday and the whole house loved them! Didn’t dry out at all-even after a few days.
So glad you enjoyed them!
I have used this recipe many time over the past 2 years and again today they ALWAYS come out perfectly every time and are delicious 😋
I’m so glad you’ve enjoyed them!
This recipe works so well! I love it so much! >///< ❤️
Super sad. This recipe is a no for me. Waaayyyy too sweet. Too much sugar. I thought 2 cups sounded like a lot and it is. I love icing so I’m sad these cupcakes would be nauseating with them. The last time I baked something this convex, I was living at altitude. They did not puff up. Not fluffy. No bueno.
I wondered if it would be too sweet so I halved the sugar. I’ve used this recipe heaps and with half the sugar. They still turn out great and not too sweet with the frosting added
Have you ever used buttermilk vs. regular milk in this??
I have not.
Made these the other day! Absolutely amazing honestly. Put them in the fridge and a few days later they were still very moist! Making another bunch now, I did fail the first lot of buttercream as I didn’t realise we had different kinds of “icing sugar” (our powered sugar) in australia! Hoping this round I don’t mess it up as I have the right kind now! but still was great regardless of my error!
I’m glad you enjoyed them!
This truly is the best cupcake recipe I have ever come across. They always come out perfectly, and I love how moist and delicious they are!
Just a question… Could I use the same recipe to make a cake instead of cupcakes…?
So glad you enjoy them! Yes, it’ll work as a cake. You can see it in a cake here.
I tested this recipe for an upcoming birthday. I used half the recommended water and they turned out lovely
Honestly, the recipe is ok, but why oh why do I need to read a 10 page blog with every recipe. How about keeping things short and simple. Nice moist cupcakes, easy to make. Here is the what and how. I am literally so tired of googling a recipe and getting a blog…..
Did you actually read the blog post?? It’s not long at all and it’s ALL about the cupcakes. The what and how, as you say. You’re welcome.
Best recipes ever! Everyone loved it to bits that they want more.
So glad they were a hit!
The batter is a bit watery is it supposed to be like that or should I add more flour
Nevermind I found out it’s supposed to be thin🤣
Whoops, saw this after I responded to your other comment, LOL.
It is a thin batter.
I absolutely love these! I was also able to make then into chocolate cupcakes with 3 tablespoons of cocoa powder
My family didn’t like.
How do I adjust recipe to make moist chocolate cup cakes?
Here – https://www.lifeloveandsugar.com/moist-homemade-chocolate-cupcakes/
I’m confused with the recipe.. it says 2 1/2 cups of flour but then 325g in brackets. 1 cup of flour is 250g so 2 1/2 would be 625g of flour. Then sugar says 2 cups but in brackets 414g. Going by gm there’s more sugar than flour. What am I meant to follow the cups or grams ??
The cups and grams are both accurate. Depending on the source you look at it, one cup of flour can be slightly different. My cup of flour is 130 g. My cup of sugar is 207 g. Flour and sugar weigh differently. 2 cups of flour weighs less than 2 cups of sugar.
I agree, a cup of flour is about 125-130 g
This recipe is so delicious and moist! I love it so much and will use it a lot in the future!!
So glad you enjoyed them!
It has more of a pudding consistency. I won’t be making these again.
As I mentioned in the blog post and in the notes, I don’t really know why some people have trouble. But I do have a few vanilla cupcake recipes that all are slightly different for people to chose from based on preferences. This is the only one that consistently gives people trouble. If you are interested in taking a look at them, you can find them all here. https://www.lifeloveandsugar.com/vanilla-cupcake-comparison/
LOVE LOVE LOVE this recipe. My nephew asked me to make cupcakes for his wedding and I made these – everyone LOVED them – super moist for days and amazing with frosting!! Will make them again and again.
I’m so glad they were a hit!
i was baking them on static mode not on turbo so it takes more then 15 minutes baking
Well I don’t like leaving a bad review but these cup cakes were a flop. It’s not often I mak sweets that the kids won’t eat. Way to much sugar if you ask me, and I couldn’t imagine how they would have turned out if I had of used the water, which I did omit.
You really should try the recipe again WITH the water, I love these cupcakes and don’t find them too sweet at all. The water makes the batter well, watery but it’s needed. The little ones I gave mine too just love them. I hope you try it again.
Maybe we should have some reduced sugar recipes, please!
How would the measurements change if I was using this recipe to make a 3 layer birthday cake?
Thanks!
You don’t need to change the measurements, just divide the batter evenly between three 8 inch pans and bake for 24 to 28 minutes.
Thanks for this recipe i love it
So glad to hear it!
OMG! This recipe is spot on with flavor and moisture. I substituted the milk with buttermilk….delish! This will be my go to for vanilla cupcakes.
I’m so glad you enjoyed them!
The recipe calls for 1cup of water but it’s not in the directions. Do we add the water when mixing the wet ingredients?
The water is added in step 5.
I followed this recipe exactly. Of course, this is my first time, so I included the cup of water and was thinking how are these going to really come out with the batter being so thin. The cupcakes do not rise like normal cupcakes, so the baking cups need to be fillled to at least 3/4, not 1/2. I ended up with many of them just half full after baking, which necessitated frosting piled high to make them look normal. The cupcakes take way longer to cook than normal cupcakes. After taking them out the oven, the tops looked like the cupcakes were not done, however, after inserting a toothpick, they appeared to be done according to the instructions. I have been baking cupcakes successfully for years and was excited to try this recipe due to the great reviews. To be honest, I was very disappointed with the way these came out and felt like it was a waste of my time.
I’m very sorry to hear that. As you noted, there are notes and warnings all over the recipe. Far more people have success with these cupcakes than not and I still am unable to figure out why some people don’t have success. That said, I have several vanilla cupcakes on the site because everyone has different preferences. I have a post that compares and links to them all if you’d like to check that out and see if one may work well for you. https://www.lifeloveandsugar.com/vanilla-cupcake-comparison/
I havent tried the recipe but im so exited too just a question if i wanna make 30 cupcakes how do i double it?
Are you able to use this recipe for a sheet cake? I loved these as cupcakes and would love to use this again for a sheet cake if possible.
Yes, you can find it as a 9×13 here – https://www.lifeloveandsugar.com/homemade-vanilla-cake-mix/
I love this recipe, so happy with the results. Just a quick question, my cupcakes on the top have a moist the next day, is this normal? Or I did something wrong?
I would say it’s normal. It’s really just moisture from the cupcakes.
super moist and easy to make! i ended up having leftover batter so i made a small cake 🙂
I substituted buttermilk for milk in a pinch and it totally made these cupcakes 5 star! Love this recipe
Can I ask? Hao many cupcakes can bake if I follow this recipe? Cause I need 20 cupcakes for my bake sale at school 🥲
It should make 24 cupcakes.
I have been searching for a good vanilla cupcake recipe that was EASY to make and after trying so many recipes, I have found the best one here. So simple and easy and they taste so delicious. My nephew who loves cupcakes said it was the best one he’s ever had! I was so impressed at how moist these stayed for DAYS!
This is now my go to recipe! Thanks so much!
Awesome! So glad you enjoyed them!
they are really nice, now this could be that I’m in the middle east. But these need to filled 3/4 not 1/2 cos mine rose but didn’t fill the entire cupcake case.
I used 1/2 the amount of water to be safe. They are a little stodgy but think they should have been left in a little longer.
My question is, can I freeze them?
Yes, they should freeze fine. Just wrap them well and thaw them in the fridge before using.
Love these cupcakes! I have made them a few times. The last batch I made ended up with a lot of air bubbles. What can I do to avoid that from happening?
Air bubbles are typically formed from over mixing. If you’re whisking all of the ingredients together, you just don’t want to overdo it.
I love the recipe so so much
Have you used this for a cake?
Yes, it works well.
I did this recipe for a demo speech for school and everyone and I loved them
So glad to hear that!
These cupcakes would have been better with more sugar and less oil
I use this recipe for every birthday we have and have for several years. It’s the best I have found! I discovered I had a major gluten allergy a few years ago and just switch out the flour for King Author cup for cup Gf flour and they taste amazing. I have also used melted butter instead of oil when in a pinch. It changes the texture slightly but are still yummy. Oh and we love throwing a handful of chocolate chips in the batter too!
So glad you enjoy them!
I made these for my son’s 7th birthday party and they were great!! Very moist, dense and flavourful. The icing was good too, I will make these again!
Glad you enjoyed them!
So good! Perfect ratio of cupcake and frosting too!
So glad you enjoyed them!
How far in advance can you make these?
They are best if eaten within 3 to 4 days, so you want to make them and serve them within that time.
Trying these for the first time! Can they be left overnight frosted or should they be refrigerated?
Yes, they can be left at room temperature for a day or so and then you may want to refrigerate them.
I want to make these for a one year birthday party. They look delicious! Can I ask where you got the star sprinkles you used to decorate?
They are from sweetapolita. But you can also find them here – https://sprinklepop.shop/collections/edible-glitters/products/gold-glitter-stars
I made these yesterday, used whipped cream and sprinkles for a topping once they had cooled off. Made a few mini cakes with the extra batter, everyone loved them! Will probably make these sometime again.
Glad you enjoyed them!
I have used this recipe so many times for showers and birthday parties and they always turn out amazing! I am not usually the biggest fan of cupcakes but these are delicious, light and moist and I’ve heard many people say how surprised they were to enjoy vanilla cupcakes so much. Great recipe.
I’m so glad you’ve enjoyed them!
Hi can I use one springform pan and wats bake time
No, I’d recommend at least two pans.
Hi I was wondering if I could halve the sugar or if it would affect the recipe? Also do these dome?
Yes, it affects the recipe. Sugar affects sweetness, moisture and texture. You could adjust it, but it will change the outcome. And yes, they dome typically.
These cupcakes were amazing! I truly was hesitant with the addition of water as I saw how thin the batter became, but they turned out so light and flavorful. They melted in the mouth and everyone ate them up.
I emptied out the center, filled them with strawberry jam after the bake, and topped them with buttercream and fresh strawberries. Truly a great summer treat. Thank you!
Hi, will this work with non dairy milk such as oat milk?
I haven’t tried it to be able to say for sure. But I believe others have used different milks and had success
I love this recipe so much
I’ve made your chocolate recipe numerous times with rav reviews. Attempting these ones now. Curious if I leave them out frosted in airtight container at room temperature for a day, will they be ok or do you recommend frosting them day of consumption?
Frosting them the day before will be fine.
I love this so much
I use this recipe all the time and always perfect even as a 3 tire cake best compliments from all .l have a question has anyone tried this with a gluten free flour and if so how did it go .
Glad you enjoy it! I haven’t tried it with gluten free flour but I think others have commented that they’ve had success.
I used this to make Pineapple cupcakes by adding pineapple to the cake and frosting. So perfect!! I love it!!
Glad you enjoyed it!
How much pineapple did you use?
Yum! Reduced water to 3/4 cup and worked really well!
So glad you enjoyed them!
Have made these and love them but was wandering can I make a 3 layer cake out of it
Yes, you can. I used it as the cake layers in this cake. https://www.lifeloveandsugar.com/berry-mascarpone-layer-cake/
The cupcakes turned out amazing but I left the water out completely! I also put half the sugar and it was still sweet!
These have been my go-to vanilla cupcakes for a while now and I’ve made them many times with perfect results. Lately, however, they aren’t working out quite as well for me. Was there always a tablespoon of baking powder in these? My cupcakes keep having tons of tiny, uniform bubbles in them. Yes, I tried banging the pan to release the bubbles. I wondered if the recipe had been updated at all, because I made these at least 10 times with 0 issues and now suddenly they just aren’t the same the last few times I’ve made them. Could be just me of course, but just thought I’d check. Thank you!
Nothing about the recipe has changed. How measurements are still the same. Have you may be moved and now use a different oven or something? These are the strangest cupcakes in that they work beautifully for some people and not at all for other people. There is a note above the recipe about trying it without the water if you’re having trouble with them. You could certainly try that.
This recipe is amazing! I’ve made it once before without the frosting, but today I made it with the frosting and it was amazing! 10/10
So glad you enjoyed them!
Will this recipe make a ¼ sheet cake?
Yes. You can find that version here. https://www.lifeloveandsugar.com/homemade-vanilla-cake-mix/
Little bit eggy. Very very moist. I liked it.
can i fill these cupcakes?
Sure!
This recipe was so nice I love tells the frosting and cupcakes turned out thank you so much for this recipe
I loved loved this cupcake recipe!! I came across so many complicated recipes and I was getting extremely frustrated it shouldn’t be so difficult to make a vanilla cupcake. This recipe is perfect , I personally did add only 1/3 of water to the batter and that worked for me however most people probably would need the full cup I didn’t mix the dry and wet Ingredients separate I added them all in the same bowl at the same time and I used self rising flour so that is probably why I only needed 1/3 a cup of water.
Thank you so much for this recipe super simple and absolutely delicious! 🙂
I love this recipe but I have one question how can I change the measurement to bake 12 cupcakes
Just cut it in half.
Can you leave the water out of this recipe and will change the cupcake
There’s a note above the recipe about the water. Some people have trouble with this recipe and so I recommend leaving out the water in those cases. It’s a little hard for me to say how it will affect it for you since it seems to be different for some.
My daughter has been asking me to make her something rainbow for ages. We have tried 3 separate recipes that have all ended up a crumbly mess, and tears from my 3 year old.
We decided to use this recipe, but adapt it to rainbow muffins. (Essentially just divide the batter into 7 bowls, color each batter, and then drop in a spoonful of each into each muffin.)
They turned out great! They are beautiful! They are easy to make with kids! I see you guys have done rainbow recipes before, but for the sake of struggling parents everywhere, I strongly suggest doing the rainbow version and labeling it kid friendly for SEO.
I’m so glad you enjoyed them! With the batter for these being so thin, I’m surprised they turned out and the layers stayed separate. Glad it worked!
This is really moist but I’m wonderin’ if I can make this mini cupcakes? If yes, how long should i bake them?
Yes, that should be fine. Bake time would probably be around eight minutes.
I had fun baking this and it’s yummy! It’s simple and easy to make too.
Can this recipe be made into an 8” or 9” layer cake?
Yes, I made it into an 8 inch layer cake here. https://www.lifeloveandsugar.com/berry-mascarpone-layer-cake/
I love this recipe you
This is a brilliant recipe but can it be turned into chocolate cup cakes please.
Yes, you can find the chocolate cupcakes here. https://www.lifeloveandsugar.com/moist-homemade-chocolate-cupcakes/
This recipe helped me get a 97% on my practical at skl thank you so much for this amazing recipe
I’m so glad you were happy with it!
1 cup of water was too much. I followed this recipe exactly as is and they come out good but too much water is unnecessary also the mix is extremely sweet so if you are going to make a sweet frosting reduce the sugar by 1/2 cup. I made not too sweet cream cheese frosting and so it was balanced
I ove this recipe it is so good!!! I put swiss merangie butter cream on it SO GOOD!!!!!!!!
So glad you enjoyed them!
Should I swift the flour
I don’t usually, but if your flour is fairly lumpy and isn’t used often, you certainly could.
I agree, this recipe is definately alittle too sweet for me, but it’s so delicious and makes the softest cakes and I love it for that. However, for anyone looking to try this recipe, I suggest you cut down the sugar by atleast half a cup for the cake batter and a whole cup for the icing or if you like the cake as is, I suggest you make a much less sweeter icing…
I was sceptical about that cup of water but I went with it and they turned out PERFECT added a bit of raspberry flavour concentrate to the frosting and it was a very nice touch, I think I found my new favourite vanilla cupcake recipe
The best Cupcake recipe ever!! – been making it for more than a year and it’s always a hit!!- I personally love them plain or spread some Nutella and sprinkes.
I’m so glad you’ve enjoyed them!
HI Lindsay
This is my go-to recipe for my vanilla layer cake AND cupcakes. They are flop-proof and the positive comments at functions an de orders that follow speaks volumes. Live your recipes!
So glad to hear that!
This recipe was so easy and great to make! I only added about 1/4 cup of the water at the end and they turned out perfectly!
I don’t know 🤷🏻♀️ why people did not like it… It turned out great for me. Thanks for the recipe.
Hi- can your cupcake recipes be cut in half? I don’t have a big family and we are suppose to watch our sweets! But, a splurge every know and then is fine!!
That should be fine, as long as the ingredients divide evenly.
dough was was too liquidy. took forever to bake in the oven and came out so soft that you cant put any toppings or it will just break. sad
I thought I would try it first before I am influenced by comments. Will admit it was a total waste of ingredients, definitely dont add all the water, time in oven nit enough but then with an added 5 min tgey turn out rubbery and tasteless. Definitely wont be suggesting this recipe to anyone.
If your looking for a moist super easy cupcake, this is it! Everyone enjoyed and commented on how moist. Recipe to save! Can’t wait to try these with adding different extract flavours since I finally found a moist cupcake that stays moist for days !
Great recipe!
The flavor on these is immaculate! However I’m having a problem with the cupcakes sinking in the oven and then being rather dense when they come out. I’m following the recipe correctly, and ideas on how to keep them tall and fluffy?
There are some notes on the post about how people have trouble sometimes. I’m not sure that I know exactly what’s going on, but you could try reducing the amount of water, as suggested.
Very bland and doughy! Waste of ingredients.. I only added 1/2 of water and when I added it the batter turned into water!
Amazing recipe ! Turned out great !!
I love that these were so simple to make and so quick !!
I have a question though, how do we store these? How long they stay good at room temperature? Thanks !
Glad you enjoyed them! They should be fine at room temperature for a day or so, then you may want to refrigerate them. I would store them in an air tight container.
This recipe ticks allllllll the boxes – easy, inexpensive and delicious! Yesterday I made a vanilla cupcake recipe from a pack, adding eggs and a lot of butter – but your recipe is superior by far! I had already made frosting from another recipe but the cupcakes are aweesome – not too sweet, and perfectly moist, thank you!!!!
So glad you enjoyed them!
I followed the recipe exactly was very disappointed
I’ve made this recipe a couple times and it’s amazing! My family and friends love these cupcakes. I’ll definitely be making these again! 🙂
#2. You say combine. With a mixer or spatula? I feel like for a beginner these instructions are a little vague. Do you wait until #3 to beat instead ?
You can actually do either. The beauty of this recipe is that it’s easy enough that you can do it by hand. Just combine them. I hope that helps.
The flavour was perfect, but the texture was alittle wrong. It was quite doughy I guess you could say. I cooked some longer and same thing … Won’t make again
I absolutely love this recipe, everyone I have made it for is obsessed. I just want to know if I can make it with gluten free flour. Will it change the recipe at all
Glad you enjoyed it! I’m pretty sure others have commented saying that gluten free flour worked well.
i love this so much
This is soo delicious and made a lot of cupcakes 😈
thank you so much, this is by far my most favorite cake recipe and i will certainly use it again! my only complaint is that i think that the vanilla was a bit too much. i added a teaspoon of vanilla instead of a tablespoon, and it tasted amazing! thank you again
I read through lots of the comments and then jumped in! I was doing mini cupcakes for a bridal shower. I decided to do 3/4 water and did buttermilk instead of milk. They were coming out very blind at 10 min so I went to 13 where there was a tinge of color on the bottoms. The tops felt sticky but the cupcake was light and fluffy. They got rave reviews!. No joke…adding that water felt sooo wrong!!! Lol! I really enjoy site!
Look lovely and light will try them
This recipe has become my favourite for cupcakes so soft & moist .So easy to do and delicious. I’m going to try it for a layer cake .
I had this same issue too!
Love the consistency. Mine turned out a bit more dense than expected but they were very much enjoyed.
Amazing cupcakes and easy to follow recipe!
Can I make this almond flavor instead? If yes, how much extract?
Just swap out the vanilla extract for the Almond.
Amazing recipe, the cake came out nice and moist, not like regular dry cupcakes i’ve made in the past. I didn’t use the frosting recipe because I didn’t have any butter. Would make these again!
Glad you enjoyed them!
Very good ,I also make a chocolate cake with i cup of boiling water ! I made 12 cupcakes and one square cake !
These cupcakes are amazing! So is the frosting! Have you made a cake out of this recipe? I’d love to make a layered round cake but wondering what the cooking time would be. Thanks!
Glad you enjoyed them! I used it as the cake layers in this cake, if you’d like to refer to that. https://www.lifeloveandsugar.com/berry-mascarpone-layer-cake/
Is it possible to half the recipe.
Definitely
Thankyou so much. Yes I tried and it’s a hit.
Thankyou so much. Yes I tried and it’s a hit.
I made some cupcakes for my coworkers and I can say they are a hit! They’re begging me to make more!
They turned our perfectly! Was nervous about the water but ended up using just under a cup and the texture was ideal. Thank you so much!
So glad you enjoyed them!
I love this recipe so much. My only issue is if I make them ahead of time they shrink up significantly. Any suggestions or ways to combat this shrinkage??
Gosh, I haven’t heard of people having that issue so I’m not sure.
This is more of a light sponge cake texture. The icing makes it because it would be pretty bland without. I reduced water by 1/2 cup and still had batter I put in a small individual loaf pan And correct to say it’s easy due to ingredients on hand. I didn’t have any sour cream on hand for a more decadent cake like cupcake.
I made these and they were Devine! I just wanted to know how much cocoa I should add to make them chocolate cupcakes and if that would take away from them being so most?
Glad you enjoyed them! I’d recommend these chocolate cupcakes for a similar type chocolate cupcake.
Do you think water would be good to replace milk in a pinch??
Considering there’s already water in the cupcakes, I don’t think so. You need some fat from the milk to add to the texture of the cupcakes. You could try sour cream.
I think the water is to much, the recipe doesn’t work for me 🙁
The finished cupcakes barely rise up and were mushy even though i followed the recipe exactly.
Unfortunately I think the batter felt too runny, I left out maybe a tablespoon or two of water but my cupcakes were still watery once the timer was up. I tried to set them back in at a lower temperature, but some of the tops still ended up browning in a way I didn’t like and still the middle never fully cooked.
I don’t know if it is because I left out a pinch of water or if my oven is just drastically different than the authors.. but this recipe did not work for me.
So you can leave out the cup of water entirely? How would I know ahead of time if it should be left out? Would it make the cupcakes dry? Thanks!
Unfortunately it’s hard for me to say, since I honestly don’t even know why some people have problems and some don’t. I’m very sorry. I’d remove the recipe altogether, but so many people love them. So instead there are notes all over the place about it. The best I can say is maybe try cutting it in half and testing it one way first to see.
Instead of using milk, I was out so what are your thoughts on 1 cup of buttermilk instead??? Fixing to bake these and I’m sure that using the veg. oil really makes these very moist. Can’t wait to try them, even though I’m a chocaholic…
I would think buttermilk should be fine.
Did the buttermilk work for you? I plan on trying it today.
I really love this recipe it’s so moist my family and friends 💞 it
I love this recipe made so many times but the icing was like water but over all 9.5/10💖
This recipe is literally everything. The instructions are very clear and easy to follow, and the cupcakes are to die for
Probably thee best Vanilla cupcake recipe I’ve used. I’ve started making them into cakes and they work just as well! I do add less sugar depending on the flavour of cake but I haven’t seen any significant change in the actual texture of the cake when I do so 🙂
Thank you so much!
So glad you enjoyed them!
Can i use this recipe and add cocoa powder instead of vanilla extract for a chocolate base?
That won’t really turn out. I would recommend these cupcakes. This vanilla cupcake was made based on these chocolate cupcakes. https://www.lifeloveandsugar.com/moist-homemade-chocolate-cupcakes/
Huge fan of your recipes! Can you make this with cake flour instead?
So glad to hear that! I haven’t tried cake flour but I assume it would be fine.
Hi there! I am making these for my sons birthday party. They will have tall piped frosting… Will I need to double recipe or does this recipe allow for piping?
The recipe allows for piping as shown in the photos.
Cupcakes were pretty good. Just a bit too sweet for me.
You mention that the batter will be very thin. I am wanting to add food coloring to the mix in several colors for a rainbow effect and afraid the colors may run together. If i ommit the water or not add so much will the batter be thiker but still fluffy?
This really isn’t going to be the best recipe for that. I would check out these cupcakes. I did red, white and blue but you can use whatever colors you like. https://www.lifeloveandsugar.com/red-white-and-blue-swirl-cupcakes/
Great recipe,left out the water completely and they came out soft and fluffy
Glad to hear they turned out well!
In the video it shows creaming butter and oil together but the recipe does not show any butter Why? It seems to show quite a bit of butter and about 1/4 cup oil.
I’m not sure what video you were looking at, but there’s a video player that plays videos of other recipes. The actual video for this recipe is right above the recipe card.
Is it hot or cold water??
Either would be fine.
I love this recipe soooooo much!!
Glad to hear it!
I have used this recipe to make cupcakes many times and they are always a hit! I plan to make them for my daughters birthday. Can I make them ahead of time and freeze them? Thank you!
Glad you enjoy them! I imagine they’d be fine frozen. Just wrap them well and thaw them in the fridge before using.
I love this recipe so muchhhhh!!!!!!!!!!!
So glad to hear that!
I love these so much! My go
To recipe any time we need a sweet treat. My question is, how far ahead can these be frozen? Trying to make a smash cake and cupcakes
Glad you enjoy them! Generally cakes and cupcakes can be frozen for up to 3 months.
These are by far the best I’ve ever had and so simple to make, just follow instructions correctly! Used the water and it was 👌🏼 Perfect. Can this recipe be used for a cake?
Glad to hear that! And yes, you can use it for a cake.
I made these with coconut milk and no water.. omg they are delish!! 😋 I used another recipe for the icing.
this didn’t work the cupcakes are way too dense and taste like wet flour
Im planning to make this recipe but Id like to know what can I use instead shortening for the frosting??
Replace it with additional butter.
This is a great recipe. I made it a week or two ago! Did you adjust the recipe? I swear there was shortening in the frosting recipe last week and now i don’t see it! Was it previously 1/2 cup of butter, 1/2 cup of shortening for the frosting? Thanks!
Glad you enjoyed it! Yes I did adjust it. It was half butter and half shortly if you would like to do it that way.
I’m going to try and make these today. Was wondering, with the milk, I have skim and whole. Is it ok to use one of these and if so, which would be better?
Whole milk would be better.
Can this be divided into two 8 inch round cake pans ? What will the bake time and temp be ?
I baked it as a three layer 8 inch round cake in this cake. Not sure what the time would be for just two layers.
I have made this recipe twice and both times have been a real success.
Love it.
One question, can i use this same recipe to make a one layer cake?
Glad to hear it! You could make it as a 9×13 and bake for 28-32 minutes. I wouldn’t do it as a one layer 8 or 9 inch cake unless you cut the recipe in half.
For the frosting, could you use all butter and leave out the shortening?
Definitely
One good reason to use this recipe is that it’s really hard (although not impossible) to overbake. What with 2 eggs, 1 cup of water, 1 cup of milk, and OIL, a few extra minutes in the oven isn’t going to ruin your party. It’s a cardinal sin to overbake your baked goods. Just never do it 🙂 But if you do, soak it in booze and feed it to your husband.
Trying them for valentines day! Turned out great. But can I substitute eggs?
Wonderful and easy! I halved the icing recipe and had plenty left over. It’s very sweet.
Hi. Would I be able to use canola oil instead of vegetable oil? I tried looking through the comments to see if someone already asked but didn’t see it there. Have you tried it that way before? Thanks!
I haven’t tried it before but I would think it would be fine.
Hi,
Thanks for sharing this recipe. I’ve been looking for good oil based cupcakes for ages.
I’ve just made these with your metric measurements and I didn’t notice that these are wrong. Tasty cupcakes but far too sweet as I followed the wrong measurements. Will try them again this time using cups instead. Love from England
The measurements are not incorrect. They are the exact ones that I use. I weigh my ingredients as well. There are a few notes about this recipe within the post.
