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
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.