Made with sour cream and melted butter, this vanilla cupcake recipe is easy to mix by hand and makes extra-moist, tender cupcakes filled with sweet vanilla flavor. They’re super simple to make and topped with big, pillowy swirls of homemade vanilla buttercream (or your favorite frosting). Don’t forget the sprinkles!
After baking and tasting about a million cupcakes over the years, I can say this: Everyone needs a delicious, simple vanilla cupcake recipe, one that can be whipped up even without a mixer present.
This vanilla cupcake recipe combines sour cream and melted butter for a smooth, flavorful batter. And here’s the best part: Making these cupcakes is as easy as whipping up a box mix, but the result is incomparably better.
These cupcakes are a bit denser than my oil-based moist vanilla cupcakes. Butter results in a tighter crumb and also makes these cupcakes a little richer. Meanwhile, the sour cream adds moisture and highlights the subtle vanilla flavor.
Whether you’re a seasoned baker or a beginner, this recipe is ideal for those looking for an easy, no-fuss batch of vanilla cupcakes. This cupcake recipe also makes a quick, simple base in desserts like these fresh strawberry cupcakes.
What Makes These Vanilla Cupcakes Different?
I have a few vanilla cupcake recipes on the site. Each one is delicious with its own unique ingredients, methods, and personalities. Here is what sets these vanilla cupcakes apart, and why they might be a great fit for you:
- Whole eggs. Unlike white cupcakes that rely on egg whites, there’s no need to separate the eggs for this recipe.
- This recipe uses sour cream. It tenderizes the cupcakes and gives them a wonderful springiness along with added moisture.
- A combination of baking powder and baking soda gives these cupcakes the best rise and texture.
- Melted butter mixes very easily with the other ingredients. It also means you don’t have to wait for the butter to soften to room temperature, as you would if you were using a creaming method like in my classic homemade vanilla cupcakes.
What You’ll Need
Here’s what you’ll need to make these simple vanilla cupcakes from scratch. You probably have most of the ingredients already in your kitchen. Be sure to scroll to the recipe card below for precise measurements.
- All-purpose flour – Be sure to measure the flour accurately, so you don’t end up with a dry cake. I always recommend a food scale, but the spoon and level method is also an option.
- Baking powder and baking soda – This is my only vanilla cupcake recipe that uses baking soda in addition to baking powder. Baking soda reacts with the sour cream, giving extra lift to the cupcakes. See my post on Baking Powder vs. Baking Soda for details. Avoid using leavening that’s old or expired.
- Unsalted butter – No need to bring it to room temperature. You’ll be melting it for the easy mixing method.
- Sugar – Granulated sugar not only adds sweetness, but also moisture, and it affects the final texture of the cupcake.
- Vanilla extract – A good quality vanilla extract is perfect for a vanilla-focused cupcake. You could also use an equal amount of vanilla paste.
- Eggs – Be sure to use large eggs, not small or extra large.
- Sour cream – I like the extra moisture and richness sour cream adds to these cupcakes. However, if you aren’t a sour cream fan or don’t have it in the fridge, you can replace it with additional milk or Greek yogurt.
- Milk – I recommend using 2% milk or whole milk.
How To Make Vanilla Cupcakes Without a Mixer
These simple vanilla cupcakes come together quickly. The batter is easy enough to mix by hand, though a mixer does come in handy when whipping the frosting. Here’s a quick look at how to do it. For more thorough instructions, scroll to the recipe card below.
Whisk together the flour, baking powder, baking soda, and salt.
Next, combine the melted butter, sugar, and vanilla extract.
Whisk in the eggs, followed by the sour cream, then the milk.
Mix the dry ingredients into the wet ingredients.
Fill the cupcake liners about 3/4 full.
Bake at 350ºF for 18-20 minutes. Then, place on a cooling rack to cool.
Frosting the Cupcakes
- Make the frosting. Beat the butter until smooth. Mix in half of the powdered sugar, followed by the vanilla, 1-2 tablespoons heavy cream, and the salt. Finally, mix in the remaining powdered sugar.
- Get the consistency right. You can add a little extra heavy cream if you would like a thinner frosting.
- Frost. Pipe the frosting onto the cooled cupcakes. Check out my in-depth tutorial, How To Frost Cupcakes for extra guidance. You’ll be a frosting pro in no time!
