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These Moist Vanilla Cupcakes are super easy to make and so moist – for days! They are my new favorite vanilla cupcake!
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Moist Vanilla Cupcakes Recipe
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. 😉
So let’s talk a bit about these cupcake. There’s no need for creaming to get involved, which is kind of a plus. 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. The “OG cupcake” was that way too, but used butter and were a little denser. These cupcakes use oil and are lighter.
We’ve got the usual suspects in this cupcake, starting with the dry ingredients: all-purpose flour, sugar, baking powder and salt. Easy, common ingredients that you should totally have in your pantry already. Mix ’em all together and set ’em aside.
Next are the wet ingredients: milk, vegetable oil, vanilla extract and eggs. The oil is the fat component instead of butter and in my opinion, tends to make a more moist cake that stays moist for longer. Totally true for these cupcakes. The milk (I typically use 2%) adds to the structure of the cake, in addition to adding moisture. Milk adds fluff and I love some fluff. 🙂 I used a full tablespoon of vanilla extract to make sure there’s plenty of delicious vanilla flavor. Then the eggs add more moisture, structure and flavor. I switched it up in these and went with whole eggs instead of egg whites. No more egg yolks getting wasted here!
Once the wet and dry ingredients are combined, the water is added.
There’s so much moisture in these cupcakes! I love them! I’m a big, big fan of their ease of making, their flavor and moisture. They use such simple ingredients that you likely already have in your pantry too – score! When topped with my favorite vanilla buttercream, these vanilla cupcakes really are a dream! They were a big hit in our house and I hope you love them as much as we did!
Watch How To Make These
Read Transcript
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Moist Vanilla Cake
Moist and Fluffy Vanilla Cake
Perfect Moist and Fluffy Vanilla Cupcakes
Easy Moist Chocolate Cake
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.
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Moist Vanilla Cupcakes
- Prep Time: 15 minutes
- Cook Time: 15 minutes
- Total Time: 30 minutes
- Yield: 24-26 Cupcakes
- 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 (240ml) milk
- 1/2 cup (120ml) vegetable oil
- 1 tbsp vanilla extract
- 2 large eggs
- 1 cup (240ml) water*
VANILLA FROSTING
- 1 cup (224g) unsalted butter, room temperature
- 4 cups (460g) powdered sugar
- 1 1/2 tsp vanilla extract
- 2–3 tbsp (30-45ml) water or milk
- 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 water or milk 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.
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
Enjoy!
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Can you use canola oil instead of vegetable oil or is it optional?
I haven’t tried the canola oil, but I’d think it’d be fine.
Can I use Vanilla paste or Vanilla Bean? If so, would I still use 1T? I just like to see the vanilla specks and Love the Vanilla flavor .
Yes, the paste should be fine. I would think a tablespoon should be enough.
I have no idea what went wrong? My cupcakes turned out dense, more like a muffin. I feel like, perhaps it was too much flour. Looking through the comments, it doesn’t seem like anyone else had this outcome. I like my cupcakes to be light and fluffy and these turned out dense:( I’m bummed!
Hi i saw that the batter was a little bit runny not that stiff and useally needs more flour (at least i would have added a little bit more) first question this is the right conststancy?runny? Second question i want to bake them inside a baking cup would it be ok because of tne oil or should i use butter?i am afraid it might be very oily outside the baking cup and looks dirty.thank you very much
These are hands down the best vanilla cupcakes I’ve ever made. I made one change in the frosting I used 1/2 tsp of princess cookie and cake emulsion the combo was perfect. The texture of the cupcakes are amazing
I’m so glad you enjoyed them!
Can I take the shortening out of the frosting and replace it with butter? I don’t have shortening.
Yes, you can
Thank you for this recipe! They look wonderful! My daughter is wanting mini cakes for her birthday. Do you have any suggestions on how to use this recipe for 4″ mini cake pans?
Thanks!
I haven’t ever made little cakes that small so I’m not sure.
I’m hoping to make a couple different flavors of cupcakes with just one recipe, as my friends hardly have any favorite flavors in common 😐
What might happen if I added cocoa powder to the dry ingredients to make half the batter chocolate? Would I have to compensate with more liquid? Would they come out so mildly chocolatey that it wouldn’t be worth the time? Your thoughts are much appreciated!!
This is the chocolate version of the same recipe. You could just adjust it to cupcakes. Alternatively, you could follow this recipe, which is a little bit different.
Hi Lindsay,
I tried the recipe last night and my cupcakes flattened out when I pulled them out of the oven. I don’t think there is anything wrong with the recipe, I believe I messed up by measuring the milk and oil by weight instead of with a liquid measuring cup. Can you tell me exactly how you measured everything? Thanks for the recipe, I’m sorry I messed it up!
I weigh the dry ingredients, but use a measuring cup for the liquids. If you weighed them, that certainly could have been an issue.
If i dont have measuning cup what should i do?
can you replace vegetable oil with butter when making the cupcakes?
I haven’t tried it to say. I don’t think you’d get the same result though.
For Shortening do you use vegetable or butter flavored?
Vegetable
Hello! I loved the cupcakes! However, they slightly tasted like corn bread? I was sure to follow the exact recipe, any idea what could have went wrong?
Thank you!
I don’t know what happened, but these did not work out. They smelled amazing and the flavor was good, but they barely rised and were so gummy on the inside
It was really strange and disappointing. I think it had something to do with the cup of water.
I tried to make these, but when they were finished they didn’t taste like vanilla. They tasted almost like pancakes. I tried again, adding a little extra vanilla, but I got the same result. I followed the directions perfectly, I really don’t understand what I’m doing wrong.
Hi I am trying this recipe just now. Wonder why there was no baking soda. Would it still be thesame as other recipes that have it? And btw ive added almond extract will it affect its texture?
This isn’t a recipe that uses baking soda. Just baking powder. The almond extract won’t affect texture.
Can I just use 1 cup butter for the frosting instead of shortening?
Yes, you can.
Hi Lindsay
I made these today and true to their name they are a lovely moist, soft cupcake. They do lack flavour, even though I put a tbsp and a bit more of vanilla extract. I think the ingredients are all bland and the lack of butter is noticeable in this recipe.