Classic Fluffy Vanilla Cupcakes

Easy Vanilla Cupcakes with Cream Cheese Frosting are a timeless classic, perfect for celebrating any special moment or simply brightening an ordinary day. With their irresistibly sweet, tender crumb and luxurious, tangy frosting, these homemade treats are guaranteed to be a universal favorite.

This comprehensive guide to crafting the most delightful Vanilla Cupcakes Recipe will have you baking like a pro in no time. Designed for simplicity and maximum flavor, this recipe yields perfectly moist cupcakes topped with a rich, creamy frosting that melts in your mouth. Forget dry, bland vanilla cakes; prepare for a dream bake that will impress everyone.

Why These Easy Vanilla Cupcakes Are a Must-Bake

In a world often dominated by chocolate, there’s a unique and undeniable charm to a perfectly executed vanilla dessert. These homemade vanilla cupcakes stand out for many reasons, making them a staple in any baker’s repertoire.

• A Delightful Alternative for Non-Chocoholics: While chocolate certainly has its place, vanilla offers a refreshing, delicate, and sophisticated flavor profile. These tender vanilla cupcakes are a fantastic option for those who prefer lighter, classic flavors, ensuring everyone at your gathering finds a treat they adore.
• An Exclusive Ina Garten-Inspired Recipe: This particular vanilla cupcake recipe, adapted from the legendary Ina Garten, holds a special secret – it’s not found in any of her official cookbooks! This makes it a rare gem, bringing the Barefoot Contessa’s renowned quality and simplicity directly to your kitchen. Her influence guarantees a reliable and delicious outcome.
• Unrivaled Moisture and Tenderness: The secret to these incredibly moist and tender cupcakes lies in the inclusion of sour cream. This ingredient works wonders, adding richness and keeping the crumb wonderfully soft. Paired with a luscious cream cheese frosting, the texture and flavor combination is simply irresistible.
• Versatile for Every Occasion: From casual family desserts to elegant birthday parties, baby showers, or holiday celebrations, these vanilla cupcakes fit seamlessly into any event. Their classic appeal and delightful taste make them a universally loved treat, adaptable with various decorations to suit your theme.
• Simple Yet Sophisticated Flavor: Vanilla might seem basic, but pure vanilla extract elevates these cupcakes to an extraordinary level. The clean, aromatic notes of vanilla shine through, offering a comforting and profoundly satisfying dessert experience that never goes out of style.

We recently faced a common dessert dilemma for a family birthday. Katie loves peanut butter, cheesecake, and tres leches, while her brother is a devout dark chocolate enthusiast who shies away from her favorites. This easy vanilla cupcake recipe proved to be the perfect solution, pleasing both siblings with its delightful flavor and universal appeal, ensuring a joyous celebration for everyone.

Essential Ingredients for Perfect Homemade Vanilla Cupcakes

Achieving bakery-quality vanilla cupcakes starts with understanding the role of each ingredient. Here’s a closer look at what you’ll need and why careful selection and preparation are key:

• Kitchen Staples: Ensure you have the basics ready – Granulated Sugar, All-purpose Flour, and Baking Soda are the backbone of most baking endeavors.
• Unsalted Butter (Room Temperature is Crucial): Using room temperature butter is non-negotiable for a light and fluffy cupcake. Softened butter creams beautifully with sugar, incorporating air and creating a stable emulsion, which leads to a fine, even crumb. Cold butter won’t blend properly, resulting in a dense cake.
• Large Eggs (Room Temperature): Like butter, room temperature eggs emulsify much better with the other ingredients. This creates a smoother batter, which translates to a more uniform texture and a better rise in your cupcakes. To quickly bring eggs to room temperature, place them in a bowl of warm (not hot!) water for 5-10 minutes.
• Sour Cream (Room Temperature): This is the secret ingredient for an exceptionally moist and tender cupcake. Sour cream adds a delightful tang that complements the vanilla, and its fat content contributes to a rich, soft texture. Using it at room temperature ensures it incorporates smoothly into the batter without curdling.
• Pure Vanilla Extract: Do not compromise on quality here. Always use pure vanilla extract for the best flavor. Imitation vanilla, while cheaper, lacks the complex, aromatic notes that make vanilla truly shine. The difference in taste is significant and noticeable.
• Cornstarch: This ingredient is essential for achieving a tender crumb. When combined with all-purpose flour, cornstarch acts as a substitute for cake flour, reducing the gluten development and softening the flour’s structure. Do not skip this; it contributes significantly to the delicate texture of the cupcakes.
• Kosher Salt: Kosher salt has a larger grain than table salt and helps to balance the sweetness of the cupcakes, enhancing all the other flavors without making them overtly salty. If substituting with fine table salt, use slightly less (approximately ¾ teaspoon) to avoid over-salting.
• Cream Cheese (Room Temperature, for Frosting): For the smoothest, silkiest cream cheese frosting, ensure your cream cheese is at room temperature. Cold cream cheese will result in a lumpy frosting that is difficult to spread or pipe.
• Powdered Sugar (Sifted, for Frosting): Sifting powdered sugar before mixing is a small but vital step for a lump-free, impeccably smooth frosting. This removes any clumps and aerates the sugar, making it easier to incorporate.

