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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
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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 made these cup cakes and they were delicious! I was wondering if you have ever used cake flour for them instead of regular flour? Please let me know if you think the cake flour would work and any other adjustments I might need to make if i use cake flour. Thank you so much I look forward to hearing what you say.
I have not tried cake flour in these. I’m not really the biggest cake flour fan, in most cases. It may be ok. I think this is really a preference thing. If you like cake flour, give it a try. Generally speaking, the rule of thumb is to use 1 cup plus 2 tablespoons of cake flour for every cup of all purpose flour. But you could also try a one to one swap.
Terrible recipe! Cakes were inedible. I cooked them for 6 mins more than the time suggested and they were still uncooked in the centre. Deflated once I took them out of the oven.
Good and easy recipe to follow
Can I put these in the fridge or freezer and save them for later
Sure, that should be fine.
This is the best recipie ever its very good
So glad you enjoyed them!
This is my go to recipe for vanilla cupcakes. I get so many compliments 😊 they really are always light and fluffy . I was wondering can I add lemon juice to do lemon flavoured as there are many recipes out there but I’d prefer to stick to this one ?
So glad you enjoy them! You could try adding some lemon juice, but the acidity would probably affect the outcome. I actually really recommend my Lemon Cupcakes. They are super tender and moist.
Hi, thanks for sharing. This came in very handy as we greatly wanted some cupcakes but found out we had no butter. It was perfect.
URGENT question please: Kindly advise the best way to preserve overnight or for two nights.
Glad you enjoyed them! You can store them in an airtight container at room temperature for up to 24 hours and then refrigerate them.
I made these for a birthday celebration. They were great. Simple to make – I did it by hand: 2 bowls, 1 whisk and one spatula – easy peasy. Thank you for a wonderful recipe.
Glad you enjoyed them!
I’m new to baking. This is the first cupcake I have made in years. I feel like the cake tastes floury(Does that make sense lol) but overall is good! These vanilla cupcakes are so moist and fluffy and the frosting is so airy and has just the right sweetness. Totally Recommend 🙂
I’m glad you enjoyed them overall. If you’d like to try some other options that may have better flavor, check out my vanilla cupcake comparison. I have several other recipes that are butter-based that may have a flavor you prefer.
Hi. Do the cupcakes have a flat surface when baked? Mine (I haven’t tried this recipe yet) always comes out pointy in the middle and I’m looking for a recipe with a flat surface for easier icing.
These should turn out flat on top. But I do have several vanilla cupcake recipes you could try.
Love this recipe! If I’m making mini cupcakes for my little ones, how long should I bake them for?
Glad you enjoy them! I would try 6-8 minutes.
My cupcakes came out gooey, sticky and like volcano’s erupted their inside all over the place. Very sad as it was for my daughters birthday. Maybe because I added food colouring?
Such a great recipe!! I was a bit worried about how thin the batter was but they turned out so good 10/10
So glad you enjoyed them!
This was so good but the buttercream was a bit too sweet! Amazing cupcakes
Glad you enjoyed them! You can certainly reduce the sugar, your frosting just won’t be quite a thick.
I love this recipe so much!
So glad to hear that!
These are LITERALLY the best cupcakes I’ve ever eaten in my life!! Dense, moist, freaking delicious. I’ve never left a review before but this recipe deserves 11 stars!!