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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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Made this recipe a few weeks ago but I used lemon essence instead and I made 12 not 24, and it was a huge hit so I decided to make them again yesterday and do the full 24 with vanilla essence this time. The family ate the entire lot in one night and I’ve been asked to whip up another batch again today which is currently in the oven as I’m typing this. It’s a lovely recipe and they come out so light, the only difference is I halved the sugar so they’re not too sweet. I used the grams and milliliter measurements and not the cups to make it as accurate as possible to yours as I’m in Zimbabwe and our cup measurements are different to yours.
So glad they’ve been a hit!
I do not consider myself a baker at all, and these came out super good. Made it for a house of 5 and they were gone by the end of the next day. 10/10.
Thanks!
These were awful, do not make them. I followed the recipe exact and cupcake was thick and not fluffy at all. Barely tasted any vanilla flavor either. I’ve never seen a batter so watery. They didnt rise a whole lot when baked either which made for sad looking cupcakes not even higher then the paper they baked in. I didn’t make the icing so I have no comment on that.
This recipe was horrible. I’ve never tasted a cupcake more disgusting in my life. The cupcake was doughy and flavorless. I am so disappointed.
I agree, not good at all.
Wonderful recipe! The cupcakes turned out to be super moist. Thank you for sharing 🙂
XOXO,
Radhika
I’m so happy you liked them!
So easy so delicious! Thank you!!!
Absolutely perfect recipe!
This one is definitely going into my book of favourites. And will be our new birthday cupcake recipe. So moist. So light and fluffy. And the size is perfect! I overfilled my 2nd tray but know for next time that half full is just right.
Thank you for sharing this!!!
The lace cookies didn’t turn out right and I followed the recipe. What do you think went wrong? They did taste good though. ( I’m 10 years old and a very picky eater so you can tell these were still good)
I loved making this cupcake and it tasted soooooooooooooooooooooooooooooo good. My mom said she would remember this for the rest of her life and my dad had 3 of them. (I am 10 years old so you can tell it was super easy to make as well!)
Okay, so here’s the story. On Christmas Eve, I decided to bake a cake (some other recipe) for the first time and everything was great! Until I realized there was something wrong with the whipped cream and had to throw the whole finished cake out. Mind you, I’m not much of a baker so I whipped everything by hand. This made me super sad and I almost gave up until I decided to give it another try this morning (the morning of Christmas day). After some googling I came across this recipe and it seemed simple and quick enough.
It was so last minute and I didn’t even have baking cups or enough ingredients for frosting. I just went with it in my muffin pan sprayed with oil and you know what… they turned out so moist and delicious! I used egg replacer because my son is allergic and it still turned out perfect! I just topped it with whipped cream and strawberries and they are super tasty and cute.
I just wanted to say thank you, you saved my Christmas and this recipe will definitely be used again in the future! Merry Christmas!
Absolutely amazing! Only recipe I will ever use 😁 would definitely make again super easy and delicious!
Well, the cupcakes were definitely moist but, that’s really all they had going for them. There wasn’t a whole lot of flavor there besides that and I even added a bit of extra vanilla as I do any time I bake.
While these were quick and easy to make, they just didn’t do it for me in the taste department.
Hi, made them, love them & can’t get enough of the. Just a little question, that super cute star sprinkle, any chance I could get the info on where to get it?
They are from sweetapolita.
This recipe has been my favourite for the last 3 years! I have made them every year for my sons birthday and they have been loved by so many friends and family! Every single person who has tried it has complemented that this is the best cupcake they have ever tried! I didn’t make the icing you have posted I actually used a buttercream icing on top & it’s fantastic! Thank you for sharing such a wonderful recipe ♥️♥️
Hi Lindsay,
I did this recipe a week ago and trying again this time. My mother was here while I was cooking and asked me if it was too thin. Water did make the batter more thiner and I just said that it was supposed to be thin. Other videos said it should be thick. I wonder if this effected how the cupcake didn’t bake so nice. The taste was awesome, but it stuck a little bit to the cupcake paper. Is it because it was too thin or could have been because it didn’t cook long enough? I’d also like some advice for what I should do for the upcoming Christmas! I certainly love this recipe.
If you’re having trouble with this recipe, I’d try this newer recipe https://www.lifeloveandsugar.com/easy-homemade-vanilla-cupcakes-recipe/
I have used silicone cupcake cups and sprayed them down with cooking oil and they pop out of those easily with no mess & the silicone cups clean very easy! I ordered my silicone cups off of Amazon for super cheap!
My 4 year old daughter and I enjoyed making these cupcakes. The only thing I changed was that I substituted coconut oil for shortening in my icing. Oh yeah and I put the batter into ice cream cups for 5 min longer baking and boy was that ever yummy!!! 💞 🍦