I think I’ve tried all of your vanilla cupcake recipes. I can never remember which I like best because they’re all so good. I have noticed that the vanilla flavor is enhanced after about a day. What a nice surprise. Anyway, thanks for introducing me to the wonderful world of cupcakes. You’re awesome.
So glad you’ve enjoyed them all!!
On water there is a star was i not supposed to use it?
There is a star because there is a note in the recipe card. Some people seem to have trouble with this recipe and it seems like leaving out the water helps. Other people use the water and have no issues. You could try it either way or both ways.
I love this recipe so much!! I have been looking so long for a good vanilla cake recipe! Thank you!!
I love this recipe! Easy and the cupcakes were the perfect texture. Can I use this recipe like a basic recipe for most cupcakes? I would like to use it to make cookies and cream cupcakes. What do u think?
So glad you enjoyed them! With it being a very thin batter, you can’t really add anything to it or it will sink to the bottom. I do have a cookies and cream cupcake recipe though. https://www.lifeloveandsugar.com/cookies-and-cream-cupcakes/
So I’ve been using this recipe for a while! I love it. Now, I’ve done it two times and they aren’t working. I don’t understand. So frustrating.
Just tried it right now! Love the recipe. I halved it to make 12 and they came out super moist and soft. Everyone loved them. Delicious.
Loved this recipe. Came out really fluffy and moist. Made a buttercream icing and added Nutella spread to the icing mix. Used the water and it was a wonderful mix. Thank you so much.
So glad you enjoyed them!
I found this recipe to be extremely dry and had the consistency of a hardened sponge cake. It’s a hard no for me.
It certainly isn’t for everyone. I do have four different vanilla cupcakes though, so feel free to try one of the others. https://www.lifeloveandsugar.com/vanilla-cupcake-comparison/
I really love this recipe. It really lasts like 4 days in the fridge and still taste great. I reduced the sugar a bit and they still turn out great. Also turned out great when I replace Vanilla essence with other flavorings. I am trying them with sprinkles nxt
Loves this recipe! Followed it to a T, I used a scale for the ingredients and they are sooo light and moist. I used the full cup of water and baked them using the conventional oven open. They came out perfect!
So glad you enjoyed them!
Too runny. Too much batter. Took too long to cook (30 min).there are better recipes out there- would not recommend.
I love it I did it with my sis we battled I hope our cupcakes come out well bc we put water
First I have to say I have ruined more than one batch of cupcakes so I normally just buy a mix. I made half a batch and put them in a 12 count pan. I assume that is why it took more than 17 min. It was about 21 min before they were cooked but they are delicious.
Agree with the previous commenter, there are better recipes out there. This recipe not only has mixed reviews, i was skeptical of the sugar levels so i reduced it but the cupcakes still came out wayyy too sweet. Sorry OP, an easy recipe to whip up but not a keeper.
You aren’t telling me anything I don’t already know. There are notes and warnings about it throughout the recipe. 🙂 I am sorry that you were one of the ones who had a bad experience though. That said, I have four different vanilla cupcake recipes that are all a little different. This is the least reliable of all of them. I’ve tried very hard to link to other options for people and I will try once more lol. Here is a recent post that talks about each of the four recipes, what makes them different and which one you might want to try. Maybe take a look and try one of the other ones. Hopefully one of them would work for you! 🙂
Found this recipe and will never try another one for vanilla cupcakes. One of my top “recipe finds” of all time! 😊
OMG, these are to die for! I only added 1/4 cup of water and they are a tiny bit crispy on the outside, and SUPERsoft and moist on the inside. BEST CUPCAKES EVER!
Hi Lindsay..love this recipe works all the time for me but I am wondering would I be able to make these as mini cupcakes? I don’t want to waste ingredients and liners if you don’t think it’s possible. Thanks!
It should be fine as mini cupcakes.
its bad
I’ve made these so many times. They are my go to vanilla cupcake recipe now. So moist and light and they always get rave reviews.
So glad to hear that!
This is the 3rd time using this recipe and it’s saves as one of my all time favourites!! Today was hubbies birthday so I doubled up in hopes it’ll last alittle longer this time than the normal 24hrs when I make a batch. Thanks heaps for this fabulous recipe xoxo
Currently have mine going for 20 minutes already. I even used way less water and its still not done. Going to try this without water next.
Tasted like a cupcake! Didn’t have a box mix in a pinch so I appreciate how easy this was to make. Who knew how much sugar it requires 😝
Absolutely delish and easy
Delicious & moist! Follow the recipe!! So easy. Didn’t even need to use my electric mixer. Will be making again.
I made these cupcakes today, they are really good! The texture is nice and the flavor great. Would recommend! (:
This is a great recipe, the cupcakes are soft and moist. Do pay attention as mine didn’t look done (they were still a light blonde) but they were completely cooked.
Hi, I was wondering if i could make these on Sunday and then use them on Wednesday, would they still be fresh and moist?
Ehh that’s a bit of a stretch. I would typically recommend making 24 hours ahead. You could do maybe 48 hours, but Sunday for Wednesday may be a little long.
I have tried this recipe already a dozen times. Made cupcakes, cakes, apple pie with this. Turns out great and very very yummy even without any frosting.
At first I hated it because the first batch failed. Then I added less water and an extra egg and it almost never failed me since then! But sometimes it happens that it doesn’t rise or cook properly or turns out too dense, I haven’t found the reasons why this happens though. But it’s still a safe and a cheaper recipe with great results, to me tastes much better then sponge cake. Thanks!
This is THE best vanilla cupcake recipe. Period. I’ve tried so many recipes claiming to be the best, and this is the winner, hands down. No complicated techniques, no reverse creaming… Just a simple, moist, flavorful, delicate, delicious, perfect vanilla cupcake. THANK YOU!!
I should add that I discovered this recipe because a nine-year-old made these for me, completely independently, and they were the best vanilla cupcakes I’d ever had. I was embarrassed because I had tried so many recipes, many of which were very good, but none of which were as good as hers. Now she’s delighted that she found the recipe we all agree is the winner, and the fact that it’s easy enough for a kid to make is just a bonus.
So glad you love them! And fun to hear the story of how you found them!
Hello, this was a horrible recipe and it was not cooked and it just bubbled up and exploded. it was not edible. the water was not necessary.
I added a little less water just because the batter was getting too liquidy. If this happens to you I would recommend 1/2 cup of water. But otherwise so GREAT!
If you are vegan what should you use instead of the eggs?
These are my favorite cupcakes. Can I double the recipe to make a three layer 9 inch cake? Will it hold together well?
Yes, you can double it to make cake. I did a three layer 8 inch cake (https://www.lifeloveandsugar.com/berry-mascarpone-layer-cake/), but a 9 inch would be fine. Your layers would just be a little thinner.
This recipe is great for cupcakes but for some reason my cake apears really doughy
Hmm, I’d expect it to turn out the same. I did use it as a cake in this Berry Mascarpone Cake. But I do know some people have trouble with the recipe, I would just think that if it worked as cupcakes, it’d be fine as a cake. You could try leaving the water out and see if that helps.
Can this recipe be used for whole cakes? or do you not recommend?
Yes, it can.
Tried this recipe for the first time and the cake was so fluffy and light! Absolutely love it
This recipe left me cupcakes undercooked and dry wouldnt try again sorry
Mine turned out perfect. Followed instructions. Easy peazy:))) thumbs up!
These cupcakes are great! I made them for my mom. She loved them, too.
With all due respect to anyone who has hegative feedback, there’s something that you may have missed. But I know you can do it!
Thank you, Lindsay!
Glad you enjoyed them!
I just watched one of your videos
I hope it was helpful!
The cupcakes turned out great! A LITTLE dense, but since they weren’t exactly for eating it was ok.
These cupcakes are divine! Absolutely moist and just perfect, they are my go to cupcakes now!
It’s ok, the consistency is pretty gummy and I followed the recipe to a T, I’ve been baking for years and wanted a staple vanilla cupcake recipe in my cookbook, this one definitely doesn’t cut it, but it’s still a decent cupcake.
Horrible and disappointing
Worst recipe for cupcakes. I first questioned the 1 cup of water but i put my trust in this recipe. The cupcakes came out flat and uncooked on the inside i had to throw away the whole thing. Note to self read the comments first.
I love this recipe my only go to for vanilla cupcakes. Awesome everytime and lov by everyone. For my daughters mermaid cupcakes I even coloured it with gel colour. Massive hit! Thank you so much for this recipe!
Tried this recipe. Worked perfectly first time. Thank you for sharing.
I’m part of a baking facebook group and someone there recommended this recipe. This is ow i have found your blog and so happy for her suggestion. this cupcakes are moist, freeze well and actually wrapped last moist for 3-4 days i tested simply amazing. A new favorite in my books.
So glad you enjoyed them!
My go to recipe! Fantastic cupcakes. The only ones I make now. Just a question, should I beat with whisk or paddle attachment?
I usually whisk by hand, but you can use the paddle attachment on your mixer too.
This recipe worked out really well. loved the way the cupcakes turned out:)
The cup of water used at the end, does it matter if it’s hot water? Asking because in Chocolate Cupcakes recipes always call for hot water.
No, it doesn’t matter with these.
I LOVE this recipe. It’s perfect every time. Today I halved it and it was perfect. I made a small batch of your mascarpone frosting to top and it was delicious. Thank you!
This is my first time making cupcakes, and these were a hit! My hubby wants me to make some for his work. Thanks so much!!
Unfortunately like several others have noted, these fall flat. Little to no rise, and leave a weird gummy texture even when baked through. When I chewed, my teeth stuck for a moment. I measured very carefully. 🙁
I had times this recipe failed and cupcakes were flat and like glue….
Tips that worked for me
Mix by hand with whisk
56g exactly of batter per patty pan
Cook on 180 for 18 minutes on fan forced
This is the best recipe but you do need to adjust according to your oven
Hi can the batter be made and left in the fridge for a day? or is that not recommended
I would not recommend it.
Hi, I’ve made this recipe before and It ended up so good. I have to bake 46 cupcakes saturday for a birthday party and I’m just wondering if I’m able to make the batter this afternoon and bake the cupcakes tomorrow or is that not recommend for this batter to stay overnight?
I wouldn’t recommend it.
I love this recipe it’s amazing and I have been using it for a while now. For the people that have issues, I don’t know why this happens, whether it’s from the weather or oven, or the products in the different countries. However for me I don’t cook them by the timeframe above, because I get the same issue as some people here report, I cook them until they are slightly golden at the top and it works every time. Everyone I have ever made them for loves them. I hope that helps. And thank you for the amazing recipe!
The first time i used this recipe it was amazing! Best vanilla cupcake i have ever had/made. Second time and times after it has not turned out the same. Not as dense and just lacking…cannot figure out why. I am on the hunt for another now but am very sad that I couldn’t keep this recipe consistent 🙁
As mentioned in the note above the recipe, it has very mixed results for people. I’m sorry you’re having trouble. I have three other vanilla cupcake recipes that all turn out more consistently if you would like to check those out.
Would I be able to use butter instead of oil in this recipe ?
I haven’t tested it to be able to say. But I have three other vanilla cupcake recipes that use butter if you would like to try one of those.
Probably the worst cupcake recipe there is. They were so dense and flat, and I followed everything in the recipe.
Has anyone experienced extreme shrinking with these cupcakes? They taste amazing, but after 1-2 days they are 1/3 of the size. Is it something I’m doing?
This recipe was a disaster. Will use my tried and trusted one in future
I love this recipe and I will love to bake it for my children special on their birthday.
I love this recipe for the moist cupcake but please can I have the recipe for big batches 48+ cant find it on your website I know you use to have x3 recipe please advise.
Thank you
You should just be able to double it. The 2x and 3x options were removed because people were having issues with it doubling (or tripling) certain ingredients, but not all of them, giving them the wrong results.
The cupcakes taste like pancakes and the frosting taste really sweet and tastes like shortening or Crisco.
The frosting was really sweet and you could definitely taste too much shortening or Crisco. But the cupcake was pretty good.
Feel free to replace the shortening with additional butter next time. Glad you enjoyed the cupcake.
Hi there, for sugar-free cupcakes, could I use this recipe and replace the sugar with erythritol
I haven’t tried anything like that, so it’s hard for me to say.
This recipe is fantastic! I have made it twice now and it turned out perfectly both times even though the second time I had to use soy milk due to a dairy allergy. If you want easy delicious cupcakes this is THE recipe to use.
Can I freeze these?
Freeze cupcake alone and prepar frosting day of or
Make complete and freeze cupcake with icing on and then thaw day before use?
I would freeze the cupcake only.
I have successfully made cupcakes with this recipe and it was amaaaaazing but can I use the same recipe to bake a birthday cake?
Glad to hear that! Yes, you can. I did in this cake.
I just made this recipe just now. The cupcakes are in the oven… so far so good. I am just wondering if i can use this same recipe for a cake?
Yes, you can. I did in this cake.
great! Thanks so much! Going to make a cake right now 🙂
I love this recipe so much
Can the flour, salt and baking powder be substituted with self-raising flour?
Self raising flour may have a different amount of leavening, so you likely wouldn’t get the same results.
Can I add pudding to this recipe?
I haven’t tried it so I’m not sure.
This is the best recipe. Although quick and easy, to save even more time, I did mix all the dry ingredients and allowed them to sit overnight. Combining everything next day was simple. I also only added about 1/4 cup of water, not the 1 cup. The cup cakes sprung up and were absolutely delicious. I will never buy another box
cake again. With these changes definitely five stars.
it seemed more like a thin pancake batter with gummy and awful results. Was very hopeful but honestly was very disappointed.
I was so hopeful, but the cupcakes came out kinda gummy (they were fully cooked, but felt gooey and raw when chewed) and tasted kinda floury :/ my ingredients were all fresh and good and I’ve made many cupcakes so not sure what went wrong. Followed the recipe to a T
There’s a note just above the recipe that some people seem to get this result for unexplained reasons. I truly cannot re-create it. But I have several other vanilla cupcake recipes that you could try that are more consistent for people.
Same batch of cupcakes.
I thought they were gummy and doughy. They didn’t seem to have risen enough.
This same batch, my wife thought were fantastic. She much preferred these to another recipe that I thought was better.
Maybe this explains the bad results for some people: A matter of perception.
Planning to make these tomorrow but before I do just want to check what kind of sugar to use. Is Castor sugar okay?
I use regular granulated sugar. I haven’t tried castor sugar, but I assume it would be fine.
I’m a patisserie chef here in Adelaide, Australia, this recipe ticks all the boxes for ease of reading and making with very little mess. But the best part is the product itself, very good recipe. I made a massive batch on Friday just gone for my daughter’s school sports day and topped them with Italian buttercream and sprinkles. WOW what a delicious combination and the taste is on point!!! P.S.: Both the kids and parents loved them! 🙂
Today I made a batch just for home and made half of the 1x quantity. Perfect amount if you only want a few cupcakes for the week. I saw another’s question of freezing the cupcakes in (no frosting of course). I couldn’t imagine it would damage the integrity of this product so I will give this a go and see how they turn out. Thanks for the recipe Lindsay 🙂
freezing definitely works with these–I made them for a baby shower and froze them for about a week beforehand.
What can I substitute for shortening
Additional butter.
I’ve used this recipe so many times that I feel like I owe a review XD.
PERFECTO.
Glad you’ve enjoyed them!
I’m always looking for easy and these are so easy that anyone can make and not mess up. SUPER MOIST for sure and my daughter loved them.
Wondering if the can freeze well as for unfrosted leftovers on another day?
Thank goodness my new go to recipe for vanilla cupcakes. I almost always have these simple ingredients on hand.
Pure yum! Much appreciated
So glad you enjoyed them! I haven’t personally froze them, but I think they would be fine.
I’ve made several batches and have frozen most of them for use later. I leave out on the bench for a few hours before decorating and they have been absolutely perfect! Great recipe, thanks heaps!! 👍🏻
So glad to hear that!
While this recipe was nice and easy to make with the kids, we found the taste to be far too salty. I’d probably only had half a tsp (or less) next time.
This recipe helped me so much. I was able to make my cousin’s sweet 16 in lockdown special! Thanks so much
This cake was certainly very easy to make, but it wasn’t quite what I was expecting. They are really moist, which is great, but the flavor resembles more like that of a pancake. My sister said it wasn’t sweet like a cupcake usually is, but we still ate them.
Definitely different, and I’m sure they won’t go to waste, but I don’t think I’ll be using the recepie again.
This is my go to vanilla cupcake recipe and it always gets rave reviews. I’ve tried others and while the flavor is good they dry out so quickly. Not an issue with these. I added sprinkles and made them into funfetti cupcakes as well. Just out of curiosity would buttermilk be able to be used instead of regular milk? That’s what I use in my vanilla cake so I was curious if it would negatively affect them?
I haven’t tried it, so I’m not sure. I think it would be fine.
Terrible cupcakes – flat and doughy. I followed the recipe exactly and was very careful because several reviews said the recipe didn’t work. Big disappointment!!!
Okay guys I made this and thought they cooked great but tasted very “meh.” I was disspointed because this is my “baker friend’s” go-to recipe. YALL THE PROBLEM WAS MY VANILLA. I made something totally different and between the two things I discovered that my vanilla was cheap/old, whatever, and not very flavorful at all. So I made the recipe again the very next day and now these are soooo good. It makes all the difference between bland and GREAT. Replace that Great Value vanilla from Walmart with another brand yall 🙂 It helps so much!
Sorry, forgot to put in the stars. AMAZING cupcakes!
These are the best vanilla cupcakes I’ve made. I’ve been experimenting with different recipes for the last two months – these are by far the moistest and fluffiest! Thanks for the great recipe.
This was the EASIEST cupcake I have ever made. Sooo delicious! I almost put the sugar in with with the oil but made sure to double check. My husbands new favorite recipe, thank you!
Hi,
Is it granulated sugar or castor sugar?
Granulated
I was skeptical about this recipe since some of the reviews are not so good. However I was excited to try to make these cupcakes anyway. They came out perfect despite my worry. They are extremely moist and flavorful, especially when a frosting was added. They peel right out of the paper cupcake cups. Only, I miscounted how many cupcake cups I had and I did not have enough. Instead I used a cake pan and made a cupcake – cake, and that seemed to turn put really good as well.
Can you make pancakes out of this just wondering.
Great recipe. Any suggestions for making these vegan.
This was the first time I’ve ever made cupcakes in my life. It was a surprise for my fiance’s birthday. All I can say, absolute amazing recipe. I highly recommend. My only mistake was I didn’t have toothpicks, and probably could have baked them a bit longer. Otherwise everything else was perfect to follow. Not sure how other comments screwed up the recipe. 5 out of 5!
Best vanilla cupcakes I’ve had
Unfortunately my cupcakes turned out tasting like very sweet cornbread. The frosting was great!
While it was super easy to make, I found the cake to be too oily tasting for me. Going to sub with applesauce next time. The frosting was also a little too much on the shortening…going to do 1/4 c next time with 3/4 butter.
Overall they turned out great and the kiddos ate them right up, so who am I to judge, right? Lol
I definitely will try again. ❤️🧁❤️🧁❤️🧁
I love this recipe and it is so easy to make 😍😍😍😍😍😍😍😘😘
I love this recipe and it is so easy
This recipe is perfect,I love it💕 .For those who never tried recipe b4 I suggest you quickly collect your ingredients and start baking🧁
This is one by far the best cupcake recipe I have ever made. I take them to work for very morning tea and get glowing reviews! Could I make the same recipe and bake it as a cake in 2 7inch pans? How long would I need to bake for?
You could make a small cake, I just am not sure what it would be for 7 inch pans.
Can I leave these in the fridge for a 4 days before serving or is it best to freeze them?
I supposed it’s probably best to freeze them. Just wrap them well and thaw them in the fridge.
So I used this recipe (cake only) with 2 little changes. I used Namaste Gluten free all purpose flour and I added about 1/2 bag of chocolate chips. They were delicious.
This is the absolute worst recipe ever!!!!! I AM WARNING YOU PLEASE DON’T TRY THIS!! As soon as i made the batter it tasted and smelled really good but when it came out of the oven then it was disgusting as hell. Right now I am trying not to throw up, I am sort of getting this feeling that I have got food poisoning. For my sake DO NOT TRY THIS (unless you want fodd poisoning)
Are you sure your eggs weren’t old or something? I’ve made this recipe countless times and every time they’re amazing. I’ve never had an issue with them at all 🤔
I’ve made this recipe three times, it’s in the oven again right now. It is my favorite go-to recipe. How exactly could you get food poisoning from a recipe unless your ingredients were bad? And if that’s the case, why are you blaming the person who came up with the recipe? Sounds like you messed it up.
What a terrible review! You get food poisoning from bad INGREDIENTS not a bad recipe!!!
I simply love this recipe. Cupcakes came out soft and so moist. I separated the egg and folded in my egg whites. DEFINITELY A WIN FOR ME!!
This recipe turned out really great! Definitely a go-to for whenever I need a simple cupcake recipe.
I made these without the water because my battery was already getting quite thin and they turned out perfect and fluffy. Definitely using this recipe again
This cupcake is horrible! It tasted like a muffin. Worst recipe ever.
Worse recipe I have ever used. What a waste of ingredients and totally unedible
Love the recipe! We followed the instructions and the cupcakes turned out beautiful and delicious, we will definitely will be making them again.
This recipe is my favourite cupcake recipe ever! The cupcakes are so moist and fast. I love them, Thank you
Made these the other day and everyone LOVED them! Not sure why some people can’t seem to bake them correctly but they turned out just fine for me. Do you think this recipe would be good for a cake as well? Thank you!
I’d love to use this recipe for a large batch of cupcakes for a party. Do you know if these would freeze ok? Thank you in advance!
I think they’d freeze fine. Just wrap them well and then thaw them in the fridge.
DO NOT MAKE THIS!!! My friend and I made this recipe and it turned out HORRIBLE. The batter tasted great, so we were excited to see the results, and when it came out it tasted like some sort of nasty mug cake. It was gummy and doughy. Right now we’re sitting on my bed feeling like throwing up, not only from the taste but something that made our stomachs feel like we got food poisoning or something. I know the author said it works for some people and for others it doesn’t. To me that doesn’t make any sense,it should be able to work for everybody unless someone doesn’t follow the recipe correctly, which I followed very carefully. We have been baking for years together and never have been so disappointed. I don’t want to be rude,I know you must have worked hard on this recipe, but this is just atrocious.
I always get compliments making this recipe! So
Soft and moist. Tastes like cake batter!
I’m sorry but I had to comment on this post. I bake cakes all the time and this is the only vanilla recipe I use. The cake is so moist and flavorful. My customers always ask for the vanilla cake, because they love it. Great recipe!!
That’s ridiculous, you can’t get food poisoning from a recipe. If you feel like you got food poisoning, maybe check the expiration dates for your ingredients. I baked these yesterday for my daughters 4th birthday and they turned out perfectly! Now trying to figure out how to make this batter into a cake for her party. I loved it and will be saving the recipe for sure!
A recipe can’t give you food poisoning lol this is the most ridiculous comment I ever read. Maybe your eggs were bad. Maybe you under cooked. Maybe you cross contaminated something in YOUR kitchen. Don’t blame the author for your wrong doing.
This recipe was so good they tasted like they were store bought! I max these for church but now I’m thinking about eating them all myself
Great recipe and the cupcakes came out delicious especially topped with the frosting. Glad of being told batter will be thin beforehand. I will definitely make them again!
Hello, when following this recipe for x3 it’s says 9tsp of baking powder. I have tried twice now and this seems to be too much baking powder they rise too much and then drop 🙁
Could be. I haven’t ever tried tripling it, but it might be best to do it in smaller batches.
I’m looking for a simple vanilla cupcake recipe to make into rainbow cupcakes for my daughter’s birthday party. Do you think this batter is too thin to layer color upon color? Thanks in advance for your help. I’ve used several of your recipes all with great success!
This would be too thin. I’d try my Rainbow Swirl Cake as cupcakes.
I baked for 25ish minutes but they came out nicely and didn’t sink!! Also did mini cupcakes which bake for 10 mins. Knocked a star off because they aren’t very flavorful, but much better than other recipes I’ve tried
I tried your recipe and it came out really good. Thank you for sharing! 💕
Very nice recipe. I’m not an experienced bake but this was really easy to work with and really not burdensome.
I’d been wanting to try the reverse cream method for awhile but don’t have the cake flour needed in most recipes. I lucked out with this one! They came out moist and just a little bit springy despite my over filling them. I topped them with my mom’s strawberry cream cheese frosting and they’re divine! I’ll definitely be trying this recipe again!
I truly loved how easy and fast this recipe was. Very tasty, not too sweet. I omitted the water which may have helped the cake hold better not sure. I decided to leave in the over the full 17 minutes to make sure it was firm.
Love this recipe
This is my go to for all my cupcakes I even use it to make cakes
Loved these. Turned out fluffy and moist! I even did a cake with half the batter and it turned out great as well. I read some mixed reviews on these cupcakes but mine turned out
perfectly. I do weigh my ingredients and sifted my dry mixture first, I also never overmix, I usually mix until almost combined and then grab a spatula and gently finish mixing as I scrape the sides down. It’s my new go to for a simple vanilla cupcake recipe!
Recipe is not good. The cupcaked were almost burnt on the outside and still gooey in the middle. They tasted very eggy.
Thank you so much! i have made it so many times and every single time it turns out to be a success! Everyone in my family loves it!
I used almond milk and nuttelex for the milk and butter. I might have overmixed them? because the batter seemed a bit weird but they just didnt rise in the oven and didnt cook through, but they tasted amazing!
Have made these cupcakes 4 times now perfect every time , they are so easy and really moist and delicious.
I even stirred a few 100s & 1000s in the batter . Yum the best recipe.
Is shortening required for the frosting?
I love this recipe so much. It’s a little bit different to a lot of recipes we use here in Australia, but so far the best i’ve tried. The only thing i’m struggling with, is, getting the cup cakes looking even and not over flowing in the pan. Any tips? Thanks in advance.
Substituted the oil for Butter. The person I asked to prepare soften butter actually melted it until it separated. I didn’t have time to change it. Was worried as it’s a very thin mixture. But read the note, and baked it. Turned out ok still.
Second time, butter was prepped properly and they turned out great. Very simple recipe. I think the issue people might be having is with the type and quality of flour they are using. Or possible the quality of water. I’m using a filtered system so it was fine for me.
I made these cupcakes, 48 as a matter of fact for my niece’s grand opening of her restaurant. I LOVED the flavor very much but for some reason they were kind of hard inside and around the edges. I don’t know what happened. I don’t think I overcooked them – I did the 15-17 mins. I also made the buttercream frosting, it was DELICIOUS.
Hi
This is by far the best cupcake recipe i have ever tried, and it can also be make into a vanilla cake .
Thank you so much for sharing this amazing recipe .
Great and simple recipe. I did use slightly less water than 240ml.
Cupcakes were delicious
So good every time I make it!
Yes. I tried it yesterday and it was definately too sweet. Would reduce the sugar next time. Also for some reason i decides to substitute half teaspoon of baking powder with baking soda instead, and used butter milk instead of milk🤷♀️…the cakes were too light and spilled over… so next time il try and stick to the exact recipe but definately reduce the sugar…
Thanks for the recipe
The recipe is good for the effort it took (so effortless 🙂 ). The cupcake closely resembles a pancake, it’s also a little too sweet for me, although it’s personal preference. The only issue I have is the cupcake doesn’t pull away cleanly from the liner, it’s not raw, I’ve also tried extending ng cooking time, it still sticks to the liner. Can you suggest anything to fix this? Thanks
This has been my favorite go to recipe for YEARS, it never dissapoints, there’s no way you can mess this recipe up even if you try ,I have followed this recipe to a T and I have not and yet it never flops,and anyone having issues with the recipe is doing something very wrong because I have yet to find any recipe better than this one and I ALWAYS get complimented on them if I bake them.
