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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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Just tried it right now! Love the recipe. I halved it to make 12 and they came out super moist and soft. Everyone loved them. Delicious.
Loved this recipe. Came out really fluffy and moist. Made a buttercream icing and added Nutella spread to the icing mix. Used the water and it was a wonderful mix. Thank you so much.
So glad you enjoyed them!
I found this recipe to be extremely dry and had the consistency of a hardened sponge cake. It’s a hard no for me.
It certainly isn’t for everyone. I do have four different vanilla cupcakes though, so feel free to try one of the others. https://www.lifeloveandsugar.com/vanilla-cupcake-comparison/
I really love this recipe. It really lasts like 4 days in the fridge and still taste great. I reduced the sugar a bit and they still turn out great. Also turned out great when I replace Vanilla essence with other flavorings. I am trying them with sprinkles nxt
Loves this recipe! Followed it to a T, I used a scale for the ingredients and they are sooo light and moist. I used the full cup of water and baked them using the conventional oven open. They came out perfect!
So glad you enjoyed them!
Too runny. Too much batter. Took too long to cook (30 min).there are better recipes out there- would not recommend.
I love it I did it with my sis we battled I hope our cupcakes come out well bc we put water
First I have to say I have ruined more than one batch of cupcakes so I normally just buy a mix. I made half a batch and put them in a 12 count pan. I assume that is why it took more than 17 min. It was about 21 min before they were cooked but they are delicious.
Agree with the previous commenter, there are better recipes out there. This recipe not only has mixed reviews, i was skeptical of the sugar levels so i reduced it but the cupcakes still came out wayyy too sweet. Sorry OP, an easy recipe to whip up but not a keeper.
You aren’t telling me anything I don’t already know. There are notes and warnings about it throughout the recipe. 🙂 I am sorry that you were one of the ones who had a bad experience though. That said, I have four different vanilla cupcake recipes that are all a little different. This is the least reliable of all of them. I’ve tried very hard to link to other options for people and I will try once more lol. Here is a recent post that talks about each of the four recipes, what makes them different and which one you might want to try. Maybe take a look and try one of the other ones. Hopefully one of them would work for you! 🙂
Found this recipe and will never try another one for vanilla cupcakes. One of my top “recipe finds” of all time! 😊
OMG, these are to die for! I only added 1/4 cup of water and they are a tiny bit crispy on the outside, and SUPERsoft and moist on the inside. BEST CUPCAKES EVER!
Hi Lindsay..love this recipe works all the time for me but I am wondering would I be able to make these as mini cupcakes? I don’t want to waste ingredients and liners if you don’t think it’s possible. Thanks!
It should be fine as mini cupcakes.
its bad
I’ve made these so many times. They are my go to vanilla cupcake recipe now. So moist and light and they always get rave reviews.
So glad to hear that!
This is the 3rd time using this recipe and it’s saves as one of my all time favourites!! Today was hubbies birthday so I doubled up in hopes it’ll last alittle longer this time than the normal 24hrs when I make a batch. Thanks heaps for this fabulous recipe xoxo
Currently have mine going for 20 minutes already. I even used way less water and its still not done. Going to try this without water next.
Tasted like a cupcake! Didn’t have a box mix in a pinch so I appreciate how easy this was to make. Who knew how much sugar it requires 😝