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.
Print
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
Hi all,
Has anyone tried making these using the whole egg vs just egg whites?
Someone said the other day that they used 3 whole eggs instead of egg whites and they turned out well. I’d imagine it’s a different texture though.
I used 1 whole and one white and they turned out great! Usually 1 whole is fairly equivalent to 2 whites
I’m wanting to try these but am concerned about using sour cream. Do you get the taste of it at all or do they just taste like vanilla cupcakes? I tried to make muffins with sour cream once but they were disgusting. Has anyone else tried these? Any feedback?
I don’t think they taste like sour cream at all – it just adds great moisture. I also haven’t heard of anyone having that problem either.
Thanks for a grat recipe! I’ve been Loki g for cupcakes that don’t stick to the paper case, and dont fall apart. These fit the bill! A few comments-
I used vanilla yoghurt instead of sour cream, and 50% cream /50% milk.
I doubled the recipe- but only had 5 egg whites. Still worked really well!
I’m in Australia, I used 250ml cup. I think the USA cup is different? It would be helpful if you put mls and grams in your recipes.
I was a bit confused by the ‘cup’ of butter- how can you have a cup, unless it’s melted or packed in? Again grams would be most helpful! I just mashed it in a bit and guessed, and it seems to have worked ok!
Thanks again, I’ve made about 45 cakes to take to my daughters preschool class for her birthday. They will love them 🙂
I’m so glad you enjoyed them and I’m glad to know yogurt works in place of the sour cream! It’s definitely a goal of mine to start adding grams and mls. Here, our butter comes in sticks measured by tablespoons and cups. I’m glad they worked out! 🙂 Thanks Kay!
I’ve just popped back to bake this recipe again, and I see you’ve added gram conversions. Thank you!
Ok, I’m making it now and I’m a bit hesitant…with the 1/2 cup of milk and the 1/2 cup of sour cream, are you sure the sour cream weighs twice as much as the milk? That’s a lot of sour cream, and looks like more than half a cup, whatever cup size you use in the USA!
I’m sorry! I am so unfamiliar with those types of measurements. I have the sour cream as grams – is that the right way to do it, or should it be ml? Let me check it again.
Hi, just wondering how many grams are in one cup? I am from the UK and I have encountered a lot of recipes using different grams to cup conversion (either 200g, 240g or 250g..). Would love to give it a try but need to get the measurements right first..thanks!
your cakes look amazing, love! x
Hi Joanna! I’ve updated the recipe to include grams. Thanks!
Is there any substitute to sour cream…. ???? As its not readily available in my locality.
Yogurt usually works as a substitute for sour cream, though I haven’t tried it in these cupcakes yet.
I see that there is quite a bit of Vanilla in this recipe. If you were to change it to Almond, how much would you use without the batter being too “Almondy”? (This question is for the cupcake batter only)
I am taking them to a party and want something a little different, but not too drastic, as I want to please a picky crowd.
I am excited to try this recipe as I have had similar experiences with trying to use a Cake recipe for Cupcakes. (Wrappers coming off plucks my nerves, LOL)
I’d say 1 – 1 1/2 tsp should be good. I hope you enjoy them! 🙂
Any substitute for the sour cream plz?
I haven’t tried it, but you could try using vanilla yogurt.
I used plain yogurt and it worked great. I know this is an old question but I thought it would help if someone else was reading comments after me 🙂
Thank you! I think I’m going to try these with plain yoghurt since I have no sour cream in the fridge 🙂
This recipe looks awesome. Question, is the vanilla flavor really strong? I’m looking for a subtle vanilla flavor to use as the cupcake base to fill with jelly and top with a peanut butter frosting to make a peanut butter and jelly cupcake. Thanks
It’s certainly a good vanilla flavor, but I think with a different icing, it wouldn’t be an overwhelming vanilla flavor. You could also cut the amount of vanilla extract in the recipe in half, if you’d like.