This worked so well! Needed this for a last-minute party and it was absolutely perfect. I’ll definitely be using this recipe again.
Came out perfect, taste great, super quick!!
I just made these cupcakes, and not gonna lie, they are not very good. The baking time, I feel was not accurate. They sadly even made me and my brother feel a bit sick.
Wow wow wow, awesome recipe!! Thank you. I’ve made it about 5 times now, and even halved it. I’m in SA, so just used cups and not weight, worked perfectly. I won’t lie, the thin batter scared me at first 😂
I am just wondering if anyone has made these in bulk and then froze them? They only need to be frozen for a week – or would it be better to just keep them unfrosted in the fridge?
Yes, I have many times. Still perfect after thawing!
I followed this recipe exactly how it’s stated. My cupcakes came out very dense and not fluffy. Any suggestions/advice I am missing.
I wish I was able to make a suggestion, but as mentioned in the note above the recipe it seems like some people just don’t get good results. I honestly don’t know why.
Mine were dense as well, but I know mine was because I subbed the flour for a gluten free all purpose flour.
Hi! I’m excited to try these cupcakes tomorrow. I’m from Australia and noticed some people having issues with these cupcakes. I’m wondering if it may be because our measuring system is different (metric vs imperial), so our cups are actually different sizes! I wonder if weighing out the ingredients would remedy the issue? Anyway, I’ll report back tomorrow and let you know how I go!
I weighed out the ingredients and the cupcakes came out super fluffy and melted in the mouth! Definitely will be using this recipe again.
A party 8m going to wants half vanilla and half chocolate cupcakes. If I split the batter, how much cocoa should I add in? Would any other ingredients be needed?
It’s really not that simple. I’d suggest these chocolate cupcakes for the best, or you could make my marble cake batter, which is meant for turning into chocolate and vanilla and bake it as cupcakes.
This is a very successful recipe! I made them twice,so far,and they turned out perfect!!
This recipe is just amazing….love, love love it. Totally fool proof…follow the recipe and you will have success every time. Thank you so much ❤
I have made these twice and they are so delicious! Wondering if you’ve ever made them into a cake? Considering trying it in 8”-9” round cake pans for my daughters birthday this weekend but wanted to see if you’d tried this out before going for it. With my luck, they wouldn’t bake right or stack
I trialled this recipe tonight as a dry run for a morning tea I’m contributing to in a couple of weeks (loved the idea of longer lasting moisture) and won’t be using it for the event, unfortunately. I had some misgivings about the amount of sugar and the consistency of the batter, and I hadn’t read the comments. My first real concern was the really eggy smell coming from the oven, but I gave it the benefit of the doubt and kept on with getting the icing ready (which turned out way too sweet, even with salted butter and some extra salt added to try and balance it a bit). After about 20min in oven (a variable cooking time is totally normal with an older oven like mine, and I always err towards more time with careful checks) I did the poke test and then pulled one out and cut it in half. So doughy! I left the rest in for at least another 10-15min, pulling one out to cut and check every couple of minutes. Even when the tops were approaching burnt and I had to pull them out the texture was only marginally better. There was too much sugar in the cake as well. A lot of people have had good results with this recipe, and I don’t know what happened here. This site looks like it has some lovely recipes. I was careful with sifting and quantities. If you don’t have time to test a recipe before baking for an occasion, I’d have to suggest going for a more conventional cream-the-butter-and-sugar vanilla batter. The recipe was clear and easy to understand though, which was nice.
I absolutely love this recipe. It’s my all time favourite, go-to recipe for cupcakes and cakes! It’s so moist and fluffy! I wanted to ask, if I bake in a 9 or 10 inch tin, do I need to lower the temperature and increase the time?
Isn’t the sugar too much? Won’t it make it super sweet?
That would be a personal preference. I clearly don’t think they are too sweet, but maybe you would.
This recipe is exactly what I’ve been looking for! I’ve been searching for something so light and fluffy. It’s like eating a cloud made of cupcake! I’m making this my go-to vanilla cupcake recipe!
Can you subtract some of the sugar if you didn’t want it to be too sweet?
You can but keep in mind that it’ll change the texture of the cupcakes as well. Sugar does more than just add sweetness.
It’s so perfect!!! Great recipe with ingredients we all have at home and it only took me about 30-40 minutes for light and fluffy bursting flavour cupcakes!!
THE BEST CUPCAKES EVER!
I live this recipe, the whip up quickly and are moist and delicious!!
My cupcakes never seemed to firm or actually cook, they were always a bit raw at the bottom and like jelly. We baked them for 15 minutes and they weren’t cooked so we put them in for another 10 minutes and they were better. I can’t tell if this is because I substitute milk and butter for vegan products or this recipe. But on the other hand they still tasted yum as so I got to eat them 🙂
Emzy,
What was your rising agent, binding agent? vegan recipes really need both. What kind of vegan milk and margarine did you use? Dairy milk and butter have certain fat/solid/water percentages, so the vegan substitutions need to have similar ratios. For milk, I recommend a mix of canned coconut, and soy. I’m not sure about margarine brands, but I have good luck using coconut oil or canola oil. Lastly, are the cupcakes overmixed? That can mess with the texture/bake.
I LOVED this recipe!!! I used the amounts you specified and with mini cupcake pans it ended up making a crazy 82 tiny cupcakes!! Thank you!! 🙂
So yummy! I thought that is would be dense and crumbly but it’s perfection. Will be making this a second time!😋
Loved it!!! i will say though the top was very like gooey. Had great flavor.
I tried this recipe out hoping for a good fluffy vanilla cupcake, but instead i get a gummy, doughy and flavourless cupcake. Absolutely disappointed. I was so excited to taste them but when they came out of the oven they completely deflated. I tried another batch because i still had high hopes and they came out worse. I wish I could give this a better rating but i would give it 0 stars if I could. Truly, disappointed. I’ve also seen that other people have had the same issue so it’s definitely not my fault. Do better.
Susannah, I know most people don’t like to read blog posts, but had you looked right above the recipe card you would’ve seen that there is a note that this recipe works beautifully for some people and terribly for others. I do not know why that is, but it is a fact. Then I link to a vanilla cupcake that does not give people problems and is consistently excellent. If you read that note or read through any of the comments, it is clear to see that you may be one of those people who has trouble. So if you make this recipe you should be very aware that that could happen. I highly recommend the other vanilla cupcake. I am very sorry that you were one of the people that this did not work out for. I wish I knew why that was happening.
This recipe was a disaster
I made these cupcakes for the second time and they were amazing once again. What is the best way to store these as they will be eaten tomorrow?
I would store them in an airtight container on the counter.
Thank you!! this is my new control recipe!
Hi Lindsay,
I want to use this recipe for a 14x14x2 square cake pan. It calls for 13 5/8 cups of batter. Do you know how many cups this recipe yields?
Thank you
Bridget
I don’t, I’m sorry.
I love this recipe so much it was so easy to do and to make and my family loved it
Hi! I’m really looking forward to trying this recipe. I was just wondering if I could lower the sugar to 1 cup, or would that affect the texture? I’m just not a super big fan of super sweet things, so I just wanted to ask. Thank you!
Sugar adds moisture in addition to sweetness, so lowering it can affect the texture.
Question *
I made this cupcakes and everyone loved them. I am curious if i can use this recipe for a cake.
Glad you enjoyed it! Yes, it works as a cake.
Big big hit with my family.
Can I use this to make a cake? If so do I need to double the recipe?
Glad you enjoyed it! No, you don’t need to double it for a cake. It’s fine as it is.
I made these with half of the sugar. I also filled the liners 3/4 full, and ended up with 20 cakes. The texture was still light and fluffy. An absolute winner.
This recipe is very disappointing. The icing was watery and the cupcakes came out flat. To top it off they do not even taste good. My son was supposed to bring these to his soccer freinds… so extremely disappointed. Thank god we tried them before sending them out! I do NOT recommend this recipe.
I’m sorry you were disappointed. It sounds like something was off with how you did the frosting. I’ve never heard someone complain that it was watery. Did you reduce the amount of powdered sugar? As for the cupcakes, there’s a note right above the recipe about how this cupcake is hit or miss for people. I leave it up because there are so many people that love it, however my newer vanilla cupcake is far better and more reliable.
My name is Katelyn, and we used this recipe for my Baking and Pastry class at my school. It worked out pretty well! We doubled the recipe, and the only thing that went wrong, was that some of us overfilled the cupcake tins, but that’s okay because we’re still learning! the cupcakes were baked then frosted the next day, and they still tasted fresh! Very wonderful job, and it was a joy to create with a recipe like this. 🙂
This recipe was really good and fun to make but we had some trouble making it taste right and we ended up adding to much flour and then the overall taste of it was weird.
the cupcakes didn’t turn out well but maybe that was a mistake on my part. the frosting was perfect!
This recipe was really good but when we doubled it, it made the cupcakes taste weird. I don’t know if it was just something we did wrong or the recipe but overall the cupcakes were good.
how many cupcakes per serving?
One cupcake is a serving.
Thank you for this recipe however as they baked they overflowed and became a hot mess!
It sounds like the cupcakes were over filled.
Im thinking the same! I will try again, thanks for replying💖
I was afraid to try these because you mentioned others had problems. I am so happy I attempted them. They are delicious and so moist! Everyone loved them!
Cupcakes were a massive hit!! How would you go about converting to cakes?
I used it as the cake layers in this cake. https://www.lifeloveandsugar.com/berry-mascarpone-layer-cake/
I made Moist Vanilla Cupcakes yesterday. It was a very easy to follow recipe and it baked beautifully but I was disappointed with the flavor before frosting. The dominating flavor was “flour” even though it had 1 Tbsp. of organic pure vanilla extract. Two weeks ago I made your Peanut Butter Chocolate Layer Cake and it was one of the best cakes I’ve made…easy to do and the texture and flavor was superb; so I came back to your site when I needed a recipe for vanilla cupcakes. So while they were moist and easy to make, they were not tasty. I do like your site and I will try more recipes, but thought you would like to know about the flavor issue I had with them.
This recipe is very hit or miss for a lot of people, as I’m sure you can tell from the comments. This is a very easy recipe to make, so I understand why people like it. But for me, this vanilla cupcake is easily the best. https://www.lifeloveandsugar.com/easy-homemade-vanilla-cupcakes-recipe/
Can you use buttermilk?
I have never tried it.
I am going to try this recipe in 3 Weeks, It looks tasty and it has simple ingredients <3
this recipe is awesome! super easy and makes great cupcakes! i haven’t tried it with the frosting yet (i usually make my own) but both recipes are very similar,so it probably tastes awesome as well!
Is this recipe for normal size cupcakes or the mini ones?
It is for regular sized cupcakes.
Hi, I’m from South Africa! We loved these cuppies! And they actually came out great! (I’m not good at baking) but these turned out lovely! Thanks for your easy, no hassle recipe! Life, love and sugar!!!!!
Is the batter supposed to taste like flour
I absolutely LOVE these cupcakes. I tried your cookies and cream cupcakes and was disappointed that they weren’t as moist. Can I add Oreos to this recipe?
The Oreos would sink in this cupcake.
I was afraid of that. Thank you 😊
Hi! Could these be frozen or refrigerated once cooked?
Or can a portion of the batter be kept refrigerated to cook in a few days?
You could refrigerate or freeze them, though I recommend serving them at room temperature.
Hi. I was wondering if you just made the frosting, approximately how much it would make?
About 2 1/2 cups of frosting
Hi can you help I use this recipe but I always get a peak how can I get them even at the top
Kind Regards
Carol
im not quite sure but maybe try to mix the batter for a shorter amount of time? you might be over mixing them a bit. you can also level the tops with a knife if this still doesn’t work!
Great recipe. The cake was so moist. Glad you mentioned the watery batter, it didn’t look right, but it was perfect! I made a chai tea frosting for vanilla chai cupcakes. So good.
The search is over! This recipe is perfect! Thank you for sharing this, it’s exactly what I’ve been looking for, light, fluffy, delicious vanilla cupcakes!
I live in SA🥰 what can I get as shortening, I’m a bit confused by the term
Just replace it with additional butter.
Can you use cake flour instead of all purpose?
I haven’t tried it in these, but it might be ok.
I used cake flour. It was good.
I have tried so many vanilla cupcake recipes looking for the perfectly moist cupcake. THIS IS THE ONE!!!! Thank you. It’s absolutely delicious.
I’m in Australia and gave thses a try, just by looking at the ingredients you wouldn’t think these would work out. I gave it a go and made it exactly as you did in the video, with the same ice cream scoop and everything. It only yielded 19 cupcakes and they smelt horrible as they were baking and came out rubbery and weirdly dome shaped. I have no idea why half the people on here have no issues and half the others failed. So weird. Maybe its a regional thing.
I’m sorry they didn’t turn out for you. I honestly have no idea why either. I tried to play with them the other day to see if I could recreate the problems people have and I still can’t. I honestly don’t know.
I did this recipe the exact same and when I bit into it it just tasted like cornbread. Just plain cornbread. I didn’t use cornflour or anything and it just tastes like cornbread completely
Your cupcakes look absolutely perfect! I’m trying to make about twice of your measurements.. 36 pieces of small sized cupcakes and 7-10 pieces of large sized cupcakes. Can you help me with the right measurements please?
I’m not sure. I’m sorry.
I am 12 and love baking so I decided to try something new! I was suspicious because of the amount of sugar but I tried them and they were incredible! the texture was cloudlike and they were not two sweet at all! I made smaller cupcakes and they had nice color and lookes so cute! They were not too sweet at all and I will share and definentely make again.
What is shortening? Sorry i am from south africa.😄
It’s a butter replacement. Just replace it with additional butter.
Hi, the water is it hot or normal cold water? Thank you
Either way should be fine.
This is my go to vanilla cupcake and cake recipe! It’s fantastic! I’ve used it for round cakes before, but now I need to make a sheet cake in an 11×15 pan. Would this amount work or should I adjust the rector amount? If so, by how much do you think?
I think it should be fine as is. So glad you’ve enjoyed it!
I’m from Zimbabwe, I tried the recipe yesterday and it turned out pretty well, they taste amazing!!! Totally loved them.
Thank you😊😊
Can I change the color of the frosting without changing the recipe?
Yes, just add gel icing color.
Came across this recipe and wanted to give it a try. Read the reviews. There is good ones and bad ones. I tried it anyway for my staff for Valentines Day. They loved them!! Not quite sure what the others were doing wrong but this recipe is a keeper! The frosting too! I added a pinch of salt to the frosting is the only thing I did different.
This was probably the best cupcakes I have ever made. Even though i kinda doubted it while making it they come out amazing the only thing i changed was i used only 3 cups of powdered sugar for the frosting and added coloring to it for valentines day. I seriously do not understand how some people are messing this up! it was a super easy recipe and only took me about an hour (no including decorating the cupcakes, just making and baking them and the frosting). These were amazing. I’ll be using this recipe in the future for all my vanilla cupcakes. Thanks so much for the delicious cupcakes. Also for the person that commented that they will be sharing this with their Tiktok followers. First of all. you don’t need to be writing hate comments like that because that could really hurt Lindsay’s feelings writing something like that and second of all it was obviously user error because they came out absolutely perfect for me.
I am very disappointed in these cupcakes! They were disgusting! The consistency was like cookie dough! I followed every single instruction that it said! But no it was gross! This is definitely the worst cupcake I’ve ever had! I will be telling my friends to never use this website again! It said that it was supposed to be really runny and it was but I put it in the oven and what do you know it’s gross! I will also be telling me 216 followers on TikTok.
I have been losing my mind trying to make the perfect batter for cupcakes and cake. and I was starting to feel like it will never happen! somehow I came across your site and thought it won’t hurt. THEY CAME OUT PERFECT!!!!!!! This has really made my month! Thank you so much for sharing!! So easy! I just want to get to the part where I can decorate them. it was so easy! I’ve tried so many recipes that say they are the best and very far from it! Your my hero. You turned my frown upside down!
So glad to hear that!
I am so excited to finally find the best vanilla cupcake recipe! I have been baking a different recipe each day for a whole week. Some tasted good but was dry and crumbly. Others were too dense and not as good of a texture once in the fridge. Your recipe is super duper quick and easy and the flavor is so delicious and incredibly soft. I just tried it out of the fridge and it was amazing. To those who are trying the recipe, keep in mind it is super runny, you might think something is wrong but trust me, they rise perfectly and are soo moist and delicious.
So glad to hear that!
Made this recipe a few weeks ago but I used lemon essence instead and I made 12 not 24, and it was a huge hit so I decided to make them again yesterday and do the full 24 with vanilla essence this time. The family ate the entire lot in one night and I’ve been asked to whip up another batch again today which is currently in the oven as I’m typing this. It’s a lovely recipe and they come out so light, the only difference is I halved the sugar so they’re not too sweet. I used the grams and milliliter measurements and not the cups to make it as accurate as possible to yours as I’m in Zimbabwe and our cup measurements are different to yours.
So glad they’ve been a hit!
I do not consider myself a baker at all, and these came out super good. Made it for a house of 5 and they were gone by the end of the next day. 10/10.
Thanks!
These were awful, do not make them. I followed the recipe exact and cupcake was thick and not fluffy at all. Barely tasted any vanilla flavor either. I’ve never seen a batter so watery. They didnt rise a whole lot when baked either which made for sad looking cupcakes not even higher then the paper they baked in. I didn’t make the icing so I have no comment on that.
This recipe was horrible. I’ve never tasted a cupcake more disgusting in my life. The cupcake was doughy and flavorless. I am so disappointed.
I agree, not good at all.
Wonderful recipe! The cupcakes turned out to be super moist. Thank you for sharing 🙂
XOXO,
Radhika
I’m so happy you liked them!
So easy so delicious! Thank you!!!
Absolutely perfect recipe!
This one is definitely going into my book of favourites. And will be our new birthday cupcake recipe. So moist. So light and fluffy. And the size is perfect! I overfilled my 2nd tray but know for next time that half full is just right.
Thank you for sharing this!!!
I loved making this cupcake and it tasted soooooooooooooooooooooooooooooo good. My mom said she would remember this for the rest of her life and my dad had 3 of them. (I am 10 years old so you can tell it was super easy to make as well!)
Okay, so here’s the story. On Christmas Eve, I decided to bake a cake (some other recipe) for the first time and everything was great! Until I realized there was something wrong with the whipped cream and had to throw the whole finished cake out. Mind you, I’m not much of a baker so I whipped everything by hand. This made me super sad and I almost gave up until I decided to give it another try this morning (the morning of Christmas day). After some googling I came across this recipe and it seemed simple and quick enough.
It was so last minute and I didn’t even have baking cups or enough ingredients for frosting. I just went with it in my muffin pan sprayed with oil and you know what… they turned out so moist and delicious! I used egg replacer because my son is allergic and it still turned out perfect! I just topped it with whipped cream and strawberries and they are super tasty and cute.
I just wanted to say thank you, you saved my Christmas and this recipe will definitely be used again in the future! Merry Christmas!
Absolutely amazing! Only recipe I will ever use 😁 would definitely make again super easy and delicious!
Hi, made them, love them & can’t get enough of the. Just a little question, that super cute star sprinkle, any chance I could get the info on where to get it?
They are from sweetapolita.
This recipe has been my favourite for the last 3 years! I have made them every year for my sons birthday and they have been loved by so many friends and family! Every single person who has tried it has complemented that this is the best cupcake they have ever tried! I didn’t make the icing you have posted I actually used a buttercream icing on top & it’s fantastic! Thank you for sharing such a wonderful recipe ♥️♥️
Hi Lindsay,
I did this recipe a week ago and trying again this time. My mother was here while I was cooking and asked me if it was too thin. Water did make the batter more thiner and I just said that it was supposed to be thin. Other videos said it should be thick. I wonder if this effected how the cupcake didn’t bake so nice. The taste was awesome, but it stuck a little bit to the cupcake paper. Is it because it was too thin or could have been because it didn’t cook long enough? I’d also like some advice for what I should do for the upcoming Christmas! I certainly love this recipe.
If you’re having trouble with this recipe, I’d try this newer recipe https://www.lifeloveandsugar.com/easy-homemade-vanilla-cupcakes-recipe/
I have used silicone cupcake cups and sprayed them down with cooking oil and they pop out of those easily with no mess & the silicone cups clean very easy! I ordered my silicone cups off of Amazon for super cheap!
My 4 year old daughter and I enjoyed making these cupcakes. The only thing I changed was that I substituted coconut oil for shortening in my icing. Oh yeah and I put the batter into ice cream cups for 5 min longer baking and boy was that ever yummy!!! 💞 🍦
Hi Lindsey
I don’t have actually have vanilla extract since it very expensive from where I live , so I was wondering is there an substitute that could easily be replaced in it?
Not that I know of. You’ll need some way of adding the flavor.
I made these tonight with some orange buttercream for Halloween. I have to say I was skeptical about these because the batter was so thin. They turned out amazing! I will be making these again for sure! Thanks for the recipe!
Glad you enjoyed them!
The best vanilla cupcakes which I have tried so far. I tried a lot of recipes from different countries and different websites, but yours are stunning. so moist and tasty!!!
I put already on my Instagram account a pic with your vanilla cupcakes in my vision (with Halloween buttercream frosting) and I have warmly recommended your recipe to all my followers. Great-great recipe!!!
Glad you enjoyed them!
When I made this batter it was still liquid even tho I followed the measurements exactly
It is a more watery batter than most, but it doesn’t affect the way the cupcakes turn out at all! They are wonderful and so moist!
can i add a few tbsps of spices (cinnamon, cardamom) etc without altering the texture?
Yes, you can.
Love this recipe. I made two changes, I used cake flour and coconut oil instead. Came out moist and fluffy!
I’m testing various vanilla cupcakes, and needed an oil-based version that would last a couple days. These are absolutely delicious – even on the second day. I’m not sure why a cup of water is called for in the recipe though (to stretch the batter maybe?) – I left it out entirely and these turned out great. I swapped in buttermilk for the regular milk; I like the faint tang that buttermilk brings to the party. Great recipe – thanks!
This recipe did not work for me. I followed it exactly using the cup measurements given. I have backed the cupcakes for 20 mins now and still raw… Batter way too running. It’s like water. Maybe I’ll try again sometime but I will have to start over now as I have an order for tomorrow!
Hi,
I’ve always struggled with putting the right amount of wet to keep it at good height after baking. How much liquid vanilla mix do you place in each cupcake cup to ensure it sits just perfectly?
Looking forward to trying this 🙂
The comments here make me very sad for humanity. If you tried the recipe and didn’t like it, move on. There is no need to be mean and hateful towards another person. By the way, my husband loves the cupcakes. Thumbs up!
Hi what are all the names of the brands that you use for the ingredients used.
my friend wanted me to test this recipe out as she failed her bakes. I did half a recipe and i got 12 pretty cups. Its not as fluffy as those creamed butter/sugar type, but it is acceptable. We, Chinese got a cake with similar texture, that we call it ‘Huat Kueh’ – 發糕。
Hey!! Is this recipe soy free??
Hi I am from Pakistan and am 10 and a half and this is my first recipe in which I didn’t need my mom’s assistance and these are the best cupcakes in the world!!!!! I love how my cupcakes turned out and honestly I don’t know how you write these recipes. 10 out of 10 would recommend………..
Amazing cupcake recipe! I did not make the buttercream/frosting because I have my own special recipe, but these cupcakes were tasty, moist, and my friends loved them! You did such a great job!
Hello! I’ve made this recipe before and the cupcakes were perfect! The best I’ve ever had! Can this recipe be used for a 9×13 in cake? Thanks.
Glad you enjoyed them! You can make it as a 9×13, which I did in this recipe, if you’d like to check it out.
CAN I USE NORMAL COOKING OIL INSTEAD OF VEGETABLE OIL
What is considered normal cooking oil? Olive oil?
I’m not sure what happened but these were incredibly doughy. Also, when I took the cupcakes out, the bottoms had risen so if you turned it around, it looked like there was a crater sinking in. I cooked the next batch 3 minutes more hoping it would be less terrible but still came out like crap. I followed all the steps and ingredients correctly. Would not recommend
Why do you add water to the batter? I’ve been baking 40+ years and do add water to a chocolate cake batter (hot coffee actually.). Why not extra milk? As Alton Brown always says “water doesn’t bring any flavor to the party.”
ok thank you so much! this was my first time baking cupcakes and i cannot believe how great they turned out! i made them last night for my 2 year old sister’s birthday and they were amazing! my entire family loved them and i will definitely make these again! this will be my go-to recipe for cupcakes, i love them so much! thank you for sharing your recipe Lindsay!
Hi, I haven’t tried this recipe yet but am very excited! I do have one question: what would be a good substitute for the shortening?
Just use additional butter
I wonder if this could be the reason for the recipe problems – when I view the inredients list on iphone xs the amount of flour looks like ‘1/2 cup’ instead of ‘2 1/2 cups’ (also due to an ad popping up).
I made the recipe, I halved it, substituted oat milk for milk and used part brown sugar – they came out beautifully with a subtle caramel type taste – lovely!! Will def. make again, thank you.
I was wondering if i can use wheat flour??
I’ve never used wheat flour, so I’m not sure. I’m guessing they’d bake, but be a little more chewy and have a different flavor from the wheat.
loved it! there are just so many cupcakes! in a good way. the cake does stick to the wrapper, but it tastes great! also, I am 10 do you know of any really good baking classes?
Glad you enjoyed them! I’m sorry, but I don’t know of any baking classes.
Hi, I’m a young baker, and since I don’t have any vegetable oil I am wondering how much butter I should put in, or if there is a better substitute. Thanks!
Canola oil should work alright, but I’ve not tried butter so I’m not sure how that’d turn out.
Hi Lindsay
Can you add things to this cupcake recipe.
Like peaches or pears
It’s a very thin batter, so they’d sink right to the bottom.
can we make a cake using this recipe
Yes, I used it as a three layer cake in this Berry Mascarpone Cake recipe, if you’d like to use that as a guide.
hello how many cupcakes do these make?
24-26 cupcakes
Just made this for like the hundredth time. Always a hit.
Thanks
This is hands down the best cupcake recipe I have ever come across ,made perfectly moist cupcakes!
These cupcakes are so nice and fluffy totally loved them! I wasn’t sure to use this recipe at first because of all the negative comments but they came out delicious!
So good!!!!!!! I used vanilla bean instead of extract only because I didn’t have any in my kitchen when I was craving cupcakes. They came out great!!! My Fiance loved them too!
I loved it everyone did too thank you
I tried this recipe and was skeptical when the batter was so thin after adding the water. Much to my surprise these were the most delicious and moist cupcakes I’ve ever eaten. They did take longer than 15 min to bake – closer to 23 min. They didn’t puff up as far as some cupcakes but they were light and fluffy in the end.
One question, can I use this cupcake recipe for a cake? Would you be kind enough to send or post the recipe?
How do I keep the cupcakes from sticking to the cupcake liner? Have you ever had that happen?
It could be the liners you’re using. I don’t normally have that problem.
Hi Lindsay! This cupcake recipe is amazing!! I’ve made it numerous times and I love how moist the cupcakes are, and when you pair them with frosting they taste even better! Do you think that this recipe would be good to use to make a full sized cake? If it is, what size pan would you recommend?
So glad you enjoy them! You can make it as a cake. I’ve done that in this Berry Mascarpone Cake recipe, if you’d like to check that out.
OK – I am an American living in Bali – I tried this recipe….I have a hard time getting baked goods to rise here….no idea why. I followed to a T – I only had these aluminum cups to use – and I use a toaster style oven. They did not rise at all. The flavor was good but the texture was like banana bread or pound cake….I dont understand why things are different here?? Does baking powder lose its magic if kept in a cabinet in a warm climate? I mean it can be humid here sometimes but NOTHING like Florida hahahaha. Was it the baking in the aluminum cups? my cupcake pan is a 12-er….so it does not fit in my toaster oven….anyway….I will call this a fail but only as they were super dense…flavor was great….but it seems like baking here in Bali is a challenge….any feedback would be welcome!
