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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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Hi, I’m anxious to try this but I have a few questions. Does the water have to be a certain temperature, and if I were to substitute butter for oil would measurements be the same, and for the butter would I melt, or soften it?
It doesn’t have to be a certain temperature. I haven’t tried it with oil or melted butter, but I’d suggest trying the oil over the butter.
Not sure what I did wrong but I pulled these cupcakes out and they looked fabulous, until I let them sit for two minutes and then they shrunk and sunk until they were half the size almost! So sad I wasted an evening prepping these and they look awful! I can maybe salvage a few as they still taste alright and with icing it might be okay- but more like kid size cupcakes than adult!!
Hello!
I loved your recipe I changed it up and used a cream cheese icing instead. I found that it worked great, but my cupcakes didn’t grow much even with only filling it half way. Why would it come out spongey is that normal? Like it tastes really good.
10/10 on your recipe. 🙂
It’s hard for me to picture exactly what you’re describing, but I’m not totally sure why they wouldn’t rise fully. The mixing method is pretty straightforward, so maybe check your baking powder?
Great recipe! I halved the recipe and made into mini cupcakes and they came out lovely! Thank you for sharing!
That’s awesome, I’m so glad you enjoyed!
Just want to let you know that I just made these, and followed your directions exactly, and they came perfect ! So good I can’t stop eating them (neither can my husband lol)
Awesome! So glad to hear it!
What a lovely recipe. Everything worked a treat. Being from Australia I had to look up what shortening was and all purpose flour. Cakes turned out lovely and moist and the icing on top delicious.
This will be my goto recipe for vanilla cupcakes. Thank you
I’m so glad to hear you enjoyed them!
Hi. Your cupcake recipe is amazing, i love it. Just one problem. How do I get them to not brown? I baked them at 150 degrees Celsius and they still brown. Please help. Thanks.
Hmm, like on the sides? What color is the pan you’re using? A lighter pan will be less likely to brown than a darker pan.
That so so delicious.. Thanks for your sharing!!
I have tried your Vanilla cup cake recipe twice & both times I found that they are nice & soft. Last time trying was for my friends’ birthday 3 days ago. Everyone loved them and some asked for the recipe, I share to hem your blogs link.
I loved these cupcakes. I had to make 500 cupcakes for my senior project and I used these cupcakes. I had to quintuple the batter but they came out perfectly! I can’t wait to sell these cupcakes to the public, I’ll definitely be mentioning your name and website when I present these <3
I’m so glad you enjoyed them!
Hi, I am from Mozambique. I tried your cupcakes for a party and they came out stunning. Thank you so much for this recipe. I am a first timer baking cupcakes and the recipe was simple and easy to follow 10/10. I made a little twist on top for the decoration since I didn’t use frosting, so instead I used the same batter and added cocoa powder and made little swirls on top. Wish I could send you pics to have a look at it.
That’s awesome! I’m so glad you enjoyed! 🙂
Made these cupcakes for my sons baker baker day at school and the teacher said the children loved it!! So I was in the mood to make chocolate cake followed this recipe and added what was left of the cocoa in the tin and coffee to the water and definitely the best cake I ever had… Thanks so much!! A winner!!
I’m glad you enjoyed them! Thanks Dee-Anne!
This had a seret cornbread taste to it
Why is that??
I love this recipe. Do you have any vanilla cupcake recipes that do not use eggs? Planning a birthday party for my daughter, but her cousins are allergic to eggs. 🙁
I’m glad you enjoyed them! I’m sorry, but I don’t have a recipe without eggs.
I love this recipe and they store really well. The cupcakes are delicious and my family loved the cupcakes, I had to hide them to make sure that i had something for later. The first batch they ate the whole thing within twenty minutes. Overall, everyone loved the cupcakes and they deserve a five-star review.
I’m so glad you enjoyed the cupcakes!
Can I use butter for the icing instead of shortening?
Yes, you can.