These cupcakes are so yummy! I will definitely be making these again. With a sprinkle of salt, they cupcakes will be great for parties and barbeques. These cupcakes are not like any others!
Wonderful! I’m so glad you liked them! 🙂
Hi,
Is it possible to get this recipe in grams, I’m in the UK and think I’ve gotten the conversion wrong.
Also, would this same recipe work for making a cake as opposed to cupcakes?
Hi Louise! I can try to do the grams conversion asap. I’ve made it as a cake, and it’s delicious. It does shrink a little bit as it cools though, just so you are aware.
If you could, that would be great! Is there another one of your recipes that you think would make a better vanilla cake?
Its my hubby’s favourite and your recipes are so good, makes me look like a good baker 🙂
Aw thanks! I’m so glad you enjoy them! This really does make a good cake if it’s just for you and your husband or sharing with friends. My husband loves it as a cake. If you’d rather try another though, this one is great too. I’m working on a vanilla cake at the moment. 🙂
I was so happy to find your recipe and thank you very much for all of the testing and tweaking you did. Hubby’s birthday is Wednesday and he wants vanilla cupcakes. I’ve been testing various recipes and wasn’t sold on any of them. Anxious to try your recipe.
I’d love to know what you think when you try them Coleen!
Hi,
I tried these cupcakes today and they were AMAZING, i have tried so many vanilla cupcakes but either they are too crumbly, dry or just plain wrong. They were moist, with perfect crumb. Just I had two very minor problems, they were sticking a little to the wrapper and I found them a little bland but the second problem, i think can be resolved with a pinch of salt.
Buttercream is the classic ratio and is just perfect.
Do you mind if I post it on my blog with your recipe linkback?
Thanks.
Hi Nadia! I’m so glad you liked them! You are welcome to post them in one of two ways – just use a photo with a link back to my site for the recipe and instructions, or use your own photo and rewrite the recipe in your own words with a link back. Thanks so much! 🙂
https://bakefresh.blogspot.com/2014/06/the-perfect-moist-vanilla-cupcakes.html
I have done the second thing, let me know if its ok for u, more than welcome if u suggest any changes and i will do anything for this recipe 😉
It looks great Nadia! I’m so glad you enjoyed them! 🙂
I am making 160 cupcakes for a friends birthday party and these really turned out amazing!!! This will now be my go-to cupcake recipe! So easy and delicious! Thank you for sharing it and I also love your photos!
Thank you so much Ana! I’m so glad you like them!! 🙂
I made these this past weekend for my daughter’s first birthday….the cupcakes were great. Lots of flavor and very moist and fluffy. I decided that this would be the recipe I would use for the Giant Cupcake Cake I needed to make.. Well the flavor was all there but it turned out very dense unfortunately 🙁 It’s definitely best suited for regular sized cupcakes. I’ll be making these again for sure! Thanks for the recipe!
Hi! I just made these and they taste and smell amazing! The centers are really moist and fluffy’ however, the bottoms of the cupcakes turned out kind of tough. I’m not much of a baker so I don’t know where I went wrong. Do you think I over baked them? Or over beat them? This was a trial batch. I’m making them for real on Saturday. I’d appreciate any helpful hints anyone might have . Thanks so much!
Sound like they might have been a little over baked. Cupcakes can do that pretty quickly. You want to take them out when there are still a few moist crumbs on the toothpick when you test them. I normally set the oven for 17 or 18 minutes, then check them and only add more time if they need it, so that they don’t overcook. One other possibility is that if it’s just the bottoms of the cupcakes, make sure you put the pan in the middle of the oven. If they were too close to the bottom, maybe that’s why the bottoms of the cupcakes are more done.
Just wondering if you had a chocolate cupcake recipe to go with the vanilla?
I don’t have an official post for that, but this chocolate cupcake is seriously the best. Just ignore the filling part, and for the icing don’t use the peanut butter and replace 1/2 cup of powdered sugar with 1/2 cup of cocoa.