I can’t speak to all of those factors, but I can tell you that I’ve never baked in a toaster oven and that wouldn’t be my recommendation.
what if i had a pan that was could fit 6 jumbo cupcakes how many times would i have to put it in the oven??
Could we use this same recipe to make a cake
Thanks,
Bella
Yes, I used it as a cake in this Berry Mascarpone Layer Cake, if you’d like to use that for reference.
Hi! My name is Bella and i am an 11 year old girl going into Middle school this year!During quarantine i have developed a VERY fond love of baking and decided to try baking these!I made half of the cupcakes as cupcake cones and the other half as normal cupcakes, and i have to say these were the MOST DELICIOUS cupcakes i have Ever had!I really thought they were were even more delicious in the cupcake cones because it gave them a bit of a crunch!I am so excited because now i have a easy, Delicious moist cupcake on my first try! The only sad part was i made only 12 because i had never done this and i didn’t want it to go to waste if no one liked it! I have to say That was the WORST mistake of my life(other than not discovering this recipe sooner) They were gone in about 2 hours with me eating them all LOL
this gives me hope to DEFINITELY bake these again
Thanks,
Bella
I’m so glad you enjoyed them!
I made these yesterday for the first time and they were a hit. They were just as described and half of them are already gone!
Let me first say that I’m not a great baker, a good cook, but baking is a challenge because one has to follow an exact recipe… well this is such a simple one that even I didn’t have a problem following it. Simple and so so so moist!!!! I cannot stand dry cakes/cupcakes and this was just perfect. I cannot wait to share these yummies with the rest of the family tomorrow when I go to visit!
Just a side note, I used 1 tsp of baking soda instead of baking powder as I didn’t have any on hand
I loved these cupcakes they were easy, fun and great tasting! My family said they were the best cupcakes they’ve ever had and I agree! I will definitely be making this again!
I’m so glad you enjoyed them!
i tried to make these and they did not turn out well. the cupcakes were sticking to the paper and the frosting just plain disgusting. maybe it’s because there was no butter in the cupcakes? or maybe it was the shortening.
Certainly if you don’t care for the shortening, you can replace it with additional butter. As for the cupcakes, and oil based cupcake isn’t for everyone. If you’d like to try a butter based cupcake, I’d recommend this new recipe – https://www.lifeloveandsugar.com/easy-homemade-vanilla-cupcakes-recipe/
I’m a young baker and I’ve been baking for a while now. Even though I’m only 15, I LOVE to bake. During quarantine I’ve baked a lot and I’ve tried a lot of vanilla cake recipes and this one……. it was amazing! I’ve never had a better vanilla cupcake. I’ve tried so many cupcakes and this one was…… THE ONE! The frosting is amazing and it goes great with the cupcake. This recipe is the best. I’m glad I tried it.
I did really good with these cupcakes but these other cupcakes i tried i wasted a lot of ingredients and time it was horrible but these ones are DELICIOUS and awesome i am just gonna stick to these and make these all the time i wanted to try and make something else that would be fun for my little sisters but the funfetti one was WAY too hard for me cause im only 12 and these ones are easy. Do you have any recipes i should look at that would be easy for my cause if you do i would really like that. This one is easy but the other one wasn’t, nothing went right on the other one.
I have made these three times and they were awesome every time. I used coconut milk to make them dairy free and it worked just fine. The first time I followed the recipe other than the coconut milk – delicious vanilla cupcakes.
The second time I subbed the water for fresh squeezed orange juice and added the zest from the oranges – yummy orange cupcakes.
The third time I used lemon extract and lemon juice (about 1/3 c with 2/3 c water), I would have liked to use lemon zest but I ran out. These were very light on lemon flavor but still delicious and moist.
I don’t understand how anyone can say the cupcakes don’t have good flavor. They are so easy to make and taste yummy. They are also fun to add flavors to. It’s easy and predictable. Total win.
I’m so glad you’ve enjoyed them!
really yum, thanks. keep doing what your doing Lindsay!!!
you are killing the game hun. dont let the haters get you down!!!!!!!!!!!!
These cupcakes are the worst things i’ve ever put in my mouth. DO NOT make these unless you would like to vomit and cry simultaneously. i dig the effort but it inst working sweetie.
thought icing would fix the tragic train-wreck of these dense little things but it was no match.
they were uneatable. i respect the grind🧚♂️🧚♂️🧚♀️🧜♀️ but dont try next time.✨✨✨✨
question will it bake right if you don’t add baking powder? I just realized that we didn’t have it and already had added a lot and now the batters in the oven. Can you please respond quickly because this is for my mothers birthday
You will definitely need baking powder, as that’s what helps the cupcakes rise.
This was the best cupcake I’ve ever made!! I used 1/2 cup of water because I got scared of how thin the batter was. Still turned out amazing! Thank you for the recipe!!
Hi
Would like to bake the cupcakes today….. Just want to clarify whether it should be boiling water or tap/filter water.
It doesn’t need to be boiling. I usually use water that’s roughly room temperature, straight out of the tap.
These are the very best vanilla cupcakes I’ve had. They are so easy to make, and I don’t even have to use an electric mixer. They are so squishy and moist. I have tried many cupcake recipes and these are by far my favorite.
Prepared your yummilicious cup cakes last weekend.They were just superbly utterly delicious.My son just gobbled everything in 2 days😂..Thankyou for the recipe😍..I’m going to keep this recipe in my list..
Hi, I made this for our super and it was a winner. I added a teaspoon of Coconut cream and durian when adding the cream. It was delicious. My mom thinks its amazing!! Very yummy. Thanks for the recipe.
Thanks for your recipe. I made vanilla cupcakes today and they came out so good, moist and fluffy.
Hi these came out tasty but had a hint of baking soda aftertaste
and wish they were fluffier – what could I be doing wrong? I did use lactose free milk could that be the culprit?
Without being able to see how they turned out, it’s hard to say if you did anything wrong. I’ve never tried lactose free milk, so I’m not sure.
“These cupcakes turned out good! They were very sweet! We made strawberry icing!”—Ella, age 6
Hello, I love your recipe for the moist chocolate cupcakes! I came across this recipe for vanilla cupcakes and was wondering if this can be used as a base for other flavors? Thank you!
In theory, yes. But it depends a little on how you’d want to alter them. It’s a very thin batter, so there’s only so much you could add and get a good result.
I made this recipe, but replacing the milk and water for 2 cups of almond milk and replacing the 1/2 of vegetable oil for melted coconut oil. I didn’t know if they would turn out given the substitutions I made, but they turned out amazing! Moist and fluffy, with a nice, but not overpowering, vanilla flavour. Definitely a keeper!
I love this recipe !
Fluffiest Cupcakes I have ever tasted !
And so easy !
Thank you
Hi! I have a quick question…… Could I use this recipe for cake???? It’s so good that I HAVE to use it whenever I’m making cupcakes. I haven’t made cake in a while but figured I should for easter.
Thanks!
Emily
You can. I used it as a cake in this recipe, if you’d like to check it out. https://www.lifeloveandsugar.com/berry-mascarpone-layer-cake/
Thank you for this recipe! I’m a bread baker but can never seem to get cake right. Your recipe was so easy and good I feel I’ve arrived!
I love this recipe sooooo much it is so moist and delicious, and it is my new favorite recipe to bake!
I’m so glad to hear that!
Just made these cupcakes, based on weight measurements as I think cup measures might be slightly different here in Aus. They were so so moist & tasty. Thanks so much!
So glad you enjoyed them!
Cupcakes are delish! We however did get a sticky gummy top but once covered with icing you couldn’t tell.
I think the top came out the way it did because the sugar didn’t mix in all the way.
We had enough batter for 24 cupcakes and the second batch came out less sticky as I continued to stir it.
They are moist and soft
can I make these cupcakes with only egg whites? if I can how many egg whites should I use?
I haven’t tried that, but typically that substitution isn’t ideal. If you’d like to try a cupcake with just egg whites, I’d try this vanilla cupcake.
Hi would it be possible to do this recipe without the milk. My friend can’t have dairy and always misses out on my treats due to this. I’d love for her to be able to try some finally.
Thank you in advance
I would suggest replacing it with a dairy free milk. I wouldn’t just leave it out completely.
I used this cupcake recipe because it had oil instead of butter making it easier to adapt. I used almond milk instead of the milk due to a severe allergy to protein in milk. I left off your frosting. I had to bake them a couple extra minutes probably because of the alterations I made, but they turned out okay, not as good as it would be with dairy of course but the sacrifice had to be made. Good recipe.
Hi Lindsay, would it be alright if I used cake flour instead of all-purpose for this?
I have not tried it with this recipe. Typically I would say that that should be OK, but this recipe gives some people some trouble so I’m honestly not sure.
Hi, Lindsay! I was wondering if I could replace milk for buttermilk in your cupcake recipe? Thanks.
I haven’t tried it, but I would think it’d be fine.
Delicious and easy to make. I used store bought frosting, but the cupcakes were moist even after being in the fridge for a couple days. Thank you 🙂
Lucky you, there were still some left the next couple days LOL mine were gone in 2 hours
I’ve just put my cupcakes in the oven. The batter was very liquid though. I hope they come out good en not be wasting any ingredients. The comments I see here are very different.
Yes, it’s a very thin batter.
Can you pleaseeee tell me what I’m doing wrong- this is my go to vanilla cupcake recipe and I’ve found that every time I bake this it can go two ways. I: Beautiful, light and fluffy! It’s a dream! 2: its stoggy and the air pockets on top seems like they haven’t opened up properly. I have made this recipe so many times because I love it (when it works) but i have no way of telling whether it will work or not until its baked. Please help!
I wish I knew how to help. I know some people have trouble with this recipe and I honestly can’t figure out why. If you’d like to try a recipe that may be a little more reliable for you, I would check out this vanilla cake. It makes beautiful cupcakes. https://www.lifeloveandsugar.com/moist-vanilla-layer-cake/
I tried this recipe thrice, following the exact recipe but it won’t rise properly all the time, can I add some baking soda and substitute buttermilk?
I haven’t been able to get the bad result that some people experience, so I can’t test it to fix it. But my theory is actually that reducing the baking powder might help.
Made these today for a friends birthday and they are fantastic! I filled them with raspberry filling from your raspberry cake recipe and used the mascarpone frosting from your berry cake. Topped with some crushed pistachio’s. Perfection!
I’m now tempted to try all three of your vanilla cupcake recipes…..
Lisa
I’m so glad you enjoyed them! It certainly would be interesting to see what you think between the three recipes. They are all fairly different.
I followed the recipe to the T, in grams and the cupcakes came out like pancakes (dense and sticky) and are wayyyyyy too sweet! I think the sugar is way off among other things.
Thanks for sharing though
these are my go to for cupcakes. i am making cupcakes for the kids in my sons class for his birthday but one of the kids has a milk allergy. what can i use instead of milk in this recipe
I don’t really work with a lot of substitutes so I’m not sure of the best replacement. There are a good number of dairy free milk‘s out there and I would think they would work fine.
I made these last night with my daughter and I must say they are amazing. Thank you for such a great recipe. It made exactly 24 and they are nice and moist.
I’m so glad you enjoyed them!
I was very scare to make this recipe but… O.M.G. this are delicius, flufy and so moist, thank you so much !!
Thanks a lot for this wonderful recipe!!! I made mini cup cakes halving the recipe… Mini Cupcakes came out so perfect!!! In fact my kid, 8 years old made the batter… Such a breezy recipe… Thanks a ton for sharing!!!
I’m so glad you enjoyed it!
I LOVE this recipe. My son and nephew had a joint christening plus and sisters 40th in the same weekend and I made 190 of these cupcakes (yes 190). Afterwards I said I didn’t want to see another vanilla cupcake for at least a month and I didn’t even last a month before I was back at it again. EVERYONE loves these cupcakes and I get asked to make them often and have also made layer cakes with this recipe too.
Wonderful! I’m so glad you’ve enjoyed the recipe!
I’ve made this a couple times and they’re a huge success. They’re so moist and fluffy, with tons of vanilla flavour.
I’m so glad you enjoyed them!
Have you doubled this recipe at all? I would like to try but nervous that it won’t work.
I haven’t tried doubling it.
Delicious! My daughter and her friend made these on their own this afternoon. They are really lovely – very moist. It made 18 regular cupcakes and several bite size ones as well.
I used foil liners AND paper ones as well. Both worked like a charm!
I tried your recipe today–step by step with no substitutions. I did add a Bailey’s chocolate truffle into each cupcake before baking. Simply awesome. Great texture! I outdid myself!! Wow!! 🧁🧁🧁
That sounds delicious! I’m so glad you enjoyed them!
SO TASTY
Thank you for this recipe. First time I made cupcakes and the boys LOVE LOVE LOVE them. We will definitely make again. I´m trying your Apple Crumb Cheesecake recipe this weekend coming up. Thank you!
I’m so glad you enjoyed them! That pie is a winner too. I hope it’s a hit as well!
Hi Lindsay,
Your recipe is fantastic. My daughter and I can’t stop eating them! I am appalled at some of the comments on here. I am a professional baker and know how much time and love goes into trying to find the perfect recipe. You rock!
Thank you! I’m so glad you enjoyed them!
I havent tried yet, but have a question:
Can you freeze them? Have you tried?
Im making huge amount of them and need to make some in advance.
I don’t think that I have tried freezing these before. But I think they would be fine.
Can this recipe be use to make lemon cupcakes?
Sure. I added some lemon zest to them to make these cupcakes. https://www.lifeloveandsugar.com/lemon-meringue-cupcakes/
I’ve just baked these and this is my fav vanilla cupcake recipe from now on! I can’t wait to try this in pans as a layer cake with sprinkles in the batter for my daughters birthday next!
thank you so much
I’m so glad you enjoyed them! The batter is very thin so I’m not sure if sprinkles would sink all the way to the bottom.
Really moist and lasted well for days. Making again today.
I impulse decided to make cupcakes this evening and wanted to find a simple vanilla that didn’t use buttermilk, sour cream, or only egg whites. I found this recipe and it made PERFECT cupcakes. I have to admit, I unintentionally made two mistakes – I used half all purpose and half cake flour and doubled everything else but accidentally only used the one cup of water. Luckily, they came out super fluffy and with perfect little domes. Excellent!
Hello,
Is it possible to change from vagetable oil to canola oil? Will it be any different in term of texture etc? Thanks for your help 🙂
I haven’t tried canola oil but I imagine it would be fairly similar.
Hello I would like to know can I use almond milk instead of regular milk, or will that mess up the cupcakes?
I haven’t personally tried it, but I believe others have commented saying that they have and it worked out well.
These cupcakes are AMAZING!!! So light and fluffy, and just the right amount of sugar. If I could give 10 stars I would!
Delicious!!! 😋😋😋
I’m so glad you enjoyed them!
I just wanted to say that these have become my go to cupcake recipe. I hate working with butter and more often than not people request dairy free. I have made them vanilla, almond, butter flavored, nutmeg and lemon. Today I will be making them whiskey walnut. They have never let me down. I am not a trained professional baker, but I have worked in professional kitchens and am often asked to bake for events. For a non chocolate, this is the best.
I’m so glad to hear that!
Tried this cupcake recipe today, following the measurements and instructions carefully. The cupcakes’ texture was dense and gummy, although the flavor is pleasant enough. I’m not throwing them out as they are adequate to give to the kids as a snack, but I wouldn’t serve them to guests at a party we’re hosting tomorrow because of the funky texture.
Yes I agree, was like a hard goop. Not impressed!
I have the same experience, dense and gummy outcome though i followed exactly the recipe
This was a delicious cupcake recipe. I reduced the sugar by 1/4 cup and used coconut oil. The cupcakes came out light and airy with a beautiful crust. I devoured 3 immediately! Thank you for the recipe!
I’m so glad you enjoyed them!
Hi Lindsay i love this recipe! Wanted to know if I can use this recipe to make a rainbow cake. I live in Nepal, and we don’t get cake flour here, and for some reason my butter based cakes or cupcakes turn out super dry but not this recipe! So wanted to make rainbow cake, and wondering if I could use this recipe 😊
I’m glad you enjoyed the cupcakes! The batter is actually very thin, so it wouldn’t work if you were trying to layer colors in the same pan. If you were doing individual cake layers and coloring those different colors, that would work. If you’re looking for more of the rainbow swirl look though, check out this recipe. https://www.lifeloveandsugar.com/rainbow-swirl-cake/
Hi, I have a quick question on these tasty looking cupcakes. I am making cupcakes that will have a filling. Will these be sturdy enough to hold up to a filling? To be honest I usually use a cake mix and am used to that texture for filled cupcakes. How do these compare to cake mix texture? Ha! I really want to be able to make true homemade cupcakes. 🙂
Yes, you can definitely use a filling. You could also try this recipe and swap out the filling I used for yours.
Hi, what would be a less sweet frosting/icing?
You could try swiss meringue buttercream.
how would you make these diabetic?
I did not like the cupcake recipe at all. The cupcakes are way too sweet and dense. Definitely not light and fluffy.
I made these cupcakes, right to the recipe. They were very dense and heavy. Not much flavor to them considering the amount of vanilla in the recipe. Very oily, I would never make them again.
I wanted to love this recipe as it seemed so easy but sadly they turned out far too sweet and stuck to the cake cases as some other posters found! I followed the recipe in grams as I find it to be more accurate. Hoping I can adjust this in some way to lessen the sugar content
Just tried this recipe for a party I am doing and it is perfect. The icing tutorial was fabulous. So happy I know the recipe will work for my event. And perfect number of cupcakes too, I will only need to do one batch!
I’m so glad to hear that!
I’ve tried these and they are delicious! Made them quite a few times now. Curious how I would change this recipe to be moist chocolate cupcakes instead? 😁
I’m glad you’ve enjoyed them! You can find the chocolate version here.
Thanks for the recipe I was desperate. Some of my family members do not consume dairy and that represents a challenge for me when it comes to baking a vanilla cake or cupcake. I have tried some vanilla dairy free cakes and cupcakes before and they were a little tough and/or they tasted like a pancake. Yours are the best so far. they are moist and they taste like a vanilla cake should. Thanks so much 🙂
Awesome! I’m so glad you enjoyed them!
I baked this cupcake for the first time a few years ago, and my family requests them all the time now. They’re so yummy! I’m making them for my nieces birthday party this upcoming weekend and wanted to try to use some kind of filling in them. I’m still doing a buttercream frosting, because it’s always a hit, but any suggestions for a creamy filling that’s not too tricky to make? I searched through your recipes but was overwhelmed with the options! (It’s a unicorn theme party)
Thanks!
This is my favorite vanilla cupcake recipe! I’ve made it several times now and they’re always a hit. Sometimes we fill them with fresh fruit or add some to the frosting. They also freeze wonderfully, for anyone who wants to bake ahead. Thank you for this one!
Awesome! So glad to hear that!
I used Almond milk instead of milk. and they turned out great.
I tried this recipe, its been the best cupcake ever. Made for my family and they kept asking for more and i also experimented with it for a week without refrigerating it. It was da bomb….love the recipe so much thanks Lindsay mam,love from Nigeria 😍
Awesome! Glad to hear that!
These were great! I even used gluten free flour to accommodate a family member and they were still delicious.
I’m so glad you enjoyed them!
Amazing! The cupcakes are super moist and flavorful. The frosting is going to be my go to recipe for everything- so tasty! The directions were easy to follow and everything turned out perfect!
I’m so glad to hear that! Thanks Holly!
Absolutely in love with this recipe! I love how easy the batter is to work with because it’s so thin. And the texture is just amazing. I’ve had people comment that they remind them of their grandmothers oil cake they had as children.
I’m about to dive in and make 600 mini cupcakes using this recipe for an event! Wish me luck!! Lol
Awesome! I love to hear that! So glad it’s been a hit!
Just made this for the Memorial weekend as I wanted to make cupcakes for our grandchildren and didn’t have any box cake mix on hand. I don’t think that I will ever buy a boxed cake mix again! The grandkids devoured almost all of the cupcakes ! Can’t wait to try your other recipes! Thank you for a great recipe!!!
This recipe does not use butter and lists the amount of salt already.
I had trouble with this recipe, but could be user error. What temp should the water be? It doesn’t seem to specify, or I just missed it, but I noticed in a comment you mention getting hot water from the sink directly.
Thanks!!
Warm water should be fine. I don’t imagine the temperature would cause issues. There are some people who seems to have issues with this recipe and I truly don’t know what the cause is. I’m sorry!
Thanks for the quick comment! I tried it a second time, as others I know rave about this recipe! I used room temp water, milk, and egg. It was definitely moist and delicious, but not fluffy for me. Not sure what I’m doing wrong. Since so many things rave about it I’m sure the issue is on my end.
Thanks again for commenting. Can’t wait to further explore your site.
Hi, Thanks for the recipe, really!! One of the best I tried, I love that I can get creative by replacing the water with something else. Up to now I replaced the water with grated apples, with grated pumpkin and with pureed blueberries. Today I am heading home for a strawberry batch! 🙂
Awesome! So glad you’ve enjoyed them!
Hi I’m just wondering if maybe I did something wrong while mixing, I followed the instructions but my cupcakes don’t seem to come out fluffy they’re coming out really rubbery and dense any ideas what I’m doing wrong?
I had the exact same problem, super rubbery, fed them to my chickens who really liked them. I’m tempted to try this again, I used the last of a can of baking powder and I’m wondering if it maybe was too old.
I tried this recipe yesterday. Instead of cupcakes, I halved the recipe and split the batter between two 6″ round pans and baked them at 350 for 25 mins. They came out great! I loved how easy this recipe was to do. Thank you!
Awesome! So glad to hear that! Thanks Ria!
Can the cupcake batter be made in advance and stored in the fridge for a week until ready to bake?
I’ve never tried. Not sure.
I’ve tries these cupcakes a couple of times and they are one of the best I have had. So easy to make without having to cream butter and sugar as in thetraditional method. Light and fluffy, and keep soft for days – not that there’s many left after a couple of days. I paired them with Swiss meringue buttercream for a bit of extra silkiness. I’ll definitely be making these again. Thanks for the recipe.
So glad you’ve enjoyed them!
do yo think this recipe could be for a cake?
Yes, definitely.
cupcakes came out great but they were a tad too sweet, I would just recommend cutting back on the sugar and using 1 1/2 cups instead of two
To be honest, I was not a fan. The texture was like angel food cake and they stuck to my cupcake liners. 🙁
Hi,
I tried your recipe but it came out not cooked. I don’t know what is wrong with it. Is there any exact time for how long do I need to beat the batter or maybe because I reduce the sugar? Can you help me about this issue, I really want to make this cupcake.
Thanks,
I just mix until well combined. Bake them until a toothpick inserted comes out clean.
These cup cakes are amazing love the taste and great texture i must say a little hard to get in to the cupcake molds but i made it. I am all the was from Australia all my friends are asking for the recipe. so all i tell them is go to easy vanilla cupcake recipe the one with the little heart. my 12 year old daughter can make them all by herself and she adores your cupcakes!!!
So glad to hear that!
Can you use dairy free milk with these instead?
I imagine it would bake fine, but the difference in fat content could affect the final texture.
I’m never ever going to make other than this one recipe!! Quick, easy and delicious!
Thank you!
So glad you enjoyed them!
This is my new “go-to” cupcake recipe! Simple, dense, and delicious! I love it!
Wonderful! So glad you enjoyed the cupcakes! 🙂
I love this recipe, it’s not dry or dense it’s perfect, thank you, I’ve just finished my baking and about to share with friends, I’m not a bakey person but thought I’d give it a go, the more I do the better it gets.
Thank goodness for Google, watching the video helps a great deal as well. Perfecto ????????
I’m glad the tutorials were helpful. I hope you all enjoy the cupcakes!
Love this recipe! This is one of the few cupcake recipes I’ve found that easily converts to gluten-free and vegan. If anyone wants to try it, I simply sub out the flour for gluten-free flour and use a gluten-free egg replacer instead of the large eggs.
Thanks again! I’ve gotten so many compliments from this recipe 🙂
Thanks for the tips! I’m so glad you enjoyed the cupcakes! 🙂
What a waste of my time and ingrediencies. Looked flat, tasted so sweet and chewy. Do not waste your time.
I’m sorry you weren’t happy with them. I know many others have loved them. If you’re looking for something a little different (and butter-based), this recipe works well as cupcakes.
Hi, these are the most delicious cupcakes I have ever made or eaten. I made them several times already and I have zero problems making them, they’re super easy and super moist, even if I take them out of the oven a little bit too late. Thank you so much for sharing this recipe!
Wonderful! So glad you’ve enjoyed them!
Ok am about to make these cupcakes and I’m wondering how many cupcakes this recipe makes
24-26 Cupcakes
Hi Lindsay,
Thank you so much for this awesome recipe. ????❤️
I used it to make a huge batch of cupcakes for my sons birthday party at his kindergarten and they were just PERFECT!!!????
They were super easy to make, so moist and so delicious. I topped them with vanilla Swiss meringue and they went perfectly well together.
Thank you so much again for your time and energy in giving us all your awesome recipes. ????❤️
I made these recently, even after reading the comments where some people had trouble. With nothing to lose I went ahead, and they were perfect! I followed the weight and metric measurements and which was very helpful, as I know there are differences between American and Australian cup sizes. This recipe will be in high rotation now. I used grape seed oil and I was a little nervous about using all the water, so I only used about 180ml. They took a little longer to cook as I think I used slightly larger cup cake liners. Will be looking at your chocolate version for next time! Thanks for your recipe.
Wonderful! I’m so glad you enjoyed! 🙂
Hello! I am a kindergarten teacher at an international school in Thailand. Our 100th day of school is in two days and I was in a pinch to find an easy but delicious recipe to bake 100 cupcakes. I LOVE this recipe! All 100 cupcakes came out beautifully. I even swapped the vanilla for coconut, strawberry, and almond in different batches. I cant wait to see how they go over with the kids….if I can get my husband to stop eating them. Thanks for the recipe!
That’s wonderful! I hope the kids enjoy and I’m glad your husband is enjoys the cupcakes!
Holy cupcakes! These are perfect! I used gluten free flour and rice milk, bunged all the dry ingredients into a bowl, and added the wet ingredients straight on top, and used the cups measurement. P.ERrrr.FECT.
I’m so glad you enjoyed!
I am looking for a good cupcake recipe for my daughters birthday to send to school. She has a friend in her class that is allergic to eggs..what could I do to ensure her friend can eat these cupcakes? Any good substitutions?
I’m really not familiar with egg substitutions. I’m sorry!
Hi Lindsay,
I was just reading over the ingredients and I was wondering how many cupcakes this would makes.
-Brynn
This recipe will make about 24-26 cupcakes.
horrible formula! wayyyyy to much liquid made the formula the texture of crepe mixture. when the cupcakes were taken out of the oven after 15 mins, they were bouncy and tastes dreadful! i really wanted to like this recipe because of all the reviews but i have never made anything so bad!!!
Hi, I’m anxious to try this but I have a few questions. Does the water have to be a certain temperature, and if I were to substitute butter for oil would measurements be the same, and for the butter would I melt, or soften it?
It doesn’t have to be a certain temperature. I haven’t tried it with oil or melted butter, but I’d suggest trying the oil over the butter.
Not sure what I did wrong but I pulled these cupcakes out and they looked fabulous, until I let them sit for two minutes and then they shrunk and sunk until they were half the size almost! So sad I wasted an evening prepping these and they look awful! I can maybe salvage a few as they still taste alright and with icing it might be okay- but more like kid size cupcakes than adult!!
Hello!
I loved your recipe I changed it up and used a cream cheese icing instead. I found that it worked great, but my cupcakes didn’t grow much even with only filling it half way. Why would it come out spongey is that normal? Like it tastes really good.
