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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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I really love this recipe it’s so moist my family and friends 💞 it
I love this recipe made so many times but the icing was like water but over all 9.5/10💖
This recipe is literally everything. The instructions are very clear and easy to follow, and the cupcakes are to die for
Probably thee best Vanilla cupcake recipe I’ve used. I’ve started making them into cakes and they work just as well! I do add less sugar depending on the flavour of cake but I haven’t seen any significant change in the actual texture of the cake when I do so 🙂
Thank you so much!
So glad you enjoyed them!
Can i use this recipe and add cocoa powder instead of vanilla extract for a chocolate base?
That won’t really turn out. I would recommend these cupcakes. This vanilla cupcake was made based on these chocolate cupcakes. https://www.lifeloveandsugar.com/moist-homemade-chocolate-cupcakes/
Huge fan of your recipes! Can you make this with cake flour instead?
So glad to hear that! I haven’t tried cake flour but I assume it would be fine.
Hi there! I am making these for my sons birthday party. They will have tall piped frosting… Will I need to double recipe or does this recipe allow for piping?
The recipe allows for piping as shown in the photos.
Cupcakes were pretty good. Just a bit too sweet for me.
You mention that the batter will be very thin. I am wanting to add food coloring to the mix in several colors for a rainbow effect and afraid the colors may run together. If i ommit the water or not add so much will the batter be thiker but still fluffy?
This really isn’t going to be the best recipe for that. I would check out these cupcakes. I did red, white and blue but you can use whatever colors you like. https://www.lifeloveandsugar.com/red-white-and-blue-swirl-cupcakes/
Great recipe,left out the water completely and they came out soft and fluffy
Glad to hear they turned out well!
In the video it shows creaming butter and oil together but the recipe does not show any butter Why? It seems to show quite a bit of butter and about 1/4 cup oil.
I’m not sure what video you were looking at, but there’s a video player that plays videos of other recipes. The actual video for this recipe is right above the recipe card.
Is it hot or cold water??
Either would be fine.
I love this recipe soooooo much!!
Glad to hear it!
I have used this recipe to make cupcakes many times and they are always a hit! I plan to make them for my daughters birthday. Can I make them ahead of time and freeze them? Thank you!
Glad you enjoy them! I imagine they’d be fine frozen. Just wrap them well and thaw them in the fridge before using.
I love this recipe so muchhhhh!!!!!!!!!!!
So glad to hear that!
I love these so much! My go
To recipe any time we need a sweet treat. My question is, how far ahead can these be frozen? Trying to make a smash cake and cupcakes
Glad you enjoy them! Generally cakes and cupcakes can be frozen for up to 3 months.
These are by far the best I’ve ever had and so simple to make, just follow instructions correctly! Used the water and it was 👌🏼 Perfect. Can this recipe be used for a cake?
Glad to hear that! And yes, you can use it for a cake.