Made with oil instead of butter, this Moist Vanilla Cupcake Recipe makes cupcakes with a light, tender crumb that’s super moist without being dense or heavy. The batter comes together in just a few minutes, making these an easy dessert to whip up anytime.
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. 😉
Why You’ll Love This Moist Vanilla Cupcake Recipe
- Super easy prep. There’s no need to cream the batter, which makes the prep super quick and easy. 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.
- Light texture. These cupcakes are made with oil instead of butter which gives them a lighter texture (and adds some moisture).
- Ultra moist. There’s so much moisture in these cupcakes! Ingredients like milk, eggs, and oil add moisture without making the cupcakes dense.
- Made with pantry staples. You likely have everything you need to make these moist vanilla cupcakes in your cupboard, which means you can whip them up almost anytime.
What Makes These Different From My Other Vanilla Cupcakes?
I have several different vanilla cupcake recipes on my site – these, my classic homemade vanilla cupcakes, and fluffy vanilla cupcakes.
All three recipes make super tasty cupcakes but they’re all a bit different. Here’s what makes this moist cupcake recipe stand out:
- No butter. Unlike my other recipes that are made with butter and oil (or just butter), these cupcakes are made only with oil.
- No creaming. Since there’s no butter, there’s no creaming of the butter and sugar to make the batter.
- No sour cream. My fluffy vanilla cupcakes are made with sour cream to add moisture but that’s not needed here.
- Water in the batter. Water is added, instead of something like sour cream, to add moisture without making them more dense.
- Lighter texture. These cupcakes have a very light texture compared to my others, primarily because there’s no sour cream or other “heavy” ingredients.
How To Make Moist Vanilla Cupcakes
Here’s an overview of how to make this moist vanilla cupcake recipe. You can find the printable version of the instructions in the recipe card below.
Preheat the oven to 350F. Prepare a cupcake pan with liners.
Combine the dry ingredients in a large bowl. In another bowl, combine the milk, oil, vanilla, and eggs.
Add the wet ingredients to the dry ingredients and mix until well combined.
Add the water and mix until well combined. Batter will be very thin.
Fill each cupcake liner halfway. Bake for 15-17 minutes, until a toothpick inserted in the center comes out with a few moist crumbs.
Allow the cupcakes to cool in the pan for 2 minutes then transfer to a cooling rack.
Beat the butter until smooth then mix in 2 cups of the powdered sugar, followed by the vanilla and cream. Mix until smooth following each addition then add the remaining powdered sugar. Pipe the frosting onto the cupcakes and add sprinkles.
Tips for Success
- Scrape down the bowl. As you combine the wet and dry ingredients, be sure to scrape down the sides of the bowl to ensure each ingredient is thoroughly combined.
- Thin batter is okay. The cupcake batter is going to be very thin after you mix in the water. That’s okay! It’s part of what makes these cupcakes extra moist and fluffy.
- Don’t over bake. To test when the cupcakes are done, you can insert a toothpick in the center of one. You want a few moist crumbs but not wet batter.
- Cool before frosting. Allow the cupcakes to cool completely before frosting. If they’re still warm, the frosting will melt.
Frequently Asked Questions
Why is my batter so thin?
This is normal. It’s from adding the water. The water adds moisture without adding fat, which would make the cupcakes more dense.
Can I make this as a cake?
Yes! For a three layer 8-inch cake, divide the batter evenly between the three cake pans and bake for 24-28 minutes, or until a toothpick comes out with a few moist crumbs.
How do I turn these into chocolate cupcakes?
You can find my chocolate version of these cupcakes in my Homemade Moist Chocolate Cupcakes recipe.
Proper Storage
- Room temperature. These cupcakes can stay at room temperature for up to 2 days, and then should be refrigerated. Store them in an airtight container. They should last for 3-5 days.
- Fridge. You can also store them in an airtight container in the fridge for 3-5 days.
- Freezer. Unfrosted cupcakes can be frozen for up to 3 months. Allow them to cool completely and then wrap them in plastic wrap ore place them in an airtight container. Thaw in the fridge, then frost and enjoy.
Watch How To Make These
NOTE: Some people have reported having trouble with this recipe, while others love it. I have no idea why some people have trouble. There could be any number of factors – improper measuring of ingredients, oven type, altitude, etc. I have never had an issue with these and cannot troubleshoot a problem that I cannot recreate. If you’d prefer a more traditional vanilla cupcake that uses butter and a little bit of oil, as well as the creaming method, and seems to be less finicky for people, try out these Easy Homemade Vanilla Cupcakes. They are currently my favorite vanilla cupcake.
Print
Moist Vanilla Cupcakes
- Prep Time: 15 minutes
- Cook Time: 15 minutes
- Total Time: 30 minutes
- Yield: 24–26 Cupcakes 1x
- Category: Dessert
- Method: Oven
- Cuisine: American
Description
Made with oil instead of butter, this Moist Vanilla Cupcake Recipe makes cupcakes with a light, tender crumb that’s super moist without being dense or heavy. The batter comes together in just a few minutes, making these an easy dessert to whip up anytime.
Ingredients
VANILLA CUPCAKES
- 2 1/2 cups (325g) all purpose flour
- 2 cups (414g) sugar
- 3 tsp baking powder (NOT baking soda)
- 1 tsp salt
- 1 cup (240 ml) milk
- 1/2 cup (120 ml) vegetable oil
- 1 tbsp vanilla extract
- 2 large eggs
- 1 cup (240 ml) water*
VANILLA FROSTING
- 1 cup (224g) unsalted butter, room temperature
- 4 cups (460g) powdered sugar
- 1 1/2 tsp vanilla extract
- 2–3 tbsp (30–45 ml) milk or heavy cream
- pinch of salt
Instructions
- Preheat oven to 350°F (176°C) and prepare a cupcake pan with liners.
- Add the flour, sugar, baking powder and salt to a large mixer bowl and combine. Set aside.
- Add the milk, vegetable oil, vanilla extract and eggs to a medium sized bowl and combine.
- Add the wet ingredients to the dry ingredients and beat until well combined.
- Slowly add the water to the batter and mix on low speed until well combined. Scrape down the sides of the bowl as needed to make sure everything is well combined. Please note that the batter will be very thin.
- Fill the cupcake liners about half way and bake for 15-17 minutes, or until a toothpick comes out with a few moist crumbs.
- Remove the cupcakes from oven and allow to cool for 2 minutes, then remove to a cooling rack to finish cooling.
- To make the frosting, beat the butter in a large mixer bowl until smooth.
- Add 2 cups of powdered sugar and mix until smooth.
- Add the vanilla extract and 1 tablespoon of milk or cream and mix until smooth.
- Add remaining powdered sugar and mix until smooth.
- Add remaining water or milk, as needed, and salt and mix until smooth.
- Pipe the frosting onto the cupcakes. I used Ateco tip 844.
Notes
If you’d prefer a more traditional vanilla cupcake that uses butter instead of oil, and the creaming method, try out these Homemade Vanilla Cupcakes.
*Some people report having issues with these cupcakes. If that happens to you, could try leaving out the water entirely. You could also try leaving the water and reducing the baking powder to 2 1/2 teaspoons.
To make as a cake: For a three layer 8-inch cake, divide the batter evenly between the three cake pans and bake for 24-28 minutes, or until a toothpick comes out with a few moist crumbs.
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
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.