10/10 on your recipe. 🙂
It’s hard for me to picture exactly what you’re describing, but I’m not totally sure why they wouldn’t rise fully. The mixing method is pretty straightforward, so maybe check your baking powder?
Great recipe! I halved the recipe and made into mini cupcakes and they came out lovely! Thank you for sharing!
That’s awesome, I’m so glad you enjoyed!
Just want to let you know that I just made these, and followed your directions exactly, and they came perfect ! So good I can’t stop eating them (neither can my husband lol)
Awesome! So glad to hear it!
What a lovely recipe. Everything worked a treat. Being from Australia I had to look up what shortening was and all purpose flour. Cakes turned out lovely and moist and the icing on top delicious.
This will be my goto recipe for vanilla cupcakes. Thank you
I’m so glad to hear you enjoyed them!
Hi. Your cupcake recipe is amazing, i love it. Just one problem. How do I get them to not brown? I baked them at 150 degrees Celsius and they still brown. Please help. Thanks.
Hmm, like on the sides? What color is the pan you’re using? A lighter pan will be less likely to brown than a darker pan.
That so so delicious.. Thanks for your sharing!!
I have tried your Vanilla cup cake recipe twice & both times I found that they are nice & soft. Last time trying was for my friends’ birthday 3 days ago. Everyone loved them and some asked for the recipe, I share to hem your blogs link.
I loved these cupcakes. I had to make 500 cupcakes for my senior project and I used these cupcakes. I had to quintuple the batter but they came out perfectly! I can’t wait to sell these cupcakes to the public, I’ll definitely be mentioning your name and website when I present these <3
I’m so glad you enjoyed them!
Hi, I am from Mozambique. I tried your cupcakes for a party and they came out stunning. Thank you so much for this recipe. I am a first timer baking cupcakes and the recipe was simple and easy to follow 10/10. I made a little twist on top for the decoration since I didn’t use frosting, so instead I used the same batter and added cocoa powder and made little swirls on top. Wish I could send you pics to have a look at it.
That’s awesome! I’m so glad you enjoyed! 🙂
Made these cupcakes for my sons baker baker day at school and the teacher said the children loved it!! So I was in the mood to make chocolate cake followed this recipe and added what was left of the cocoa in the tin and coffee to the water and definitely the best cake I ever had… Thanks so much!! A winner!!
I’m glad you enjoyed them! Thanks Dee-Anne!
This had a seret cornbread taste to it
Why is that??
I love this recipe. Do you have any vanilla cupcake recipes that do not use eggs? Planning a birthday party for my daughter, but her cousins are allergic to eggs. 🙁
I’m glad you enjoyed them! I’m sorry, but I don’t have a recipe without eggs.
I love this recipe and they store really well. The cupcakes are delicious and my family loved the cupcakes, I had to hide them to make sure that i had something for later. The first batch they ate the whole thing within twenty minutes. Overall, everyone loved the cupcakes and they deserve a five-star review.
I’m so glad you enjoyed the cupcakes!
Can I use butter for the icing instead of shortening?
Yes, you can.
Hi Lindsey! Question : which method for measuring flour do you use? Spoon and level, or scoop and level? Does that make sense? 😉 I am pretty sure I’ve made this recipe before (and loved it!) but just want to be as exact as possible – making it for my son’s 14th birthday! Thanks in advance!
I actually weigh my ingredients, but I’d suggest spoon and level. I’m glad you’ve enjoyed them!
Not happy with the recipe at all. Never made a batter that ended up so watery, they were moist but rubbery . I had to actually add another 1/2 cup of flour to get the batter to thicken somewhat and that didn’t help either. I baked 2 dozen with this recipe and the cupcakes didn’t have a nice crown or dome after baking. I had let the rest of the batter sit for like 1/2 hour just enough for just two more cupcakes and they seem to get a nice dome shaped crown after I baked those but the rest…hate to say it not a good recipe,
Did you try baking them before adding the extra flour? The thin batter is exactly as it’s supposed to be.
I tried the half portion of the ingredients to try out. But, i was failed. The cupcakes turned out to be dense and not fluffy. Please advise.. i am so dying to bake successful cupcakes but never did so far.
Some people do tend to have issues with these cupcakes, I’m not sure why. If you try them again and still have the same issues, I would suggest trying my Favorite Moist Vanilla Cupcakes or my Moist Vanilla Layer Cake can be made into cupcakes as well. I hope this helps!
I love vanilla flavor too much. Thanks for sharing with us this such a great moist vanilla cupcakes.
I’m so glad you enjoyed the cupcakes!
Hi ..i was just wondering I’m not sure if it’s been said but when you pour the water in the better do you have to boil it first..sry stupid question making cupcakes and using 11am different recipes and saw urs and really want to try it…reason I ask cuz others you need too..sry again
No you don’t need to boil the water first, it can be room temperature.
I Lindsay I have been following your blog and love making your recipes. However, with this and other vanilla cakes that I make from scratch seem to be sticky on top. The cupcakes were NOT stored in any container, i left them on the wire rack overnight. When you touch them with your finger they feel sticky and if you were to roll them on their tops it would stick to the surface. I use good fresh ingredients. And have tried lowering or raising the temperature of the bake. Any suggestions???
In my experience, all cakes do the same thing. It’s just the moisture from the cake. It settles on top like that and I don’t know of any way to avoid it.
Hi!! I made these cupcakes.. and they were moist and tasted amazing too! However my cupcakes spilled out of the liners so most of them had uneven tops.. what could be the reason for this? How do I fill my liners in order to get that perfect cupcake shape? What am I doing wrong? Please do reply! Thanks.
It sounds like the liners were over filled. They should be filled about half way.
I have used this cake recipe for months regarding cupcakes and 6-8 inch cakes and its a HUGE hit! I have come across some difficulty when baking this cake in 10-12 inch round pans and sheet pans. The cake seems to drop in the middle after cooling and is very dense. I always leave my cakes in the pan until fully cooled. I love this recipe and don’t want to give it up, but for my larger cakes it doesn’t seem to be working. What could be the potential problem or how can I fix this?
I’m so glad to hear you’ve enjoyed it! I honestly don’t know why it’d have an issue at a larger size. I haven’t ever made that size, but it works well as a 9×13 usually.
Hi if i want to use butter to replace the oil so how many grams of butter i need?
I haven’t tried that with this particular recipe to see if it’d work or not. If you’d like a butter based cake, you could try this one or this one.
Hi! I’ve made this recipe as cupcakes before and they turned out amazing! I was just wondering if you can use the cupcake recipe for cake instead? I know you have a vanilla cake recipe very similar to this one but I don’t want to mess with the taste of those cupcakes! Thanks!
Yes, you can. I actually used it as the vanilla cake layers in this Berry Mascarpone Layer Cake.
Disappointing recipe! Followed recipe to the letter and they came out dense and undercooked even after 25 minutes in the oven – after 17 minutes they were raw! I’m a pretty good baker so don’t know what went wrong here but I think I’ll be sticking to cupcakes that use the creaming method as this has always worked – I was hoping the oil would make moist cupcakes but now will stick to normal fluffy ones from here on 🙁
There’s a note just above the recipe about some people having this problem. I’m really not sure why it happens to some, yet others have the same result as me. I’m sorry they didn’t work out. If you’d like to try a recipe that uses both the creaming method and a little oil for moisture, this vanilla cake is great and can be made as cupcakes.
The flavor was great but my cupcakes didn’t rise. I ended up with a half filled cupcake that was moist but dense. Any ideas what happened? Measured all ingredients by weight.
I’m really not sure. I have a note just above the recipe because some people do seem to have this issue and I genuinely don’t know why. I’m sorry!
Thank you for this recipe !!!! What a hit … delicious ???? and is definitely going into the the book of keeper recipes ????
I’m so glad you enjoyed it! Thanks Cara!
So moist and delicious! Made these on a Wednesday night for a Saturday wedding and they were excellent! Thank you!
I’m so glad you enjoyed them!
Can we use cake flour instead of All Purpose Flour.
I haven’t tried it with this recipe to be able to say for sure.
Hi – is it possible to use your cupcake recipe and frosting for cake pops?
I would think so, but I haven’t tried it.
The recipe for both the frosting and cupcakes/cake are great. I’ve made this twice now, using half the cake batter to make a three small 6 inch cake layers and twelve cupcakes. The cake is moist and texture is on-point. The frosting is the perfect compliment to the cake and super easy to make. Rave reviews from everyone that has tasted this cake! I’ve been looking for a great go-to vanilla cake recipe for a while and this is a winner. 🙂 Thank you!
Wonderful! So glad it’s been a hit!
My campers and I baked these cupcakes and they were delicious! We scooped the frosting into five different sandwich sized ziplock bags and added food coloring to four of them. We ended up with red, yellow, blue, green and the original colored frosting to decorate our cupcakes. They had a great time! Thank you for sharing.
That sounds so fun! I’m glad you enjoyed them!
These tasted very good! They were soft, a bit dense, but overall delicious. I had to increase the bake time by quite a few minutes. Any idea why they would be sticking to the wrapper?
I’m glad you enjoyed them! Not sure about the sticking. It could be the brand of cupcake wrapper.
This is my favourite cupcake recipe to use, love it so much
Wonderful! So glad to hear that!
We made these cupcakes and they turned out horrible don’t know where we went wrong, looked over the recipe Many times and they still turned out bad…. very disappointing
Hello from Malaysia????????
I’ve tried your moist choc cupcake before this and it turns out very good..my family and friends love it so much…
And today I tried this moist vanilla cupcake for the 2nd time..but unfortunately..its not moist as your cupcake..????????bake for 20minutes..but the inside is still like dough and heavy.. i dont know what happened as I follow the recipe one by one..please help me????????
Hmmm, strange. I know some people have had trouble with this one and I really don’t know why. They are so similar it doesn’t quite make sense. I can’t recreate it to test it either. One thing that I might try (if you’d like to try again), is reducing the baking powder to maybe 2 1/2 teaspoons and see what that does. If you try it, I’d be very curious to hear the result.
These turned out perfectly! Thanks for the great recipe!
Wonderful! Glad to hear you enjoyed them!
Just wanted to say I made these with cashew milk for my son’s first birthday (he is allergic to dairy) and the substitution worked well! I followed all other directions as written and used weights for the dry ingredients.
Great recipe, thank you!
So glad to hear they worked well for you! Thanks Vanessa!
Overall I give this recipe 4 stars! The consistency is perfect, not too dense and heavy like some other recipes I’ve tried. My only complaint is that there is a slight lack of flavor for my personal preference. I think a little more vanilla or vanilla bean would amp it up just a notch.
I was so excited to bake these cupcakes for a pre-wedding celebration but it totally flopped! I baked them for more than double the recommended time but they were still raw inside. I had to go back to my trusty Hummingbird recipe at the last minute. What a disappointment.
I’m about to make these today, I’m from Australia, with regards to the sugar, is that caster sugar? or normal sugar?
Thanks.
It’s regular granulated sugar in the cupcakes.
We just made these for my daughter’s 8th birthday – delicious! Thank you for a great recipe!
So glad you enjoyed them!
Hi
This is my go to vanilla cupcake recipe. We adore it! I’ve been asked to make these for an event and would like to freeze them for a couple days. Do you think that would be alright? A friend told me it would make them dense and sticky
So glad to hear you enjoy them! As for freezing, you might want to try it beforehand to see. I don’t tend to freeze things much. It can affect texture a bit sometimes and sticky tops are probably from condensation as they defrost. But I usually recommend defrosting in the fridge, which helps.
How many cupcakes do you get out of this batter?
24-26, found underneath the recipe title in the pink recipe card.
Have made these cupcakes and they are spot on delicious. Was wondering if it is possible to make them into chocolate cupcakes? And if so how would I go about doing it?
I’m so glad you enjoyed them! This would be my chocolate cupcake version of them.
I just made these great cupcakes today and they turned out so well. Delicious, fluffy and so easy to make. Thank you xoxo
I love these cupcakes however I’d like a recipe that I can make ahead and freeze. Do you think they will freeze well? How do I prevent the tops from getting sticky?
They should freeze fine. It’s hard to say about the sticky tops. I believe that comes from the condensation after thawing them and it’d be hard to avoid.
These are sooooooo awesome ???????? Thanks a million!
Glad you enjoyed them!
Oh my goodness! These were amazing. Best cupcakes i have ever made and because the batter was so thin, cleanup was so much easier. Thanks for the recipe. This blows the OG out of the water.
So glad you enjoyed them!
I made these cupcakes and was very disappointed., I will never make them again! they were terrible spongy like and I followed the recipe to the T. I don’t think the water is necessary and they were to sweet for my liking.
2 1/2 cups of flour is 300 grams? It says right in the flour bag, 1/4 cup is 30g, making 1 cup 120g and 2.5 cups 300g. I can’t help but wonder if that is one of the issues people are having? I always weigh my ingredients so I’m hoping I don’t have any problems but it’s just a thought.
You could look at many different sources and they’d all have slightly different measurements for what ingredients weight, unfortunately. That said, I use weight measurements when baking, so the amounts listed are exactly what I use.
Just tried your recipe for mother’s day. Added a few more ingredients as I can’t help myself ???? yummy results. Nice and soft and moist. Hmmm! Thanks for the help making my partners mother’s day breakfast great ????
So glad you enjoyed them!
Hi thank you for this recipe but please can i have recipe for 40 cupcakes using butter pls.
Thank you
Hi, This recipe looks amazing, am going to use it for a science fair project thanks so much!!! Also, if I am going to replace the oil with butter (for my project), do you know the ratios? xxx Thanks!
I don’t believe it will work with butter. I hope the science fair goes well!
Can I add sprinkles to the batter to make these funfetti vanilla cupcakes?
Sprinkles would fall right to the bottom of these cupcakes since the batter is so thin. You could do it with these cupcakes though.
hi lindsay
do i have to add the water?
and is it ok if i reduce the sugar are the cupcakes very sweet?
THANKS
I haven’t tried it without the water or with reduced sugar, so I can’t say how that’d turn out.
Made these tonight for Strawberry shortcake cupcakes. The only change I made was no water and 1 1/2 cups of milk. They came out super moist and delicious and were able to hold up to the strawberry filling.
Great recipe!
So glad you enjoyed them!
Turned out moist and light. Texture is really good, but I find the taste is lacking. I halved the recipe. Maybe add more vanilla or use vanilla paste for stronger flavor? I have used other recipe that has called for sour cream and that seems to give good flavor. Can I use sour cream here? Thank you!
I agree that sour cream is a nice addition. I haven’t tried it in these cupcakes, but use in this recipe.
Hi, I’m about to try this recipe for the first time 🙂 For the frosting, is it best to use and electric mixer? Thank you!
Yes, either a stand or hand mixer is best.
Hi, love your recipe! Ive been searching for an exceptional vanilla cupcake/cake recipe. Where the cupcakes are concerned I have definitly found it here. On the other hand I tried this as a cake recently and it was the strangest cake I’ve ever made. Ive been trying to figure out just what the heck happened but i cant even begin to understand what would produce those results.
The reaction started while they were baking in the oven, about halfway through their cook time. It’s hard to even describe it accurately but it was almost like the edges of the cake started to pull into the middle in lines eventually forming a sort of raised cake island in the middle that browned a lot faster than the rest of the cake. It also had the loosest crumb I’ve ever seen in a cake, the crumbs themselves were huge, you could literally taste every single one when you took a bite. It fell apart terribly too when i tried to trim and stack the layers, i had to piece it together.
Very strange and interesting results. I am a very experienced baker and although i usually tweak recipes like crazy when i make them, I followed yours to a T because I have a lot of respect for your recipes.
I thought i would let you know my results because i was thinking that maybe your a bit like me in the way that your fascinated by baking experiments and also like to know how the recipes you’ve created work out for other people.
I also want you to know that i mean no disrespect. Your recipes are genius and you are super talented. No matter how great a recipe is its not going to work the same way for everyone who tries it.
Thank you for your time and for reading this overly long comment!!! Let me know your thoughts.
So glad to hear you enjoy the recipes! This sounds like a very strange result! I’m always interested in how things turn out for people, I just wish I could solve everyone’s problem when things don’t turn out. In this case though, it’s quite strange that you were successful with the cupcakes, but not the cake. I know plenty of people have made it both ways with success and I used it in this cake here. I know some people have had issues with the recipe, but mostly it’s that both ways either work or don’t. Even with plenty of experience I sometimes get distracted and forget or mis-measure something. Could that have happened?
Hmmm I guess thats always a possibility, I’m not going to say that it couldn’t have happened ???? but if I had to guess I would say I did it correctly. I suppose I will have to try it again to be sure.
I wonder which ingredient, measured incorrectly could produce that result. It’s such a nice recipe I would love to use it for my cakes as well so hopefully I can figure out why that happened.
Thanks for the reply!! I appreciate you taking the time.❤️
Your recipe calls for water, is it HOT or COLD, specifics please. I made it with tepid water.
Cupcakes were stodgy and tough. Awful.
The temperature doesn’t really seem to make a difference. I’m not sure what happened with the cupcakes, but it shouldn’t have been the water temperature.
These cupcakes are very moist but are dense and lack flavor. You would be better off using a mix.
Great recipe. I’ve made it as per the recipe once and again today substituting a few things. I made a gluten free flour and coconut water (instead of milk) version. They worked! Happy child. Still full of sugar but without the gluten / dairy element. Just as good and fluffy!
Glad to hear they’ve worked out well!
What are the nutritional values for this recipe.
I don’t know, but I believe there are some sites that allow you to put the recipe in and see the results.
Hi Lindsay! I made this recipe today and the first time was a flop. I am in NM and the altitude is 6500 ft. I changed the baking powder to 2 tsp and increased the temperature to 375 degrees and they came out great. Maybe for your fellow readers this might fix some of the issues. Excellent recipe! Thank you!
Candice
Thanks so much for sharing what worked for you Candice! I’m so glad they worked in the end!
How much butter would one substitute in place of oil? I despise using oil in my baking, even boxed mixes. and I would like to make the batter from scratch. I just can’t find a decent on the uses all purpose flour.
I don’t know. I haven’t tried butter with this particular recipe. I’ve tried it with something similar though and it didn’t go particularly well. If you’d like a butter-based vanilla cupcake, this one is a favorite and uses all purpose flour.
Made these today!!!!! They turned out sooooo moist and delicious!!!! Besides,it’s such straight forward recipe that I made along with my 5 year old!!!! No need to mention he loved it!!!!! ????????
Thanks for sharing!
Love from Singapore! ????
I’m glad you were able to make them with your son – how fun! Thanks Manasi!
Love these cupcakes! I am planning on making them for a party on Friday. Can I make ahead and frost on a Wednesday? Or is that too far ahead? I want them to stay fresh and yummy, just wanted to ask the pro 🙂 Thank you!
The fresher, the better but Wednesday for Friday should be fine.
I also tried this receipe and am a reasonably confident cook. So sorry but will be going to remain with a receipe of Butter/Sugar creamimg method. i did not like the texture and mine also took longer to cook than the receipe said. Not fussed on the flavour and yes they were far from Light and Fluffy!
I like many others had issues with this recipe. I’m a pretty avid baker so I am confident in my skills, but these didn’t rise whatsoever and completely stuck the cupcake liners. I used fresh baking powder and didn’t over mix, in fact I mixed by hand. Really disappointed.
100% agree with you. Followed the recipe to a T. It stuck to the wrapper, the texture was weird, not light and fluffy at all. And did not taste good.
Could u tell me why my cupcakes dipped flat and low with this recipe?
What can cause thsi
I’m really not sure. I haven’t ever had that issue. Cupcakes can sink when there is an issue with the baking powder or if the oven door is opened too soon during baking. There are several possibilities. Tough to say for sure.
You’re right. I did open the door too often to check. 🙁
Hiya,
I tried this recipe yesterday. For those trying from South Africa, I used the cup measurements and it works perfectly.
I did cut the sugar by half a cup.
A lovely, easy to make recipe. And the best part is that you can make this cupcake without using your beaters/mixers. I used a spoon to mix.
Thanks for sharing your recipe. And I will be sure to try out more…
I’m so glad you enjoyed them!
Congrats on the twins!!
So cute!!
Thanks Tabitha!
Just made these and they are far too moist and cake like. The kids, hubby and myself gave this recipe and thumbs down. Not a nice light and fluffy cupcake at all.
how do you email a recipe to someone else?
Just under the title of the post, there’s some sharing buttons. I’ve added an email option.
I made these for Easter. I like trying different posted recipes (I follow to a T). They looked great after being piped. But that was about it. I had to leave in my oven 10 minutes longer than stated and I understand not all ovens are calibrated the same. They came out moist but quite dense. Also, not a fan the Crisco/Butter frosting combo. A regular vanilla butter cream frosting would have been creamier and wouldn’t have felt heavy. They did look pretty though. 🙂
I’m sorry to hear they didn’t meat your expectations. If you’re looking for another one to try, these would be an option.
I’ve tried a lot of vanilla cupcake recipes, and this one is by FAR one of the best! Incredibly moist and did not shrink at all when they came out of the oven. Made them for Easter, halved the recipe and got 14 cupcakes and 6 very happy kiddos.
So glad you enjoyed them!
I’m also going to write negative comment about this recipe because 101 of cupcake baking is not over mixing your batter, as this forces all the bubbles that keep your mixture light and airy out, but the addition of the one cup of water at the end forces you to completely over mix the batter and I had poor results. I went against my better judgment following the recipe to a “T” and should not have.
The cupcakes looked beautiful when they first came out of the oven but once cooling off they shrunk so much. I measured all ingredients with a scale so I don’t think the recipe went wrong there. Maybe I over mixed? I’m unsure but this recipe was disappointing and abnormally thin for a cupcake mix.
I just made these cupcakes and they really are the best vanilla cupcakes I’ve ever had! My husband said they are perfect. Thank you for the recipe. Will be having these for my sisters 40th birthday!
So glad you enjoyed them!
These looked lovely on your site. I just finished baking them and they don’t look like they rose completely. They are very white as well. The recipe was intriguing but very disappointed in them.
I’ve made these twice and your chocolate ones once. Rave reviews all three times!! These are so moist and delicious!! Making again for Easter!! Thank you!!
Awesome! So glad you’ve enjoyed them!
I made these yesterday and they were amazing. They were moist and flavorful, and the frosting was spot on. Came here to left everyone else know too!
I’m so glad you enjoyed them!
Sooo yummy!! Can I use gluten free flour for someone who is gluten free? Is it the same measurement? Thank you!
I haven’t tried it, but that should be fine. And yes, the same amount.
Hey, your recipe looks amazing! I can’t wait to try it. I do have a question… for the icing can I use butter instead of shortening?
Thanks.
Yes, you can.
I made these, they were awesome! My family enjoyed!! Moist delicious, lovely. Thanks for the recipe.. i look forward to memorizing and pass it down my clan.
Thanks Betsy! Glad they enjoyed them!
Thank you for this amazing and easy recipe, I’m making cupcakes for my son to take to school for his birthday and these are great.
I used coconut oil as that’s all I had.
Awesome! Glad you’re happy with them!
I loved this recipe! I made St Patrick’s Day cupcakes for my office. I added green gel food coloring & iced them with dark chocolate ganache coated in green sanding sugar. They were a HUGE HIT! I’m a long-time baker. The watery batter was weird to me, but I noticed how popular this post is so I made them & they turned out amazing! 2 cups of sugar is a lot. I could’ve cut back, but icing with dark chocolate ganache added a really good bitter-sweet balance. Thanks for the recipe!
So glad to hear they were a hit!
I made these cupcakes for my daughters fifth birthday and they were absolutely delicious ! She even ate several without icing.I have never been able to find a really good homemade vanilla cupcake recipe until now. They turned out so moist and they were very easy to make.I’m so happy I found this recipe. Thank you!
So glad you are happy with it! Thanks Liz!
I just made a batch of 2 dozen cupcakes and an 8 inch round cake with this recipe for an upcoming wedding and this will likely become my go-to oil-based vanilla recipe from here on out. I’m so pleased with the flavour, colour and texture. With an oven that runs a little cool like mine I found that 28 minutes was perfect for the cake and 21 minutes for the cupcakes, they do not deflate when rotating the pans mid bake for even heat distribution. Thank you for a lovely, reliable and delicious recipe.
Awesome! So glad to hear you’re happy with it! 🙂
THESE ARE THE BEST EVER! I had been searching for forever for a from-scratch vanilla cake that would actually taste and look good, and these are it! The original recipe from this site for the moist fluffy vanilla cupcakes were fantastic as well, but these are even better- and I love using the little bit of oil instead of all the butter! Easier to make and so so good! I have even used the base recipe to make other flavors and it turns out so well- lots of compliments! I have not used the icing recipe, so this review is just for the cakes themselves! Amazing!
So glad to hear you love the recipe!
Thank you so much for this recipe! It turned out great! This will be my go-to recipe from now on. I’m definitely gonna try to make a cake out of this batter. Greetings from Belgium ????
So glad you enjoyed them! You can use it as a cake – I did in this recipe. 🙂
Stumbled upon your recipe today. With all the recipes out there, finding this one makes me feel like I’ve won the lottery!
I’m in charge of making my brother’s 50th wedding anniversary cake in April and I’ve made so many vanilla cake recipes searching for the right one. This one is the winner, by far. The icing is perfect as well! Thank you so much for sharing your recipe 🙂
Awesome! So glad you found the recipe and enjoyed it!
I made these and doubled the recipe I also added in two cups of crushed Oreos but it seems like the Oreos didn’t bake through into the cupcake and they stayed more on top any suggestions? I thought the batter being a looser batter caused this I’m wondering if I added the crushed Oreos right after it’s done mixing but before I add in the water?? I made these with fun fetti and had no issues
Hmmm, yea that seems strange. If anything, I’d expect the Oreos to fall to the bottom of the cupcakes.
This is my goto cupcake recipe. They always come out great and my grandsons love them. . Well the other day we were mixing up the batter and instead of my grandson grabbing the cupcake pan he grabbed a 9×13 pan and said let’s use this pan.. It’s their project so we made it as a cake. It still came out sooo good, moist. . We made chocolate icing. The whole thing came out delish!!
So glad you’ve enjoyed it!
These cupcakes are genius! I use them every time and people rave about them. I also poured some passion fruit syrup over them- lucky they weren’t for me otherwise I’d eat all 26 myself! Love all your recipes.
Glad to hear you enjoy them – and the other recipes! Thanks Serena!
I seem to be having inconsistent results with this recipe. It’s better when I add the sugar to the wet ingredients and mix first, but the last time I did that I got a sugary crust. I’m thinking about cutting down the sugar to 1 3/4 cups next time to see if that helps. I also think that it comes out better with less beating, so using a handheld whisk and adding the dry ingredients more slowly. When I added it all at once, I had to use an electric beater for about a minute and I’m not sure if that also changed the texture.
Hi Lindsay,
I just made your cupcakes for my son’s 7th birthday and he really wanted strawberry flavor. So, I experimented and substituted 1/4 cup of the milk with 1/4 cup fresh strawberry puree. Instead of using 1 cup of plain water, I used 3/4 cup strawberry puree and added 1/4 cup water. Since my baking pans usually burn the bottoms a bit, I also lowered the temperature down to 325 degrees and baked them a little longer. These little pink cupcakes turned out beautifully!! This is the Best scratch strawberry cupcakes I have ever had! My son even said to me that these were the best cupcakes Ever!!! 🙂
Thank you for such a great recipe that I was able to easily add the flavors without ruining the texture or fluffiness of the cupcakes. I will definitely try this recipe for vanilla cupcakes in the future. I’m sure they will be divine!
Glad to hear they worked out! They sound delicious!
Thanks for sharing! Can I make the frosting very far ahead of time? Or does it loose the texture?
Yes, you can make it ahead. You’ll just want to stir it well again before using it.