Mastering Your Homemade Vanilla Cupcakes: Expert Baking Tips

This Ina Garten-inspired sour cream vanilla cupcake recipe has garnered rave reviews over the years, and for good reason. Who can resist a fluffy, moist vanilla cupcake generously topped with a cloud of sweet, tangy cream cheese frosting? (Well, besides my youngest son, who surprisingly isn’t a fan of cream cheese frosting!). The sour cream is truly the star for creating that impossibly moist and tender crumb, perfectly complemented by the slightly tangy, rich icing. These cupcakes brought immense joy to Katie on her birthday, and she was thrilled to have both brothers home for the celebration, even if one voiced a minor complaint about the frosting!

• PRO-Tip: Optimal Cupcake Tin Filling: Many bakers, myself included, have learned through trial and error that overfilling cupcake liners can lead to messy overflows. Based on numerous reviews and personal experience, it is highly recommended to fill your cupcake tins only ¾ full. This allows ample space for the batter to rise beautifully without spilling over, ensuring perfectly domed tops.
• Achieving Perfect Moisture: Monitor Baking Time Carefully: While the original recipe might suggest a 30-minute baking time, many batches, including my own, have found that to be too long for these delicate cupcakes, potentially leading to dryness.
  
  PRO-Tip: Begin checking your vanilla cupcakes at the 20-minute mark. Insert a clean toothpick into the center of a cupcake; if it comes out clean with no wet batter, your cupcakes are ready to be removed from the oven. Baking them even a minute too long can diminish their tender texture.
• Listen to Your Nose and Observe Visually: Beyond the clock, your senses are your best baking tools. When you start to smell the sweet, delicious aroma of your cupcakes wafting from the oven, it’s a strong indicator that they are nearing completion. Take a peek through the oven window: if the tops appear mounded and are lightly browned, it’s an excellent time to conduct the toothpick test for doneness.
• The Gentle Tap Test for Doneness: Another reliable method to test for doneness in cakes and cupcakes is the gentle tap test. Lightly press your index finger onto the middle of one cupcake. If the surface springs back immediately without leaving an indentation, your cupcakes are fully baked. If an indentation remains, they likely need a few more minutes in the oven. If you’re ever in doubt, combine this with the toothpick method for reassurance.
• The Irreversible Nature of Baking: It’s crucial to remember that once you pull a cake or cupcakes out of the oven too soon, you cannot successfully return them to finish baking without compromising their texture. Similarly, an over-baked cupcake cannot be “fixed” to restore its moisture. Precision in baking time is paramount for the best results.
• Ensure Oven Accuracy with a Thermometer: Oven temperatures can vary significantly from what the dial indicates. Investing in an oven thermometer is a wise decision. This inexpensive tool will allow you to verify that your oven is calibrated correctly, ensuring consistent baking temperatures and predictable results every time you bake.
• Adapting and Doubling the Recipe: This outstanding homemade vanilla cupcake recipe is adapted from Ina Garten’s original. If you plan to double the recipe, consider using extra-large eggs or increase the quantity to seven large eggs to maintain the perfect moisture balance and structure.

