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
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.