Frosting Options
Instead of vanilla buttercream, try frosting these simple vanilla cupcakes with chocolate buttercream frosting, Ermine frosting, or tangy cream cheese frosting.
Pro Tips for Amazing Cupcakes
- Don’t over-mix. When whisking the dry ingredients into the wet ingredients, mix just until everything is smooth and well incorporated. Over-mixing can cause the glutens in the flour to overdevelop, giving you tough, dense cupcakes.
- 3/4 full. You will want to fill the cupcake liners just a little more than 3/4 of the way. If you overfill them, they will rise out of the liners and create a muffin top and/or fall in the middle, which you don’t want here.
- Get the frosting right. To get the buttercream to the proper consistency, you may need to play with the amount of heavy cream you add to it. You’ll find everything you need to know on the subject in my post on how to get the right frosting consistency.
- Cool before frosting. Allow your cupcakes to cool completely before applying the frosting. This prevents the frosting from melting and sliding off of the cupcakes.
Proper Storage
These cupcakes are best eaten within 4-5 days. Here’s how to store them for best taste and shelf life.
- Keep the cupcakes airtight. Seal the cupcakes in an airtight carrier or other airtight container that can accommodate the frosting. Store them at room temperature for up to 2 days so that they don’t dry out as quickly. After that, they should be refrigerated because of the buttercream.
- Freeze. You can freeze these frosted or unfrosted. If you’re freezing the frosted cupcakes, seal them in an airtight container tall enough to accommodate the frosting and store them in the freezer for up to 3 months. Allow them to thaw at room temperature before serving. You can also freeze these cupcakes sans frosting and whip up a fresh batch of vanilla buttercream just before serving.
More Cupcake Recipes To Try
Cupcakes are the perfect sharable dessert. They bring everything you want from a cake to the table, without all the slicing and serving! Here are some of my other favorite cupcake recipes.
Download the previous version of this cupcake recipe here.
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Simple Vanilla Cupcake Recipe
- Prep Time: 1 hour
- Cook Time: 20 minutes
- Total Time: 1 hour 20 minutes
- Yield: 12–14 Cupcakes 1x
- Category: Dessert
- Method: Oven
- Cuisine: American
Description
Made with sour cream and melted butter, this simple vanilla cupcake recipe is easy to mix by hand (no creaming!). It’s topped with creamy vanilla frosting, perfect for everyday baking.
Ingredients
Vanilla Cupcakes
- 1 2/3 cups (217g) all-purpose flour
- 1 tsp baking powder
- 1/4 tsp baking soda
- 1/2 tsp salt
- 3/4 cup (168g) unsalted butter, melted
- 1 cup (207g) sugar
- 1 tbsp vanilla extract
- 2 large eggs
- 1/2 cup (115g) sour cream
- 3/4 cup (180ml) milk
Vanilla Buttercream Frosting
- 1 cup (224g) unsalted butter, room temperature
- 4 cups (460g) powdered sugar
- 1 tsp vanilla extract
- 2–3 tbsp (30-45ml) heavy cream
- Pinch or two of salt
- Sprinkles, optional
Instructions
Vanilla Cupcakes
- Preheat oven to 350°F (176°C) and prepare a cupcake pan with cupcake liners.
- Combine the flour, baking powder, baking soda, and salt in a medium-sized bowl and set aside.
- In a large bowl, whisk the melted butter, sugar, and vanilla extract together until well combined.
- Add the eggs and whisk together until well combined. Next, add the sour cream and whisk together until well combined. Now, add the milk and whisk together until well combined.
- Add the dry ingredients and whisk together until combined, but do not overmix.
- Fill the cupcake liners a little more than 3/4 full (60g) and bake for 18-20 minutes or until a toothpick inserted into the center comes out clean.
- Remove cupcakes from the oven and place on a cooling rack to cool completely.
Vanilla Buttercream Frosting
- Add the butter to a large mixer bowl and beat until smooth.
- Carefully add about half of the powdered sugar and mix until smooth and well combined.
- Add the vanilla extract and 1-2 tablespoons of the cream and the salt to the frosting and mix until well combined.
- Add the remaining powdered sugar and mix until smooth. Add additional cream as needed to get the right consistency.
- Pipe the frosting onto the cupcakes. I used Ateco tip 844. Add sprinkles, if desired.
- Store cupcakes in an airtight container for up to 2 days, then refrigerate them. Best served at room temperature. They are best if eaten within 3-4 days.