These looks so good! I’ve never had shortening in frosting. Does the taste come through? Does it melt very easily?
I don’t think you really taste it, but some people are more sensitive to it than other. And no, it doesn’t melt easily, which is one of the reasons I use it.
Can this cupcake recipe be used for mini cupcakes. How much should I reduce the baking time?
Yes, you can. I’d try 7-10 minutes.
These look delicious, Lindsay!
I have some cake flour on hand and am wondering if I can use it instead of the AP flour? Or do you think it will change the structure of the cupcakes too much?
I haven’t tried it and am not sure what changes would happen, I’m sorry.
Hi!
I did your cupcakes and its my new favorite vanilla cupcake recipe 🙂
I was wondering if I could add more vanilla?
Thank you
Glad to hear it! Yes, you could certainly add a little more.
I tried this recipe now to the exact measurements .. What a pity, I really don’t like the texture and find them floury, sticky like and too too sweet.. Far from soft n fluffy. Not what I had expected. Thanks for the recipe… Like they say.. You’ll never know unless u try it 🙁 better luck next time… From Zimbabwe
Your recipe is a wow..am gonna try it out on tomorrow. From Nigeria…Kudos!!!!
I hope you enjoy them!
can I half the sugar I find it too sweet will this change the consistency?
People keep referring to sour cream and yogurt…I am sorry but I don’t see either in the recipe. Am I missing something?
Okay, made these cupcakes today and I was skeptical from the beginning because it appears there is far too much liquid in the batter, and as expected the cupcakes never rose. I an experienced baker and love to try out other peoples recipes for cakes and cupcakes and sure enough they never rose because the leavening agent cannot stand up to that much liquid. I plan to make these again tonight and this time I will decrease the liquid to 1 cup of milk. Will follow-up with another message when I have baked the second batch.
I think you may have misread the recipe. It is 1 cup milk and 1/2 oil. It is a very runny recipe but has worked everything I’ve tried it. She has another recipe too that isn’t as runny.
I made this recipe for a heart-shaped cake for Valentine’s Day. It was the BEST cake I’ve ever had! My family LOVED it! I also made the frosting and it was delicious. I then added marshmallow fluff to it to make it “my own” and it was delicious, too. Thank you for my new favorite cake recipe. No more box cakes for me!
I’m so glad to hear it! Thanks Hope!
I making this recipe again today for my daughter’s birthday! This time I am making the cupcakes so she can bring some home with her and I can keep some here with me (she can take 1 and I will keep 11, hahahah). can’t wait!!!
Hi Lindsay,
I found this recipe after making a batch of lemon cupcakes over the weekend and being disappointed by their dryness and poor texture. I just made a batch of these today and they are fabulous. They are so moist and tender that I can’t imagine using any other cupcake recipe (except your recipe for moist chocolate ones). Thanks for sharing the recipe. I was so inspired that I just ordered a copy of your book.
Going to try these tonight. Wondering what piping tip you used in the pictures for your cupcakes? Making cupcakes for my son’s upcoming 1st birthday party so hope these turn out well – some mixed reviews in your comments. I always make Betty Crocker Silver White Cake as cupcakes so interested to see how your recipe fares in comparison.
I used Ateco tip 844, a closed start tip similar to the Wilton 1M or 2D. You’re right that there are some mixed reviews. I genuinely don’t know why some people have trouble with them. If you’d like to try a recipe that seems to work well for everyone, there’s this one.
Hi Lindsay!
We like the recipe very much! They came out really well. Very moist and sweet. We had fun decorating them. Thanks so much for the recipe!! ????????
I decided on a whim to make these for my hubby as a Valentine’s Day surprise treat. I chose this recipe because I hate cake make with butter… it just comes out too dense for me. I halved the recipe, which was super easy to do (I always check the number of eggs before I try to halve a recipe). It made enough batter for more than 12 cupcakes (13 or 14 probably) – I might put a little less water next time? I did like that the batter was thin – I like being able to pour the batter from a large measuring cup, rather than spooning it it. They baked an extra 5-7 minutes or so. They came out really yummy, a little more dense than I expected but still delish! Thanks for a yummy and quick recipe!
Hi Lindsay.. Wow! They came out amazing… Absolutely lovely and delicious… I’m new to baking but the cupcakes were soft and fluffy…the frosting too… I reduced sugar in the frosting, otherwise followed your recipe religiously… God bless you and may all that you desire come true.. Thanking Jesus for finding your website.. ????
Hi i just saw some 1 asked whats shortening well its white cooking fat in UK its TREX OR WHITE FLORA for cooking
in Kenya its called KIMBO cooking fat im frm Kenya
in U S A it CRISSCO shortening
i hope it helps
dino
Dear , can you please make dairy free eggless vanilla cupcake?
My son school asked for that as some kids are allergic
Thanks ????
I have never made a vanilla cupcake/cake without butter. I was worried with how runny the batter is, but……..These cupcakes rock! so moist and light. Where has this recipe been all my life.
These are by far the best vanilla cupcakes I’ve ever made (and I’ve made a ton with all different recipes) Thanks for my new go to recipe.
Hey Lindsay,
I was looking a vanilla cake recipe with oil as the ones i try to make with butter tent to dry out pretty fast (especially after being refrigerated). I like this recipe. So can i substitute with for a cake instead – help me with pan size / baking time please.
Thanks,
Ruchira
Yes, it can be used as a cake. You can find it as a 9×13 here.
I halved the recipe, next time I will reduce the sugar exponentially. Very delicious recipe but need to adjust cooking time.
Hi!
I am just curious, what is the purpose of adding the water in this recipe? I have some of these in the oven right now…I’m excited!
I took the time to follow this recipe so precisely yet they tasted and smelled bad, had a strange consistency, stuck to the cupcake liners really bad, and did not rise properly. They also took way to longer than 17 minutes to bake to a non liquid state. Dissapointing.
hi Lindsay. checked your recipes and I loved them. I am going to try some. Thanks.
I really can’t wait to make these, they look delicious! But would it make a difference if I use cane sugar instead of granulated sugar or if I use skim milk instead of 2% ? Because I’m just wondering if it’s the thickness of the milk that gives it more of the flavor/thickness of the cupcake?
The sugar should be fine. I’d definitely recommend the 2% milk because of the higher fat content.
I made these last night to practice for a batch i’m going to make for my DD 4th Birthday. Yay your buttercream held together well in the Australian Heat. You think I could use all shortening for the frosting to make it even more stable for lunchtime heat? Thanks 🙂
So glad you enjoyed it! You can use all shortening if the stability is a big factor, but I would say that’s not as ideal as far as texture and flavor. If you can get away with half and half, I’d stick with that.
Disappointed with this recipe. The cupcakes came out doughy.
Where in the oven do I place my cupcake pan? Lower 3rd or center? Also, would it make a difference if I reduce the amount of sugar?
I try to place them in the center. I personally wouldn’t suggest reducing the sugar, but you could try it.
Oh. My. God. Made 18 cupcakes and one small round cake with this recipe. I think this is my vanilla cake recipe for life! SO good! Which is the most similar chocolate version please?
I’m so glad you enjoyed them! Here’s what I would call the chocolate version of them. 🙂
I want to make only 12 cupcakes. Do I just halve all the ingredients? Fan from Nairobi, Kenya.
Yes, just cut the recipe in half.
I made these cupcakes tonight and they were delicious!
Sorry to say these cupcakes were not as good as they look. I made no changes in the recipe and they have a flour taste and smell.
Mine look just like yours.
Made these last week. They came out beautiful and tasted great. Would like to make this recipe again but in a 9×13 pan. How long would you recommend to bake for?
Glad you enjoyed them! For a 9×13 pan, it should be roughly 30 minutes.
Have you ever tried making mini cupcakes with this recipe? I wanted to make smaller cupcakes for my daughters preschool class!
I haven’t tried with this particular recipe, but I have with this one. I believe I baked them for roughly 8 minutes.
Thank you for this recipe. The cupcakes are wonderful and the recipe is so easy! This is one of the few recipes that I can let my kids do 100% on their own because they are so straightforward and so forgiving.
Today they wanted to add food coloring but we had already poured the batter so we added 1 drop of color to each cup and they made designs with a stick. I didn’t expect that to look good after baking but they came our gorgeous!
Wonderful to hear! Glad you’ve enjoyed them!
Hi! I would like to try this recipe for my sister’s birthday. I’d like to know what kind of milk you are using because it’s hard to find some ingredients in our local stores. Thanks!
I use 2% milk.
Hello, these look great. Do you think I could sub with coconut oil instead of veg oil?
I haven’t tried it, but it should be ok.
Any thoughts on using coconut oil instead of vegetable oil?
Made these as a trial for a friend’s baby shower cupcakes and I love them!
I’ve never had a go to vanilla recipe and yours is definitely. Lightest cupcakes I’ve ever made, thank you!
Hi Lindsay,
What is the difference between this cupcake and your perfect moist and fluffy vanilla cupcake. They both seem like great recipes, but I’m wondering which one you think is better. I am an experienced baker, so difficulty and ingredients isn’t a problem. Thank you! Addison
Not to throw a wrench in your decision making, but this one is technically my favorite vanilla cupcake. Each has a different method. Generally similar ingredients except that this one has oil, not butter. It’s also a very simple batter to throw together and very thin. The “Perfect Moist and Fluffy Vanilla Cupcakes” are my original one and are the most dense of the options. The other one I linked to is more traditional with the creaming of butter and sugar and make a nice, fluffy cupcake. I hope that helps!
Best cupcake recipe ever! Thank you Lindsay!
L
Will it be ok to use silicon molds ?
I would think so.
Hi! I plan to make Cookie Dough Cupcakes for Christmas and was looking for a good vanilla cupcake recipe that would work. If I use your recipe as base, would it come out light and fluffy with the cookie dough balls or would it be too moist? Thanks so much!
I would think it’d be fine. Another option would be these cupcakes. Both are very good, just a preference thing.
Thanks Lindsay! They just came out of the oven and are indeed, very moist. And they’re so easy to make! I was surprised that I was already done! Definitely keeping this recipe for future use.
Hi!
I wanted to know if the cupcakes with butter cream could be kept out of the refrigerator and if so, for how long?
I use the frosting as the recipe is written – with butter and shortening. I know some people like to use all butter. If you do half and half, I leave them out of the fridge for several days. If you use all butter, I suggest refrigerating them and then serving at room temperature.
Thank you!!
How many cupcake do we bake with this recepie??☺????
It’s listed just under the title in the pink recipe card – 24-26 cupcakes.
Hello am a beginner . What if I separate the egg yolks and white and then whisk the egg whites to soft peaks and fold it to the rest of the mixture ?
I wouldn’t suggest that in this recipe.
I saw your vanilla cup cake. It looks so soft and lovely. I am going to try that during this weekend. I will let you know how it comes. I am from Sri Lanka. Our measurements wont make any difference i think.
Best cupcake recipe EVER!!!! Simple measures and it’s so yum and moist!! Saving this for sure
I love this vanilla cupcake recipe, it’s my new go-to! I’m thinking of using this recipe to make eggnog cupcakes for the holidays. I was wondering your opinion – do you think it would be better to replace some of the water or some of the milk in the recipe with eggnog? Thanks!
I’d suggest replacing the milk. You can also check out these recent Eggnog Latte Cupcakes I shared. The recipe is a little different, but very good!
This is my favorite vanilla cupcake recipe ever! Would it hurt to add lemon juice and lemon zest to the batter as well? I want to make lemon cupcakes but don’t want to change the recipe because it’s so good!
I’m so glad to hear that! You might be able to add a couple tablespoons of lemon juice, but more than that would likely alter the way the cupcakes bake. The zest would definitely be fine. You could also check out this Lemon Raspberry Cupcake. A little different, but also yummy.
I’m not exactly sure what I did wrong, but the cupcakes turned out to be very dense and grainy, even though my batter was runny to start with. However, still a great recipe, may try it again in the future 🙂
Perfect,thanks a lot ????
Made these today, came out beautiful and moist. However they did not rise much at all, the batter was a little over half way and they didn’t even rise to the top.
This is now my absolutely FAVOURITE cake recipe in the world! It came out perfect! I so love the texture of the cake. It cant fail! Thanks so much!
Awesome! So glad you enjoyed it!
I tried this as a cake recipe but it came out really dense and spongy. Didn’t hardly rise at all and I followed rhe recipe to a T! ???
Does it matter what kind of milk? I only have low fat and skim?
I typically use 2%. The higher fat content is good for baked goods.
How much does this make????????
You can find the amounts that recipes make just underneath the recipe title in the pink recipe card.
I was looking for this recipe for a looong time!!! Grams and ml measurements were very helpful also. I need to thank you a lot!!!!
hi can i use self raising flour instead of all purpose
I haven’t tried it in this recipe. Since self raising flour already has a leavening agent in it, you’d need to reduce or remove the baking powder as well.
I made this recipe last night to see how my family would like it during our get together today. I had a little bit of a problem though before I got there though. Let’s just say this recipe only makes 20 shall we? 😉
Ha! I’m glad you enjoyed the extra few! 🙂
Can I make mini cupcakes with this recipe and how long do I bake them for?
That should be fine. I usually start mini cupcakes around 7-10 minutes.
I just made these and they are very easy and FABULOUS!!! I used gluten free flour as I can’t have regular and they are super moist and fluffy…same texture as regular cake! I also added cinnamon and rum extract for a more fall flavor. Great base for many flavors and so versatile given it works with gluten free flour. Thank you so much!
If I don’t want to use all the batter right away can I freeze some?
How well do the cupcakes freeze?
I’ve never tried freezing batter, but I’d say you’re better off freezing the finished cupcakes. Just wrap them well and defrost in the fridge.
Hi Lindsay,
Your cupcakes look great! I’m planning to bake it for a colleague’s birthday. However was wondering, can I replace 1 cup of water with 1 cup of plain yoghurt instead?
I haven’t tried that specifically in this cupcake, but I’m not sure that’d be a great swap. If you’d like to use yogurt in a cupcake, I’d suggest trying this one and swapping out the sour cream for the yogurt.
I made these and they were a huge hit! My kids loved them and have even asked me to make these over other vanilla cupcake recipes. My only feedback would be that I wish the batter would make exactly 12 that way I didn’t have an awkward number when boxing them or cooking. I also found that they rose quite a bit so when icing, a lot had to be chopped off (icing on roses, flowers, the like). Overall though great moist, fluffy recipe!
can you make a video on how to make simple and fast chocolate cupcakes?
Here are my favorite chocolate cupcakes – they are simple and there’s a video. 🙂
I was skeptical at first because of the batter being so runny, but wow was I ever surprised that it actually worked! Fantastic recipe.
I usually don’t leave reviews but after making this recipe recently for a baby shower I must leave a review. The batter alone was delicious so I already knew the finished product would be yummy… and it was! For any others out there like me that like to read reviews before making, here’s what I learned while making these. 1. The batter is very thin and liquidy. I typically use a spoon to fill cupcake liners but that would be nearly impossible with this recipe so I poured the batter in the liners using a measuring cup. 2. ONLY FILL THEM HALF WAY!!!!! The first batch I filled 3/4 and they bubbled over. Second batch I only did barely half way and they were perfect. The flavor and texture was perfect and they were a complete success! This is now my go to recipe. Everyone at the baby shower just loved them and I didn’t even get to take any home! I did not use the icing recipe but I’m sure it is divine! Highly recommend this recipe.
Thanks for this! I like reading reviews before using a recipe too and I thought both points were super helpful.
Oh wow! This is definitely my current go-to vanilla cupcake recipe. I didn’t make the frosting here, just the cake itself. The cupcake came out moist and fluffy. Apart from reducing the sugar by 25%, I followed the recipe precisely. My kids, husband and mother in law started hanging around the kitchen the moment I took these out of the oven. Suffice it to say, it’s a winner recipe. Thanks Lindsay!
I’m so glad you enjoyed them!
I was unsure to make these from all the negative comments. However, I decided to trust the recipe. This was a big mistake; I wasted my time with dense and chewy cupcakes. After making the batter, I added the cup of water; the batter was very watery. It baked for 21 minutes. When I tried them, I though the sweetness was fine but texture was disappointing. I’m sorry I have to write a negative review but they need some work.
It seems like I’m not the only one who had issues with this recipe. I HATE that I wasted supplies on this recipe. The “batter” came out INCREDIBLY runny but not wanting to waste the supplies I tried baking it anyway and hoped for the best. It was incredibly heavy and dense and when I cut a piece out to see what the inside was like it was disgusting and looked as though it wasn’t baked all the way through even if it was.
DO NOT USE THIS RECIPE!! You will only be wasting time, supplies, and money!
These cupcakes tasted horrible 🙁 I wasted so much time and effort on them for my sisters birthday and they went straight into the trash.
Serves me right for trusting a random recipe!
Advice for future people, DO NOT USE THESE.
This is really good. My family loves it. I have noticed though, that I have to half the sugar in my recipes, otherwise it’s too sweet. I will definitely try these again. ????
Very impressed with the ease, colour, moistness and look. Unfortunately I found the taste to be too sweet (no problem, can cut down on sugar next time to taste) but my biggest issue was the flavour, very poor compared to using butter. Thank you so much anyway and glad i gave them a go xx
ps ..me be fussy about a buttery taste is not to say I won’t be making them again as this really is a fantastic recipe for the kids to get on with …especially as the batter is so liquid, much easier for them to get the right and equal amounts into the cases 😀
Certainly there can be a difference between butter and oil cakes. This is a nice oil-based option. For a butter-based cupcake, these are my favorites.
After I added the cup of water, the batter became very thin and watery. The baked cupcake tasted gummy instead of moist and fluffy. I used a food scale to measure all the ingredients. Do you know where I could have gone wrong?
Hi! This recipe sounds great! But I am doing 12 mini cupcakes. So should I do the recipe in half or is there some other way?
You could try cutting the ingredients in half, or just have some extra cupcakes.
Hello,
I made these cupcakes today and they taste wonderful !! Great recipe with great vanilla flavor. I used only 1 1/2 teaspoons of baking powder as I live in Albq NM which elevation is about 5500. I weighed everything and didn’t over mix. Will be using this recipe again. Thank you !
I have tried at least 30 different cupcake recipes and this one is by FAR the best. Light, fluffy, moist, perfect texture. Basically perfect. Thank you!!!
Do you have a Marble Cake recipe
Not currently.
Hello,
What would you recommend in Celsius for a fan forced oven? I can’t wait to try these!
I made these cupcakes exactly how it says and they turned out flat and raw even after baking for longer. Not happy with recipe as it was a waste of time and ingredients ????
should I use milk or water for the frosting? which one would you recommend?
I need to make 36-48 cupcakes. Can I simply double the ingredients or do you suggest making two separate batters?
Doubling it should be fine.
Gave this recipe a go. Personally, not quite for me. The high liquid content, yes, makes it moist however I feel the recipe ends up being too sweet without the rich taste you’d expect from a Vanilla cupcake.
Hi Lindsay,
In all your cupcake recipe videos, you use a measuring cup to pour the exact amount of batter in each case, I was just wondering which size cup you use???
Are you referring to the scoop I use? It’s a 1 3/4 oz scoop.
Hi. This is the first time I read about adding shortening to buttercream. Will it make the buttercream frosting more stable once piped? Will it add flavor to the frosting? Thanks.
I’d suggest checking out this post about why I use what I use in the frosting and then this post about consistency. 🙂 I hope that helps!
Hi, i just finished making this recipe, and omg…it’s taste amazing, flufy, moist its ….. yummy ????????
Only one problem i had now, after baked my cupcake round is srhink, so the cakes edges is separated from the paper cup. Is there something wrong that i did? (Im using bake paper cup)
Beside that, everything is perfect!! Great recipe ????????????????
Thank you ????????????
Hi I’ve made these cupcakes twice and the flavor is great but I need help getting my cupcakes to dome nicely , instead both times I’ve made them they dome a little volcano-ish what can I do!! I’ve followed the recipe to the letter and i can’t figure out why the volcano tops
Just made these cupcakes today. Only had almond milk so i figured I’d give it a try. They are amazing and soooo moist. I do get a hint of the almond milk but it tastes fine. Thanks for sharing the recipe.
I’m to hear they worked well and you enjoyed them!
These cupcakes are delicious, I have made them three times! Can this recipe be used for a cake?
So glad you enjoyed them! Yes, it can. I used it in a cake here, if you’d like to take a look at those instructions.
Just have to say,besides my grandmothers recipe these are the best cupcakes I have made,my grandson loves to make cupcakes so he helped make them and my kids and grandkids devoured them in an evening. I tweeked the recipe by adding a tsp.of cinnamon,I am a fan of this spice and yum. Thank you for sharing this recipe. Everyone who bakes should give this one a try.
I made these cupcakes and my family loved them!!! Big winner in my house so a huge thanks. 🙂
I never comment in anything, but I felt I needed to regarding this recipe.
I’ve never not creamed my butters and sugar together. I thought it was strange/a mistake that your recipe stated to add the sugar to the flour. By the last step, I was sure there was a mistake with the 1 cup of water because the batter was SOO runny – not even CLOSE to the consistency of any batter I’ve ever made before.
I decided “screw it, I’m this far in” and patiently waited for what I assumed would be a disaster.
I was amazed when the end result was probably the best cupcake I’ve ever had. Seriously, I’ve already eaten so many that I have a stomach ache and I’m still eating them. Thank you for such a great recipe!
So glad to hear you enjoyed them!
This is exactly how I feel. Almost word for word. In fact I started to think I had impulsively written it while in a cake coma. I was sure something was off but it turned out to be the best cake ive ever made. Possibly the only recipe I will ever use again!
I’m so glad you enjoyed it!
This is an awful recipe, and does not provide enough information for people outside of America. 1/10.
Hi! I’m from Brazil. I made this cupcake, and … My God !!! Delicious!! I want to know if I can use this recipe for wedding cakes. My Brazilian recipes are not working well here.
The recipe does work for cakes. You can see an example here.
These cupcakes tasted terrible. A group of 6 year olds would not even finish a single mini cupcake.
I don’t think you’d want to make any other cupcake after making these. They are as moist as can be. I use “Best Vanilla Frosting” for the topping, which is a mixture of cream cheese and heavy whipping cream, which I pipe on. They are just so easy to make (no creaming) and go down a treat!
Can you use canola oil instead of vegetable oil or is it optional?
I haven’t tried the canola oil, but I’d think it’d be fine.
Can I use Vanilla paste or Vanilla Bean? If so, would I still use 1T? I just like to see the vanilla specks and Love the Vanilla flavor .
Yes, the paste should be fine. I would think a tablespoon should be enough.
I have no idea what went wrong? My cupcakes turned out dense, more like a muffin. I feel like, perhaps it was too much flour. Looking through the comments, it doesn’t seem like anyone else had this outcome. I like my cupcakes to be light and fluffy and these turned out dense:( I’m bummed!
Hi i saw that the batter was a little bit runny not that stiff and useally needs more flour (at least i would have added a little bit more) first question this is the right conststancy?runny? Second question i want to bake them inside a baking cup would it be ok because of tne oil or should i use butter?i am afraid it might be very oily outside the baking cup and looks dirty.thank you very much
These are hands down the best vanilla cupcakes I’ve ever made. I made one change in the frosting I used 1/2 tsp of princess cookie and cake emulsion the combo was perfect. The texture of the cupcakes are amazing
I’m so glad you enjoyed them!
Can I take the shortening out of the frosting and replace it with butter? I don’t have shortening.
Yes, you can
Thank you for this recipe! They look wonderful! My daughter is wanting mini cakes for her birthday. Do you have any suggestions on how to use this recipe for 4″ mini cake pans?
Thanks!
I haven’t ever made little cakes that small so I’m not sure.
I’m hoping to make a couple different flavors of cupcakes with just one recipe, as my friends hardly have any favorite flavors in common 😐
What might happen if I added cocoa powder to the dry ingredients to make half the batter chocolate? Would I have to compensate with more liquid? Would they come out so mildly chocolatey that it wouldn’t be worth the time? Your thoughts are much appreciated!!
This is the chocolate version of the same recipe. You could just adjust it to cupcakes. Alternatively, you could follow this recipe, which is a little bit different.
Hi Lindsay,
I tried the recipe last night and my cupcakes flattened out when I pulled them out of the oven. I don’t think there is anything wrong with the recipe, I believe I messed up by measuring the milk and oil by weight instead of with a liquid measuring cup. Can you tell me exactly how you measured everything? Thanks for the recipe, I’m sorry I messed it up!
I weigh the dry ingredients, but use a measuring cup for the liquids. If you weighed them, that certainly could have been an issue.
If i dont have measuning cup what should i do?
can you replace vegetable oil with butter when making the cupcakes?
I haven’t tried it to say. I don’t think you’d get the same result though.
For Shortening do you use vegetable or butter flavored?
Vegetable
Hello! I loved the cupcakes! However, they slightly tasted like corn bread? I was sure to follow the exact recipe, any idea what could have went wrong?
Thank you!
I don’t know what happened, but these did not work out. They smelled amazing and the flavor was good, but they barely rised and were so gummy on the inside
It was really strange and disappointing. I think it had something to do with the cup of water.
I tried to make these, but when they were finished they didn’t taste like vanilla. They tasted almost like pancakes. I tried again, adding a little extra vanilla, but I got the same result. I followed the directions perfectly, I really don’t understand what I’m doing wrong.
Hi I am trying this recipe just now. Wonder why there was no baking soda. Would it still be thesame as other recipes that have it? And btw ive added almond extract will it affect its texture?
This isn’t a recipe that uses baking soda. Just baking powder. The almond extract won’t affect texture.
Can I just use 1 cup butter for the frosting instead of shortening?
Yes, you can.
Hi Lindsay
I made these today and true to their name they are a lovely moist, soft cupcake. They do lack flavour, even though I put a tbsp and a bit more of vanilla extract. I think the ingredients are all bland and the lack of butter is noticeable in this recipe.
Hi, Lindsay
Your cupcakes recipe is phenomenon. I’m always struggling with anthing that has to do with vanilla. Can I use this for layer cake, would it be sturdy enough for 2 or 3 tier cake? Do you have any recipe for moist vanilla cake. I used the butter based ones and hate it because I always get reviews that my cakes were dry 🙁
So glad you enjoy them! I have used this for a 3 layer cake, which you can find here. I hope that helps!
There’s a dinner coming up at my place and i want to use this recipe to make a layer cake. But I have made cakes using oil based recipes before and the texture turns out really crumbly and messes up the frosting. Does this recipe also gives out a crumbly result? Does it hold well to being frosted?
I don’t find this cake to have a bad result and I’ve made it dozens of times. That said, some people seem to be having issues with it that I can’t recreate. If you’d like, you can try this butter-based cake.
i Would like to use butter so how much butter would i replace the oil with? Also unsalted or salted would be best?
These looked phenomenal but unfortunately lacked the depth of flavour that comes with using butter in a vanilla cupcake.
I guess it just depends on whether you like butter based or oil based. I get betterreviews for these cupcakes than butterred ones.
I dont have shortening. What can I use instead? Thanks!
You can use additional butter.
I love the cupcakes, but i don’t really know how to ice really well. Would it still be ok if i half the amount of sugar in the icing?
The frosting won’t be as thick, but you could reduce the sugar if you like. Check out this post for more info.
Thank you Lindsay !! The post you gave me is really helpful! My family loved the cupcakes very much, the icing was super yummy!!! Thank you so much for your help! I will try baking a cake next time!! I want to ask, how do you actually ice the sides with a ice the sides with a icing bag, because every time I use the icing bag it breaks and my icing skills looks horrible. So i never baked cakes again because i can’t ice. Can you please teach me some methods I love baking so much!!!
So glad you enjoyed them! Where exactly does the bag break? I haven’t had that happen before I don’t think. You might find it helpful to look through some of my posts that include videos and watch some of the layer cake ones to see some clips of my frosting techniques.
