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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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really yum, thanks. keep doing what your doing Lindsay!!!
you are killing the game hun. dont let the haters get you down!!!!!!!!!!!!
These cupcakes are the worst things i’ve ever put in my mouth. DO NOT make these unless you would like to vomit and cry simultaneously. i dig the effort but it inst working sweetie.
thought icing would fix the tragic train-wreck of these dense little things but it was no match.
they were uneatable. i respect the grind🧚♂️🧚♂️🧚♀️🧜♀️ but dont try next time.✨✨✨✨
question will it bake right if you don’t add baking powder? I just realized that we didn’t have it and already had added a lot and now the batters in the oven. Can you please respond quickly because this is for my mothers birthday
You will definitely need baking powder, as that’s what helps the cupcakes rise.
This was the best cupcake I’ve ever made!! I used 1/2 cup of water because I got scared of how thin the batter was. Still turned out amazing! Thank you for the recipe!!
Hi
Would like to bake the cupcakes today….. Just want to clarify whether it should be boiling water or tap/filter water.
It doesn’t need to be boiling. I usually use water that’s roughly room temperature, straight out of the tap.
These are the very best vanilla cupcakes I’ve had. They are so easy to make, and I don’t even have to use an electric mixer. They are so squishy and moist. I have tried many cupcake recipes and these are by far my favorite.
Prepared your yummilicious cup cakes last weekend.They were just superbly utterly delicious.My son just gobbled everything in 2 days😂..Thankyou for the recipe😍..I’m going to keep this recipe in my list..
Hi, I made this for our super and it was a winner. I added a teaspoon of Coconut cream and durian when adding the cream. It was delicious. My mom thinks its amazing!! Very yummy. Thanks for the recipe.
Thanks for your recipe. I made vanilla cupcakes today and they came out so good, moist and fluffy.
Hi these came out tasty but had a hint of baking soda aftertaste
and wish they were fluffier – what could I be doing wrong? I did use lactose free milk could that be the culprit?
Without being able to see how they turned out, it’s hard to say if you did anything wrong. I’ve never tried lactose free milk, so I’m not sure.
“These cupcakes turned out good! They were very sweet! We made strawberry icing!”—Ella, age 6
Hello, I love your recipe for the moist chocolate cupcakes! I came across this recipe for vanilla cupcakes and was wondering if this can be used as a base for other flavors? Thank you!
In theory, yes. But it depends a little on how you’d want to alter them. It’s a very thin batter, so there’s only so much you could add and get a good result.
I made this recipe, but replacing the milk and water for 2 cups of almond milk and replacing the 1/2 of vegetable oil for melted coconut oil. I didn’t know if they would turn out given the substitutions I made, but they turned out amazing! Moist and fluffy, with a nice, but not overpowering, vanilla flavour. Definitely a keeper!
I love this recipe !
Fluffiest Cupcakes I have ever tasted !
And so easy !
Thank you
Hi! I have a quick question…… Could I use this recipe for cake???? It’s so good that I HAVE to use it whenever I’m making cupcakes. I haven’t made cake in a while but figured I should for easter.
Thanks!
Emily
You can. I used it as a cake in this recipe, if you’d like to check it out. https://www.lifeloveandsugar.com/berry-mascarpone-layer-cake/
Thank you for this recipe! I’m a bread baker but can never seem to get cake right. Your recipe was so easy and good I feel I’ve arrived!
I love this recipe sooooo much it is so moist and delicious, and it is my new favorite recipe to bake!
I’m so glad to hear that!