Frequently Asked Questions About Vanilla Cupcakes

Explore More Delicious Vanilla & Dessert Recipes

If you’ve fallen in love with these easy vanilla cupcakes and find yourself drawn to the comforting, elegant flavor of vanilla, you’re in for a treat! Discover more delightful recipes that celebrate this beloved ingredient and explore other tempting dessert options:

• Triple Vanilla Pound Cake from The View from Great Island – For an even more intense vanilla experience.
• Instant Pot Vanilla Cheesecake – A quick and creamy dessert with rich vanilla flavor.
• Vanilla Spritz Cookies – Delicate, buttery cookies with a hint of vanilla.
• Ghirardelli Vanilla Cupcakes with White Chocolate Buttercream – A decadent twist on the classic.
• Buttercream Topped Vanilla Cupcakes – Another take on perfectly frosted vanilla goodness.
• Discover even more incredible Dessert Recipes for every craving.
• Browse our extensive collection of Cupcake Recipes for endless inspiration.

The Recipe:

Easy Vanilla Cupcakes with Cream Cheese Frosting

Prep Time
30 minutes

Cook Time
30 minutes

Total Time
1 hour

Yield
12 cupcakes

A delicious, all-purpose vanilla cupcake recipe that bakes up sweet and tender, generously topped with a rich and tangy cream cheese icing. Perfect for any celebration or a simple homemade treat.

Ingredients

For the Cupcakes:

• 9 tablespoons (1 stick plus 1 tablespoon) unsalted butter, at room temperature
• 1 ½ cups granulated sugar
• 3 large eggs, at room temperature
• ½ cup sour cream, at room temperature
• 1 teaspoon pure vanilla extract
• 1 ½ cups all-purpose flour
• 2 tablespoons + 2 ½ teaspoons cornstarch
• ½ teaspoon kosher salt
• ½ teaspoon baking soda

For the Cream Cheese Frosting:

• 1 ½ sticks (12 tablespoons) unsalted butter, at room temperature
• 1 brick (8 ounces) full-fat cream cheese, at room temperature
• 6 ounces powdered sugar, sifted (approximately 1 ⅓ cups)
• 1 teaspoon pure vanilla extract

Instructions

1. Preheat your oven to 350ºF (175ºC).
2. Line a 12-cup muffin pan with paper liners.
3. In the bowl of an electric mixer fitted with the paddle attachment, cream the room temperature butter and granulated sugar on high speed until the mixture is light and fluffy (about 3-5 minutes).
4. Reduce the mixer speed to medium, then add the eggs one at a time, mixing well after each addition. Stir in the sour cream and pure vanilla extract. Scrape down the sides of the bowl as needed and mix until the batter is smooth and well combined.
5. In a separate bowl, sift together the all-purpose flour, cornstarch, kosher salt, and baking soda. Whisk them together to ensure they are thoroughly combined.
6. With the mixer on low speed, gradually add the dry flour mixture to the wet butter mixture. Mix only until just combined, being careful not to overmix, which can lead to tough cupcakes.
7. Evenly distribute the cupcake batter among the prepared muffin liners, filling each approximately ¾ full.
8. Bake in the center of the preheated oven for 20 to 30 minutes, or until a wooden toothpick inserted into the center of a cupcake comes out clean. Be sure to check around the 20-minute mark to prevent over-baking. Once baked, remove from the oven and allow to cool completely in the pan before frosting.
9. For the Frosting: In the bowl of an electric mixer fitted with the paddle attachment, combine the room temperature butter, room temperature cream cheese, sifted powdered sugar, and pure vanilla extract. Mix on low speed until just smooth and creamy, being careful not to overbeat, which can make the frosting too thin.
10. Once the cupcakes are completely cooled, generously spread or pipe the cream cheese frosting on top of each cupcake. Serve and enjoy!

Notes

This recipe has been lovingly adapted from an Ina Garten recipe, ensuring quality and deliciousness.

For convenience, instead of traditional sifting, you can place all the dry ingredients into a bowl and whisk them vigorously for about 30 seconds to ensure they are well mixed and aerated.

Recommended Baking Products

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• KitchenAid Artisan Stand Mixer
• 1M Piping Tip
• Standard 12-Cup Cupcake Tin

Nutrition Information:

Yield:

12 servings

Serving Size:

1 cupcake

Approximate Amount Per Serving:
Calories: 361
Total Fat: 15g
Saturated Fat: 9g
Trans Fat: 1g
Unsaturated Fat: 5g
Cholesterol: 85mg
Sodium: 268mg
Carbohydrates: 52g
Fiber: 0g
Sugar: 39g
Protein: 4g

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