Followed this recipe exactly and mine were very dense and wet underneath (not undercooked, just wet). Tried drying them out a bit more in the oven but didn’t make any difference. Disappointing ????
This is the best cupcale recipe i have ever tried. I filled mine with caramel and they were so moist and delicious. Very easy to make. The frosting was perfect, the combination of butter and shortening is much better than use of one or the other. I will definatly be saving this recipe and sharing it around. Thank you for an amazing yummy recipe!
So glad you enjoyed them!
These sound delicious!! Is there a simple way to make these into chocolate cupcakes? I need to make 70 cupcakes for a 1st party party this weekend, half chocolate and half vanilla. So I was hoping to use the same batter 🙂 Thank you!
This is a chocolate cake version of these cupcakes. You should be able to use that batter with similar baking instructions.
I made these for my son’s 5th birthday party, and they were a hit. Baked and iced the cupcakes on Saturday, outdoor party on Sunday afternoon, and the leftovers are still great on Monday (my coworkers are very appreciative). I set the cupcakes in the shade during the party, and the icing didn’t budge in the July heat in Tennessee. Thanks for such a great recipe! This will be my go-to vanilla cupcake from now on. 🙂
Wonderful to hear! Glad you enjoyed them!
Same Lindsay from last year, making these cupcakes again for the 6th birthday party, replying to myself so I don’t forget… I had to fill the cupcake liners 3/4 full. 🙂
(Thanks again for a great recipe!)
Can i use caster sugar instead of normal sugar or does it not matter
That should be fine.
Can I add food coloring to this frosting for the cupcakes? Or will it mess it up. Sorry if that’s a stupid question but I am not much of a baker.
You should be able to add coloring without a problem.
Hi this recipe looks wow..needed some help
1. It says vanilla extract can I use vanilla essence
2 it says large eggs..if I use medium eggs how many should I use
3. Can we use nutella ganache ie nutella with heavy cream on this cup cake
Thank you in advance for your help
DV
These were a miss for me. The flavor was good but the texture… gummy on top and kind of fluffy in the middle but paste-like when chewing. I wanted to like them 🙁
I made these cupcakes and was pleased with the texture and how long they remained moist even after several days. I wanted to make them again but add more flavoring so I added vanilla bean and than some almond extract; I also put the water down to 3/4 cup. Now I know they say don’t mess with a good thing but I did. This time the cake came out tasting like corn muffins rather than a vanilla cupcake. Was it more the messing around with flavors or the less water added. Going to try them again but would love your thoughts.
Personally, I’d say it was the reduction of water. Some different extracts shouldn’t change the texture.
Once the cupcakes are made and iced are they ok to be left out of the refrigerator overnight? I am making them for a birthday party.
I usually leave them at room temperature, but if you use all butter frosting, you’ll probably want to refrigerate them.
So I just made these cupcakes for my daughter’s birthday party tomorrow. While I love the frosting, the cupcakes are a miss. I followed the recipe exactly but the cupcakes do not rise and they leave the cupcake liners very wet. The flavor is very good and I will serve them, but I won’t be making this recipe again.
I’ve never had that happen with these cupcakes. The method itself is pretty straight forward so I’m not sure what went wrong. Sorry you weren’t happy with them. Feel free to try out these vanilla cupcakes or the vanilla cupcake base of these.
Just made these for my daughter’s birthday party. The cake is super delicious and perfect flavor. The icing I didn’t care for however. I thought it was too sweet for me. Thanks for the recipe!
Unfortunately, I did not have a good experience with these. The cupcakes did not have any rise or fluff. They were dense with a doughy crumb. I tried baking a batch for a few extra minutes but it only helped slightly. Like another reviewer mentioned, I also had a lot of cake stick to the paper liners. The cake has a pretty good flavor and seems so easy to come together. Maybe I’ll try again but this batch was a sad waste.
This looks amazing. Do we have to use water at room temperature or warm??
Either is fine.
Hi! I am baking these cupcakes this weekend for a party, and I was wondering if you spooned and leveled the flour into the measuring cup or if you scooped the flour right out of the container with the measuring cup?
I actually weight my ingredients these days so that it’s accurate. But when using a scoop, I’d typically stir up the flour so it isn’t packed in and then scoop out of the container.
Hi Lindsay!
If I want to bake this as a cake in a bundt cake pan, how long do you recommend I bake it? I used this recipe for the cupcakes and they were so good!
I’m so glad you enjoyed the cupcakes! I’m not sure how it’d do as a bundt cake. I’d guess you’d want to double it and bake for at least 45 minutes, possibly more.
Mine tasted like cornbread. ???? I mean, I like cornbread, just not as my cupcakes ????
What milk do you use in these, is it whole milk?
I use 2%, but whole should be fine.
Can I use Skim?
I prefer milk with a higher fat content for a better textured cupcake, but you could use skim.
How can we substitute shortening?
With additional butter.
this taste like egg.
I made these recently and they were so tasty! They’re perfectly moist and fluffy and my whole family loved them. So glad I found a great simple vanilla cupcake recipe because I’ll be using it again. 🙂
Hi Lindsay,
I’m new to baking and really excited to try this recipe and the similar chocolate cupcake one! Could I use almond milk? Would it change the recipe or texture?
Thanks!
Laura
I haven’t tried it. You could see how it does. Almond milk has different properties than regular milk, specifically fat content. Fat gives the cupcakes some of their moisture and texture, so it’d likely change it a bit if it does bake up well.
Just made these today with almond milk. Might have changed the color a bit (almond milk is a bit gray) and perhaps the flavor slightly but put some chocolate icing on top and no one will know.
Hi.
These cupcakes looked so good when they came out of the oven but upon cooling they all sunk down. What could be the reason?
Hmmm, not sure. Did they overflow at all? Sometimes that can cause them to fall as they cool.
Hi, I’ve been on the lookout for super fluffy, super moist cupcakes, but always failed.
I tried these and they are absolutely fluffy & I love it!
The only problem I’m facing is that they taste a lil gluey once eaten. What could be the reason?
Thanks,
Nash from Goa, India
Hi Lindsay,
My cupcake didn’t rise. I half-ed the recipe.
Ok I don’t normally comment but I feel like I need to. I am a total cake snob. I have been making wedding cakes and specialty cakes for about 14 years, so if it isn’t good cake what is the point of eating it? Don’t even get me started on the “doctored cake mix” cakes… Yuck. Anyways, I loved this. I just pulled them out of the oven, they were very light in color and I wasn’t sure if they were done. After testing I realized they were (so people, don’t overcook) . I feel like I just bit into a cloud! This is a fantastic recipe I will be keeping around. Good job, your hard work is evident and the price of the vanilla and butter it took to perfect this recipe wasn’t in vain.
I made 28 regular cupcakes out of this recipe. One of the best recipes I found. love it! Thanks
Hello, I am wanting to know if this is a good recipe for a 14 inch cake pan? I know I would need to increase the amount of batter I make to have enough. I am going to make a wedding cake and wondered if this would work. My concern comes from some of the comments that said they had trouble with it turning out too wet or chewy and some even collapsing. Is there something I can do to eliminate that possibility?
I am new to your blog and I am absolutely amazed at your recipes. I am so excited to try them. I am mostly looking for great cake and cupcake recipes for weddings and showers.
I haven’t made this recipe in larger pans than a 9×13, so I don’t know for sure how it’d turn out. I’ve never had it turn out wet or chewy and I truly don’t know why some are having that issue to be able to say how to avoid it. Part of what I love about this recipe is that it’s so straight forward, but it seems it isn’t for some. I’m not sure why.
I made this recipe the other day and it was great! is there a way to make this into a chocolate cupcake without altering this recipe?
There actually two recipes that are options. One would be these cupcakes. They are slightly different in that they use more liquid and bake slowly at a lower temperature. The option is this cake, which can be made as cupcakes. I’d say this one is the chocolate version of these vanilla cupcakes. Both recipes are relatively similar. My all time favorite though is the first one. 🙂
First of all these are super light and yummy! This has been one of my favorite recipes so far.
I followed the directions very closely but for some reason the bottoms of mine were burnt. I had the rack the position as previous cupcake bakes and didn’t have that problem.
I plan to continue making these as they were scrumptious. Any help would be appreciated.
Hello. This vanilla cupcake recipe is for 24-26 cupcakes so I need to cut half for all ingredients for 12 cupcakes? including the frosting?
Yes, cut everything in half. For the frosting, I could probably use all of what’s listed for half of the cupcakes. If depends on how much frosting you like on your cupcakes.
Hi Lindsay,
Will it be ok to make the cupcake on Friday and serve on Saturday? is the cupcake still be moist? How to store them properly? Thanks in advance
Yes, definitely. Store them in an air tight container. If you make the frosting as listed (with half butter, half shortening), I’d store them at room temperature. If you use all butter, as some people like to do, I’d store them in the fridge.
Can i replace the shortening to salted butter too? Will the frosting came out to be salty and sweet at the same time?
You can replace the shortening with butter, yes. If you are using all butter, I’d suggest either half salted and half unsalted or just use all unsalted and add a little salt (maybe 1/8 tsp). You just don’t want the frosting to be too salty.
I made these cupcakes in 2 9-inch layers earlier this month. My family and i loved your recipe so now my daughter is making it for my birthday tomorrow. I made 1 1/2 of the frosting recipe, using 1:2 cup shortening and 1 cup butter. The consistency and flavor were perfect for our taste. Quick question…did you edit your recipe this month and take the “hot” out of the the water description? I thought for a minute that I was returning to the wrong recipe but I’m certain this is the one we loved. Thanks for the wonderful recipe! 🙂
I’m so glad you’ve enjoy it! Yes, I was getting a lot of questions about the exact temperature of the water, so I edited the recipe. Water temperature isn’t particularly important in this. 🙂
I just made these cupcakes for a graduation party, not knowing how they would turn out or taste. They are the best vanilla cupcakes I have ever made. They came out all even and look just gorgeous. They are my new goto cupcake recipe. Thank you so much for the post.
So glad to hear you enjoyed them! 🙂
Hi!! I am an avid baker, raised 4 boys so I needed to be! I am going to try a sample run on these tomorrow. I am making cupcakes for my last 2 kiddos graduation party this weekend and I was looking for an awesome vanilla cupcake recipe. Fingers crossed and I will keep you informed!!
I hope you enjoyed them!
hi
i loved your works they’re just lovely
but i’m not sure what the shortening is
can you tell me please ?
It’s a butter substitute. If you don’t have it or aren’t a fan, just replace it with additional butter.
Hi, Lindsay. I am not new to your blog, as I have been using for years! ????! Your directions are simple and easy to understand. I love how you include videos with most of your posts, and believe me, I could spend hours watching them! I recently made your lemon meringue cupcakes, and the cupcakes were still raw when the baking time was up. I had noticed earlier that the batter for the cupcakes had looked really wet, but since all of your other recipes are to die for, I didn’t think much of it. I double checked the oven time and temperature, but it was all set right. I had to bake the cupcakes for another good 15-18 minutes before they were baked enough to eat! ????! The cupcakes turned out dense and chewy and stuck to the wrapper, which is so strange as all your other cupcake recipes typically turn out amazing! I even tried a second batch and had the same results! Your frosting, however, turned out AWESOME! I had tried a meringue frosting using a different recipe many years ago, and it was awful. All melted and gooey! ????! I was scared to try it again, but I did (using your recipe), and I felt like I was in marshmallow-heaven! I may have licked my Kitchenaid stand mixer’s whisk more then once????! I truly hope you realize what a talented baker you are, and how baker-licious your recipes have proven to be. And don’t worry- just because your lemon meringue cupcakes didn’t completely work out, I will continue using your blog for as long as I bake (#forever)! Thank you so much for all of your wonderful posts!
Thanks so much Lola! I’m not sure why that recipe didn’t work out, but I’m glad you’ve enjoyed everything else!
These cupcakes were very good! I had a little oops… added the water to the wet ingredients instead of after, but turned out ok. The batter being runny made me worried but they were fine. My only issue was that I halved the batch and it made 12 cupcakes fine, but halving the frosting and using slightly less frosting than you show pictured per cupcake I ran out w/ 3 cupcakes to go so that was a little annoying. Next time i’ll just make a whole batch and frost not quite as much and it will be fine. recipe is definitely a keeper, thanks!
Hi. Just so you know your flour weight in grams is wrong. One cup of plain flour is 220grams, i just made your recipe, water thin. Supposed to be 550grams ????
Hi Nic! It isn’t wrong actually. I do weigh my ingredients, so the amount is correct as written. For a little info about my conversions, please see my conversion chart. The batter is meant to be very thin.
Hello Lindsay I made these cupcake this weekend, and the cupcakes were great, but I was a little concern with the shine to describe how they came out is rubbery and sticky, just the top part of the cupcake. My question is did I do something wrong? The recipe called for hot water was I supposed to use room temperature water. The cupcake was good, and the Icing came out great . Can you advise me if I need to make changes
Do you have an eggless vanilla receipe for this cake. pls can you send me the receope eggless.
thanks
I don’t have an eggless cake recipe. I’m sorry.
Thanks for the cupcake recipe! My picky husband finally loves cupcakes that I’ve made! Hahaha;)
However, just wondering – as I live in a humid area, the cupcakes start to shine on top after a while, and I’ve cut the sugar by 100g or so since my husband prefers not too sweet cupcakes. Any idea about the shiny top?
I’m not a baker and this cupcakes came out lovely soft, moist and delicious. I will definitely bake them again.
Hi Lindsay,
Which brand Vanila Extract do you use ?
Typically I use McCormick.
Hello!!! I’m really excited to try your recipe! I’ve never baked before with shortening, Any brand you recommend? , is there a substitute I can use? Thank you!
I use regular unflavored Crisco. Some people aren’t fans of shortening though, so feel free to replace it with additional butter.
Hi! I’ve been practicing this cupcake recipe, and I’m fairly new to making things from scratch. The taste of these cupcakes are great! The texture just seems to be a bit off to me. The best way I can describe how they are coming out is rubbery and sticky, just the top part of the cupcake though. Is it suppose to come out this way, or am I doing something wrong? The cupcakes also stick to the cupcake liners so they are hard to pull apart from the wrapper. Can you think of what I may be doing wrong?
I got the same result
I need help
What am I doing wrong?
Hi Lindsay!
Do you think I would be able to substitute stevia for the sugar in the cupcake recipe?
I haven’t experimented with it to say, but I do believe it would change it a good bit.
The ingredient list includes 1 cup of water but the directions state “add hot water” I’m sure that is the 1 C but should the water be boiling?
You can use any temperature water.
Have you tried freezing these? Wondering if I can get a jump on party planning and have these ready to go and frozen in advance.
I haven’t tried it, but I’d think they’d freeze fine.
Did you ever try freezing them? Did they freeze well?
What other buttercream works well with these vanilla cupcakes aside from vanilla buttercream? Thanks.
Vanilla goes with just about anything.
How long does do you it take overall cooking and prep?
I would say about half an hour or so for prep and baking.
Hey Lindsay,
I am going to try your recipe this weekend. I have a question on the measurement. Do you use the same cup for flour and sugar? Because I see that you use 2.5 cups (325g) flour and 2 cups (414g) sugar. If you don’t, ignore me. If you use the same cup, if 2.5 cups flour = 325, then 2 cups sugar should be 260g.
Thank you!
I do use the same cup, but that’s the thing about weight versus volume. 1 cup of one ingredient won’t weight the same as another. I use weight measurements when baking, but have also measured by volume and they are written correctly both ways in the recipe. Most accurate will always be weight though, which is what I typically use when baking.
Hey Lindsay,
Of course!!! I totally forgot!! Hahaha, you can tell I don’t bake much! I am very excited to try this recipe!!! Thank you again!!!
Should i use granulated sugar or powdered sugar in the recipe . Can the recipe be used for making a doll cake . Ie making the whole batter as a single cake and then layering it . Thanks for the reply in advance ????
It’s granulated sugar in the cupcake and powdered sugar in the frosting. I’m not sure about the cake. I wouldn’t normally recommend baking one large cake and then cutting it into layers. You could bake a couple layers and then torte those.
Hey Lindsay!! I am making these for a baby shower this weekend and was just wondering if the water is supposed to be boiling or not? I see the recipe calls for just water and then while reading the steps it says hot water. I have a recipe for chocolate that uses boiling water so i was just wondering if this is the same concept or not. Thanks 🙂
Either is fine. I’d initially specified hot, but it won’t change the recipe either way.
Thanks for sharing — this looks amazing and I can’t wait to try them for our bake sale this weekend! A couple of questions – how hot should the water be? Just warm or boiling? And how far in advance would you say I could make them? Sorry if you’ve answered these in previous comments, Thanks again all the way from Tanzania <3
The water temperature isn’t important. I’d initially specified hot water, but tested things and it doesn’t make a difference. I always like things best when they are fresh, so I’d say 2-3 days is best.
Can i replace the vegetable oil with corn oil or sunflower oil?
I haven’t tried it, but would think it’d be ok.
Hi, I made these and I loved them. Am thinking of substituting the hot water for hot milk, to make the cupcakes more creamy. Would this work?
Love from Taye from Nigeria.
I don’t think it’d make the cupcakes more creamy. I’d actually think they’d be slightly denser.
Can I do a combination of the veg oil and melted butter? Maybe half cup of each because I want to double the recipe for a layer cake and I am assuming the all oil mix won’t give me stability
I haven’t tried it, but I do think it would likely affect the outcome. I did make it as a layer cake in this cake and didn’t have issues with stability.
Tried this cupcake recipe yesterday. I’m new to baking and I was skeptical about the sour cream but omg it was the best vanilla cupcake recipe I’ve tried so far! I loved it! My kids loved it!!! I filled it will homemade strawberry jam. And topped it with whipped cream frosting!
The cupcakes are cooling at the moment and i say everything is as what was stated about the recipe. This is my first take on vanilla cupcake as everytime i try a cake version, i always get that eggy taste that i dont like. Until this one. My niece easily gobbled down 2 cupcakes simultaneously and keeps on saying it was so good so i will take her word for it. Found my go to vanilla cupcake recipe finally. Thanks a lot for sharing.
Glad to hear you’re enjoying them! Thanks Leila!
Lindsay, I found your blog last winter and have now made two different vanilla cupcake recipes, your AMAZING Boston cream pie cupcakes, and your chocolate chip cookie cake multiple times. All have been to die for. I felt the need to comment after reading some of the negative comments here. I’m even at high altitude (6300 ft) and these have turned out perfectly every time I make them. Moist and fluffy and heavenly! Thank you for the perfect vanilla cupcake recipe!
I’m so glad to hear you’ve enjoyed everything Jess! Thank you!
Hi Lindsey,, if I’m gonna put some cream cheese in the mixture, which one I’m supposed to add less in it !! Greetings from Annie in Curacao
Are you adding cream cheese to the frosting to make cream cheese frosting? If so, here’s a recipe for that.
Hello lindsay, i tried this recipe and it turned out wonderful they’re soo light and fluffy. The only problem is they stick to the cupcake liners, almost half of the cupcake ends up stuck to the liner. How do i fix that?
Hmmm, maybe it could have to do with the liners?
I’ve tried 3 different liners but they still come out stuck to the liners ????????
Okay… I made these with my friend and we were underwhelmed. The frosting was OK, but the batter tasted like bland pancakes. just warning people out there who are looking for a solid vanilla cupcake recipe.
This was my first recipe from your blog, and they were a bust for me. The crumb was very dense, as in a pound cake and some (not all…very strange) of the tops rose unevenly, with wonky bumps on the surface. I covered them with frosting, and served for my function anyway…guests did eat them and they were beautiful. Also, bake time was longer for me…22-24 minutes but that could be because I only got 18 (not 24) cupcakes out of this…I used some fun cupcake liners from Home Goods. My daughter (who introduced me to your blog) has made some of your recipes with great success, and has this one on her “to try” list. I’m looking forward to seeing her results! BTW…love your blog and your photography…I look forward to exploring it further!
I just made these (two nights in a row now), and the flavor is great, but they are super dense. I followed the recipe step by step (the second time) and they have come out the same. It’s almost as thick as cornbread. Is that the way they should be? Is there a way to make them more light and fluffy?
No, I would not say that they are dense at all. Certainly not like cornbread. It’s hard to say what is happening from a distance.
I’m disappointed, mine came out doughy.
I made one batch but they sunk and didnt turn out the way I expected. I beat the wet ingredients very well and then added the dry ingredients and beat it again. I guess that was what went wrong.
Trying them out again today.
Could u pls tell me the exact temperature of the hot water.
These really don’t need to be mixed a lot. Just until things come together. It’s a pretty simple mixing process. Also, I recently played around with the water, and it’s really fine at any temperature. Doesn’t have to be hot.
Hi! I’m from the Philippines and I’m very new to baking … I have no clue what to do at all! lol.. Still, I bought some ingredients and utensils and stuff and decided to try your recipe tonight at home. Because I couldn’t afford an oven for now, I bought this cute cupcake maker and I need your help! I don’t know where I went wrong with the recipe but I followed the measurements and directions but still the cupcake didn’t turn out well. It tasted good but the problem was that it was wet inside even after baking it for 15-17 minutes. The batter was thick too and not as runny as yours in the video. Should I add more hot water to the batter? The cupcakes also didn’t rise as high as the ones you made.
I’m not sure – I’m not familiar with the cupcake maker and that could have something to do with it. If the water was thicker than it looked in the video, are you sure something didn’t get missed?
Hello Lindsay, I just wanted to tell you I made these for my class and they were a major hit! Thank you so much for your amazing recipe 🙂
So glad you enjoyed them!
can these be made without an electric mixer?
Yes, they are quite easy to mix.
I had a hard time determining when the cupcakes were done. They didn’t brown at all and i left them in for 20 min or more. Still not sure they’re done properly. Any suggestions/
They shouldn’t be brown on top. To test them, insert a toothpick into the center and if it comes out with just a few crumbs on it, they’re done.
I must have done something wrong – maybe too much liquid because they never got “done”. I’ve never thrown anything away that I baked, but these all went in the garbage.
I’ve used less water (about 180 ml) because it seemed as too much and baked them for 20-25 minutes. I’d also use less sugar than the recipe calls for because they were too sweet for my taste.
I have tried to bake these cupcakes twice and each time they are too wet and dense. What am I doing wrong? The tops are moist and soft (lovely). the height is very nice, but the inside is too wet.
I was looking for a great vanilla cupcake recipe for our upcoming Girl Scout Easter party. And I think I have found it. I was wondering if you have tried these as chocolate? If so how much cocoa powder did you add?
This would be the chocolate version. You’ll just have to adjust for cupcakes, since it’s written as a cake.
This recipe is not good at all. The cake turns out super doughy and is not a good flavor. ????☹️????
So I just made these for my son’s sixth birthday party. I was looking for a moist cupcake recipe and stumbled across this one. I have to admit, in the midst of making these I was VERY concerned about how watery they were! I didn’t add all the hot water because the batter was literally like water itself! I ended up cooking them like 10 minutes longer than described in the instructions because of how wet they were. This made them rubbery, but still good. I did a second batch, added all the water and cooked them only a few minutes longer. They definitely came out better. These cupcakes were a hit although I felt they were pretty dense (yet not dry). This will be a go to recipe because of all the compliments I got at the party.
Glad to hear everyone enjoyed them!
I was excited to try this recipe as I am always in search for the best Vanilla cupcake recipes. I baked this today. I liked the flavor and they definitely are nice and moist. Only concern is it seemed to break apart quite easily and when I took baked cupcake out of liner it fell apart. I am curious if anyone else had this happen or if you have any suggestions?
Hi love ❤️ your blog and recipes
Thank you Kaya!
Have you tried this for Mini cupcakes, and if so, what would be the time in the oven? Thanks so much, can’t wait to try these!
I haven’t tried it. I’m going to guess around 8-10 minutes or so.
I made these into tiny little cupcakes (petit-four size) and they worked great. Didn’t take long to cook but I recommend keeping a close eye on them as it doesn’t take long for them to go from cooked to too brown.
Just a another work of art from a nice woman keep going
I followed to a tee and cupcakes were very heavy dense. Not moist or fluffy. Not sure what went wrong. Flavor was good
Thanks for the recipe! I was wondering if I could add berries to the batter and make strawberry cupcakes with this recipe? I’m wondering if this batter would be too thin to hold fruit but I would like to try an oil-based (vs. butter- based) recipe for moist cupcakes. Thank you in advance!
Yes, this batter is very thin so it wouldn’t work very well. I’d suggest trying these Fresh Strawberry Cupcakes.
I added sprinkles inside of these and used them for a kids party and everyone loved them ! Was a bit nervous because they looked very watery but they came out perfect! Thank you
Thank you for the recipe, I was so excited as it is almost similar to your chocolate cake recipe which I use, however I made this cake and it was rather dense and dried out quickly, I then made cupcakes, it didn’t rise and was extremely dense, however I love the flavour, I wonder what I am doing wrong? I am from South Africa and I used your cup measurements and not grams, could this be a possible cause?
Hmm, I actually found it to be similar to the chocolate cake, though maybe a little less crazy moist since that one is freakishly amazing. 🙂 I actually do measure my flour and sugar by weight, so those should be accurate. I’m not sure what it’d be. It’s so hard to say from a distance.
Once, I baked daily for 24 days straight different vanilla cupcake recipes and non of them pleased me. OMG!!! Finally!!!! The best vanilla cupcake ever!!!! Simply perfect. It’s moist and stays moist for days. Great vanilla flavor, perfect texture. I’ve been baking for 12 years and been looking for this ever since. And it’s so simple to make, not a lot of ingredients. My son’s birthday was two days ago, I wanted to make something simple since I didn’t have much time. I wasn’t even looking for something special. I found this recipe, baked them and OMG. Thank you, thank you, thank you!!!!!
So glad you hear you are happy with them! Thanks Emily!
Great recipe. I only used 1.5 cups of sugar and these were still delicious and moist. Thank you!
Hello! I would love to make this cupcakes! But i don’t know what is the shortening, could you explain it to me and where can i but it…thanks!????????????????
It’s a butter replacement. You can replace it with butter, if you prefer. I just find it at the grocery store near the vegetable oil and baking sprays.
Hy,my little one is a huge fan of filled cupcakes,After they are completely cooled can i fill them?Have you done this?THANK YOU
I haven’t filled this particular cupcake recipe, but it should be fine. I hope you enjoy them!
Lindsay, thank you for the excellent recipe. Cupcakes
turned out on the first try!))
From Russia with love!))
Wonderful! Glad you enjoyed them!
I made these with my 3.5 year old today. WOW! They are so tasty and moist! We may never go back to the box mixes again!
The only thing I did different was cook for 20 minutes, which was surprising for my oven which usually requires a shorter baking time that recipes say. They were cooked perfect! Thanks!
So glad to hear to you enjoyed them! 🙂
So glad to hear to you enjoyed them! 🙂
Hi Lindsay! I would love to try this recipe it looks really moist! by the way, do you think if i could make these into tea-infused flavor (e.g. earl grey) , by infusing the milk with tea bags ?
I think that’d be fine. I feel like someone said they tried it and it was great – I’d definitely try it!
I made these cupcakes and they were delicious! Can I make as Bundt cake do you think?
I haven’t ever tried it. I’m not sure if this recipe would work well for that or not.
I used infused milk in recipes all the time, adds great flavour that’s just a little different! I’m sure it would work in this one. Put about a cup of milk in a saucepan, add the leaves from 3 or 4 teabags (or 2 to 3 tsp of loose leaves) to the milk, bring it to the boil. Then turn off the heat, let it cool, strain off the leaves. Add the milk to cake batter or icing. I like using earl grey, chai, vanilla or peppermint tea leaves, but any flavour you fancy would work! Happy baking.
Hi
Can we use butter instead of vegetable oil if so how much
I haven’t tried it, but I don’t think it would bake the same. For a butter based vanilla cupcake, try these.
