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Sweets · American

Vanilla Cupcakes

Twelve little cakes, one big swirl of icing, zero drama (mostly).

Hands-on
40 min
Hands-off
30 min
Oven preheat
15 min
Total
1 h 10 min
Makes
12 cupcakes
Serves
12

Total = 40 min active (mixing, filling, and making and piping the frosting while the cakes cool) + 30 min hands-off (18-20 min baking, 10 min in the pan). Preheating overlaps prep. The cakes must be completely cool before frosting, which can take longer on the rack.

Oven 180 °C · 160 °C fan (350 °F)

Pan 12-cup standard muffin tin with paper liners (US: 12-cup standard muffin pan with paper liners)

  • easy
  • vegetarian
  • kid-friendly
  • party
  • baking-basics

Verified against at least two trusted test kitchens or food-safety guides · Last checked · What this means

Illustration of Vanilla Cupcakes
Amount
Units
Oven

Ingredients

You need: 12-cup standard muffin pan · 12 paper cupcake liners · 2 medium mixing bowls · whisk · electric mixer (hand or stand) · cake tester or toothpick · wire rack · piping bag or spoon/offset spatula for frosting · oven mitts

Contains: wheat · egg · milk

Method

  1. Heat and line

    Heat the oven to 180°C (160°C fan, 350°F) with a rack in the middle, and line the muffin pan with paper liners.

  2. Mix the dry ingredients

    In a medium bowl, whisk the 180 g (1 1/2 cups) flour, 1 1/2 tsp baking powder and 1/4 tsp salt.

    Ready when: The dry ingredients are evenly combined.

  3. Whip the eggs and sugar

    In another bowl, beat the 2 eggs and 132 g (2/3 cup) sugar with an electric mixer until light and foamy, about 2 minutes. Keep beating while you slowly pour in the 170 g melted butter, then the 2 tsp vanilla.

  4. Add flour and milk

    With the mixer on low, add half the flour mixture, then all 113 g (1/2 cup) milk, then the rest of the flour. Mix just until combined.

    Otto tried this firstOtto keeps the mixer running long after the flour has disappeared. Stop as soon as it's combined; this batter should not be overmixed.

  5. Fill the liners

    Divide the batter evenly among the 12 liners.

  6. Bake

    Bake for 18 to 20 minutes, turning the pan around halfway through, until a cake tester pushed into the center of a cupcake comes out clean.

    Ready when: A cake tester in the center comes out clean.

  7. Cool completely

    Let the cupcakes cool in the pan on a rack for 10 minutes, then lift them out and let them cool completely on the rack before frosting.

  8. Make the frosting

    In a mixer bowl, combine the 339 g (3 cups) confectioners' sugar and 227 g (1 cup) room-temperature butter. Beat on low until blended, then on medium for 3 minutes. Add 1 tsp vanilla and 1 tbsp cream and beat on medium for 1 minute more, adding a little more cream if needed to make it spreadable.

    Ready when: Smooth, light and fluffy, and thick enough to spread or pipe.

  9. Frost them

    Spread or pipe the frosting onto the completely cooled cupcakes.

Swaps

  • Instead of 12-cup standard muffin pan: two 24-cup mini muffin pans (about 48 mini cupcakes) Bake the minis 10 to 12 minutes.
  • Instead of heavy cream in the frosting: milk Add it a little at a time until the frosting spreads easily.

Make ahead, store & reheat

Make ahead
Make the frosting ahead: keep it in an airtight container in the fridge for up to a week, or freeze it for up to 3 months and thaw it overnight in the fridge. Let it come to room temperature, then beat it briefly until fluffy again before using.
Storage
Let the cakes cool completely before frosting. This frosting is all butter, so keep frosted cupcakes covered in the fridge: all-butter frosting can soften and slide off at room temperature.

If something goes wrong

  • Lumpy, clumpy frosting
    The butter was too cold. Use butter at room temperature: no longer chilly and giving slightly when pressed, but not melted.
  • Frosting too stiff to spread
    Beat in a little more cream, a splash at a time.
  • The frosting melted or slid off
    Frost only completely cool cakes, and keep all-butter frosting in the fridge.

Good to know

  • Beat the frosting for the full times; that's what makes it light and fluffy.
  • Ice only fully cooled cakes - warm cupcakes melt butter frosting.

Safety

  • Never lick the spoon or taste the raw batter: raw flour and raw egg can carry harmful bacteria, and only baking makes them safe.
  • Wash your hands, bowls and counter with warm soapy water after handling raw batter, and keep it away from foods that won't be cooked.
  • The pan is very hot straight from the oven - use oven mitts, and let an adult handle the oven with younger kids.