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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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The cupcakes looked beautiful when they first came out of the oven but once cooling off they shrunk so much. I measured all ingredients with a scale so I don’t think the recipe went wrong there. Maybe I over mixed? I’m unsure but this recipe was disappointing and abnormally thin for a cupcake mix.
I just made these cupcakes and they really are the best vanilla cupcakes I’ve ever had! My husband said they are perfect. Thank you for the recipe. Will be having these for my sisters 40th birthday!
So glad you enjoyed them!
These looked lovely on your site. I just finished baking them and they don’t look like they rose completely. They are very white as well. The recipe was intriguing but very disappointed in them.
I’ve made these twice and your chocolate ones once. Rave reviews all three times!! These are so moist and delicious!! Making again for Easter!! Thank you!!
Awesome! So glad you’ve enjoyed them!
I made these yesterday and they were amazing. They were moist and flavorful, and the frosting was spot on. Came here to left everyone else know too!
I’m so glad you enjoyed them!
Sooo yummy!! Can I use gluten free flour for someone who is gluten free? Is it the same measurement? Thank you!
I haven’t tried it, but that should be fine. And yes, the same amount.
Hey, your recipe looks amazing! I can’t wait to try it. I do have a question… for the icing can I use butter instead of shortening?
Thanks.
Yes, you can.
I made these, they were awesome! My family enjoyed!! Moist delicious, lovely. Thanks for the recipe.. i look forward to memorizing and pass it down my clan.
Thanks Betsy! Glad they enjoyed them!
Thank you for this amazing and easy recipe, I’m making cupcakes for my son to take to school for his birthday and these are great.
I used coconut oil as that’s all I had.
Awesome! Glad you’re happy with them!
I loved this recipe! I made St Patrick’s Day cupcakes for my office. I added green gel food coloring & iced them with dark chocolate ganache coated in green sanding sugar. They were a HUGE HIT! I’m a long-time baker. The watery batter was weird to me, but I noticed how popular this post is so I made them & they turned out amazing! 2 cups of sugar is a lot. I could’ve cut back, but icing with dark chocolate ganache added a really good bitter-sweet balance. Thanks for the recipe!
So glad to hear they were a hit!
I made these cupcakes for my daughters fifth birthday and they were absolutely delicious ! She even ate several without icing.I have never been able to find a really good homemade vanilla cupcake recipe until now. They turned out so moist and they were very easy to make.I’m so happy I found this recipe. Thank you!
So glad you are happy with it! Thanks Liz!
I just made a batch of 2 dozen cupcakes and an 8 inch round cake with this recipe for an upcoming wedding and this will likely become my go-to oil-based vanilla recipe from here on out. I’m so pleased with the flavour, colour and texture. With an oven that runs a little cool like mine I found that 28 minutes was perfect for the cake and 21 minutes for the cupcakes, they do not deflate when rotating the pans mid bake for even heat distribution. Thank you for a lovely, reliable and delicious recipe.
Awesome! So glad to hear you’re happy with it! 🙂
THESE ARE THE BEST EVER! I had been searching for forever for a from-scratch vanilla cake that would actually taste and look good, and these are it! The original recipe from this site for the moist fluffy vanilla cupcakes were fantastic as well, but these are even better- and I love using the little bit of oil instead of all the butter! Easier to make and so so good! I have even used the base recipe to make other flavors and it turns out so well- lots of compliments! I have not used the icing recipe, so this review is just for the cakes themselves! Amazing!
So glad to hear you love the recipe!
Thank you so much for this recipe! It turned out great! This will be my go-to recipe from now on. I’m definitely gonna try to make a cake out of this batter. Greetings from Belgium ????
So glad you enjoyed them! You can use it as a cake – I did in this recipe. 🙂
Stumbled upon your recipe today. With all the recipes out there, finding this one makes me feel like I’ve won the lottery!
I’m in charge of making my brother’s 50th wedding anniversary cake in April and I’ve made so many vanilla cake recipes searching for the right one. This one is the winner, by far. The icing is perfect as well! Thank you so much for sharing your recipe 🙂
Awesome! So glad you found the recipe and enjoyed it!
I made these and doubled the recipe I also added in two cups of crushed Oreos but it seems like the Oreos didn’t bake through into the cupcake and they stayed more on top any suggestions? I thought the batter being a looser batter caused this I’m wondering if I added the crushed Oreos right after it’s done mixing but before I add in the water?? I made these with fun fetti and had no issues
Hmmm, yea that seems strange. If anything, I’d expect the Oreos to fall to the bottom of the cupcakes.
This is my goto cupcake recipe. They always come out great and my grandsons love them. . Well the other day we were mixing up the batter and instead of my grandson grabbing the cupcake pan he grabbed a 9×13 pan and said let’s use this pan.. It’s their project so we made it as a cake. It still came out sooo good, moist. . We made chocolate icing. The whole thing came out delish!!
So glad you’ve enjoyed it!