Bruh. I loved this recipe!! I’ve had a hard time with mimicking the same texture as my chocolate cakes and this is finally it!!😍😍 love how this recipe calls for oil and water, keeps things light moist and not dense. I also like the icing recipe. seems the shortening helps with a more professional look and I did a multiple color with it and it help up nicely. I read a lot of other comments and saw some complaints, but I dont understand the reasons behind them if you executed the recipe correctly. Will be using this recipe for now on! Thank you!!
Hi, please tell me if we can back these off and use them a day or two later in a airtight container? My home bakery in Gauteng South Africa.
I meant to say Bake… excuse me 🙂
You can, but of course they are freshest right after baking. 2-3 days is when they are best.
These cupcakes were awesome! It was my first time making cupcakes with oil and it tasted great. Thanks a lot for the recipe. I’m going to use it more often. 🙂
Is there anything else we can put in frosting instead of shortening?
Sorry if i pronounce something wrong
Just replace it with additional butter.
Can you freeze the cupcakes? I want to bake them days in advance before frosting and serving them for a birthday party.
I haven’t, but I’m sure it’d be ok. Best to defrost in the fridge.
I have tried this recipe and froze a few for just a few days to see if it altered the taste and texture and I thought they still tasted great. Hope this helps.
Hi Lindsay! If I wanted to make this into rainbow cupcakes, when should I add the food colorings? Thanks!:)
I’d probably add it to the wet ingredients and then add additional if needed after combining with the dry.
Hey I was wondering have any of you made this for birthday party for little kids
Hi! I was going to try these for a party, but wondered if they would be okay the next day or better the same day.
Thanks!
They are good for 2-3 days.
Hi Lindsay,
I tried to do your cupcakes. Everything was going smoothly until I took my cupcakes out of the oven. They colapsed…
What may be the reason?
I wanted to make them for my friends wedding which is this weekend 🙁
This happened to me the first time too. Each oven is different so it sounds like you need to cook longer. I took mine out at the mentioned time and they did the same thing!!! But I kept making them until I figured out what was going wrong. Watch the cupcakes in the oven, you will notice that the batter will bubble and pop as it cooks when this stops the cupcakes are done. You will also notice that they are really wet on top when they aren’t done yet. The wetness will subside a little and you won’t see any more bubbles popping. Did the trick and I have made hundreds since then!! Good luck!
Can u pls upload sm eggless cakes ad cup cakes videos
Hey Lindsay! Can’t wait to try these out. Can i subsitute olive oil instead of the vegetable oil?
I haven’t tried it so I’m not sure.
You most definitely can! I used olive oil, and all organic ingredients. They turned out wonderfully!
How hot should the hot water be? Thanks!
Just hot water out of the faucet is fine.
Hello! Can I safely increase the recipe x3 or x4 for latge batch baking *20 qt mixer. Thank you!
I haven’t tried it to be able to say.
Shouldn’t these have baking soda in them also?
Nope! Some recipes use baking soda and some recipes use baking powder. It really depends on the recipe and the texture you’re looking for.
Hi Lindsay!! so i’m about to try this and wondering if it’s okay to substitute milk for butter milk
I haven’t tried it, so not sure.
Thanks for sharing your recipe, my baby is turning one soon and I was going to order a cake, however during these times I’d rather make it. Can I substitute the sugar with brown sugar?
I have substituted half of it for brown sugar before with good results. See that here – https://www.lifeloveandsugar.com/blueberry-crumble-layer-cake/#tasty-recipes-32261
I did make these with buttermilk instead of plain milk in the cakes. Amazing! Great recipe.
Glad to hear it worked and you enjoyed it! Thanks Elizabeth!
could buttermilk be used?
I haven’t tried it to say.
I tried this recipe and sadly mine did not turn out right. It may have been that I used the ‘cups masurement’ instead of how many grams. I’m not too sure if our cup measurements are the same. Now coming too my question, I’m wondering you could tell me how many grams if butter, shortening etc I would need in your icing recipe. I’m going to try the whole thing again tomorrow and hopefully it will turn out ????????????
I made this receipe also and used Cup measure of which i do in most of my receipes but to be honest as another lady wrote i will too be sticking to a Creaming receipe. I did not like the texture or the flavour. We all have to try something different to learn!
Can you decrease the sugar by half and not alter the batter? I want to make these for my hubby’s bday on Saturday but want a less sweet option.
I’m not sure, since I haven’t tried it. It would likely change the way it bakes a bit, I’m just not sure how much of an issue it’d be. There’d be less moisture in the cupcake and it may stick to the liners.
That’s exactly what happened to me! They stuck to the liners. Normally I reduce the sugar in most baking recipes and this was the first time this has happened!
Hi ! could i make this into tea-infused flavors?
heating up the milk/ water and infused the tea bags in them, then used as per normal in this recipe?
I would think it’d be fine.
Hi, I am definitely trying this. How many grams of powdered sugar does 4 cups equate to?
460g. I added it to the ingredients list.
I’m also wondering if it would be suitable to use almond milk instead of milk, I don’t drink regular milk. I have half&half, use it for coffee, but would that be too thick? Could I mix 1 part half&half with 1 part water? Please help, thanks!
I haven’t tried either so I can’t be sure how it’ll turn out. Either would probably bake fine, it’s just gonna change the texture of the cupcake.
Sorry, but I did not like this recipe. It came out dense and spongy(although is was not dry).
Same here 🙁
I wondered what I did wrong and was looking for validation in the comments. LOL
Try making them again. These cupcakes are the only ones I use because they are light and airy and moist and literally to die for delicious! They aren’t dense at all. Maybe you over mixed them? I mix them by hand with a spoon. They are soooooooooo good!
Haven’t tried these yet, and being an avid baker for over 40 yrs, it is hard to find a great vanilla cupcake recipe, so hoping this is it. Though the very reason I quit buying bakery cakes, is the added shortening in the frostings…it is just not needed and gross and your body does not like it. So many other non-shortening and powdered sugar frosting recipes out there that are so much better.
Feel free to replace it with additional butter. This is a preference thing.
Jan, I agree. I too have been baking for over 40 years and I too don’t buy cakes or cupcakes from bakeries for that very reason. And I really like my old buttercream frostings from my 1969 Betty Crocker Cookbook. It’s awesome. And no shortening. But a nice whipped cream frosting is nice too.
Hi. I am wondering if the cupcakes (frosting)needs to be refrigerated? Can I frost them the night before a party and keep them out?
Thanks!
If you use half butter and half shortening, as I do, then I leave them at room temperature. If you use all butter, I’d suggest refrigerating.
I always use butter, real butter, not margarine shortening, I’ve never added or used shortening in my frosting, and I always leave mine out and have never had a problem. I’ve done this for over 40 years now.
I don’t have shortening. What can I replace shortening with please
You can just use more butter.
hi Lindsay, i will be trying this recipe tonite. pls let me know tht while mixing the wet ingredients it shud be done wid electric beater or spatula ?
I use my mixer
I was looking for an easy and delicious reciep and I found it, I use almond instead of vanilla and was delicious too. Thank you for sharing !
Hello!
I am going to make these for Valentine’s Day and I was wondering if there are any high altitude adjustments that may need to be made?
I’m not familiar with high altitude baking, so I’m not sure. Sorry!
I am an experienced baker, but I have yet to find the absolute perfect-every-time, moist, vanilla cupcake recipe. I looked at the ingredients in this cupcake recipe and thought, this is it! I measured everything in grams and mls, but they came out so gummy. They also have very little flavour which I thought was strange since they have a full tablespoon of vanilla. Maybe it’s the amount of oil in them. Off I go to search again!
Thank you for this delicious recipe! Tried it tonight and the cupcakes were very soft and moist. Was a hit in our home.
How many days can I keep the cupcakes and what is the best way to store the remaining/left-overs?
Thanks!
Glad you enjoyed them! I’d say they are probably best for 3-4 days. They should be stored in an air tight container. I usually keep them on the counter, but if you choose to use an all butter frosting, they are probably best refrigerated.
Is this batter too thin for a cake pop maker
I haven’t used a cake pop maker so I’m not sure how they work. This is very thin batter though.
So i just made these with my kids and followed the directions, except I substituted soy milk for milk and used some food coloring because my girls wanted pink cupcakes and my boys wanted blue and they came out of the oven looking big and nice and they shrunk! I’ve never had this happen before! I’m sure they’ll taste delicious I’m just trying to figure out why they got smaller!
If the only change you made is the soy milk, that could be the culprit. I wouldn’t think it’d make a huge difference, but haven’t tried it to know for sure. I haven’t had an issue with these shrinking before.
This has happened twice for me ???? They’re delicious and I followed the recipe but can’t figure out what I’m doing wrong! I even bought new baking powder and made sure my ingredients weren’t expired.
I’ve had this happen with a chocolate cupcake recipe a few times. I think it may have to do with overmixing but not positive. I used to use my mixer, and now I do it by hand and haven’t had that problem since.
Made these tonight and so happy with the results!! To be honest I hate creaming butter and sugar to make cupcakes and loved that I was able to mix by hand using just a spatula for this recipe. I was a little worried my batter was too runny but it came out perfectly light and fluffy. Thank you for sharing!
Awesome! So glad you enjoyed them! 🙂
Can you double this recipe with same results?
Yes, that should be fine.
Hello Lindsay… trust you are good? I want to make the fluffy cupcakes tomorrow but was wondering how hot the water should be. Looking forward to your response.
I just get hot water out of the faucet. It doesn’t need to be boiling.
Hi!! Is the icing suppose to be creamy????? Mine is creamy.
I’m not sure what you mean by creamy?
What did you use to mix your icing?
I tried so many vanilla cupcake recipes. I love a moist and dense cupcake. I’m going to try this right now. Praying it works out. Here goes nothing!…
I hope you enjoyed it!
I just made your cupcakes and they taste phenomenal! They were fluffy, loose (not muffin-like), appropriately shaped, and just little bites of heaven. I should have discovered this earlier because I made cupcakes for a recent party and these would have been a MUCH better and more presentable cupcake to bring (the others were not nearly as good). Well done and I absolutely adore this recipe!! Thank you sincerely, Lindsay!
Awesome! So glad you enjoyed them Carmen!
Please help me! I just made this recipe, followed it to a T and the cupcakes tops have crystallized texture and the texture inside is doughy although it’s evenly cooked if I bake any longer they would darken and dry out. I been searching for a good recipe and trust me these cupcakes came out STUNNING! I want to know what I did wrong please help!
Hi how is the vanilla cake recipe and cupcake recipe different? I want to make fluffy and moist cupcakes for my sisters bridal shower.
The recipe i normally make tends to be crumbly. Which recipe of yours should i use?
To be honest, it’s been quite a while since I’ve made the vanilla cake as cupcakes. If I remember correctly, they are a tighter crumbed cupcake, perhaps softer feeling. These moist cupcakes aren’t as tight a crumb, but are really moist and still very soft, not dense. Which one to use is a tough call for me to make, since everyone seems to have a different idea of what makes a great cupcake. These are super easy, so they’d be quick to try and if you don’t like them as much, you could try the others. You could also try these cupcakes. They are almond in that recipe, but replace the almond with vanilla extract and you’ve got another option. Between the three, I’d say the almond one or this one. Main differences are creaming method vs non-creaming and butter vs oil. Both are delicious.
Yum, I made the moist vanilla cupcakes yesterday and they were great. A lot of holes in the baked cupcake and a sponge sort of texture. The flavor was delicious and the frosting was great.
I didn’t use the shortening and 1/2’d the recipe for frosting (I only frosted the 12 cupcakes with about 1/2 cup left over.). I made 12 cupcakes and one 8 inch cake. Wish I could attach a picture, because they looked great (pink frosting). Thank you for all your great recipes!!
Thanks Karen! Glad you enjoyed them!
Did you use all butter frosting or just eliminated the shortening and didn’t replace it with anything? I can’t find shortening here and your reply would be very helpful!
I’m not sure what Karen did, but you can definitely replace the shortening with additional butter.
Hey there .. finally!! A perfect vanilla cupcake!! They are amazing!! Truly thank you! When I cook them some bubble off to the side .. what am I doing wrong?
I’m so glad you enjoyed them! 🙂 I’ve actually seen the bubble thing happen with all different recipes. I’m not sure why that happens. It has to be some weird reaction in the ingredient in the occasional cupcake.
This is the best cupcake recipe I’ve ever tried, thank you so much for sharing it. All my friends and family loved it 🙂
So excited to try this recipe without the use of sour cream. I’m a huge fan of your snickers cupcake that it is my go to chocolate cupcake recipe. Every time I make them I always wonder why it can’t be this simple to do a non-chocolate version. Love everything you make, your cookbook is so beautiful it is almost daunting. Love this site!
Thanks so much Jessica! Yes, if you’re a fan of that chocolate cupcake, you should love this vanilla version! 🙂
So finally made these and the tops to mine were fairly moist to the touch the next day. Not sure what I did wrong.
Did you happen to put them in a container while they were still warm? If so, condensation from inside the container can cause that.
Is the batter meant to be runny when you make these? I tried to make them and the batter was very liquid like. Cakes turned out Ok, but II just wasn’t sure if this was normal as the recipe doesn’t state how the batter is supposed to turn out 🙂
Thanks!!!
Yes, it’s a fairly thin batter. If you watch the video, you should be able to see just about how thin when I pour the batter into the cupcake liners. I hope that helps!
In response to Samantha, regarding convection ovens – I purchased one a year ago and my manufacturers instructions said to bake at 25 degrees less than called for in the recipe. My oven is optional to use convection or regular bake. Also be wary of non-stick coated pans – they cook everything dark and temperature should also be reduced for these. (I am gradually getting rid of them and replacing with good quality aluminum pans – the best for even baking results in my opinion.)
Thanks for helping with that Nancy!
This was my exact same question. Was worried about the consistency of the batter. The cupcakes are now in the oven. See you back here in 15 minutes 🙂
Nancy
Nairobi, Kenya.
I have a conventional oven so the fan is going all the time. It’s so hard to find a vanilla recipe that works well for me and that darn oven. How do you think this recipe will be in this type of oven? Any adjustments you can suggest? All your recipes look amazing! 🙂
I’m not very familiar with baking in a convection oven. I’m sorry! I wish I could be more help. My guess is you’d want to use less baking time, but I don’t know if it’ll effect the way it bakes.
For convection cooking you should reduce the cook time sometimes as much as ten minutes or if the recipe calls for 350 for 15 you might want to try it at 335. Your owners manual can help you with that. I only bake on convection, would not use anything else, I find I get a much more even bake. I have a high end convection oven though and just like gas stoves quality of bake can change depending on quality of the stove. Most importantly though, read the owners manual for baling tips.
I think that the issue for many ppl is the website layout for a mobile view. The add cuts off he very beginning of the recipe, and it kinda looks like only 1/2 cup of flour is needed. I immagine that all ppl saying that it didnot worm, or baked for 1 and a half hour and still bot ready is the provlem that they dont notice the 2 which gets cut of wiyh the add. I tired and they are lovely! So I cant immagine how can so many people fail, must be the flour part.
Could this be halved with the same results?
Thank you.
Definitely! 🙂
Made these last night and they were perfect. My husband left his out uncovered over night by mistake, and it was still ridiculously soft/moist in the morning – well done, thank you!!
Awesome! Glad to hear it! 🙂
If i halve the doses, should i Also halve the egg and use 1?
Yes, if you cut the recipe in half, you’ll also want to use half the number of eggs.
Hi Lindsay
Can I subtitute vanilla bean paste in this recipe and would it still be 1 whole tbsp?
Bridget
I believe it’s usually a 1 to 1 conversion, but haven’t tried it.
Whenever I make vanilla cake or cupcakes the end result is never as light in color as your cupcakes turned out. Do you use regular vanilla or clear vanilla? Or what am I doing wrong? Any suggestions would be welcome.
Thank you.
I use regular vanilla extract. It’d be so hard to say what is causing it without seeing it and watching. Have other cakes you made used baking soda instead of baking powder? I have noticed that that can make a darker cake sometimes.
The color of the cake can depend on cook time, your ovens accuracy with temperature, and also whether you are using light or dark pans. The dark pans retain more heat and can cause cakes to brown faster.
ALso, it could be the yolks in the eggs. Usually white cakes only use the whites. I noticed that when I use Egglands Best, the yokes are almost gold, I too made a white cake and called for 3 eggs, I use daily 2 egg whites and the the third egg I used the whole gig and the cake was more yellow than white.
Are they suppose to taste doughy? My never seem to firm and rise in 17 min.
No, they aren’t. I’m not sure why some people seem to get that result. I’m sorry!
The cupcakes look wonderful, but I too would like to know can you use this batter for layer cakes also? My great niece has a wedding coming soon and she wants me to make her cake.How well does that icing hold up on a layered stacked wedding cake? Thanks so much in advance for your input.
Yes, you can use it for a layer cake. I made it in three 8 inch cakes and baked them for about 20 minutes I believe. The frosting also does well on cakes. I’d double it – or even use 2 1/2 recipes worth, but I’m a heavy froster. 🙂 I’ve used it on wedding cakes before with plenty of success.
when using this recipe for a cake do you have to grease or flour the pan?
Yes, you’ll want to use something. I usually use a non-stick baking spray. Here’s an instance where I used this recipe in a cake, for your reference.
These cupcakes look so yummy! Where did you get the sprinkles? I’ve been looking for stars for quite a while. Thanks.
Thanks Karen! They are from the Sweetapolita Shop.
Super pretty cupcakes!
Thanks Joanna!
I love the sprinkles on these cupcakes! They are so fun1
How is this cupcake supposed to come out like? Like texture, taste and all???
Can this new cupcake recipe be used for a layer cake?
Yes it can. I have made it in three 8 inch pans and baked for about 20 minutes.
Made in two 8 inch pans. Came out great.
Any Lemon Cupcake recipes in the works? I searched your site and could not find any. Thanks!
Great!
I added Lemon Cupcakes to the calendar – that’d be delicious. 🙂 In the meantime, you could try these Lemon Blueberry ones and leave out the blueberries.
How full do you fill your 8″pans?
I’m not exactly sure how full they are, but I divide the batter between three 8 inch pans.
Hi, i made this and it turned like a puto cake.. i haven’t tried any vanilla cupcake before so i do not know if i got it right or not.. 🙂
We followed the recipe to the letter. The only substitute was regular butter over salted butter. The frosting turned out kinda runny and not that solid. Is there a way to make the frosting more solid like the cupcake picture?
I’m from South Africa.
1 cup = 250ml here.
I see the flour is 2 and a half cup = 325grams in your recipe,. Should I just follow the recipe as is and ignore the cups and work on the grams?
Yes, I’d just follow the grams. I actually use the grams and weigh the ingredients when I bake so they’ll be accurate.
And hi in South Africa! That’s where my husband is from. 🙂
I don’t know what went wrong but I followed the instructions and recipe and it didn’t taste good. I wasted time and materials, I will stick to my original recipe. No offense. Thanks for sharing though.
Hi, I tried these cupcakes and they came out so moist and delicious, I just used the one cup measure that I bought from Walmart, I didn’t weigh any ingredients and I didn’t use an electric beater either, I just used a whisk and followed the recipes instructions and I was really happy with the result. I’m originally from South Africa as well but I’m in Savannah Georgia now. Great recipe, I’ll be using this one only from now on????
What did you mean by “shortening” or like what is it than I might try this recipe today or tomorrow great website
It’s a butter substitute, but you could replace it with additional butter.
Hi i have a question can you use coconut oil instead of vegetable oil in the recipe?
I haven’t tried it to say for sure, but I think others have commented that they did and it worked well.
I too am from SA 🙂 I must just say thank you so much for sharing your vanilla cupcake recipe, my little girl and I have now happily mastered the perfect cupcake, due to your recipe. Absolutely perfect!
I’m so glad you enjoyed them!
Should I just half the ingredients
To make less amount of cupcakes
Change your sugar quantities please I have just made you cupcakes and the sugar is wrong should be 200grams or there about snot 400 that will teach me not to watch and go on automatics grrrrr
The sugar is correct. I use the gram measurements when baking them and it’s right.
Hello, I just want to add my 2cents. I tried both the vanilla and the moist chocolate. WOW! Both are amazing! I never need to try any other. Love them both. I didn’t change anything EXCEPT I didn’t use separate bowls for wet and dry. I combined the dry ingredients and added the wet into the same bowl all at once. (Less dishes????)
I am very happy with both recipes. Wouldn’t change a thing.
Thank you
I’m so glad to hear you enjoyed them both!
Unrelated to this question, but. What are your thoughts on using a different sweetener? Maple syrup?
In my experience, that alters the texture of the cupcake. You could experiment with it, but I’m not sure how it’d turn out.
This is the most disgusting cupcake recipe I have ever tried. It stuck to the wrapper, the texture was odd, and it definitely did not taste good.
It’s good I even gave it a star it’s horrbile it tastes like a cookie and I even followed the instructions nothing like vanilla you also have to put less then half mine cane literally out of the pan
Great recipe ! The only thing I adjusted was the sugar , I used half a cup less. Came out perfect and so easy. What I love is the tops aren’t hills, they are nice and flat , perfect for piping ! Thanks for sharing !
I’m going to try and use the same recipe but convert to make chocolate cupcakes,see how that goes.
Xx South Africa
There are some adjustments to be made for the chocolate version. Here’s my chocolate cupcake recipe, which is pretty much the same with a couple adjustments. https://www.lifeloveandsugar.com/moist-homemade-chocolate-cupcakes/
Hi Lindsay
Do you think I can sub the milk for coconut cream or coconut milk ?
I haven’t tried it to be able to say how it affects the outcome. I’m sure they would bake fine, it just may alter the texture or flavor of the cupcakes a little bit.
I made these tonight. They came out excellent. My husband loved them also. I will always make this recipe. Tomorrow I will figure out an easy icing to make which I may have the ingredients in the house. Running low on ingredients. Not a good time to go shopping….
This is the BEST cupcake recipe ever. This is my third time making them and everyone loves them <3
This recipe is delicious and super easy to make.
However, I would highly recommend cutting back to 1 cup sugar – the 2 cups makes the sweetness a little too much.
Hello,
I tried these cupcakes today and they’re yummmmm and super moist. I halved the recipe and got 12 cupcakes and a small mini cake 😊
Hello , I am writing all the way from Nigeria.
I have made this recipe twice and it came out fabulous. The first time it was too sweet so I made the following alterations:
– 1 cup of sugar
– 1/4 tsp of salt
-2.5 tbsp of baking powder
– 1 1/4 cup of milk
– 3eggs
– no water added.
Hi there, what temperature should the water be? I usually use recently boiled water for cakes but wasn’t sure, thanks
It’s not super important in this recipe. Room temperature is fine.
Hi I’ve been using your recipe fior quite some time now cupcakes are so delicious. I’ve just looked again for this recipe to print if and noticed you say half a cup of all purpose flour as before it said 2 and a half cups is that a typo error. As I want to make sure I have the right amount.
Thank you so much again
Tara
It still says 2 1/2 cups. Not sure what happened, but I’d try printing again.
Is it suppose to be this watery?
Yes, it’s a very thin batter.
Made these today and they were great! The icing was amazing 👌🏼 and the cupcakes weren’t too sweet at all. I did the same thing as another lady who commented and just mixed the dry ingredients in a bowl, then added all the wet ingredients to save on dishes. Worked just fine. Some of y’all out here saying these were straight up disgusting or awful…I don’t know who hurt you, but don’t take it out on the recipe 😆
User error is common, check your measurements and ingredients carefully.
Thanks for the recipe, the kids and I enjoyed them 🧁😋
The amount of sugar in this recipe is way too much. I was going to make cupcakes for Halloween and was so excited until they came out way to sugary. I don’t know what I did wrong as many other reviews are saying wonderful things about this recipe.
I’m only twelve and I did this for my mom it worked really good she was so proud of me thank you so much for this 😁
1 cup = 250ml if its a liquid (milk, water, oil)
1 cup of flour weighs 120 grs.
Hi,
could i substitute buttermilk for milk in this recipe
thanks
I haven’t tried it to be able to say for sure.
I used buttermilk instead of milk and it turned out great, tastes wonderful and I didn’t use any water
I use this recipe everytime I need to make cupcakes or a cake. I love how light and airy it is, and super moist! Personally I think it’s fail proof. I have never had these come out bad, so if yours does it must be human error. 10/10 recipe! Thank you
I was wondering if I could also substitute the water out for milk! I have grown up on cupcakes using milk and I was wondering if I could incorporate milk instead of water!
I haven’t it tried it that way to know for sure, but you could certainly give it a shot!
Did you try this recipe with all milk? I’ll be making them for a wedding and was wondering how it tasted.
Hello, how many cupcakes does this recipe make? Thanks!
12-14 cupcakes
ok
Mine made 24!. Did I do it wrong?.
Could I use coconut oil instead of shortening? I also only have coconut oil and EV olive oil in the house, so which would you use instead of vegetable oil? I’m leaning toward coconut, but wanted your opinion, as it’s your recipe. Thanks!
I’ve honestly never tried either in frosting. Coconut oil does sound like the better bet, but it will be softer than vegetable oil, so you’ll want to account for that.
I get 24 , both times I used this recipe and I got the same amount
I absolutely love this recipe ..I make these cupcakes at least once every 2 weeks .
My husband and nephew ask me to make them all the time.
They are so moist and flavourful.
So glad to hear that!
Hi
I want to make 3 x 7inch cake, will this recipe be enough or do i neex to double it?
Also, will it still be moist after being in the fridge?
Thanks
Hi Lindsay,
I am definitely not a Baker, but this recipe is winner! I usually do the box cakes and cupcakes, I decided to try your recipe. I baked the cupcakes for 20 minutes and they turned out perfectly. My husband and son thoroughly enjoyed theirs. I made my own version of frosting with purple colouring and chocolate sprinkles. Very sweet which is what I love.
I have already saved your link to my phone and can’t wait to try your other recipes.
Thanks a million again all the way from South Africa.
Candice xxx
I’m so glad to hear you enjoyed them!
Best vanilla cupcake ever!!! Amazing.
Hi
I tried making the recipe exactly as directed from your post but I found the cupcakes to be a little dense/gummy…..any suggestions as to how I can make a flufflier cupcake next time?
I’m really not sure. Some people seem to get this result and I can’t seem to recreate it. I’m sorry!
Mine came out gummy too. No idea where it went wrong. I think the cooking time is off? Going to try again tomorrow. Increase to 25 mins I am at sea level in far west Canada maybe the issue is altitude?
i don’t know what happened but i followed the recipe exactly. yet my cupcakes turned out weird and gummy. disappointed
This happened to me. I would suggest weighing out the flour and other dru ingredients. Also give your dry ingredients a whisk before adding the wet ingredients. And lastly make sure you use room temp ingredients. This seemed to fix any issues I had. Though your baking tin may be an issue
I’m also from South Africa and this is my Go-To recipe for vanilla cupcakes! They’re always moist and fluffy! Yum.
So glad to hear that!
I usually just doctor up a boxed white cake mix, but I tried this recipe today and I’m sure glad I did. So amazing! I will use a real vanilla bean next time for extra flavor.
So glad you enjoyed them!
Hi, I see the recipe says I must use the egg whites. Does that mean I don’t use the egg yolks at all
Not sure where you’re seeing egg whites. This recipe uses whole eggs.
These cupcakes were terrible. Dont try. They had a doughy texture. It also tasted eggless. I do not know why they used only egg whites. We put it in the oven at 5pm it is 6:30 pm and it’s still baking. Please do not try it does not work. Tasted horrible. Please help. 🙁
But where did you read egg whites???? It says egg.
I’m also going to be making these tomorrow and fingers crossed- I’m also from South Africa but based in Botswana now., love your recipes and thanks for including the metrics measurements for some of us!! Do you use hot water or tap water?