Notes
See my newest Vanilla Cupcake Recipe.
Nutrition
- Serving Size: 1 Cupcake
- Calories: 459
- Sugar: 42.9 g
- Sodium: 176 mg
- Fat: 25.1 g
- Carbohydrates: 56.2 g
- Protein: 3.4 g
- Cholesterol: 46.6 mg
This frosting was cloyingly sweet. Had to salvage it with an 8 ounce package of Philly cream cheese. Even then, it was borderline sugar-shock. Two cups of powdered sugar would have been fine. I used three cups and tossed in the sour cream and it’S so-so.
Two things. Paddle or beater attachment? Also the butter, should this be cut into smaller pieces first? I had some very large chunks after mixing. Thanks!
Hmm, I’m under the impression the paddle and beater are the same. I googled to be sure. Which are you referring to? I don’t cut the butter into pieces, but it should be softened. You could even melt it a little bit to avoid the pieces of butter.
Love the pic but hate the cupcake my entire family of 5 kids spit it out. Boyfriend says the icing was good but the cake was horrible
Thank you so much for your vanilla cupcakes recipes. i made it this week and it was sooooo delicious! I will be talking about it on my food blog as well.
thank you so much
These cupcakes ARE amazing! I keep them in a fridge and take them out for 15mins and they taste even better! I used unsalted butter and added 1/2 tspoon salt. I also reduced the amount of sugar (caster sugar) to 3/4 cup and they’re just perfect. Next will try to make it into a cake. I still need to work on the buttercream though. I only used 1 cup of icing sugar and didn’t add water and the texture was “grainy”. Any tips to make it smoother? Thanks so much for the recipe! Did I mention it’s so easy to make too? 😉
HI, I baked them there were so nice and soft, after some days there are still fresh and soft but I have a problem after just 18 it was so crack on it and it raised up so much but after getting cold it was a bit down, I wanna know is it normal or not ? tnx a lot
hi I’ve tried your receipt today but I realised that the more I beat, the texture seemed to get tougher. may I know what has got wrong? thanks so much!
Yes, you don’t want to overheat the batter. It’ll make it tough.
Absolutely delicious. Thanks for posting this. The only part of the recipe I changed , was the use of egg whites . I didn’t feel ike wasting the yolks, so I used two whole eggs instead . Put it all together in less than 15mins. Baked for exactly 20 mins @ 170 degrees centigrade ( for anyone wanting a conversion) . They came out perfect and are really moist . Definitely a keeper .
I love the recipe… I substitude the sour cream with yoghurt and they turn out amazing… Like what you said MOIST, FLUFFY and SUPER YUUUMMM…. These were dellicious.. Thank you… ????????
hi,
i have a question about the eggs used in the recipe.
what size eggs are they, small, medium or large?
thanks
They are large.
I love your recipe! I’ve made the cupcakes and I got to say they are super moist and delicious. I also had to make my son a vanilla cake he wanted for his birthday and I didn’t want to use any other recipes I double the recipe and came really good. It’s definitely my go to vanilla cupcake and cake recipe. Thanks so much for sahring ❤
This is a great recipe! I followed the recipe but added 1/4 tsp salt, and ended up not having 3 eggs so used 2 whole instead of 3 whites. Perfect!! I’ve been searching for a great recipe and so glad I came across this one. Thank you!
I just made these for a friends childs 1st birthday and I think I just tasted heaven! These are the best cupcakes I have ever made and eaten! Using this everytime to make the best cake ever! Thank you 🙂
Thank you Erin! I’m so glad you enjoyed them!
Can I add cream cheese to the icing recipe? If so, how much?
Yes, I’d recommend replacing the shortening with the cream cheese. Enjoy!
Thank you so much for sharing your fabulous recipe. These cupcakes turned out the best. I substituted a little to suit ingredients I had at home. I used yoghurt and lemon juice instead of sour cream and 2 whole eggs instead of 3 egg whites. Very fluffy and superb flavour.
I’m so glad you enjoyed them!
Do we need the sour cream? Can it be replaced by something, or is it just optional?
I really prefer to use the sour cram – I think it adds to the flavor and moistness of the cupcake. If you don’t have it on hand though, you can replace it with milk.
is this recipe in celcius or farhenheight?
fahrenheight
hi, may i know if i can just substitute sour cream with yogurt?
Yes, you can, though it does change the texture of the cupcake.